Total Pageviews

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Nannu Brovu Lalitha : Shyama Sastri : Lalitha

Nannu Brovu Lalitha : Lalitha

Lyrics taken from : http://www.carnaticmusic.esmartmusic.com

Raga: Lalitha / Tala: mishra chapu

|pallavi||
nannu brOvu lalithA vEgamE
chAlaninnu nera nammiyunna
vAdugadhA bhaktha kalpakalathA

||anu pallavi||
ninnuvinA evarunnAru gathi
jananI athi vEgamE vachchi
(nannu brOvu...)

||charaNa 1||
parAku sEyakanEvachchi kRupasalupa rAdhA
mOra vinavA parAshakthI gIrvANa vamdhitha
padhA nI bhakthudanammA samthathamu
(nannu brOvu...)

||charaNa 2||
sarOjabhava kamalanAtha shamkarasurEmdhra
nuthacharithA purANi vANI imdhrANI
vamdhitha rANi ahibhUShaNuni rANI
(nannu brOvu...)

||charaNa 3||
madhAthmulaina dhurAthmajanulanukathalanu
pOgadi sadhA nE varAla chutti thirigithi
vethalanella dhIrchivaramOsagi
(nannu brOvu...)

||charaNa 4||
sumEru maDhya nilayE shyAmakRuShNuni sOdhari
kaumAri umA shrI mInAkShammA shamkariyO
mahArajmI rakShimchuta kidhi samayamu
(nannu brOvu...)
***************************************************
Core Meaning : 
 
nannu brOvu lalithA vEgamE chAlaninnu nera nammiyunna vAdugadhA bhaktha kalpakalathA 
nannu = me
brovu = protect
lalitha = goddess lalitha
vegame = quick; fast; save me fast
chala   = very 
ninnu = you
nera = much  
nammi yunna = trust you 
vAdugadhA   = God who fulfills
bhaktha = devotees
kalpakalathA = the wish fulfilling plant

O Lalitha Dhevi! Come quickly. Come and save me.  I rely on you and only you. who is there for me? 
Except you?  You are the one who is fulfills all the wishes of your devotees. You are like the 'kalpaka 
latha' - the wish fulfilling plant

ninnuvinA evarunnAru gathi jananI athi vEgamE vachchi
ninnu = you
vina - without
evarunnaru = who is there?
gathi = way/ refuge
janani = who created the whole world
athi vegame vachchi= come faster
  
There is no one but you for me. Who can save me but you? Where can I go? There is nowhere I can go. 
There is no 'gathi' , no refuge for me other than yourself. So, please come quickly. Come and save me. 
 
parAku sEyakanEvachchi kRupasalupa rAdhA mOra vinavA parAshakthI gIrvANa vamdhitha
padhA nI bhakthudanammA samthathamu

paraku  = unconcerned
seyakanevachchi = overlook
krupa salupa radha = show pity
mora = requests / pleadings
vinava = hear / listen / enquire
parashakthi = goddess of the world
girvana vamdhitha padha = the lotus feet worshipped by all Gods
ni = your
bhakthudanamma = your devottee/ your baktha
samthathamu = for always / for ever 
 
Dear Goddess. Please listen to my please. Please enquire about me. Please show pity on me.  
Please don't overlook me. You are the goddess of the world. You are the parashakthi - the supreme shakthi. 
All the Gods come and worship at your feet. I am your devotee. I will always be like that. 
I will always be worshipping you. Don't give up on me.
 
sarOjabhava kamalanAtha shankarasurEndhra
nutha charithA purANi vANI indhrANI
vandhitha rANi ahibhUShaNuni rANI

sarojabhava = the one who was born from the lotus - lord brahma
kamalanatha = the one who hs the lotus navel - lord vishnu 
sankara = lord shiva
surendhra = head of all devas - Devendra - Indra
nuta = praised by
charitha  = your life story
purani = goddess lakshmi 
vani = goddess saraswati
indhrani = indra's wife
vandhitha = worshipped by
rani = queen 
ahibhUShaNuni = the one who takes snakes as garlands, lord sankara
rANI = queen
 
Devi! Lord Brahma, Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu - all of them worship on your feet. Devendra sings about
your life. Indrani, saraswati and lakshmi all come and worship at your lotus feet.  The one who takes snakes 
for garlands, the lord sankar's queen is who else but you? 

Here, the words are poetic. Purani, Vani, indhrani, Rani...the words are dancing around. 

madhAth mulaina dhurAthmajanulanu kathalanu
pOgadi sadhA nE varAla chutti thirigithi
vethalanella dhIrchi varamOsagi

madhath mulaina =  filled by lust and wickedness
dhurathmajanulanu = bad people
kathalanu pogadi = who told stories
sadha = always
ne = I 
varala = those  
chutti thirigithi = wasted my life by wandering around
vethalanella = suffering 
dhirchi = bless
varamosagi = the one who gives the varms / bliss
 
My mother! Devi Lalitha! I have always kept the company of bad people. These were the ones who were 
filled with lust and wickedness. I have always listened to their stories. But, don't forget me just because of that.
I am suffering for all that now. Please save me from this. Please bless me. Please grant me your boons. 
 
Please do it fast. 

sumEru maDhya nilayE shyAmakRuShNuni sOdhari
kaumAri umA shrI mInAkShammA shamkariyO
mahArajmI rakShimchuta kidhi samayamu

sumeru = the meru mountain
madhya = center of 
nilaye = reside in
shyamakrishnuni sodhari = sister of krishna, who has dark color
kaumAri = who is always young
umA shrI mInAkShammA = goddess uma, goddess meenakshi
shamkariyO = goddess sankari
mahArajmI = queen of the universe
rakShimchuta = please save me / protect me
kidhi samayamu = this is the time    

My dear Goddess Lalitha! You are Uma. You are Meenakshi. You are the sister of Lord Krishna, who is dark. You reside in teh mountain Meru. You are always young. You are the devi of Lord sankara and hence you are called sankari. You are the empress. You are the queen of this whole universe. please save me. Please protect me. It is time for it. It is time you protected me. 

Stories in this kriti : 

Kalapa lathika : 
It is said that there is a tree called "kalpaka vruksha". The tree fulfills all the wishes the ones who are underneath it. With it around, whatever you wish, whether good or bad, come to be realised. Shyama sastri tells us that Goddess Lalitha is like that tree. However, as she is a beautiful woman, and women are generally compared to creepers which are thin rather than thick as a tree, he compares Goddess Lalitha to the "kalapa lathika". Also, while the kalapa vruksha gives all the good and bad, this 'kalpa lathika" fulfills only if the wishes are good. It does not fulfill your wishes if those wishes are bad for you. 

One of the stories about 'Klapaka vruksha" is this : one man, wandered in the forest and was lost. He took rest underneath the kalapaka vriksha, not knowing its nature. He was hungry. He wished for a feast. Immediately, there was this feast in front of him. He was happy and frightenend at the same time. However, because he was hungry, he finished his meals. Then, he wished for a comfortable cot with pillows. Immediately, there was this lovely cot with pillows! He then wished for beautiful women to massage his aching feet. There were two of them massaging him in no time. He was deeply worried now. He then thought : this is a jungle. What if there comes a lion now and eats me? No sooner than he had the thought, there materialized a lion which killed him immediately and ate him. 

But, this 'kalapa lathika' will not grant the wishes if those are bad for the devotees. It will fulfill only if it is good for them. That is the difference between the 'kalpa vruksha' and this 'kalpa lathika'. 

Janani : 
She is the one who created the entire world. "jaga janani" is an often used phrase by all her devotees. Though it is said that Brahma created the world, the 'mahamaya' or the goddess maya, which is a part of devi, goddess lalitha actually created the world according to saktha sect. 

All the Gods worshipping the Goddess Mother : 
This is another traditional practice in the 'saktha' tradition. All the 3 Gods : Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva all fall on the lotus feet of Goddess Lalitha. The same thing is said by slokas such as "Lalitha sahasranama" and bakthi literature such as "Abirami anthathi:" It goes like this : "harihara brahmendradhi sevitha"

Sumeru madhya nilaye : 
This is straight from Lalitha sahasranama. Shyama sastri calls devi as "Lalitha" here. And, he goes on to use the same phrases and praises that Lalitha sahasranama uses. Devi, Goddess, resides in the mountain meru. It is said to be in kailasha. 


Shyama Krishuni sodhari : 
This is the 'mudra' that Shyama sastri uses in all his kritis. Devi Goddess is also the sister of the Shyama coloured - dark colored Krishna. In fact, one of the famous idols in almost all of the tamilnadu marriage halls is that of Lord Vishnu, marrying off his sister to Lord Shiva. This happens because Shyamala, devi goddess, is Vishnu's sister. As Krishna is Vishnu's incarnation, she is the sister of Krishna.
 
One of the stories about how Shyama Sastri started using his mudra "shyama krishna sodari" 
is as follows : taken from : http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/fr/2002/05/10/stories/2002051000870600.htm

Kamakshi's brother :     

SHYAMA SASTRI, one of the Music Trinity, waschristened Shyamakrishna at birth. What made him address 
Devi Kamakshi of Thanjavur as his sister (Shyamakrishna Sodari) in all his kritis is an interesting story handed 
down by the temple archakas of his time, according to Swaminantha Atreya, the asthana Sanskrit vidwan 
of the Kanchi mutt. Those were the days when the temple for Goddess Kamakshi was being built by Thulajaji, 
the Maratha ruler of Thanjavur. Shyama would practise the songs in his wonderful voice sitting on the tower 
meant for the temple bell. His aunt who was fond of him used to send him milk through her little daughter. One 
day the girl came calling him "Anna" (brother), placed the bowl of milk by his side and disappeared. Shyama
noticed her angelic charm that day with the necklace of the deity adorning her neck. He at once ran home 
only to reprimand his mother for having sent her decked with the deity's jewel.When he learnt that she had not 
sent the girl that day, as she was not available he knew that Goddess Kamakshi had come to enslave him. 
The first kriti that flowed from his lips praising Her grace was "Oh, Jagadamba' in Ananda Bhairavi which was 
later followed by about 300 kritis with his mudra `Shyama Krishna Sodari'. Did she not address him as 
"Anna"?

Of the 300 kritis only 50 are sung now. A master of puns, how Sastri predicted his end is amazing.
When people came to offer their condolence on his wife's death he said, saaga anjinaal, seththu aarinaal, ("She was afraid to die, but in death she attained peace" — this was how others understood the words). But what he actually conveyed was that he was to die in five days — saaga aindunaal — and that was the sixth day of her death (seththu aarunaal). As predicted Shyama Sastri attained Goddess Kamakshi's feet on the eleventh day. By :V. SUNDARAM taken from: http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/fr/2002/05/10/stories/2002051000870600.htm

Some downloads : 

1) Veenai Dhanammal : http://www.mediafire.com/?z1kjqg4j97vky10 Nannu brovu - Lalitha 

Youtube links: 

1) Nithyasri Mahadevan: 



 2) Seshagopalan : 


3) Dr.Mrs.Nagaraj


4) Seshagopalan Audio : 
http://www.raaga.com/play/?id=70931
 
 

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Mari Vere Gati : Shyma Shastri : Ananda Bairavi

Mari Vere Gati : Shyama Shastri

 


Raga: Anandabhairavi / Tala: mishra cApu

Pallavi:
mari vEre gati evarammA
mahilO nannu brOchuTaku ||

Anupallavi:
SaraNAgata rakshaki neevEyani
sadA nammiti nammitini minAkshi ||

Charanam 1:
madhurApuri nilaya vANi ra
mA sEvita pada kamalA
madhu kaiTabha bhanjani kAtyAyini
marALa gamana nigamAnta vAsini ||

Charanam 2:
varamichchi Seeghrame brOvu Si
vAmbA idi neeku baruvA
nera dATavu neevu gadA Sankari
sarOja bhavAdi surEndra poojitE ||

Charanam 3:
Suka SyAmala ghana SyAma krishNuni
sOdari koumAri
akaLanka kalAdhari bimbAdhari
apara krupAnidhi neevE rakshimpa ||

Swara sahityam:
pada yugamu madilO talachi
kOriti vinumu mada gaja gamana
parula nutimpa gAne varamosagu
satatamu ninu madi maravakanE
madana ripu sati ninu hrudayamulO
gati yani dalachi stuti salipE
mudamu tO phalamosanguTaku dharalo
natAvana kutoohala neevEgA ||

It is not known whether Shyama Sastri has sung any song on any God or Goddess other than Devi. To my knowledge, there are no kritis even on Ganesha though typically anyone would start with a Vigneshwara kriti and only then move onto the God or Goddess of his devotion. If there is any song by Shyama sastri on Ganesha / other deities, please do let me know. I would be very grateful.

Meaning :

Pallavi:
mari vEre gati evarammA
mahilO nannu brOchuTaku ||


mari : further / again /other than
vere : no other
gati : refuge
yevaramma : who is there mother? (yevar = who in tamil; similar meaning in telugu also; amma = mother)
mahilo =ideal person
nannu = me
brochutaku= for protecting

Anupallavi:
SaraNAgata rakshaki neevEyani
sadA nammiti nammitini minAkshi ||


Sharanagata= the ones who come and worship you, who come and fall on your feet
raksaki = taking care of them; protecting them
sada = always
nammiti = trusted
nammitini = trusted (same word in a different way, repeated for emphasize)

Charanam 1:
madhurApuri nilaya vANi ra
mA sEvita pada kamalA
madhu kaiTabha bhanjani kAtyAyini
marALa gamana nigamAnta vAsini ||


madhurApurinilaya = who lives in Madurai (Meenakshi)
vani = goddess saraswati
rama = goddess lakshmi
sevita = worshipped by
padakamala = lotus feet
madu kaitabha = the demons madu and kaitaba
bhanjani = killed them
katyayani = goddess katyayani
marala = swan
gamana = gait / walk like
nigamanta vasini = who resides in the scriptures


Charanam 2:
varamichchi Seeghrame brOvu Si
vAmbA idi neeku baruvA
nera dATavu neevu gadA Sankari
sarOja bhavAdi surEndra poojitE ||

varamicci =bless me
shighrame = fast
brovu = protector
shiva amba = shiva's consort
idi = this
niku = for you
baruva = burden
neradAtavu = you will not fail
gada = isn't it? 
shankari = goddess shankari
saroja bhavadi = the one who was born in a lotus = lord brahma
surendra pujite = worshipped by indra who is the leader of all Devas

Charanam 3:
Suka SyAmala ghana SyAma krishNuni
sOdari koumAri
akaLanka kalAdhari bimbAdhari
apara krupAnidhi neevE rakshimpa ||
shuka = who is happy
shyamala = goddess shyamala
ghana shyamakrishnuni = krishna's who is dark blue in color
sodari = sister
kaumari = the one who gave birth to lord Kumara - lord muruga ; skanda
akalahnka = One with a forehead akin to an unblemished mirror
kaladhari = who supports; takes care of all the fine arts
bimbadhari = who has lips red like the bimba fruits ("kovai" fruits in tamil)
apara krpanidhi = who is full of bliss; ocean of compassion
nive = you only
raksimpa = can save me

Swara sahityam:
pada yugamu madilO talachi
kOriti vinumu mada gaja gamana
parula nutimpa gAne varamosagu
satatamu ninu madi maravakanE
madana ripu sati ninu hrudayamulO
gati yani dalachi stuti salipE
mudamu tO phalamosanguTaku dharalo
natAvana kutoohala neevEgA ||

pada yugamu = lotus feet
madilo dalachi = thinking of in the head
koriti = request
vinumu mada = please listen
gaja gamana = walk like elephant
parula = others
nutimpa = extolled
gane = ganas; group
varamosagu = shower boons
satatamu = always
ninu = about you
madi = think of
maravakane = will not forget
madana ripu = who burnt cupid
sati = consort of
gatiyani = you are the refuge
dalachi = meditate
stuti = worship
salipe = those who worship
mudamu to = my happiness
phalam = results
osagu = confers
dharalo = in the world
natavana = devotees
kutuhala = concerned about
nivega = like you 

Detailed meaning and commentary:

Pallavi :

mari vEre gati evarammA
mahilO nannu brOchuTaku ||

Oh Goddess Meenakshi, please protect me. Who else is there on this earth to protect me? You are the person who has to protect me. If you don't who will? Asks Sastri.



Anupallavi :

SaraNAgata rakshaki neevEyani
sadA nammiti nammitini minAkshi ||

When somebody comes to you and falls on your feet, asking for protection, giving up completely their ego, you take care of them. I also have absolute faith in you. I know that you are the only person who can protect me. Meenaksi, I believe in you. Meenakshi, I believe in you. Sastri repeats the "I believe you" twice over here for emphasize. "nammiti nammitini"...beautiful way of telling Meenakshi how much I need you.

Charanam : 1

madhurApuri nilaya vANi ra
mA sEvita pada kamalA
madhu kaiTabha bhanjani kAtyAyini                      
marALa gamana nigamAnta vAsini ||

You are in Madurai (This is in Tamilnadu. This is not the Matura which is typically associated with Krishna)



Both Saraswati and Lakshmi worship your lotus feet. You are the one who destroyed the demons Madhu and Kaitabha. You are the Goddess Katyayini who has the beauty and the grace of movement a swan. You are the quintessence and the gist of all the vedas and scriptures.



This is interesting. Typically, the story is that the demons "madhu and Kaitabha" were killed by Lord Vishnu. But, the story is that the demons, both Madhu and Kaitabha came to kill Brahma and steal the vedas, devas invoke the mahamaya. The mahamaya releases Vishnu from her. Vishnu fights with both the demons but is unable to kill them immediately. The demons thought they were better than Lord Vishnu and proudly offered one boon to Him. Lord Vishnu also used it and asked the demons " you should be killed by me". Trapped, the demons, granted the same with one condition : that they should be killed in a place where there was no water. Remember, it was maha pralaya time and the whole earth was surrounded by water. Vishnu smiled, took both of them onto his thighs and killed them both.

The interesting thing is that Lord Vishnu arose from the devi mahamaya. That is what Devi Mahatmiyam also says. That is exactly what Shyama Sastri tells us now. Though the weapon which killed the demons might be Lord Vishnu, the weapon was fired by Devi right? And hence, it is Devi only who killed Madhu and Kaitabha and saved the world and also the earth and Brahma and the vedas.

Devi. If you can save the world, the vedas and Brahma, you can very easily save me. Please do is the plea being made by sastri here. For a detailed note on the story from Devi Mahatmiyam, check here : http://mantraaonline.com/devi-mahatmyam-1/

Charanam : 2 : 

varamichchi Seeghrame brOvu Si
vAmbA idi neeku baruvA
nera dATavu neevu gadA Sankari
sarOja bhavAdi surEndra poojitE ||

Oh Amba, bless me and please do it fast. Sivamba, it is not a big task for you. Oh Sankari,you will never fail in whatever you undertake. Brahma, Indra and others worship you.

Brahma is indicated as "Saroja Bhava" here. He was born on a lotus from the  Nabhi of Vishnu. Indra is indicated as "Surendra" as he is the leader of all "suras" meaning devas. If you note, the word, 'a-suras' is used to indicate demons - which is the opposite of 'suras'.



Charanam : 3 : 

Suka SyAmala ghana SyAma krishNuni
sOdari koumAri
akaLanka kalAdhari bimbAdhari
apara krupAnidhi neevE rakshimpa ||

You are the Shyamala who lives in peace. You are Koumari. You are the sister of Syama Krishna who is dark blue. You are unblemished. The beautiful crescent moon rests and graces your head.Your lips are red like 'Bimba' fruits.You are the ocean of compassion. You alone should protect me.

Shyamala the sister of Shyama Krishna. This repeats in many stories. Whether you see the story where Kamsa tries to kill the 8 children of Vasudeva, where the 8th child he tries to kill actually turns out to be Devi Shyamala and tells him that the slayer of him is actually growing up in some other place; or the story of Meenakshi's marriage where Meenakshi is given away in marriage to sundareswarar by Lord Vishnu, Devi Gowri or Shyamal is the sister of Lord Vishnu.



How come devi has a crescent moon adorning her head? It comes from Lord Shiva who has the crescent moon adorning his head! Since devi and Lord Shiva are one and the same, the moon appears on Devi's head also. Another key point here is that Shyama sastri was an ardent devotee of Goddess Kamakshi. And, the crescent moon appears on Goddess Kamakshi only!






Swara sahityam : 

pada yugamu madilO talachi
kOriti vinumu mada gaja gamana
parula nutimpa gAne varamosagu
satatamu ninu madi maravakanE
madana ripu sati ninu hrudayamulO
gati yani dalachi stuti salipE
mudamu tO phalamosanguTaku dharalo
natAvana kutoohala neevEgA ||

I think of your feet and ask for boons. I request you. Please listen my requests. You have majestic walk like an elephant.You shower boons to those who ask for it. Here I am - I always think of you. Please don't forget me.You are the consort of Siva - who is the enemy of cupid. I always keep you in my heart.You always and every time, reward your devotees.Who else is there on this earth so much concerned of devotees?


This passage is so full of stories. Here, Shyama sastri reminds us of the story where Lord Shiva killed the lord of love : the cupid, called 'Manmadha'. Once, Lord Shiva was meditating. Devas were desparate for a child from the union of Lord Shiva and Devi because only such a child can kill the demons Tarakasura and Surapadma. But, since the lord was in meditation, they called in the lord of love, cupid to get Lord Shiva to fall in love. Cupid also fired his arrows of flowers. But, Lord Shiva got irritated and looked at Cupid with his third eye. Cupid was burnt instantly. But, because of Devi, Lord Shiva agreed to give the life back to Cupid with one condition : Cupid would not be visible to anyone but his wife, Rati. Since Devi was the one who was instrumental in giving the life back to him, Cupid does not disturb those who are devotees of Devi. That is what is being referred by Sastri here. he ways "You are the consort of Shiva - who burnt Cupid" meaning, since I am your devotee, I would also be saved from the mischiveious was of Cupid and would not fall prey to the desires of flesh.




A beautiful song, set in Ananda Bhairavi. The song invokes Devi. It brings to your mind's eye the pleadings of Shyma sastri. Another interesting thing about this song is the Raaga in which it is set. Ananda Bairavi is said to be the favorite of Shyama Sastri. He is the one who is supposed to have improvised the Raaga and set up the way it is being used these days.

The following are some of the renderings of the song:

 M.Balamurali :


Semmangudi Sreenivasa Iyer



Some audio songs are given here : (Mainly from arvindsdad.blogpost.com):

http://www.mediafire.com/?combdebzmvn Marivere - Maharajapuram Santhanam


http://www.mediafire.com/?jfflunkv1mg Marivere - T. N. Seshagopalan



A short sweet note on the raaga Ananda bairavi can be seen here : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anandabhairavi

Another note on Ananda bairavi which also talks about Mari vere Gati kriti is here : http://sriramv.wordpress.com/2008/11/11/ananda-பைரவி

A beautiful and detailed note on the Raaga and a treasure trove of songs in it : check here : http://arvindsdad.blogspot.com/2008/06/aanandha-bhairavi.html