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CHAPTER – 5
ANALYSIS OF SELECT LAKṢYA AND LAKṢAṆA GĪTA-S
The study of the musical form gīta, based on textual and oral traditions, reveal
that the structure, content, utility and popularity of this form have undergone changes
with respect to the evolving lakṣaṇa and lakṣya concepts in the history of Karnātik
music. The contribution of various lakṣaṇa and lakṣyakāra-s to the growth of this
musical form has resulted in gīta-s with varying form, content, style, concepts and
language. An analytical study of select lakṣya and lakṣaṇa gīta-s illustrating different
musical, rhythmic and linguistic concepts has been attempted in this chapter.
5.1. Gīta-s taken for analysis
The choice of gīta-s taken for analysis in this chapter is based on variety of
concepts like different types of gīta-s namely the lakṣya and lakṣaṇa gīta-s in
different languages like Samskṛta, Bhāṇḍīrabhāṣa, Kannada, Telugu and Tamil in
different tāḷa-s and rāga-s, by different composers. Following is the list of gīta-s
taken for analysis. These gīta-s have been rendered and appended (Appendix-v).
S.No. Choice of Gīta Rāga Tāḷa Type Composer Language
1. Kannaḍa gīta
Sarasvati nine
Bēgaḍa Tripuṭa Lakṣya Purandaradāsa Kannaḍa
2. Graham conept in
Munijanaviram
Ārabhi Dhruva-
rūpaka
Lakṣya Attributed to
Veṅkaṭamakhin
Samskṛta
3. Anukramaṇika
concept in
Kanakāmbari arē
Guṇḍakriya Tripuṭa Lakṣya Anonymous Bhāṇḍīrabh
āṣa
4. Muktapadagrastam
concept in
Manmadanaḷa
Māḷavaśrī Dhruva Lakṣya Attributed to
Veṅkaṭamakhin
Samskṛta
5. Comparitive study of
lakṣaṇa gīta-s of two
different authors
Harikēdāraga
uḷa and
Kēdāragauḷa
Tripuṭa Lakṣaṇa Muddu
Veṅkaṭamakhi
and Gōvinda
Bhāṇḍīrabh
āṣa and
Samskṛta
6. Jayakaruṇāsindhō Dhanyāsi Dhruva Lakṣaṇa Paiḍāla
Gurumūrti Śāstri
Prākṛt
7. Sārasākṣi Sāvēri Tripuṭa Lakṣya Śyāma Śāstri Samskṛta
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8. Melodic identity in
Kamalasulōcana
Manjari Ādi Lakṣya Anonymous
Samskṛta
9. Maṅgaḷadēvatē Pantuvarāḷi Ādi Lakṣya Tenmaṭham
brothers
Samskṛta
10. Rāgaamālagīta
Karnāṭa Koṅkaṇa
Rāgamāla Jhampa/
Maṭhya
Lakṣya Vijaya
Varadayya
Samskṛta
11. A rē daśaratha Śaṅkarābhara
ṇa
Simhana
ndana
Lakṣya Anonymous Bhāṇḍīrabh
āṣa
12. Unpulished gīta Śrī
ramaṇi
Pūrnacandrik
a
Dhruva Lakṣya Anonymous Bhāṇḍīrabh
āṣa
13. Tamil gīta
Ēzhumalaimēl
Śaṅkarābhara
ṇa
Tripuṭa Lakṣya K. Varadāccāri Tamil
14. Telugu gīta Saṅgīta
kalanidhi
Udayaravican
drika
Dhruva Lakṣaṇa S.R.
Janakiraman
Telugu
5.1.1. Criteria for analysis
The analysis of the selected lakṣya and laksaṇa gīta-s is done based on the
three major components of any musical form namely the text, melody and rhythm.
Text - The textual analysis includes the study of the content of the gīta, its
meaning, the prosodic embellishments (prosody, yati, prāsa, svarākṣara,
padacchēda, mudra), the emotion it portrays, the style of composition and the
language used.
Melody – Gīta is a musical form with continuous melody devoid of
repetitions, saṅgati-s and pause. The melody involves long winding phrases
covering different octaves. The melodic analysis is therefore done by breaking
the melody with respect to the corresponding text which is complete in its
meaning or in terms of each tāḷa cycle. The analysis further includes the
choice of the rāga, rāga rañjaka phrases used, the range of the melody, the
viśēṣa prayōga-s and the rāgalakṣaṇa aspects followed. A comparative study
of the melody with other popular musical forms in the same rāga is also
attempted.
Rhythm/Tāḷa – The rhythmic analysis includes the study of the svara-sāhitya
relationship with that of the tāḷa mātra and aṅga-s of the tāḷa, the syllabic /
melismatic nature of the composition and the tempo of the gīta.
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5.2. Analysis of a less popular gīta of Purandaradāsa
The Kannaḍa gīta ‘sarasvati nanna’ in the rāga Bēgaḍa set to tripuṭa tāḷa has
been taken up for analysis as this is a less popular composition of this popular
composer. This is a lakṣya gīta in praise of Goddess Sarasvati in Kannada. The
notation for this gīta has been taken from P. Sambamoorthi’s South Indian Music,
Book II (SIM- Book II, Eng. Pg. 81, 1992). The notation for this gīta is given in the
Appendix- 3.16.
5.2.1. Text
sarasvati nanna nālige yallikuṇisali
avaḷanugraha dinda nanna mukhadali
mādhurya śrī lalita vacanaṅgaḷu jani suge
avaḷanugraha varada vālmīki muni pēḷdanu
śrī rāmana śubha caritra ||
Meaning
Oh Sarasvati! Please stay on my tongue and shower your blessings on me, so that
sweet and auspicious words come out of my mouth just like sage Vālmīki who wrote
the epic Rāmāyaṇa with your blessings.
In this lakṣya gīta on Goddess Sarasvati, Purandaradāsa seeks her
blessings enabling him to speak good, sweet words like Vālmīki. This gīta in
Kannaḍa does not have the mudra ‘Purandara viṭṭhala’.
5.2.2. Melody
This is a single segmented gīta without any repetitions. But the melody
gets repeated with varying text giving a feel of a two segmented gīta. This is very
true to the style of Purandaradāsa as evident in all his piḷḷāri gīta-s.
The choice of the rāga Bēgaḍa is also very rare in Purandaradāsa’s
compositions. Bēgaḍa is not mentioned as one of the battīṣa rāga-s (thirty-two
rāga-s that prevailed during Purandaradāsa’s time). Nevertheless the rāga svarūpa
has been brought out very effectively through many rañjaka prayōga-s in this gīta
as evident in the following phrases.
p d p- ṡ n- ṙ ṡ||
ya l li ku ṇi sa li
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ṁ ġ ṙ- ṡ ṙ- n ṡ||
a va ḷa nu u gra ha
m p d- m ,- g r||
ki mu ni Pē ḷ da nu
The range of this gīta is from madhya ṣaḍja to tāra madhyma. The ārōha
and avarōha of the rāga as evident from the sañcāra-s found in this gīta is
‘sgrgmpdpṡ-ṡndpm,grs’.
5.2.3. Tāḷa and rhythm
This gīta is syllabic in nature with mixture of short and long svara-s
wherein the extension of the long svara-s does not extend two or three counts. The
following is a melismatic musical setting where in each svara takes one syllable
each.
ṁ ġ ṙ- ṡ ṙ- n ṡ||
a va ḷa nu u gra ha
There are instances where there is extension of svara-s to three counts as
follows.
g , ,- g ,- m p||
ya a a śṛī i la li
g , ,- g ,- m p||
śrī i i rā a ma na
The placement of syllables does not match the aṅga-s of the tāḷa at many
an instance. This is very unlikely of Purandaradāsa’s gīta-s.
p d p- ṡ n- d p|| m p d- m ,- g r||
di n da na n na mu kha da li mā a dhu r
, ,- g ,- m p|| g r s- g r- g m||
ya a a śṛī i la li ta va ca na ṅ ga ḷu
The wrong splitting of the words between the tāḷāṅga-s can be seen in
‘mukhadali’, ‘mādhurya’ and ‘lalita’.
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The tripuṭa tāḷa used in this gīta is the tāḷa used for three of his Piḷḷāri
gīta-s too. The simple rhythm of this gīta is ideally suited for beginners. The
whole gīta is of fourteen tāḷa cycles only.
Observations
This gīta brings out the bhāva of the rakti rāga Bēgaḍa very effectively through
simple phrases and can be ideally taught to beginners of this art form.
5.3. Analysis of ‘graha’ in gīta from Saṅgīta Sampradāya Pradarśini
Subbarāma Dikṣita in Saṅgīta Lakṣaṇa Saṅgrahamu of SSP ( SSP-Vol.I, Eng.
Pg.74) says, “the svara by which a rāga is first taken up, is the graha of that rāga
(graha = to receive {to take up})”. While describing the lakṣaṇa-s of rāga-s, for each
raga a particular svara is specified as graha. If for a rāga a svara other than ṣaḍja is
specified as graha, then irrespective of what that svara is, it has to be placed in the
position of ṣaḍja and sung. If ṣaḍja is the graha svara, then it should be placed on the
ṣaḍja pitch position. According to him this graha-svara concept is explained by
Govindamātya in his work ‘Rāgatāḷa Cintāmaṇi’ and there was a tradition of singing
graha-svara-s 300 years ago.
In SSP there are ten gīta-s available with the graha passage which means there
are svara syllables in the text representing the graha svara-s to the corresponding
svara-s in the dhātu. These gīta-s are in the rāga-s Śuddha Sāvēri, Bhinnaṣaḍja,
Hejjaji, Rītigauḷa, Ghaṇṭa, Bhairavi, Vēḷāvaḷi, Kēdāragauḷa, Nārāyaṇagauḷa and
Ārabhi. All these ten rāga-s have a different graha svara instead of ṣaḍja. For
example, the graha svara of Śuddha Sāvēri is pañcama and that of Bhinnaṣaḍja is
ṛṣabha and so on.
It is therefore obvious that graha passage can occur only in those rāga-s that
have any other svara other than ṣaḍja as their graha svara. In singing the graha
passage in a composition, the graha svara of the particular rāga will have to be sung
in the position of ṣaḍja, and the other svara-s in the positions of the subsequent
svara-s. If dhaivata is the graha in a rāga, then ‘dha’ should be sung in the position
of ‘sa’; ‘ni’ in the position of ‘ri’; ‘sa’ in the position of ‘ga’ and so on. This means
that, instead of ṣaḍja, dhaivata is the svara which will be identified with the tonic.
Therefore in instrumental rendition no change can be noticed in the melody.
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The concept of graha in the Ārabhi rāga gīta ‘ Munijana virammanasa’ set to
dhruva-rūpaka tāḷa from SSP is taken up for analysis here (SSP, Vol.III, Pg. 847,
Tamil ed.). Notation for this gīta has been appended (Appendix-3.17). The
rāgalakṣaṇa ślōka given for this rāga clarifies that ‘niṣāda’ is the graha svara for
Ārabhi. The following is the lakṣaṇa ślōka which is attributed to Veṅkaṭamkhin by
Subbarāma Dīkṣita.
ārabhihi sarvadā gēya ārōhē ga ni varjitaha
kvacidārōha samyukta niśādō ni grahō bhavēt ||
(Pg.846, SSP, Part IV, Tamil ed.)
Meaning - Ārabhi which can be sung anytime, is devoid of gāndhāra and
niṣāda in the ārōha, with niṣāda occurring sparingly in the ārōha and has
niṣāda as the graha.
According to this ślōka, the graha svara of Ārabhi rāga is niṣāda. But in
Caturdaṇḍīprakāśika of Veṅkaṭamakhin, the graha svara of Ārabhi is given as ṣaḍja
which is contradictory. This again proves the fact that the author of the lakṣaṇa ślōka
and that of the treatise mentioned above cannot be the same. The author of this Ārabhi
gīta could be the same person as that of the lakṣaṇa ślōka, i.e. Mudduveṅkaṭamakhi
though not mentioned by Subbarāma Dīkṣita.
5.3.1. Text
{Dhruva}
munijanaviram manasa mānasa
parahamsa caraṇakamala kaṭakayata
bhōjāja samdrarē kavi bhuṣaṇa
Jāvaḍa
śuphalōkana parājita
candra bhakta lōka cintāmaṇi
sakala surāsura manikya
maṇi kiraṇa vilasita padām
bhōja p m g r s s ṇ ḍ
munijanaviram ||
This lakṣya gīta is in praise of Bhōja in Samskṛt language with a mixture
of Prākṛṭ. This is a two segmented gīta with a dhruva and jāvaḍa.
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5.3.2. Melody
The range of this melody extends from madhya pañcama to tāra dhaivata.
The entire gīta is high pitched which is more suitable for instrumentalists than
vocalists. As explained by Subbarāma Dīkṣita himself in Prathamābhyāsa
Pustakamu (1905), the phrases in madhya and tāra sthāyi-s of the gīta can be sung
in mandra and madhya respectively considering the range of the musicians of the
present day.The entire melody has many janṭa phrases like ‘ṁġṙṙṡṡ’, ‘dṡṡṙdṡṡndd’,
‘ṗṗṁ ġġṙṙṡṡd’, ‘ddppmp’, ‘ppddpp’. The phrase ‘mgrrss’ is repeated many times.
The graha passage in this gīta is found in the last line of the jāvaḍa.
Svara d p m g r r s n
Graha p m g r s s n d
The graha svara of Ārabhi is niṣāda. So in the graha phrase, the niṣāda is
sung in the pitch value of ṣaḍja. The other svara-s therefore will follow the order -
ṣaḍja is sung in the position of ṛṣabha, ṛṣabha in gāndhāra, gāndhāra in
madhyama, madhyama in pañcama, pañcama in dhaivata and dhaivata in
niṣāda. So, while listening to the graha phrase, it might sound wrong. The
musicological concept of ‘graha’ which is implemented here requires a lot of
concentration and skill to sing. If the same melody is played in any instrument,
both the svara and the graha phrases will sound alike.
5.3.3. Tāḷa and rhythm
The tāḷa adopted for this is dhruva-rūpaka which is a hybrid between
dhruva and rūpaka tāḷa. This tāḷa has been handled exclusively for gīta-s by
Veṅkaṭamakhin and his descendants. The structure of this tāḷa has been discussed
in the third chapter in detail. The aṅga-s of this tāḷa is O2 O2 l4 l4 for the
beginning āvarta of the gīta and the consecutive sections alone. Otherwise
through the composition it is O2 l4 resembling the rūpaka tāḷa.
This Ārabhi gīta has an anāgata eḍuppu wherein the melody starts two
beats after the tāḷa. This kind of eḍuppu is observed in most of the dhruva-rūpaka
tāḷa gīta-s found in SSP.
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Observations
The concept of graha illustrated in few gīta-s of SSP is an old musical concept that is
not in vogue now. Similarly the dhruva-rūpaka tāḷa followed by Veṅkaṭamakhin and
his descendants is also not in use now. For these very reasons these gīta-s are
considered highly significant.
5.4. Analysis of the Anukramaṇikā gīta
In SSP of Subbarāma Dīkṣita, there is a rāgāṅga rāga lakṣaṇa
gītānukramaṇikā gīta in the rāga Guṇḍakriya, set to tripuṭa tāḷa (SSP, Vol.I, Pg. 185,
Tamil ed.). ‘Anukramaṇikā’, is a Samskṛta word which means ‘table of contents, an
index showing the successive contents of a work’ (The Student’s Sanskrit-English
Dictionary, Vaman Shivram. Apte, pg.20). The term rāgāṅga rāga lakṣaṇa gīta
anukramaṇikā gīta means a gīta which gives the index of the rāgāṅga rāga-s along
with the gīta-s that enumerates the lakṣaṇa-s of these rāgāṅga rāga-s. This gīta is
one of its kind and therefore of great significance and has been taken up for analysis.
There is one seventy two rāgāṅga rāgamālika ‘Īkanakāmbari” of Subbarāma
Dīkṣita and Kṛṣṇakavi (Appendix to SSP, Vol.V, Pg 1320, Tamil ed.) where the rāga
names of some rāgāṅga rāga-s of later Kanakāmbari nomenclature have changed.
5.4.1. Text
Dhruva
Kanakāmbari Arē rāgāṅga Pheṇadyuti Rājā
Gānasāmavarāḷi Raṇavi Bhānumati Śrīraṅgavāsini
Manōrañjani Ujhaḷita Tanukīriti Harūrāṇī
Sēnāgraṇi Rajatalilā Jannatōḍi Arē rāja rājārē
Dhunibhinnasaḍja Rasikā Naṭābharaṇa Ravitējā
Kōkilāravā Balarāma Rūpavati Ramaṇīya
Gēyahejjajjī Apratisurūpa Vāṭīvasantabhairavi Raṇataḷī
Māyāmāḷavagouḷā Ravikōṭi Tōyavēgavāhini Madhurānātha
Chāyāvati Rañjita Jayāśuddhamāḷavi Rādhāhṛdaya
Jaṅkārabhramari Rīṇājī Nārīrītigouḷa Iśvarī
Kiraṇāvaḷi Ripusaṅghā Śrīrāga Śrīdhara
Gourivēḷāvaḷi Śaṅkari Vīravasanta Tribhuvana
Śarāvati Ripucāpa Taraṅgiṇi Śrīrājā
Sourasēna Tripurabhairavī Harikēdāragouḷa Śrīnāthā
Dhīraśaṅkarābharaṇa Ripubala Nāgābharaṇā Śrīraṅgaddha
Kalāvati Arekrūra Rāgacūḍāmaṇi Rūpakaluṣita
Gaṅgātaraṅgiṇī Are rukumacela Bhōgacchāyānāṭa Ruciram
Śailadēśākṣi rumākānta Calanāṭa Arē rūpagirivāsā
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Jāvaḍa
Sougandhinī Rāmāśrīrāma Jaganmōhana Rakkasamaradana
Dhāḷivarāḷī Saṅgrāma Nabhōmaṇi Hērmbha
Kumbhini Ratnasimhāsanē Ravikriya Are raṅganāyaka
Gīrvāṇi Pratibhaṭarē Bhavāni Praṇataja
Śivapantuvarāḷi Gōvara Stavarāja Ravisannibha
Souvīra Dhārādhari Jīvantikā Kṣīrābdhikanyē
Dhavalāṅga Rādhāśubha Nāmadēśi Ārattarakṣaka
Kāśirāmakriya Arērāvaṇa Ramāmanōhari Arē raṇavīra
Gamakakriya Bṛndāraka Vamśavatī Sāraṅgapāṇi
Śāmaḷa Are śrīdēvi Cāmara Śrīraghurāma
Sumadyuti Śrīkṛiṣṇa Dṛśisimharava Śrī Veṅkaṭa
Dhāmavati Himagirīndrā Niṣadha Trinayana
Kuntala Amararipu Ratipriya Kṛpakari
Gītapriya Gourimanō Bhūṣāvati Śrīramaṇi
Śāntakalyāṇi Rē re triśūlini Caturaṅgiṇi Śrīkara ramaṇīya
Santāna mañjari Arē rudravatāra Jōtīrāga Akrūrakkaṇurē
Dhoutapañcama Rudrakumāra Nāsāmaṇi Māruti
Kusumākara Dhruvaraksakurē Rasamañjari Śruti dvāvimśati
Kanakāmbari Arē rāgāṅga Phēṇadyuti Rājā ||
The text of the above lakṣya gīta lists the names of the seventy-two
rāgāṅga rāga-s as per the later Kanakāmbari nomenclature. The names of these
rāgāṅga rāga-s appear in the correct order and also with their kaṭapayādi
prefixes. The name of each rāgāṅga rāga is followed by the beginning words of
the gīta that enumerates the lakṣaṇa of that rāga.
The term lakṣaṇa gīta is found nowhere in SSP except in the title given to
this anukramaṇika gīta. Here also it implies the indexing of those gīta-s that
enumerates the lakṣaṇa-s of the rāgāṅga rāga-s. The term lakṣaṇa gīta appears
for the first time in Gōvinda’s SC. It is P. Sambamoorthy who first uses the term
rāgāṅga rāga lakṣaṇa gīta in his book South Indian Music, Book II, Chapter III,
Pg. 39. Here he refers to those gīta-s that enumerates the lakṣaṇa-s of the seventy-
two rāgāṅga rāga-s namely Kanakāmbari, Phēṇadyuti and so on given in SSP.
The mudra available in the text of the gīta ‘Veṅkaṭa’ undoubtedly refers to
a composer atleast a hundred years later than Veṅkaṭamakhin of CDP. This is
because most of the rāga names that appear in this gīta are unknown to
Veṅkaṭamakhin. The mention of caturvimśati towards the end of the gīta is again
a proof that this gīta is not of Veṅkaṭamakhin, as he believed only in twenty two
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(dvāvimśati) śruti-s. Subbarāma Dīkṣita records in the errata to this work that
caturvimśati is a misprint for dvāvimśati which is obviously a lame excuse. So,
this gīta could be of Mudduveṅkaṭamakhin or Veṅkaṭa Vaidyanātha as Subbarāma
Dīkṣita himself states in Vāggeyakāra Caritramu of SSP that some gīta-s have the
mudra-s of Mudduvenkatamakhi or Venkata Vaidyanatha who may be close a
relative of Venkatamakhin under whom Rāmasvāmi Dīkṣita underwent musical
training ( SSP -Vol.1, Eng. pg.19).
This gīta is only a lakṣya gīta as it does not give the rāgalakṣana-s of
Guṇḍakriya in the text. It is neither in praise of a deity as the purpose of this gīta
is only indexing. The text does not imply any meaning because of the same reason
mentioned above.
5.4.2. Melody
Guṇḍakriya is a janya of the 15th rāgāṇga rāga Māḷavagauḷa. This is an
old rāga known by different names like Gauḍakriya, Guṇḍakari or Guṇḍakriti.
The ārōha and avarōha of this rāga as given by Subbarāma Dīkṣita is ‘s, r g m p d
n ṡ- ṡ, n p m g m d p m g r s’. He also states that the dhaivata is used sparingly in
the avarōha. This is a sampūrna rāga with ṣaḍja as the graha, amśa and nyāsa
svara.
The range of this composition extends from mandra niṣāda to tāra niṣāda
(Appendix-3.18). The composition has many phrases in the tāra sthāyi especially
in the jāvaḍa section and so the melody is high pitched. As per the mūrcchana the
phrases without dhaivata in the descend appears quite often, such as
‘ṡnm,ppmgm’, and ‘ṡnpmmpm’. Important prayōga-s of this rāga that get
repeated are’ mpmgrs’, gmpṡnmpm’, ‘gmpgrs’ and ‘rsṇss’. Most of the phrases
have ṣaḍja as their nyāsa svara as seen in ‘ṡ,psnṡ’, ‘dpmgrs’, ṡnpdpmpdṡ’. There
are prayōga-s in the ascend wherein niṣāda is avoided, as in ‘gmpddṡ’, and
‘mp,dṡdp’ which are repeated often and not true to the mūrcchana.
Subbarāma Dīkṣita gives a composition ‘rāja rājēndra’ of Muttusvāmi
Dīkṣita in this rāga. But it is only through the composition ‘intanucu’ of
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Tyāgarāja by which a knowledge of the oral tradition of this rāga is ordinarily
gained.
One more unpublished lakṣya gīta in this rāga that is available from the
GOML manuscript (D.No. 923) is ‘ghanatarabbhūta’ in jhampa tāḷa. It is very
interesting to see the absence of ‘srgm’ usage throughout this composition. It is
only ‘srmgr’,‘s,rpmm’, ‘srmpmgr’ and ‘srgr’ that occur through this gīta. The
notation of this gita has been appended (Appendix 3.18.1).
5.4.3. Structural and rhythmic aspects
The melody of this gīta is set to tiśra jāti tripuṭa tāḷa of seven
akṣarakāla-s. The melody begins on the sixth beat of the tripuṭa tāḷa. The list of
thirty-six śuddha madhyama rāgāṅga rāga-s along with their gīta-s is covered in
the dhruva section. The list of thirty-six pratimadhyama rāgāṅga rāga-s and their
gīta-s is covered in the jāvaḍa section. Even the jāvaḍa has the same eḍuppu.
There is an uniformity in the number of āvarta-s of tripuṭa tāḷa allocated for each
rāgāṅga rāga and each cakra. Generally two āvarta-s of tripuṭa tāla are used for
every rāga and its gīta. Only very rarely in the case of rāga-s with bigger names
three āvarta-s are used. So, each cakra extends to twelve āvarta-s. Since this is a
very long composition, the composer has intelligently incorporated extensions of
vowels to a full āvarta in almost every cakra. Otherwise the melody is highly
syllabic in nature. These pauses come as relief to the singers while singing this
long composition without repetitions or breaks.
Observations
This gītānukramaṇika gīta is one of its kind and so highly significant.
Though singing this composition is a real challenge, it is the best exercise to
memorise and remember the seventy-two rāgāṅga rāga-s and their gīta-s.
5.5. Analysis of the concept of Muktapadagrastam in gīta
‘Muktapadagrastam’ is a literary concept which is much similar to ‘antyādi’
in Samskṛta language, wherein the ending syllables of a phrase become the beginning
syllables of the following phrase. The literal meaning of the Samskṛta word ‘Mukta’ is
release, ‘pada’ is word and ‘grastam’ is taking back. So ‘Muktapadagrastam’ means
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‘taking back the word that is released’. For example -‘sēvita vitaraṇa’. The same
concept is also found in the ‘cakravāla’, a prabandha variety belonging to the
Tārāvaḷi type.
There are only two lakṣya gīta-s available in SSP of Subbarāma Dīkṣita,
wherein the concept of Muktapadagrastam is adopted. One is in the rāga Māḷavaśrī
‘Manmadhanaḷa’ and the other in the rāga Maṅgaḷakaiśiki ‘Rērē Śrīrāmabhadra’.
The lakṣya gīta ‘Manmadhanaḷa’ in the rāga Māḷavaśri set to caturaśra
dhruva tāḷa is taken up for analysis( SSP. - Vol.II, Ta. Pg.489). This gīta is in
Samskṛta language. The notation has been appended (Appendix-3.19).
5.5.1. Text
Dhruva
manmadhanaḷa naḷakūbarasama samarōnmukha mukharamahīpati
patitōttama tamava śikhāvaḷi vaḷikatanu tanurucirōdaya
dayamānava navajita ghana nava
Jāvaḍa
navakhagamaka makaraṅgākara karalavabhaṭa bhaṭanasamudbhaṭa
bhaṭasēvita vitaraṇajitaghana ghanabhujabala balaripuvairi
manmadhanaḷa naḷakūbarasama samarōnmukha mukharamahīpati ||
Meaning
This lakṣya gīta is in praise of a King who is lover of war like the sons of
Kubēra. The might and power of the King who has an efficient army
supported by strong soldiers and his beautiful appearance is explained here.
In the above text the muktapadagrasta portions have been highlighted. This shows the
composer’s command over the language.
5.5.2. Melody
This gīta which is set in the rāga Māḷavaśrī is a janya of the twent-second
rāgāṅga rāga Śrī according to the Veṅkaṭamakhin’s scheme of rāga
classification. The ārōha and avarōha of this rāga as given by Subbarāma Dīkṣita
is ‘sggmpnnṡ- ṡnndpmpndpmmgs’. The svara-s taken by this rāga are ṣaḍja,
antara gāndhāra, śuddha madhyama, pañcama, catuhśruti dhaivata and kaiśiki
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niṣāda. Gāndhāra, niṣāda and madhyama are the jīva and nyāsa svara-s for this
rāga.
The range of this gīta extends from madhya ṣaḍja to tāra madhyama. The
repetitive rāga rañjaka phrase ‘ smmggs’ and the vakra phrase ‘pndns’ bring out
the rāga bhāva of Māḷavaśrī. The gāndhāra, madhyama and niṣāda svara-s occur
mostly as jaṇṭa svara-s.
5.5.3. Tāḷa and rhythm
The dhruva tāḷa ( l4 O2 l4 l4 ) used for this gīta is of caturaśra jāti and has
fourteen akṣarakāla-s totally. The eḍuppu of this gīta is sama (starting on the
beat). The gīta extends to eleven āvarta-s on the whole. The beauty of this
composition is the uniformity found in the positioning of the Muktapadagrasta
syllables throughout the gīta. One set of repetitive syllables occur in the dhruta
and two beats of the following laghu and the other pair occur in the last two
beats and the first two beats of the tāḷa cycle. So, the rhythmic occurrence of the
repetitive syllables throughout the gīta adds to the beauty of the composition. For
example-
ṡ , ġ ṡ| n d| n ṡ n ,| n n d p||
ma n ma dha na ḷa na ḷa kū u ba ra sa ma
m m p ,| m p| n n d n| ṡ , n ṡ||
sa ma rō n mu kha mu kha ra ma hī i pa ti
Observations
The concept of Muktapadagrastam employed in two of the gīta-s found in Saṅgīta
Sampradāya Pradarśini is a rare occurrence and has to be propagated.
5.6. Comparitive analysis of the lakṣaṇa gīta-s in the rāga Kēdāragauḷa
The two lakṣaṇa gīta-s defining the lakṣaṇa-s of the rāga Kēdāragauḷa with
respect to the two different schools of thought have been taken up for a comparitive
analysis. ‘Ārē Śrīnātha’ is the lakṣaṇa gīta in the rāgāṅga rāga Hari Kēdāragauḷa
which is the twenty eighth rāgāṅga rāga as per the Kanakāmbari-Phēṇadhyuti
scheme formulated by Veṅkaṭamakhin and Mudduveṅkaṭamakhi. ‘Śrīkara purandara’
is the lakṣaṇa gīta in the rāga Kēdāragauḷa which is classified as the second janya
rāga of the twenty eighth mēḷādhikāra Harikāmbhōji as per the Kanakāṅgi- Ratnāṅgi
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scheme formulated by Gōvinda. The text of the gīta-s as found in SSP is given here.
The notation has been given in the appendix-3.20.
5.6.1. Text
Harikēdāragauḷa – Tripuṭa
[Dhruva]
a re śrīnātha gurūcē manōbhīṣṭa pālakurē dhīrurē
nijaparākrama dēvurē rē jāṇurējjāṇujāṇu tujhasamānu kōṇurērē
{Antari}
nandagōpa nandanūre mandahāsa vadanurē
{Jāvaḍa}
kāḷiyandana kañjalōcana kamsahimsaka
kāraṇūrē rāgāṅga harikētārigauḷa upāṅga balahamsa
māhuri dēvakriya āndhāli chāyātaraṅgiṇī nārāyaṇagauḷa
naṭanārāyaṇī bāna bhū cakrādhipa
[Antari]
nandagōpa nandanūre mandahāsa vadanurē
ā rē bhāṣāṅga kāmbhōji kannaḍa īśamanōhari
suraṭi yerukulakāmbhōji aṭhāṇa nāgarūrē
ā iyaiyai nininidhapapamamapamagarisani
[Antari]
nandagōpa nandanūre mandahāsa vadanurē ||
Note : The section names in square brackets have not been given in the original.
This is a three segmented rāgāṅga rāga lakṣaṇa gīta. The dhruva and
antari sections together form the first segment which is called the udgrāha. This is
also called the sūtra khaṇḍa as the initial syllables of the text give the śuddha and
vikṛta svara-s (the underlined syllables) of this rāga in mnemonics. The syllables
ri, gu, ma, pa, dhi, ni stand for pañcaśruti ṛṣabha, antara gāndhāra, śuddha
madhyama, pañcama, pañcaśruti dhaivata and kaiśiki niṣāda. This is an
invocatory segment glorifying the valour and beauty of Lord Viṣṇu in
Bhāṅḍīrabhāṣa.
The second segment is the jāvaḍa which ends with the same antari as a
refrain. This is also called the upāṅga khaṇḍa as it lists the upāṅga rāga-s
(underlined text) of the rāgāṅga rāga Harikēdāragauḷa. The cakra and rāga
numbers have been denoted with their respective mnemonics bāna bhū cakra
indicative of the fourth rāga in the fifth cakra (which in turn gives the number of
the rāgāṅga rāga i.e. twenty eight).
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The third segment is the bhāṣāṅga khaṇḍa which lists the bhāṣāṅga rāga-s
(underlined text) of this rāgāṅga rāga.This again ends with the same antari as a
refrain. This segment also has a graha passage (given in bold) and gītālaṅkāra
pada-s that occur in the gīta-s in Bhāṅḍīrabhāṣa. Though this has been attributed
to Veṅkaṭamakhin this definitely belongs to a later composer. Kēdāragauḷa is a
janya of Kāmbhōji mēḷa according to Veṅkaṭamakhin which later became a
rāgāṅga rāga.
The following is the text of the lakṣaṇa gīta of Gōvinda from his work SC.
The notation has been given in the appendix-3.20.1.
Kēdāragauḷa – Tripuṭa
Śrī - karapurandara- vandita – akhilalōka - vinutu rē rē - catuhśruti ṛṣa - bha
antara- gāndhāra - catuhśruti dhai – vata svara kai – śiki niṣāda- itara
śuddha – ārōha – ga dha varjita- avarōha- sampūrṇa – ni graham nyā –
sāmśa- tripuṭayukta – harikāmbhō –ji mēḷa janita- kēdāra- gauḷa rāga –
mavadhāraya- śrī rāma namō namō ||
Note : The hyphen in the above text indicates the end of an āvarta.
The above is a janya rāga lakṣaṇa gīta which is single segmented without
any section names unlike the SSP gīta. The first five āvarta-s form the invocatory
section which is in praise of Lord Rāma in Samskṛta. The rāga laksaṇa details
give the śuddha vikṛta svara-s and the ārōha and avarōha of this rāga as s r m p n
ṡ – ṡ n d p m g r s. The term itara śuddha denotes the śuddha madhyama and
pañcama svara-s. This rāga is given as the janya of the mēḷa (twenty eighth)
Harikāmbhōji with niṣāda as the graha, amśa and nyāsa svara.
A comparative analysis of the textual details of both the lakṣaṇa gīta-s is given in the
table below.
S.No. Textual
details
Lakṣaṇa gīta of SSP Lakṣaṇa gīta of Gōvinda
1. Rāga Rāgāṅga rāga Harikēdāragauḷa
(28th mēḷa)
Kēdāragauḷa-a janya of the
mēḷa Harikāmbhōji (28th
mēḷa)
2. Gīta type Rāgāṅga rāga laksaṇa gīta Janya rāga lakṣaṇa gīta
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giving the list of upāṅga and
bhāṣāṅga rāga-s
3. Structure Three segmented with the
format dhruva+antari -
jāvaḍa(1st section) + antari-
jāvaḍa (2nd section) + antari
Single segmented without
sections
4. Language Bhāṅḍīrabhāṣa Samskṛta
5. Svara-s pañcaśruti ṛṣabha, antara
gāndhāra, pañcaśruti dhaivata
and kaiśiki niṣāda
catuhśruti ṛṣabha, antara
gāndhāra,
catuhśrutidhaivata and
kaiśiki niṣāda
6. Ārōha -
avarōha
srmpnṡ-ṡndpmgrs srmpnṡ-ṡndpmgrs
7. Graha, amśa
and nyāsa
svara
Niṣāda as per the graha passage Niṣāda
5.6.2. Melodic and rhythmic aspects
Since both the gīta-s give the same ārōha and avarōha with the same
śuddha- vikṛta svara-s and are set in tripuṭa tāḷa a comparative analysis of
melodic and rhythmic aspects is done and the same are listed in the table below.
S.No. Melodic/rhythmic
aspects
SSP lakṣaṇa gīta Gōvinda’s lakṣaṇa gīta
1. Graha svara ṣaḍja for all the sections ṣaḍja
2. Range of the
melody
Mandra niṣāda to atitāra
ṣaḍja
Mandra pañcama to tāra
madhyama
3. Rare phrases ṡġṙġṡṙṡ Ndpnmpm, mpdmpnn,
r,grgss, rrgsrrs.
4. Rāga rañjaka
prayōga
Rmgrmmp, r,mmgrpmgrs N,srmgr, mpndpdpmgr
5. Jaṇṭa prayōga-s Profusely used Used moderately
6. Svara to syllable One to one relationship of One to one relationship
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relation svara to sāhitya syllable of svara to sāhitya
syllable
7. Eḍuppu of the gīta First druta of the tripuṭa
tāḷa and the gīta ends with
seven akṣarakāla-s in the
end.
Last druta of the tripuṭa
and the gīta has five
akṣara-s in the last
āvarta.
Observations
The rāga Kēdāragauḷa follows the same rāga lakṣaṇa-s in both the schools of
Veṅkaṭamakhin and Gōvinda as evident from the laksaṇa gīta-s.
5.7. Analysis of Paiḍāla Gurumūrti Śāstri’s lakṣaṇa gīta
Paiḍāla Gurumūrti Śāstri is one of the prominent composers of lakṣya and
laksaṇa gīta-s of post-Veṅkaṭamakhin period. The stylistic study of his compositions
has already been done in the previous chapter. Here an analysis of his lakṣaṇa gīta
‘Jaya karuṇāsindhō’, in Dhanyāsi rāga has been taken up in an attempt to understand
the lakṣaṇa-s of the rāga Dhanyāsi by a composer of 18th century. This gīta is set to
caturaśra jāti dhruva tāḷa of fourteen akṣarakāla-s per each tāḷa cycle. The notation
for this gīta taken from the Music Book ‘Gāyakapārijātam’ of Taccūr brothers is
given in the appendix-3.21.The mudra ‘gurumūrtē’ appears in the last line of this
composition.
5.7.1. Text
Jaya karuṇāsindhō – dhanyāsi – dhruva tāḷa
jaya karuṇāsindhō tava padāmbujamatulan dhyāyāmi
śrīkāṇtā bhakthāvaḷi pālana caṇarē
dhanyāsi rāgam gāyāmi śruṇuta lakṣaṇamakhilam
aṣṭamādhikāri janyam auḍuva sampūrṇam
ārōhē ri dhāktyaktam avarōhē sampūrṇam
mandra madhya tāra kalitam ga dha lasitam
nāda bēdha dhurīṇa gurumūrtē prasīva ||
Meaning-
Jaya karuṇāsindhō - all merciful Lord Viṣṇu
tava padāmbujamatulan dhyāyāmi -I meditate upon your feet all the time
Śrīkāṇṭā - the lover of Lakṣmi
bhakthāvaḷi pālana caṇarē -protector of devotees
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dhanyāsi rāgam gāyāmi -I sing the rāga dhanyāsi
śruṇuta lakṣaṇamakhilam -listen to the lakṣaṇa
aṣṭamādhikāri janyam -janya of the 8th mēḷa
auḍuva sampūrṇam -5 notes in the ārōha and 7 notes in the avarōha
ārōhē ri dhāktyaktam -ārōha is without ṛṣabha and dhaivata
avarōhē sampūrṇam -avarōha has all the 7 notes
mandra madhya tāra kalitam -can be sung in all the three registers
ga dha lasitam -vibrating gāndhāra and dhaivata
rāgabēdhadhurīṇa - expert in rāga-s and its varieties
gurumūrtē prasīva - says Gurumūrti
Gurumūrti Śāstri pays his obeisance to Lord Viṣṇu in the beginning of this
gīta and then proceeds to explain the rāga lakṣaṇa-s of Dhanyāsi. He states that
Dhanyāsi is a janya of ‘aṣṭamādhikāri’, which means the 8th mēḷa. It is to be noted
that, in the mēḷa scheme of Gōvinda, Dhanyāsi is stated as a janya rāga of the 8th
mēḷa, which is ‘Hanumattōḍi’. This shows that the composer was aware of the
Gōvinda’s scheme and so should belong to a period later to Gōvinda. His lakṣaṇa
details are similar to that of Gōvinda. But contrastingly, in the rāgāṅga rāga
scheme, Dhanyāsi is given as a bhāṣāṅga janya of the twentieth rāgāṅga rāga
Rītigauḷa. But the ārōha and avarōha have the same śuddha and vikṛta svara-s.
Dhanyāsi is explained as a auḍava sampūrṇa rāga which means that the
ārōha has five notes and the avarōha all the seven notes. The notes that are absent
in the ārōha are given as ṛṣabha and dhaivata. So, the scale of this rāga can be
understood as sgmpnṡ-ṡndpmgrs. With this information, the composer gives us
the clue to the svara-s taken by this rāga, which are ṣaḍja, śuddha ṛṣabha,
sādhāraṇa gāndhāra, śuddha madhyama, pañcama, śuddha dhaivata and kaiśiki
niṣāda. Since there is no mention about the order of the svara-s, it is understood
that the svara-s follow the right order. These are very important rāga lakṣaṇa
details that help in identifying the period of this composition as well as the
composer.
The notes gāndhāra and dhaivata are said to be the vibrating (lasitam)
notes. The notes are captivating in all the three sthāyi-s (octaves) namely mandra,
madhya and tāra. Gurumūrti Śāstri finally signs off by calling himself ‘rāga bēda
dhurīṇa gurumūrtē prasīva’, which means that he is an expert in rāga and its
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varieties. Probably this could be a title earned by him for his musical knowledge.
His signature ‘gurumūrtē’ confirms the authorship of this gīta.
The language used is Samskṛta mixed with Prākṛt and replete with
prosodic beauties. The text or the sāhitya is in poetic metre i.e. padya, with
‘antyaprāsa’, i.e. similar letter occurring at the end of every line or pada, which
creates a pleasant resonance- rāgam, akhilam, janyam, pūrṇam, āktyaktam,
kalitam and lasitam.
5.7.2. Melody
The melody of this gīta is continuous from the beginning till end without
any pause or repetition. The melody true to the syllabic structure of this musical
form is devoid of any saṅgati-s or mixture of speeds in rendition. Therefore the
long winding continuous melody is broken into phrases, based on the
corresponding meaningful text for analysis here.
The choice of rāga Dhanyāsi for a gīta is a rarity. Ofcourse SC and SSP
give the lakṣaṇa gīta-s for Dhanyāsi composed as illustrative pieces explaining
the rāga and its lakṣaṇa-s. The opening phrase of this gīta begins in mandra
pañcama and the melody extends upto tāra ṣaḍja. The melody has more phrases
in mandra and madhya sthāyi-s. So, the entire gīta sounds low pitched. Repetitive
phrases like ‘ṇḍpṇṡ’ and ‘gmpmgrs’, hinder the flow of the melody. Most of the
phrases have ṣaḍja as the nyāsa svara (end note). The jīva svara-s, gāndhāra and
dhaivata have been used effectively throughout the composition.
The usage of hrasva (short) and dīrgha (long) svara-s are equal, wherein
the elongation of dīrgha svara-s do not exceed more than two counts. It is to be
noted that many a times, the extension of vowels in the text exceeds two counts,
resulting in a melismatic (when five to six svara-s are sung melodically to one
syllable) musical setting. But in order to maintain the syllabic structure, the vowel
is repeated for any number of svara-s it takes. In any case the melody is in
medium tempo, maintaining the basic rhythmic structure of the musical form gīta
devoid of fast phrases. The following is an example where the short and the long
svara-s occur according to the corresponding vowel extensions of the text with a
melismatic setting at the end of the āvarta.
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P p ṇ ṇ | s , | ṇ s g , | m g r s ||
Ja ya ka ru ņā a si m m m m m dho o
Syllabic setting long vowel melismatic setting long vowel
In the above phrase we can see a combination of melismatic and syllabic
musical setting. The syllable ‘m’ is extended for five mātra-s and therefore takes
five svara-s ‘sg,mg’ which is a melismatic musical setting. We can also see a
combination of short and long svara-s in this melodic phrase which brings the
‘rañjakatva’ of this rāga.
This gītā has more of melismatic than syllabic musical setting. Some are
cited below-
G m , p | m p | g m p- g | m g r s ||
Gā a a a a yā a a a a a a mi
N s , g | m p | g m , g | g r r s ||
Au u u u u u u u u u u u ḍu va
S , s , | g g | m , p m | g m p , ||
Ā a a a a a rō o o o o o hē e
The composer has used jaṇṭa svara phrases-s like pp ṇṇ ss – gg mm ṇṇ ss
gg – gg mm pp nn to add beauty to the composition.
G g m , | m m | ṇ ṇ s s | g g m , ||
dha n yā a a si rā a a a a a ga m
M g p m | p n | g g m m | p p n n ||
Pū u u u u u u u u u u u rņa m
N ḍ p ṇ | ṇ s | g g r r | s r s , ||
Pra sī i i i i i i i i i i vā a
N ṇ s s | g g m , ||
Rā a a a a a ga m
Rāga rañjaka phrases like ṇsg,mgrs - ṇḍpṇs,ṇsmggrs enhances the bhāva of the rāga.
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N s g , | m g r s ||
Si m m m m m dho o
N ḍ p ṇ | s , | g m p m | g r s , ||
Śru ņu ta a la k şa ņa ma khi la m m m
5.7.3. Tāḷa and rhythm
This is a single segmented gīta without any sections. The composer has
cleverly used dhruva tāḷa for this composition so as to give a grand and majestic
feel. The composer has strictly stuck to the syllabic structure wherein each beat of
the tāḷa takes only one svara. There is no mixture of tempos. The splitting of the
words in the text, matches well will the aṅga-s of this tāḷa throughout the
composition.
Observations
The lakṣaṇa gīta of Gurumūrti Śāstri is highly informative and gives us an idea about
the oral tradition of the rāga Dhanyāsi during his time.
He not only gives valuable information about the lakṣaṇa-s of the rāga handled but
also gives details about himself in this gīta.
Though he was aware of both the early Kanakāmbari scheme of rāga classification
and that of Gōvinda’s, he did not strictly adhere to one scheme. For, he assigns the
rāga Sahana under Kāmbhōji as per the earlier Kanakāmbari scheme (discussed in
the previous chapter) in his Sahana lakṣaṇa gīta while he assings Dhanyāsi under the
8th mēḷa as in the Kanakāṅgi scheme.
The above observationss help us to decide the period of the composer which is 18th
century.
5.8. Analysis of Śyāma Śāstri’s gīta
Śyāma Śāstri is the only composer among the trinity to have composed gīta-s.
An analysis of this composer’s gīta is attempted to understand his conception of gīta
and how he has adapted this form in his own style especially when the musical form
kṛti had already gained prominence.
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The lakṣya gīta ‘sārasākṣi sadāpāhimām’ in the rāga Sāvēri set to tripuṭa tāḷa
of seven akṣarakāla-s has been taken for analysis. The notation for this gīta has been
taken from the Śyāmā Śāstri’s compositions by Vidya Shankar and this has been
given in the appendix-3.22.
5.8.1. Text
Sārasākṣi sadāpāhimām – Sāvēri – Tripuṭa tāḷa
sārasākṣi sadā pāhimām
kumāra janani sarasa hṛdayē
parāśakti bālē suśīlē
apāra mahima sphūrtē śivē |
kōṭi sūrya prabhē kōmaḷē
trikōṇa nilayē kanaka sadṛśē
kaṭīdhṛta kāñcē salīlē
prakāśa suguṇa kīrtē umē |
śyāma kṛṣṇanutē śyāmaḷē
śrī kāmakōṭi pīṭha sadanē
sāmagāna lōlē suśōbhē
viśāla hṛdaya mūrtē śubhē ||
Meaning
Oh, Lotus eyed! Always protect me
Mother of Subrahmaṇya, One with a loving heart!
Supreme energy, Bāla, one with chaste conduct!
One shining with boundless glory, Śiva!
One with the luster of a crore of suns, Tender one!
One whose abode is the trikōṇa, bestower of desired fruit!
One wearing the girdle around the waist, one with sportiveness!
One famed for glowing virtues, Uma!
Adored by Śyāma Kṛṣṇa, Śyāmaa !
One who resides in the seat of Kāmakōṭi!
Enjoyer of the music of Sāma, one of shining splendor!
Goddess with generous heart, auspicious one!
The text of this Samskṛta gīta which has a poetic metre, is in praise of
goddess Kāmākṣi, the favourite deity of the composer. The composer describes
the beauty, fame and benevolent qualities of his favourite deity and seeks her
blessings with adoration. This composition is filled with anthyaprāsa ‘ē’
(alliteration of the last letter) which gives a rhythmic effect. hṛdayē - bālē – suśīlē
–sphūrtē – śivē – prabhē - kōmaḷē – nilayē - sadṛśē – kāñcē- salīlē – kīrtē - umē -
kṛṣṇanutē - śyāmaḷē – sadanē – lōlē – suśōbhē – mūrtē - śubhē .The language and
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the choice of words shows his flair for the language. The signature of the
composer ‘śyāmakrṣṇa’ appears in the third segment or khaṇḍa.
5.8.2. Melody
The rāga Sāvēri is a janya of the mēḷakarta rāga Māyāmāḷavagauḷa. In
the ārōha the svara-s gāndhāra and niṣāda are absent while the avarōha is
sampūrṇa. The svara-s taken by this auḍava-sampūrṇa rāga are ṣaḍja, śuddha
ṛṣabha, antara gāndhāra, śuddhamadhyama, pañcama, śuddha dhaivata, and
kākali niṣāda. Ṛṣabha, madhyama and dhaivata are the rāga chhāya svara-s,
madhyama, pañcama and dhaivata are the nyāsa svara-s while ṛṣabha is an alpa
(rare) nyāsa svara (Dictionary of South Indian Music and Musicians, P.
Sambamurthy, Vol.-IV , 2007, Pg.214).
The choice of rāga Sāvēri suits the mood of the composition. This rāga is
very emotive by nature and one of the favourites of the composer who has
composed four kṛti-s in this rāga. In fact his first kṛti ‘Janani natajanapālini’, is
in Sāvēri rāga.
1. Janani natajanapālini - ādi tāḷa – Samskṛta - in praise of Kāmākṣi
2. Durusuga - ādi tāḷa – Telugu – in praise of Dharmasamvardhini of
Tiruvaiyāru
3. Śaṅkari śamkuru - tiśra tāḷa – Samskṛta – in praise of Akhilāṇḍēṣvari of
Tiruvānaikkāval
4. Śrī patimukha - ādi tāḷa – Samskṛta – in praise of Kāmākṣi
In this gīta, the melody can be easily split linewise, though the melody is
continuous without repetitions or pause. The melody of this gīta begins in tāra
ṣaḍja with a phrase ‘ṡ, ṡ- ṡ p- d ṡ’, and glides down with a jāru (gliding) gamaka
from tāra saḍja to madhya pañcama. This is a feature that is true to a gīta,
wherein the opening phrase is generally a special phrase that is identified with the
rāga in which the gīta is composed. The first line has a śuddha svarākṣara phrase
‘sadāpahimām’.The usage of svarākṣara-s is nothing unusual to this composer
though. The beginning phrase of the composition durusuga in Sāvēri is
melodically set as svarākṣara-s ( du ru su ga – d ṙ ṡ d) .
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ṡ , ṡ | ṡ p | d ṡ || d , p | , m| g r||
sā a ra sā a kṣi sa dā a pā a hi mā m
The entire melody extends from madhya ṣaḍja upto tāra gāndhāra. The
composer has intelligently brought out the salient phrases of the rāga Sāvēri in
this small composition. The usage of madhya pañcama has been restricted to the
jāru phrase- ‘ṡpdṡ’ and phrases in the descend ‘ṡd,p,mgr’-. The madhya pañcama
is mostly avoided in the ascending phrases - srmmdddṡ, ṡndmdṡ, etc. giving a
different feel yet bringing out the rāga bhāva of Sāvēri fully.
The melody is almost the same for all the three khaṇḍa-s. The melody for
the first āvarta of the third line alone varies showing different melodic variations
in the upper octave with ‘ṙ’ as ending note.
d ṡ ,| ṙ ṙ| ġ ṙ|| ṙ
pa rā a śa kti bā a lē
ġ ṙ , ṡ ṡ d , ṙ
ka ṭī i dṛ ta kā a ñcē
d , ṡ ṡ , ṙ ṡ ṙ
sā
a ma gā a na lō lē
The gamaka-s used in this gīta are
Jāru - \ and / - gliding notes in the descend and ascend
Nokku - w - note that is stressed
Kampita - ᴖ - oscillating note
Odukkal - x – the note that is reached from a lower note with one oscillation
The ‘dhaivata’ is always given as an oscillating svara, the oscillation
varying from one to two. The gliding jāru gamaka is used in the descent
mainly from tāra ṣaḍja to madhya pañcama or to madhya dhaivata. The
notation clearly gives the gamaka details wherever necessary. The melody
when sung along with the gamaka brings out the rāga bhāva of Sāvēri fully.
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5.8.3. Tāḷa and Rhythm
This is a gīta with three khaṇḍa-s. Each khaṇḍa is of eight āvarta-s or tāḷa
cycle. So, totally the gīta is of twenty-four āvarta-s. The text of each khaṇḍa, is of
four lines which is spread over eight āvarta-s. So, each line of the text extends to
two āvarta-s. The splitting of the words in the first two āvarta-s of each line is
obviously crooked throughout the gīta. This results in padacchceda (wrong
splitting of a word) between the first and the second āvarta-s in the first line of the
text of all the three khaṇḍa-s.
ṡ , ṡ | ṡ p | d ṡ || d , p | , m| g r||
sā a ra sā a kṣi sa dā a pā a hi mā m
d ṡ , | ṙ ṙ | ġ ṙ || ṙ , ṡ | ṙ, ġṙ | ṡ , ||
pa rā a śa kti bā a lē e su śī, ,, lē e
In the above lines we can see the wrong splitting of the words ‘sadā’
and ‘bālē’ between two āvarta-s. This continues through the other khaṇḍa-s
also.
This gīta can be called a syllabic composition structurally but for the
one prayōga that occurs in second speed. The third line has a phrase in second
speed (ṙ, ġ ṙ) where there are two svara-s per beat that does not conform to a
syllabic structure of a gīta.
Observations
Śyāma Śāstri’s gīta in Sāveri rāga can be rated in par with his kṛti-s in this rāga in
terms of both melodic and textual contents.
He has maintained the same melody for all the khaṇḍa-s and this gives an effect of a
kīrtana though there is no getting back to the first line as a refrain after each khaṇḍa.
The composer has definitely treated this musical form gīta with the same melodic
standard as that of his varṇa, svarajati and kṛti. So, his gīta-s appear to be in a slightly
advanced level demanding a sound understanding and knowledge of gamaka-s.
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This is one bold attempt of Śyāma Śāstri to compose gīta-s almost in the format of a
kīrtana, which has come to stay. His gīta in Madhyamāvati ‘Kāmākṣi Lōkasākṣini’ is
sung as a maṅgaḷam piece in musical concerts even now. This gīta-s also has scope
for saṅgati-s and repetitions while maintaining the syllabic structure.
His other gīta-s should also be given the same status of concert pieces like his other
compositions considering the high musical and lyrical standard.
5.9. Analysis of the Mañjari rāga gīta
The Telugu work of the Tenmaṭham brothers, Veṅkaṭa Narasimhācāri and
Veṅkaṭa Varadācāri, named ‘Saṅgītānandaratnākaramu’, published in the year 1917,
gives the notation for the famous gīta ‘Kamalasulōcana’ in the rāga Mañjari set to
ādi tāḷa. The author of this gīta is not given. The notation of this gīta from the above
source has been given in the appendix-3.23. This gīta has been taken for analysis in
an attempt to understand the melodic identityof this gīta ,as in oral tradition this gīta
is being sung in the rāga Ānandabhairavi till date.
5.9.1. Text
kamalasulōcana vimala taṭākini
marāḷagāmini karihara madhyē
bimbānana vidumaṇḍalarē
candana kuṅkuma samkalitā
parimaḷa kastūri tilakatarērē
jāji śayya kacakuca gana jagan
ambōja marāḷa gāmini
kariharamadhyē bimbānana vidumaṇḍalarē ||
Meaning
Kamala sulōcana - Oh, Lotus eyed !
Vimala taṭākini - in pure water of the lakes
Marāḷa gāmini - who walks like a swan
kari hara madhyē - who has a thin waist like that of a lion
bimbānana - bright like the disc of the sun
vidhumaṇḍalarē - and the circular moon
candana - sandal paste
kuṅkuma - kumkum powder
saṅkalitā - mixed together
parimaa kastūri - fragrant musk
tilakatarērē - adorning a tilak
jāji śayya - lying on a bed of jādi flowers
kaca kuca gana - with thick black hair
jaganambhōja - beautiful all over like a lotus
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The composer of this lakṣya gīta has explained the beauty of the Goddess
very tastefully. The text which is in Samskṛta has a poetic metre.
5.9.2. Melody
The rāga Mañjari appears for the first time in the Samskṛta work
‘Saṅgraha Cūḍāmaṇi’ of Gōvinda says S.R. Jānakirāman in his book
‘Rāgalakṣaṇam’, Vol. III, 1997. Pg. 81.The lakṣaṇa ślōka for this rāga Mañjari as
given in Saṅgraha Cūḍāmaṇi is as follows
jātō mēḷāt kharaharapriyādrāgastu mañjarī |
dha nyāsam dha amśakam caiva dhaivata grahamucyatē |
ārōhē pūrṇa vakram cāpyavarōhē sama graham |
s g r, g m p, n, d, n ṡ n, d p m, g r, || ( SC - chapter III , Pp. 112 and 113)
Meaning
The rāga mañjari has come from that mēḷa Kharaharapriya.
dhaivata is the nyāsa, amśa and graha svara .
ārōha follows a vakra sampūrṇa order while the avarōha has sama order.
s g r, g m p, n, d, n ṡ n, d p m, g r, .
Gōvinda gives a lakṣaṇa gīta Śrī daśarata rājakumāra in the rāga
Mañjari, set to tripuṭa tāḷa in his work. SC-Pg. 117 (Appendix-3.23.1). He gives
the same lakṣaṇa details as given by him in the lakṣaṇa ślōka quoted above. The
ārōha and avarōha of the Mañjari rāga gīta Kamlasulōcana, found in
Saṅgītānandaratnākaramu coincides with that of Gōvinda’s.
Mañjari – Janya of mēḷa Kharaharapriya
S (sa) G (cha) R G (śu) M P (kai) N ( cha) D N Ṡ - Ṡ N D P M G R S
The svara-s taken by the rāga Mañjari are ṣaḍja, sādhāraṇa gāndhāra,
chatuhśruti ṛṣabha, śuddha madhyama, pañcama, chatuhśruti dhaivata and
kaiśiki niṣāda.
The rāga defining phrases for this Mañjari are the vakra phrases ‘sgrgm’
and ‘pndnṡ’. Both these two phrases occur in the gīta Kamalasulōcana.
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n d n ṡ| ṡ ,| n ṡ||
ka ma la su lō o ca na
s g r g| m g| m ,||
Jā a a ji śa y ya a
p n d n| p d| n ṡ||
ka ca ku ca gha na ja ga
The same vakra phrases occur many times in the Mañjari rāga laksaṇa gīta.
s g r| g m| , m||
da śa ra ta rā , ,
p , n| d n| d p||
dha a gra ha n yā a
There is a Tyāgarāja kṛti in this rāga,’Paṭṭi viḍuva rādu’ set in Ādi tāḷa,
which is the only kṛti available in this rāga. The notation for this kṛti taken from
K.V. Śrīnivāsa Iyeṅgār’s ‘Tyāgarāja Hṛdayam’, vol. II, is also given in the
appendix-3.23.2. The two rāga identifying phrases occur very frequently in this
kṛti also.
, , s , g , r , g, m, m g r , | g g m , , , , , | p , d n d p d , ||
, , paṭ, ṭi , vi , ḍu , va , rā , , , du , , , , , , , na , , , ce i , ,
, , p , n , d , , d n , ṡ , , n | ṡ , , , , , , n | d n , , d p m p||
, , puṭ , ṭi , na , , nā , , ḍē , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Interestingly the opening phrase ‘ndns’ of this gīta kamalasulōcana is also
the opening phrase for many of the compositions in the janya rāga-s of
Kharaharapriya as in Evarani in Dēvāmṛtavarśini, Evarikai in Dēvamanōhari and
so on.
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Comparing the phrases of the gīta ‘Kamalasulōcana’ with that of the
laksana gīta of Gōvinda ‘Śrī daśarata rājakumāra’ and the kṛti ‘Paṭṭi viḍuva
rādu’, it is clear that the rāga of the gīta Kamalasulōcana is more likely to be
Mañjari and not Ānandabhairavi.
Ānandabhairavi is bhāṣāṅga janya of the Naṭabhairavi. The ārōha and
avarōha of this rāga is, S G R G M P D P Ṡ - Ṡ N D P M G R S. The svarasthāna-s are
chatuhśruti ṛṣabha, sadhāraṇa gāndhāra, śuddha madhyama, catuhśruti dhaivata
and kaiśiki niṣāda. The anya svara in this rāga is the catuhśruti dhaivata.
Though Ānandabhairavi and Mañjari are dvi svara vakra sampūrna
rāga-s with the same svarasthāna-s, the prayōga ‘p d p ṡ’ is key rāga identifying
and defining phrase for Ānandabhairavi. The obvious absence of the phrase
‘pdpṡ’ in the gīta ‘Kamalasulōcana’, is a thought provoking one. From the
illustrative prayōga-s given for this rāga by Subbarāma Dīkṣita and Sahaji, it can
be gathered that the phrase ‘p d n ṡ’ is not allowed in Ānandabhairavi. This is
again found in this gīta.
p n d n| p d| n ṡ||
ka ca ku ca gha na ja ga
These are the two strong points against the rāga of this gīta being
Ānandabhairavi.
The usage of ‘p d n d’ in ‘p d n ṡ’ in the gīta probably indicates visēśa
prayōga-s identified with the rāga Kharaharapriya. Likewise the prayōga
‘s g g m’ occurs in this gīta which resembles Ānandabhairavi. But the handling of
the gāndhāra with catuhśruti ṛṣabha as the anusvara between the two gāndhāra-s
is the differentiating factor between Mañjari and Ānandabhairavi. The phrase ‘ṡ n
n ṡ’, found in the gīta should be sung with kaiśiki niṣāda and not kākāli niṣāda.
And the usage of this phrase in the madhya sthāyi again is a clue for Mañjari, for
in Ānandabhairavi this phrase occurs only in mandara sthāyi.
The notation of the kṛti ‘paṭṭi viḍuvarādu’ as given by K.V. Śrīnivāsa
Iyeṅgār provides an insight into the oral tradition of this rāga. The usage of ‘p d n
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d’ and ‘p d p m’ is found in the pallavi of this kṛti, apart from ‘p n d n ṡ’. The ‘ṡ n
n d’ phrase also occurs in the madhya sthāyi as seen in the gīta.
The oral rendition of this kṛti by Vōlēṭi Veṅkaṭēśvarulu has many
progressive saṅgati-s both in pallavi and anupallavi with many interesting
phrases. These saṅgati-s remind about the progressive saṅgati-s that occur in the
popular kṛti ‘Cakkanirāja’, by Tyāgarāja in the rāga Kharaharapriya. There are a
lot of janṭa prayōga-s in the pallavi like ‘ṡn nd dp pm gr rs’, ‘gmgg mpmm pdpp’,
‘ġṙṙṡnd dppmgr’, etc. This rendition strictly follows the ārōha avarōha krama
throughout.
Observations
From the above discussions it can be concluded that the rāga of the gīta
Kamalasulōcana is more likely to be Mañjari as found in Saṅgītānandaratnākaramu
by Tenmaṭham brothers.
The lakṣaṇa gīta of Gōvinda in Mañjari serves as a reference point in identifying the
rāga of this gīta Kamalasulōcana.
The lakṣaṇa gīta-s of Gōvinda in many rare and unfamiliar rāga-s are of great
significance as they serve as important illustrative compositions.
5.10. Analysis of Tenmaṭham brothers’ gīta
This gīta has been taken up for analysis in an attempt to highlight the
composition of a less popular composer of this musical form, whose contributions are
noteworthy.
The lakṣya gīta in the rāga Pantuvarāḷi set to ādi tāḷa of eight akṣarakāla-s
per tāla cycle has been taken up for analysis. This gīta is in Samskṛta language. The
notation for this gīta has been taken from the Telugu book Saṅgītānandaratnākaramu
by Tenmaṭham brothers and has been appended (Appendix-3.24). The signature of the
brothers, ‘narasimha’ appears in this gīta.
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5.10.1. Text
maṅgaḷa dēvatē mahitē - mārajananitē namōstu sītē
rākācandra ramya vadanē - rājita vikacēndī varanayanē
rāghavapriyē rajanī pati śati - rucimukta hārāñjita hṛdayē
dāsanarasimha sadayē - dayayā pālaya daraṇī tanayē||
Meaning
Oh! The honourable goddess, one who bestows prosperity, the mother of
Māra, the god of love, Oh! Sīta, my obeisance unto you!
One who possesses a beautiful face akin to the full moon, whose eyes are
more beautiful than a fully bloomed lotus with a large bee in it!
Oh! The beloved of Rāghava, one who adorns on the chest, a necklace made
of hundred lustrous pearls that glow like the beautiful moon.
The abode of your devotee Narasimha, Oh! The merciful daughter of the
mother earth, protect me.
The above gīta is in praise of Goddess Sīta. The composer seeks the
blessings of Sīta, praising her as the goddess of prosperity. The text is in poetic
metre. In this gīta the last letter alliteration of the vowel ‘ē’ called ‘antyaprāsa’has
been beautifully handled -Dēvatē, Mahitē, Jananitē, Sītē, Vadanē, Priyē, Hṛdayē,
Sadayē and Tanayē. This kind of prosodic embellishment is common in most of
their compositions. The brothers have also used the second letter alliteration,
called ‘dvitīyākṣaraprāsa’ in this gīta. The alliteration of the second letter ‘ā, can
be seen in the following words - māra, rāka, rājita, rāghava, dāsa and pālaya’.
5.10.2. Melody
Pantuvarāḷi is the fifity-first pratimadhyama mēḷakarta rāga also known
as Kāmavardhini. The svara-s taken by this rāga are ṣaḍja, śuddha ṛṣabha, antara
gāndhāra, pratimadhyama, pañcama, śuddha dhaivata and kākali niṣiāda. The
rāga Pantuvarāḷi is a very rare choice for a gīta.
The melody of this gīta is continuous from beginning till the end. There
are no saṅgati-s (melodic variations) or repetitions in the melody. The
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composition is syllabic in nature. The extension of the svara-s does not exceed
two counts, and in line with the vowel extensions of the syllables of the text.
The melody begins in tāra ṣaḍja which gives a bright start to the composition.
ṡ , n d| p m| g m|| p d n ,| ṡ n| d ,||
maṅ , ga la dē , , va tē , , , ma hi tē ,
The melody extends from mandra niṣāda to tāra madhyama. So the whole
composition is brisk and effective. The composer has used the note madhyama as
the ending note in most of the phrases. This gives a pleading effect which aptly
suits the mood of the song.
ṡ , n d| p m| g m||
maṅ , ga la dē , , va
n , d n| d p| m ,||
mā , ra ja na ni tē ,
s r g m| p d| m ,||
ra m , ya va da nē ,
The composer has used ‘svarākṣara’ (the svara-s appearing as syllables in the text) in
one instance.
d n ṡ n|
dā , sa na
5.10.3. Tāḷa
The composition is in ādi tāḷa with eight counts for every tāḷa cycle. The
entire gīta is of sixteen āvarta-s or tāḷa cycle only. The syllabic structure is
maintained throughout the composition.
Observations
The gīta-s of Tenmaṭham brothers, rich in their musical and lyrical value are ideal
compositions to be taught to beginners. Tenmaṭham brothers have to be recognised
and given a status as prominent composers of gīta-s of 20th century.
More of these gīta-s have to be made available through printed forms and an
awareness of these gīta-s should be brought about.
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His gīta-s with high devotional value can be sung as invocatory and tukkaḍa pieces in
concerts too.
5.11. Analysis of the rāgamāla gīta of Vīṇa Vijaya Varadayya
Vīṇa Vijaya Varadayya is a pioneer in composing a gīta in rāgamālika.
Generally gīta is a musical form that is composed in a single rāga and tāḷa. But Vīṇa
Vijaya Varadayya has composed two gīta-s adopting the concept of rāgamālika which
is unique to this musical form.
The rāgamāla gīta taken for analysis here is a lakṣya gīta ‘Karnāṭa koṅkaṇa’,
which has thirty-six rāga-s. The tāḷa is not mentioned in the notation. Since each
āvarta has ten akṣarakāla-s, the tāḷa can be reckoned as caturaśra maṭhya or miśra
jhampa. The notation for this gīta is available in the Telugu work SSSS of Vīṇa
Rāmānuja which has been appended (Appendix-3.25). The mudra ‘Vījaya varada’
appears in the last āvarta set in Nāṭa rāga.
5.11.1. Text
karnāṭa koṅkaṇa gauḷa dēśādhipa varāḷi manōhāra birudaṅka
śrīrāga rañjita bahuḷi kṛtōtsara sāraṅganaṭana naranārāyaṇa
Khaṇḍika
śrī nityakalyāṇa varasakāmbhudhi śayana varabhūpālaka caturītilaka
vara śuddha satva kēdāragauḷa nāṭakurañji varamukhāri
śaṅkarābharaṇa bhairavi pantuvarāḷi gauḷipantu
bilahari ghaṇṭārava sāraṅgā nourōju
yadukulakāmbhōji tōḍi rēvagupti sarasa sāvēri
kāpi kannaḍa āhiri māruvadhanyāsi
śuddha dhanyāsi madhyamāvati sourāśtrādita
racita gītamālā vijaya varada māmava ||
Meaning
Oh Nārāyana! You are the head of Karnātakoṅkaṇa gauḷadēśa and the lover of rāga-
s like Varāḷi, Śrī, Bahuḷi and Sāraṅganāṭa. The ever auspicious one, sleeping in the
milky ocean and protecting the world very smartly, I, Vijaya Varada, have composed
this gītamāla with rāga-s Śaṅkarābharaṇa, Bhairavi, Pantuvarāḷi, Gauḷipantu,
Bilahari, Ghaṇṭārava, Sāraṅgā, Nourōju, Yadukulakāmbhōji, Tōḍi, Rēvagupti,
Sāvēri, Kāpi, Kannaḍa, Āhiri, Māruvadhanyāsi, Śuddha Dhanyāsi, Madhyamāvati
and Sourāśtrā.
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This lakṣya gīta is in praise of Lord Nārāyaṇa and is composed in
chaste Samskṛta language. This gīta has one khaṇḍika and has the mudra of
the composer ‘Vijaya Varada’ in the last line. The composer has very
intelligently woven the rāga mudra-s into the text. In the following verses we
can see the clever usage of rāga mudra by the composer.
Karnāṭa koṅkaṇa gauḷa dēśādhipa –The rāga mudra-s Nāṭa and Gauḷa have
been intelligently used while addressing the Lord as the head of the region
Karnāṭa koṅkaṇa gaula.
Sāraṅganaṭana -The rāgamudra here is Sāraṅganāṭa which gives the
meaning of variety in form and colour of Lord Nārāyaṇa.
Nityakalyāṇa – The rāga mudra Kalyāṇi gives the meaning ‘auspicious’ as an
adjective.
Varasakāmbhudhi śayana – The rāgamudra Kāmbhōji has been very
beautifully incorporated into the phrase giving the meaning of ‘one who sleeps
in the milky ocean’
Varabhūpālaka – The rāga mudra Bhūpāla is used to denote Lord as the one
who protects the world
Caturītilaka – The rāga mudra Rītigauḷa has been cleverly incorporated into
the word ‘caturītilaka’.
The rest of the rāgamudra-s are used as it is in the composition. The
use of the rare rāga Ghaṇṭāravam which is same as Ghaṇṭa of today again
shows the virtuosity of the composer in this art form and the popularity of this
rāga during his time.
5.11.2. Melody
The composer has used thirty-six rāga-s for this rāgamāla gīta. Eight
rāga-s have been used for the first segment and the rest for the following
khaṇḍika. Initially the prathama pañcaghana rāga-s Nāṭa, Gauḷa, Varāḷi, Ārabhi
and Śrī have been used followed by other common rāga-s. The dvitīya
pañcaghana rāga-s namely Bauḷi, Nārāyaṇagauḷa, Rītigauḷa and Sāraṅganāṭa
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have also been used excluding Kēdāra Some rare rāga-s like Ghaṇṭārava,
Navrōju, Sāraṅganāṭa, Māruvadhanyāsi and Calanāṭa have also been included.
Finally the composition ends with Nāṭa again.
The composer has very effectively handled the order of thirty-six rāga-s.
The continuity is well maintained without hindering the flow of the melody. All
the twelve svarathāna-s have been used in this melody. The vivādi svara-s
ṣaṭśruti ṛṣabha and ṣaṭśruti dhaivata have also been included in the rāga
Calanāṭa. Though each rāga extends to only one āvarta, the rāga bhāva has been
very effectively brought out through rāga rañjaka and visēśa prayōga-s of the
respective rāga-s.
The melody begins with the stable svara pañcama which gives a bright
start. The effective handling of the three varieties of ṛṣabha in the first five ghana
rāga-s can be observed in the following phrases. The ṣaṭśruti ṛṣabha in the Nāṭa
phrase ‘ p,pmp,mmr,’, The śuddha ṛṣabha in the Gauḷa and Varāḷi phrases ‘
s,srrm, rrs’ and ‘ḍgrrgrgrsṇ’ and the catuhśruti ṛṣabha in the Ārabhi and Śrī
phrases ‘rrr,rmgrrs’ and ‘r,grrs,sṇp’. The melody extends from madhya pañcama
to mandra pañcama in the above five rāga phrases.
In the next rāga Bauḷi, the absence of niṣāda is obvious, as the composer
has also used Bhūpāla though not consecutively. But the absence of ṛṣabha in the
Bauli phrase comes as a relief. In the Sāraṅganāṭa phrase, the melody goes up to
tāra madhyama. This is a very unusual and a rare rāga to be used in a rāgamālika.
This is a janya of Māḷavagauḷa. There is only one composition ‘Avyāja karunā’ of
Muttusvāmi Dīkṣita available in this rāga now.
The usage of Nārāyaṇagauḷa for the corresponding text ‘Naranārāyaṇa’
is very apt.
The khaṇḍika begins with the pratimadhyama rāga Kalyāṇi, after eight
śuddha madhyama rāga-s. This gives a bright start to the khaṇḍika. The rāga
rañjaka prayōga-s have been used very effectively in the Kāmbhōji phrase
‘mgpd,ṡnddp’ and Rītigauḷa phrase ‘ nndm,gggrs’.
Another pratimadhyama rāga used is Pantuvarāḷi. This is followed by
Gauḷipantu wherein the controversial madhyama has been omitted. The Sāraṅga
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phrase ‘d,pmr,gmd’, is a very unusual one that is not commonly sung. The
composer has applied the concept of svarākṣara in the Sāvēri rāga phrase ‘srs
r,m,p,d’ for the corresponding text ‘sarasa sāvēri’.
Of the thirty-six rāga-s used for this gīta, only two pratimadhyama rāga-s
namely Kalyāṇi and Pantuvarāḷi have been used apart from the dvimadhyama
rāga Sāraṅga.
5.11.3. Tāḷa
The tāḷa for this gīta has not been mentioned in SSSS. Since there are ten
akṣarakāla-s in each tāḷa cycle, the tāḷa can be reckoned as caturaśra maṭhya or
miśra jhampa. But the placement of syllables coincides with the kriya of jhampa
tāḷa best. The tempo of this gīta is maintained uniformly in madhyamakāla due to
the syllabic melodic structure that has been adopted throughout. The extension of
dirgha svara-s does not exceed two akṣarakāla-s, anywhere in the entire melody.
The first section of this gīta extends to eight āvarta-s while the khaṇḍika extends
to twenty-nine āvarta-s.
Observations
The concept of rāgamālika has been very effectively incorporated into this musical
form gīta by the composer as a pioneering attempt.
The choice of rāga-s for this rāgamālika reveals a scholarly approach.
The composer has very intelligently incorporated the rāga mudra-s into the text
making the composition even more interesting.
5.12. Analysis of simhanandana tāḷa gīta
Saṅgīta Sarvārtha Sāra Saṅgrahamu of Vīṇa Rāmānuja gives a gīta, ā re
daśarata rāja in the rāga Śaṅkarābharaṇa set to simhānandana tāḷa. This lakṣya gīta
is in praise of Lord Rāma in Bhāṇḍīrabhāṣa. This gīta is one of its kind. The notation
for this gīta has been taken from the above mentioned source (Appendix-3.26).
5.12.1. Text
āre daśaratha rāja nandana paripālita goutama sati rē rē
mēdini suta pariṇaya vilasita sakala rāja makuṭa
nīrājita pada paduma bhāsitu rē rē
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rāvaṇādi vidaḷitu rē rē sākētapura pālanārurē ||
The text of this gīta explains the efficient ruling power of Lord Rāma. The
words ‘rē rē, ārē’ correspond to the nominative case, meaning ‘Oh, son of
Daśaratharāja!’. The entire text is in chaste Samskṛta.
5.12.2. Melody
The choice of Śaṅkarābharaṇa for this gīta only adds to the grandeour of
this composition. The melody is simple without any jaṇṭa or vakra prayōga-s. The
opening phrase in madhyama gives the feel of the rāga Śaṅkarābharaṇa at the
very outset. The range of this gīta is from mandra niṣāda to tāra
pañcama.Though the original notation does not give the octave symbols, the flow
of melody is indicative of the ascent and the descent of the svara-s.
This gīta extends to one āvarta of simhanandana tāḷa. Since the duration
of one āvarta of this tāḷa is of hundred and twenty-eight aksarakāla-s, the gīta has
been intelligently composed with pauses extending to two akṣarakāla-s at three
places. These pauses come as a relief for the singers singing a big āvarta as in this
tāḷa without a break. The pauses have tāra ṣaḍja and madhya pañcama as the
resting notes. These phrases are cited below.
ṁ ġ ṁ ṙ ṡ ṙ ṡ n ṡ , ṡ ,
Li ta ga u ta ma sa ti re e re
S r g m p , p ,-
Ni i i i rā ā
P d n ṡ ṡ ṙ ṡ n ṡ , ṡ , -
Ā ā ā di vi da ļi tu re re
This gīta is syllabic in nature but for the last segment. The text
corresponding to the last two aṅga-s the laghu and kākapāda of this tāḷa, has the
vowel ‘a’ extending to seventeen akṣarakāla-s. This is a melismatic melody
setting also known as gamakālapti giving a good finishing touch to the long tāḷa
cycle.
d n ṡ ,- ṡ n d p d p m g m p m g m g r s||
na a ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ru re
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5.12.3. Tāḷa and rhythm
Generally gīta-s are composed only in sapta tāḷa-s and its varieties. Vijaya
Varadayya, to whom this gīta has been attributed to, has boldly attempted to
compose a gīta in Simhanandana tāḷa. There is no signature of the composer in
this gīta.
Simhanandana tāḷa is the thirty-seventh tāḷa of the hundred and eight tāḷa-
sfound in the musical treatise, Saṅgīta Ratnākara of Śārṅgadēva. This is the
longest of the tāḷa-s with thirty-two mātra-s or hundred and twenty-eight
akṣarakāla-s for one tāḷa cycle. The tāla aṅga-s as given in Saṅgīta Sarvārtha
Sāra Saṅgrahamu are as follows.
8 8 l 3 l 8 0 0 8 8 l 3 l 3 8 l l +
There are five tāḷāṅga-s in this tāḷa. They are 0 - dhruta - 2 akṣarakāla-s; l
-laghu-4 akṣarakāla-s; 8 – guru –8akṣarakāla-s; 3 – plutam - 12 akṣarakāla-s;
and + - kākapādam-16 akṣarakāla-s. Plutam is generally denoted by the symbol
81 in other works. Total number of aṅga-s in this tāḷa are eighteen.
Simhanandana tāḷa is well explained by the following verse taken from
Saṅgītaratnākara.
caccatpuṭa rati tāḷa darpaṇah kōkilapriyā |
abhaṅga mudrikatāḷō śaḍētē simhanandanam ||
According to the above verse Simhanandana tāḷa comprises of six other
tāḷa-s namely Caccatpuṭa, Rati tāḷa, Darpaṇa, Kōkilapriya, Abhaṅga and
Mudrika. In any case this tāḷa has a distinct rhythmic entity for itself.
This gīta is of single āvarta. Since there is a distinct kriya (hand
movement) for each akṣarakāla of all the tāḷāṅga-s, a syllabic composition is
feasible in this tāḷa. So, composing a gīta in this tāḷa makes sense. According to
the old tradition guru, plutam and kākapādam were all considered as extensions of
laghu, which involves beat and counting of fingers. So, even the guru which is
now reckoned in a circular closed fist movement was reckoned as two laghu-s one
below and one above summing up to eight akṣarakāla-s. So, each akṣarakāla has
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a specific action of the hand and so suitable to this syllabic compositional form
‘gīta’.
But the splitting of words between the different tāḷāṅga-s indicates
padaccēda (wrong splitting of words) in many places which is very obvious, ‘pā-
lita, vila-sita, saka-la, rā-jita and pāla-na’. This is very unlikely of Vijaya
Varadayya who has so beautifully composed the rāgamāla gīta incorporating the
rāga mudra-s in single āvarta-s of jhampa tāḷa. For example-
S r g m p , p ,- m g m p-
Ni i i i rā ā ji ta pa da
The word ‘rājita’ gets split as ‘rā’ and ‘jita’ between the two tāḷāṅga-s
namely the guru and laghu.
Observations
This composition is a proof that gīta-s can be composed in any of the tāḷa-s that uses
the śaḍāṅga-s. Ofcourse capu tāḷa-s do not fall into this category.
This gīta is the only other composition available in simhanandana tāḷa apart from the
famed tillāna in Kānaḍa rāga ‘Gouri nāyaka’ composed by Maha Vaidhyanāta Śivan.
So, this gīta is of great significance.
A sculpture depicting this tāḷa is found in the Mīnākṣi temple at Madurai (A
Dictionary of South Indian Music and Musicians, P. Sambamoorthy, Vol. IV, 2007,
Pg. 230).
5.13. Analysis of an unpublished gīta from manuscript
The unpubished gīta Śrīramaṇī pada sarōja in the rāga Pūrṇacandrika set to
dhruva tāḷa is from a manuscript available in the GOML-Chepauk, Chennai. This
manuscript (D.No.923) was transliterated by Kuravi Lalitha as part of her M.Phil
dissertation. The gīta taken for analysis is in praise of Sōma Bhūpālarāya, the King of
Gadwal (Appendix-3.27).
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5.13.1. Text
srī ramaṇī pada sarōja mānasa cañcarīkurē
tujha bhūri bhērīninadu janita vairi hṛdaya vikaḷurē
pracaṇḍa dōrdaṇḍa maṇḍita karōra maṇḍalā gradhārurē rē
Jāvaḍa
vimala cāritrure saṅgarāvanī tuma sammānu kōnure
parākrama mṛgēvandrurē tiyam va iya iya yā ru
śrī gadvāla rājā sōma bhūpālarāya cirañjīvurē ||
The above text is in praise of the famous Sōma Bhūpāla, is the King of
Gadwal. History shows that Gadwal which is inbetween Hyderabad and Kurnool
was ruled by Pedda Sōma Bhūpāluḍu alias Sōmanādri during late 17th and early
18th century. Here text says that he is so powerful that he cannot be compared with
anybody. So, this gīta should have been composed by some early 18th century
composer. The text is in Bhāṇḍīrabhāṣa with gītālaṅkāra pada-s like tiyam, vaiya
and iya. The gīta has section name jāvaḍa which is generally seen in SSP gīta-s.
5.13.2. Melody
The rāga Pūrṇacandrika is a janya of the nineteenth mēḷa Dhīra
Śaṅkarābharaṇa. It takes the svara-s catuhśruti ṛṣabha, antara gāndhāra,
pañcama, śuddha madhyama, catuhśruti dhaivata and kākali niṣāda. But the
āroha and avarōha varies between the Veṅkaṭamakhin and the Gōvinda schools.
According to SSP, the ārōha and avarōha of bhāṣāṅga rāga Pūrṇacandrika is
srgmpdnṡ - ṡnpmgmrs with kaiśiki niṣāda as the anya svara in prayōga-s like pnp
and sdnp alone. But Gōvinda gives a different ārōha and avarōha in his
Pūrṇacandrika lakṣaṇa gīta ‘ā rē rē jaya jaya’ which is srgmpdpṡ - ṡnpdpmgmrs.
This is the scale that is commonly followed at present. But this unpublished gīta
seems to follow the lakṣaṇa of SSP.
The sampūrna krama of the ārōha ṇp,dṇsrgmrs as per SSP lakṣaṇa has
been followed in this gīta. The usage pnsr is also seen.
ṇ p , ḍ| ṇ s| r g m r| s , ṇ p||
ka rō . . . ra man . . . . . . .
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The vakra rāga rañjaka prayōga-s rgmr and mgmr have been frequently
used in this gīta.
The gīta also has ‘pdp’ prayōga-s in phrases like snpddpdpsrrs and
rgmp,dp in the mandra and madhya registers. Though the SSP does not include
pdp in the scale, the phrases like pdpm and npdp have been given as significant
usages.
s ṇ p ḍ| ḍ p ḍ p s r| r s , ,|
mā na sa can . ca rī . . . ku rē . .
The bhāṣāṅga prayōga-s are absent.
5.13.3. Tāḷa and rhythm
The textual setting matches well with the tāḷa and its aṅga-s. The one to
one relationship of the svara and sāhitya has been maintained well with very rare
extension of svara-s to two or more akṣarakāla-s. This matches well with the
medium tempo that this rāga usually demands.
Observations
The historical evidence available from this gīta helps in fixing the period of this
unpublished gīta as early 18th century. This gīta is highly significant because of its
historical reference
The composer has definitely followed the lakṣaṇa-s of the Veṅkaṭamakhin scheme.
This gīta gives us an idea as to how this rāga was handled in early 18th century. The
pdns prayōga in the ascend is rare and not in use nowadays.
5.14. Analysis of a Tamil gīta by K. Varadāccāri
The following is a popular Tamil gīta of Tiger K. Varadāccāri in rāga
Śaṅkarābharana, set to tripuṭa tāḷa (Appendix- 3.28).
5.14.1. Text
Ēzhumalaimēl – Śaṅkarābharaṇam- Tripuṭa
ēzhu malai mēl ezhunda sōdiyē
emperumānē iraṅgi vā vā
iduvē taruṇam ṣaraṇa sēvai
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eḷiyarkkaruḷvāi iniya kōvē
padamalarai ninain durugi nāḍiyē
iḷaittu melindapin gati unai yallāl
kāṇgilēnē karuṇai vaḍivamē
kanaka malar padam aruḷ varadā.
Meaning
Oh, Lord who resides on the seven hills! This is the time for you to come
down and bless your worshippers. I do not find any reason but to take refuge
at your lotus feet, now that I have shrunken awaiting your arrival.
The composer has totally surrendered himself to Lord Veṅkaṭēśvara and
begs for his mercy. The composer has used simple colloquial language for this
gīta.
5.14.2. Melody
The melody begins in madhya pañcama and the phrase slowly settles
down in ādhāra ṣaḍja. The range of the melody extends from mandra dhaivata to
tāra madhyama. The melody throughout is a combination of short and long
svara-s according to the vowel extensions of the syllables in the text. The entire
melody is highly syllabic in structure ensuring a medium tempo. The composer
has aptly used the tāra phrases, cited below, where he is pleading mercy loud and
high.
ṁ ġ ṁ| ṙ ġ| ṡ ṙ|| ṡ d n| ṡ ṙ| ṙ ,||
i ḷai ttu me lin da pin ga ti u nai yal lāl ,
ġ ṙ ṡ| ṙ ġ| ṁ ,|| ġ ṙ ṡ| ṙ ġ| ṡ ṙ||
kā ṇ gi lē , nē , ka ru ṇai va ḍi va mē
5.14.3. Tāḷa and rhythm
The choice of the tāḷa is very apt to the text and synchronizes very well.
Each tāḷa cycle has meaningful text. Both the melodic and textual settings are a
combination of hrasva and dirgha svara-s and syllables not extending two
akṣarakāla-s throughout. This gives a steady medium tempo to the song making it
vibrant and challenging as well.
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Observations
The easy language and simple melody of this composition are the reasons for this gīta
being very popular amongst beginners.
5.15. Analysis of a Telugu lakṣaṇa gīta of S.R. Jānakirāman
The Telugu gīta ‘Saṅgīta Kalānidhi, is a lakṣaṇa gīta in the rāga Udayaravicandrikā
which is set to dhruva tāḷa. This is the only full fledged gīta available in Telugu. An
important feature of this gīta is that, the composer has paid his salutations to his guru
‘Tiger Varadācāryar’, in the beginning of this gīta. This gīta also gives an elaborate
description about the lakṣaṇa-s of this rāga (Appendix -3.29).
5.15.1. Text
Udayaravicandrikā – Dhruva tāḷa
saṅgīta kalānidhi śrī varadācāryulaku
vandana moneriñceda
ṣaḍja śuddha madhyama pañcama svaramulatōnu
sādhāraṇa gāndhāra kākali niṣāda
svaramulanu cēri ārōhāvarōhaṇa mulayandu
r d varjita krama auḍavamai
g m p svaramulu yuktamagu
grahāmśa nyāsa svaramulai
g n svaramulu mṛdu kampitamai
mandra pañcama modalu tāra madhyamamu varaku sañcariñci
dhunibhinna ṣaḍjamu maṛiyu dhēnuka mēḷa
vargamulaku cendina rāgamu
udayaravicandrikayani pēr konnadi
Meaning- Paying tributes to the Saṅgīta Kalānidhi, Śrī Varadācāryar....the
rāga which is named Udayaravicandrika takes the svara-s ṣaḍja, śuddha
madhyama and pañcama along with sādhāraṇa gāndhāra and kākali niṣāda in
both ārōha and avarōha ; devoid of ṛṣabha and dhaivata, this is a krama
auḍava rāga ( the five svara-s occurring in the correct order); gāndhāra,
madhyama and pañcama act as graha, amśa and nyāsa svara-s; gāndhāra and
niṣāda are the mṛdu kampita ( mild oscillating) svara-s ; phrases range
between mandra pañcama and tāra madhyama; the rāga belongs to the mēḷa
Dhunibhinnaṣaḍja, which is also known as Dhēnuka.
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5.15.2. Melody
From the above meaning it is clear that, the composer distinctly follows
the mēḷa-janya classification of Mudduveṅkaṭamakhi, the author of the so called
Rāgalakṣaṇam who states Udayaravicandrika as the janya of Dhunibhinnaṣaḍja.
Dhunibhinnaṣaḍja, the ninth mēḷa of the rāgāṅga-rāga scheme of classification, is
the nomenclature given to Bhinnaṣaḍja, with the Kaṭapayādi prefix. In the
Kanakāṅgi scheme of rāga classification, the corresponding ninth mēḷa is called
Dhēnuka.
While Tiruvēṅkaṭa Kavi mentions this rāga in his Saṅgīta Sāra Saṇgraha,
neither Veṅkaṭamakhin nor Gōvinda Dīkṣita mention about this rāga. Gōvinda of
Saṅgraha Cūḍāmaṇi gives this rāga as a janya of Naṭabhairavi, the twentieth mēḷa
with kaiśiki niṣāda. P. Sambamoorthy gives this rāga as a janya of
Kharaharapriya, the twenty-second mēḷa, with kaiśiki niṣāda. Subbarāma Dīkṣita
states that while Śuddha dhanyāsi takes kaiśiki niṣāda, Udayaravicandrika takes
kākali niṣāda. These are the various textual views on the clasiification of this
janya rāga Udayaravicandrika. But S.R.Jānakirāman states in this lakṣaṇa gīta
very clearly that, Udayaravicandrika takes kākali niṣāda and rules out the doubt
on the variety of niṣāda that has to be followed while rendering this gīta.
The composer has very tastefully and interestingly matched the dhātu and
mātu in this gīta. The text ṣaḍja is tuned in the svara ṣaḍja while the word śuddha
madhyama is tuned in the svarasthāna of madhyama and so on.
s , s m| , m| m , p m| p , p p||
sa d ja śu d dha ma dhya ma pa ñ ca ma
g g m g| g s| n , n n| n s , s||
gān . . dhā , ra kā ka li ni ṣā da
The ārōha and avarōha have been incorporated into the dhātu to the
corresponding text ‘ārōha and avarōha’.
s g m p n ṡ ṡ n p m g s
ā . . rō . hā va rō . . ha ṇa
The entire range of the melody extends from madhya ṣaḍja till tāra
madhyama. This gives a bright feel for the composition.
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5.15.3. Tāḷa and Rhythm
The composer has used dhruva tāḷa of caturaśra jāti to give a majestic feel
for his composition. He has used dirgha svara-s extending upto four akṣarakāla-s.
This only comes as a relief to the musician in big composition like this.
Observations
This gīta is significant because it reflects the ideas of a contemporary composer and
the existing trend of the rāga Udayaravicandrika.
This is the only Telugu composition available in this musical form.