Musicians & Songs

Discussion in 'Queries on Religion & Spirituality' started by vaidehi, Feb 2, 2008.

  1. Sindhuja

    Sindhuja Silver IL'ite

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    Re: Bhaagyaada Lakshmi baaramma .

    Dear Sunkan,

    I like this song too. I know this song in Telugu. My MIL sings this song every Friday.
    Thanks for the link.

    Sindhu
     
  2. sunkan

    sunkan Gold IL'ite

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    Re: Bhaagyaada Lakshmi baaramma .

    dear sindhu,
    why dont you post the song in telugu words here,
    i am sure many would benefit,
    people who have a longing for these songs ache for the lyrics,
    so if you share the words here, i am sure they would sing that too,
    in mangaiyar malar there was an article saying why malayalam is not popular in the carnatic music, and they said the words do not fit into the notes as much as telugu that is y telugu is famous and appreciated everywhere, now again a salutations to thyagaraja, for making so contributions to rama and making the whole world sing this...sunkan
     
  3. sunkan

    sunkan Gold IL'ite

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    Muthu Swami Dikshitar A Life Sketch

    Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar- a life sketch

    [​IMG]
    Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar (1775 – 1835), one of the trinity of Carnatic Music, was a complete musician, a scholar and a sadhaka the one who attained his goal. The genius of Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar was that he was a remarkable synthesis of a versatile composer adept in several distinctive forms of music; of a towering scholar in Sanskrit which adorned his music with grace, dignity and tranquility; and of a Sadhaka steeped in devotion and good tradition. Each of his compositions is unique, brilliantly crafted and well chiseled work of intricate art. The most fascinating aspect of Dikshitar's songs is the grandeur and majesty of his music; the intellectually sublime lyrics and the overall tranquil joy.
    There is hardly a composer comparable to Dikshitar, in versatility, in enriching his work with such poetic imagery, technical sophistication; and above all in permeating his compositions with soulful repose.
    ***
    Ramaswami Dikshitar (1735 – 1812) was a well known scholar musician of his time. He had to his credita large number of tana varnas, pada varnas, darus, ragamalikas and kirtanas. His ragamalika in 108 ragas and taalas (Ashtottara Shatha Raga Taala Malika) was an outstanding composition not merely for its sheer size but also for its melodic charm and rhythmic patterns; and for use of some uncommon ragas and taalas. Ramaswami Dikshitar also gained fame through his improvisations of the popular melody, the Raga Hamsadwani.

    He had, at the instruction of his guru Yogi Chidambaranatha, shifted his family from Govindapuram (near Kanchipuram) to Thiruvavur in the Tanjavur district. It was at Thiruvavur that Ramaswami Dikshitar, just past forty years of age; was blessed with a son in the manmatha year, palguna month and Krithika star (March 25th, 1775), just as the annual Vasantotsava was being celebrated in the temple of Sri Tyagaraja Swamy and Sri Nilothpalambika. He named the baby boy as Muthuswami after his protecting deity Karthikeya.After Muthuswamy, two sons - Chinnaswamy (1778‑1823), and Baluswamy (1786‑1858) - and a daughter - Balambika - were born to Ramaswamy Dikshitar and Subbammal.

    Apart from the traditional education the boy Muthuswami received training in the lakshya and lakshana aspects of Carnatic music. The lakshana geethas and prabandhas of Venkatamakhi formed an important input of his training. He gained proficiency in veena and in vocal music as well.

    Muthuswami was a studious lad rather absorbed in himself .Concerned with his detached attitude; his parents got him married at an early age. That didn’t seem to change the boy’s attitude; and therefore he was married the second time.

    At the invitation of Muddukrishna Mudaliyar,Zamindar andan art connoisseur, Ramaswami Dikshitar moved his family to Manali, a Zamindari near Madras.Muddukrishna Mudaliyar wasa Dubash (interpreter)closely connected with the East India Company. He was succeeded by his son Venkatakrishna Mudaliar, who continued the patronage to the Dikshitar family. Venkatakrishna Mudaliar (sometimes referred to as Chinnaswami) was also a Dubash of the East India Company and in that capacity used to visit, quite often, Fort St George, the official seat of East India Company in South India. He would often take Muthuswami and his brothers to Fort St. George, to listen to ‘airs’- Western Music played by Irish men in the British band. It was here that Muthuswami Dikshitar gained familiarity with Western music.

    It is said that at the suggestion of Col. Browne who was in the service of the East India Company, Dikshitar composed the text in Sanskrit and Telugu for well known Western tunes. He also composed songs in Sanskrit and Telugu based on Western notes. The collection of these compositions numbering about forty later came to be known as "Nottuswara Sahithya". Another significant fallout of the Dikshitar family association with the court at the Fort St. George was that Baluswami, the younger brother of Muthuswami became fascinated by an instrument called fiddle whose well tuned sounds seemed to approximate human voice. Baluswami learnt the Fiddle from an Irish musician and soon became quite an adept in playing Carnatic music over fiddle; and the family wondered why it could not replace traditional veena as the accompanying instrument. They tried it out and it worked very well. Since thenViolin has become an indispensable accompaniment for a Carnatic music concert.

    When Muthuswami was about 25 years of age, he accompanied his family guru Yogi Chidambaranatha to Varanasi in obedience to the guru’s wish. Muthuswami’s wives too followed their husband. Muthuswami spent seven fruitful years in Kashi. Those were his most wonderful and educative years and left a lasting influence on his life and works. A whole new world opened to Muthuswami at Kashi. During this period, Dikshitar acquired a wealth of knowledge under yogi’s tutelage. The yogi taught him Advaita siddhantha, Tantra and initiated him into Sri Vidya upasana. During these years, Dikshitar visited several holy places in the Himalayan region such as Badrinath, Kedarnath and Pashupathinath; and worshipped the deities in those shrines.

    During his stay at Varanasi, Muthuswamy Dikshitar had splendid opportunities to listen to Hindustani music in its pristine forms. He seemed to be impressed greatly by the ancient Drupad form of singing and of playing the string instruments; particularly by its elaboration of raga (alap), the tempo and the structure of the lyrics. This had a profound influence on his creative genius; and apparently on his portrayal of ragas in general and in transforming the Hindustani ragas into their Carnatic form, in particular.

    At the end of the seven years, Yogi Chidambaranatha advised Muthuswami to return to South and to commence his music and spiritual career with the worship of Karthikeya on the hills of Tiruthani. Soon after that, the Yogi attained his Samadhi. Dikshitar performed the final rites of his departed guru and left Varanasi. It is said, Yogi Chidambaranatha’s Samadhi is located near Hanuman Ghat on the banks of the Ganga.

    The family at Manali, in the meanwhile, had fallen on bad days. The life there was becoming increasingly difficult and Ramaswami Dikshitar too was in poor health. The family therefore decided to return to Thiruvarur. After making arrangements for the family’s return to Thiruvarur, Muthuswami headed straight to Tiruthani as ordained by his Guru. It is said, immediately after being blessed by the Lord there Dikshitar started composing kritis. The first kriti he composed was Srinathadi Guruguho jayathi in raga Mayamalava gaula. His first group of kritis called guruguha vibhakti krithis were also composed in Tiruthani. It was here that Dikshitar became a proper Vak-geya Kara, the composer who sets his lyrics tomusic. The mudra, his signature to his creations was Guruguha, which approximates to” the Guru dwelling in the cave of my heart”. Dikshitar was then around 33 years of age.

    On his way back home to Thiruvarur, Dikshitar stayed for sometime with a Yogi , Ramachandra Saraswathi, popularly known as Upanishad Brahmendra who lived and taught in Kancipuram. [Incidentally, he was also the guru of Tyagaraja the great composer musician.]During his stay in Kanchipuram Dikshitar set to music “Rama Ashtapadhi” a collection of stanzas composed by Upanishad Brahmendra. Dikshitar returned to Thiruvarur in the year 1809.

    The years at Thiruvarur were very productive.Here Dikshitar composed sixteen kritis on the various attributes of Ganesha, eleven kritis of Navavarana group on Kamalamba and a set of kritis on Thygaraja and Nilothpalambika the presiding deities of the town. The Nilothpalambika set of krithis enlivened ragas like Narayanagowla that were fading away.


    Three years after Muthuswami returned to Thiruvarur (1812), his father Ramaswami Dikshitar passed away on a Shivarathri day. Further, it was becoming increasingly difficult to carry on life at Thiruvarur. The Dikshitar brothers therefore decided to move to Tanjavur in search of a living. Tanjavur, in those days, was relatively peaceful, secure and a center for culture and learning; while most of the Southern regions was under the threat of the Sultan. At Tanjavur the Dikshitar brothers gained a number of disciples who learnt and propagated the compositions of Muthuswami Dikshitar. Among them Ponnaiah, Chinnaiah, Vadivelu and Shivanandam were prominent. They came to be known as the Tanjavur Quartette. Of these Chinnaiah and Shivanandam were Bharatha_natyam masters and composers of some popular Tana Varnams, Pada Varnams, and Thillanas etc. Ponnaiah was a composer of great merit. Several of his kritis including 'Ambaneelambari' (Neelambari), 'Satileni' (Poorvikalyani) and Tillanas are popular among musicians even to this day. Vadivelu was a virtual genius. He popularized violin among the Carnatic musicians. He was a favorite of Swathi Thirunal Maharaja who appointed him his Court Musician. The great Tyagaraja too admired Vadivelu’s musical skills.
    <table style="width: 100%;" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> </tbody> </table>
    It is said that Dikshitar brothers met Shyama Sastry, another of the trinity, and the four together composed a varnam (I am not clear which one it was.)Dikshitar during this period composed a number of Samasti Charana Kirtanas. [A kriti generally follows a certain structure: Pallavi the opening passage of two lines is followed by Anupallavi. Raga is introduced with the cyclical rendition and improvisation of Pallavi and Anupallavi. The body of the kriti is its Charanas. Each Charana usually has four lines. The final Charana contains the Mudra or the signature of the composer. However, certain kritis of Dikshitar have only two segments Pallavi and Anupallavi where the latter acts as the Charana. Such kritis are called Samasti Charana Kritis. They perhaps represent a stage in the evolution of the kriti format. E.g.Anandamritakarshini (Amritavarshini); Hari Yuavatheem Haimavathim(Hemavathi) etc.]

    Dikshitar brothers stayed in Tanjavur for about three years (about 1817 -1820).Thereafter, the brothers Chinnaswami and Baluswami joined the court of Venkateshwara Eddappa I [1761 - 1839] the Rajah of Ettayapuram (Tirunelveli district) , at the request of the king. Soon after that, Muthuswami Dikshitar too left Tanjavur; and he went on a virtual pilgrimage visiting a number of temples and composing kritis in honor of the deities he visited. In a way of speaking, his life was a long pilgrimage.Please click here for a map of his probable temple visits.

    [Please click here for the lists of about 150 temples/deities featured to in Dikdhitar’s kritis]

    Years later, Muthuswami Dikshitar also settled down in Ettayapuram at the request of the king. A few years later Dikshitar’s both wives passed away. Some sources mention that Dikshitar had a daughter and she lived in Tiruchirapalli; but not much is known about her.


    Dikshitar comes through as a very astute scholar devotee, a sadhaka. He was a viraktha, unattached to possessions, to places or to emotions. He was voluntarily poor and accepted his poverty with equanimity. He did not seek favor or patronage from anyone. He was an intense devotee but undemonstrative; you never find despondency, helplessness or begging for divine grace or intervention. There is certain composure, measured grace, dignity and a mellow joy in his works as in his life. He was solely devoted to Sri Vidya Upasana and to his music which was his medium of self-expression. His works exude serene contemplation and soulful joy.

    It was on Naraka Chaturdasi the fourteenth day of the lunar calendar in the month of Ashwija, the day preceding Deepavali (October 18th, 1835), Muthuswami Dikshitar performed Parva Mandala puja to Devi and sang Ehi Annapurne (punnagavarali).Thereafter he asked his disciples to sing Meenakshi mey mudam dehi (purvi Kalyani) .When they sang the Anupallavi he asked them to repeat the phrases Meena lochani pasha mochini. As they were singing, Muthuswami Dikshitar uttered “Shive pahi, Shive pahi Shive pahi” and breathed his last , like a true yogi.

    Muthuswami Dikshitar had been yearning for Videha Mukthi. He beseeches the Divine Mother repeatedly and addresses her as one who grants Videha mukthi (Mamaka videha mukthi sadanam- Ranganayakam-Nayaki); the bestower of videha mukthi (vikalebara kaivalya danaya-Guruguhaya-Sama); and at times he feels he is nearing videha mukthi (Videha kaivalyam yami-Tyagaraje-Saranga).Videha mukthi is a concept of the later Advaita schools. It believes, one can attain liberation (moksha) from attachments while still encased in a body. Such an attained one is Jivan Muktha. The body continues to function till its Prarabdha Karma is exhausted; thereafter the mortal coils fall away. Videha mukthi is shedding off the body by a Jivan muktha, the one who has already attained liberation.
    In the Tantra tradition, a jivan muktha is a devotee, a bhaktha as well as a jnani the wise one. Here, the wisdom consists in realizing his identity (sva svarupa prapti) with the Mother goddess. It is this wisdom that liberates him (jivan Mukthi). This liberating wisdom is granted to him by the Mother out of pure love, when he completely surrenders to her in full faith and devotion.
    Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar, either way, was a jivan Muktha.

    The king and Baluswami Dikshitar performed the last rites of the departed genius. The Samadhi of Muthuswami Dikshitar is at Ettayapuram but appears to be in rather poor condition. In a petition submitted to Shri. Abdul Kalam then president of India, the petitioners submitted “It is the fervent desire of all music lovers as well as all lovers of Indian culture across the world that this Samadhi be declared as a heritage site and treated as a National Monument, ideally with a beautiful museum. We are extremely concerned that there has been a move made to demolish this important cultural and artistic memorial.”


    Muthuswami Dikshitar was a many splendored genius. He redefined the paradigm of Carnatic music. Each of his compositions exemplifies the essence of raga bhava and captures the depth and soulfulness of the melody. His vision of some of the ragas and their structure is sublime. He achieved what the revered Venkatamakhi, at onetime, thought was not possible; he gave form and substance to all the 72 Melakartha ragas. Besides, he breathed life into several ancient ragas that were fading away from memory. His compositions are crisp and well chiseled. His Sanskrit is delightfully captivating. His synthesis of Carnatic and Hindustani Music systems is creative and original. His kritis replete with soothing, graceful Sanskrit lyrics, many with winsome Samashti Charanams, comparable to the Dhrupad stanzas occupy an exclusive niche in the world of Indian Music. The technical sophistication, intellectual brilliance and the majesty of his music is unsurpassed. Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar is a crest jewel of Indian music and spirituality.
     
  4. sunkan

    sunkan Gold IL'ite

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    Re: Muthu Swami Dikshitar A Life Sketch

    Dikshitar and the Western Music.

    [​IMG]
    While the Dikshitar family lived in Manali, a Zamindari near Madras, the family enjoyed the patronage of the Zamindar Muddukrishna Mudaliyar and his son Venkatakrishna Mudaliar (sometimes referred to as Chinnaswami). The Zamindars were closely connected with the East India Company as its Dubash (interpreters); and in that capacity they often called on Fort St. George the seat of the Company in South India. Since the Zamindars were reputed art connoisseurs, they were regularly invited to Fort St. George to listen to the European Airs played by the Irish bands. The zamindars would sometimes take along with them the Dikshitar brothers, who were in their teens, to listen to the “English” bands. That was how Muthuswami Dikshitar and his younger brother Baluswami came to gain familiarity with the Western music.

    During this association, it is said, that at the suggestion of Col. Browne who was in the service of the East India Company, Muthuswami Dikshitar composed the text in Sanskrit and Telugu for well known Western tunes. He also composed other songs in Sanskrit and Telugu based on Western notes. The collection of these compositions numbering about forty later came to be known as "Nottuswara Sahithya". Nottu is Telugu/Tamil transformation of the word Note. It is a unique genre of music. A list of about forty of the Nottuswara works of Dikshitar is given in the website KarnATik
    Of these about forty compositions of "Nottuswara sahithya", the notation is available for only thirty-six compositions. The text or sahithya for these compositions are in Sanskrit and Telugu and they are in the form of verses or songs. They do not have segments of Pallavi, Anupallavai and Charanam, as one would find in the classic kriti format of Carnatic music. These songs or verses are in praise of the different Gods and Goddesses of different holy places, such as Srirangam, Tirupathi, Kanchi, Madurai, etc. [The songs are praise of Ganesha(1),Saraswathi(2), Shiva(11), Vishnu/Krishna(5), Devi(10), Skanda(4), Anjaneya(1), Rama(6)]

    Curiously, those songs composed during the end years of the 18<sup>th</sup> century bear the "Mudra” or the composer’s signature as "Guruguha”. That was several years before Dikshitar composed his first kriti, as Vak_geya Kara, (Srinathadi guruguho jayath...) on the hills of Tiruttani (around 1809). The “Nottuswara “songs were thus the forerunners of Dikshitar’s monumental classic compositions; and Dikshitar had decided upon his signature, Mudra, quite early in his life, even before he left for Varanasi.

    Among these songs, about thirteen of them were replicas of well-known European songs/tunes of those days. Dikshitar set Sanskrit words to the music of those songs. These were the songs:

    <table style="border: medium none ; border-collapse: collapse;" border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="border: 1pt solid black; padding: 0in 5.4pt; background-color: transparent;" valign="top"> Sr.
    No.
    </td> <td style="border-style: solid solid solid none; border-color: black black black rgb(236, 233, 216); border-width: 1pt 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; background-color: transparent;" valign="top"> Song commencing
    with words
    </td> <td style="border-style: solid solid solid none; border-color: black black black rgb(236, 233, 216); border-width: 1pt 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; background-color: transparent;" valign="top"> Replica of the song or the tune
    </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border-style: none solid solid; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) black black; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; background-color: transparent;" valign="top"> 01
    </td> <td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) black black rgb(236, 233, 216); border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; background-color: transparent;" valign="top"> Shantatam_Pahimam Sangita Shyamale
    </td> <td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) black black rgb(236, 233, 216); border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; background-color: transparent;" valign="top"> British National Anthem "God save the King/queen "
    </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border-style: none solid solid; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) black black; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; background-color: transparent;" valign="top"> 02
    </td> <td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) black black rgb(236, 233, 216); border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; background-color: transparent;" valign="top"> Vande Meenakshi
    </td> <td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) black black rgb(236, 233, 216); border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; background-color: transparent;" valign="top"> Irish melody “Limerick”
    </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border-style: none solid solid; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) black black; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; background-color: transparent;" valign="top"> 03
    </td> <td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) black black rgb(236, 233, 216); border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; background-color: transparent;" valign="top"> Vara shivabalam
    </td> <td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) black black rgb(236, 233, 216); border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; background-color: transparent;" valign="top"> "Castilian Maid" by Thomas Moore
    </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border-style: none solid solid; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) black black; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; background-color: transparent;" valign="top"> 04
    </td> <td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) black black rgb(236, 233, 216); border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; background-color: transparent;" valign="top"> Peetavarnam Bhaje
    </td> <td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) black black rgb(236, 233, 216); border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; background-color: transparent;" valign="top"> Persian verse "taza ba-taza nau ba-nau" which B. H. Palmer and Gertrude Bell made into pleasant English jingle.
    </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border-style: none solid solid; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) black black; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; background-color: transparent;" valign="top"> 05
    </td> <td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) black black rgb(236, 233, 216); border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; background-color: transparent;" valign="top"> Jagadeesa guruguha
    </td> <td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) black black rgb(236, 233, 216); border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; background-color: transparent;" valign="top"> “Lord MacDonald’s Reel”
    </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border-style: none solid solid; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) black black; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; background-color: transparent;" valign="top"> 06
    </td> <td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) black black rgb(236, 233, 216); border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; background-color: transparent;" valign="top"> Subramanyam Surasevyam
    </td> <td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) black black rgb(236, 233, 216); border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; background-color: transparent;" valign="top"> the regimental march of the Grenadiere guards, the senior foot guards regiment of the British Army-"British Grenadiere"
    </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border-style: none solid solid; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) black black; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; background-color: transparent;" valign="top"> 07
    </td> <td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) black black rgb(236, 233, 216); border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; background-color: transparent;" valign="top"> Kancheesam Ekambaram
    </td> <td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) black black rgb(236, 233, 216); border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; background-color: transparent;" valign="top"> “country dance”
    </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border-style: none solid solid; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) black black; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; background-color: transparent;" valign="top"> 08
    </td> <td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) black black rgb(236, 233, 216); border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; background-color: transparent;" valign="top"> Ramachandram Rajeevaksham
    </td> <td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) black black rgb(236, 233, 216); border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; background-color: transparent;" valign="top"> English song "Let us lead a life of Pleasure"
    </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border-style: none solid solid; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) black black; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; background-color: transparent;" valign="top"> 09
    </td> <td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) black black rgb(236, 233, 216); border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; background-color: transparent;" valign="top"> Sakala suravinuha
    </td> <td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) black black rgb(236, 233, 216); border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; background-color: transparent;" valign="top"> tune of "Quick March"
    </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border-style: none solid solid; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) black black; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; background-color: transparent;" valign="top"> 10
    </td> <td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) black black rgb(236, 233, 216); border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; background-color: transparent;" valign="top"> SakthiSahitha Ganapathim
    </td> <td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) black black rgb(236, 233, 216); border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; background-color: transparent;" valign="top"> song "voleuz – Vous-dancer"
    </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border-style: none solid solid; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) black black; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; background-color: transparent;" valign="top"> 11
    </td> <td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) black black rgb(236, 233, 216); border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; background-color: transparent;" valign="top"> Sowri Vidhinute
    </td> <td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) black black rgb(236, 233, 216); border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; background-color: transparent;" valign="top"> English song "oh Whistle and I will come to you, my lad."

    </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border-style: none solid solid; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) black black; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; background-color: transparent;" valign="top"> 12
    </td> <td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) black black rgb(236, 233, 216); border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; background-color: transparent;" valign="top"> Kamala Vandita
    </td> <td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) black black rgb(236, 233, 216); border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; background-color: transparent;" valign="top"> Playful tune of ‘Galopede’ folk dance where men and women in two lines dance briskly
    </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="border-style: none solid solid; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) black black; border-width: medium 1pt 1pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt; background-color: transparent;" valign="top"> 13
    </td> <td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) black black rgb(236, 233, 216); border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; background-color: transparent;" valign="top"> Shyamale Meenakshi
    </td> <td style="border-style: none solid solid none; border-color: rgb(236, 233, 216) black black rgb(236, 233, 216); border-width: medium 1pt 1pt medium; padding: 0in 5.4pt; background-color: transparent;" valign="top"> Nursery rhyme”Twinkle twinkle little star” based on French tuneAh! Vous dirai-je
    </td> </tr> </tbody> </table>
    As regards the rest of the songs composed by Muthuswami Dikshitar, they were all based on the Western scale of C Major, which corresponds to the scale of Shankarabharanam of Carnatic music and Bhilaval that of Hindustani music. [The songs were not, however, in Shankarabharanam or Bhilaval per se.] These were independent works based on western notes; and were not replicas of European tunes.

    All the forty _odd songs were set to Tisra Eka Tala (three units) or Chaturasra Eka Tala (four units) which corresponds to ¾ and 4/4 timings of the Western Music. The range – Shruthi – of these songs is generally in middle octave.

    The songs were written in Telugu script. The preserved manuscripts of the songs were, years later (around 1832), presented by the well-known musicians of that period Kuppaiah and Seshaiah to Charles Philip Brown (an officer of the East India Company, who did remarkable work in classical Telugu literature) while he was at Madras. They were called a collection of “Jathi_swaramulu”. It appears those songs were, at the time, used as lessons for the beginners. One of them was the popular Sanskrit song "Vara Veena Mrudu Pani” in Raga Mohanam which was converted into a Gitam. The song is practiced as Gitam by all beginners, even today.

    A manuscript preserved in the Government Oriental Manuscripts Library, Chennai, labeled as Manuscript no. D. 2536 contains twenty of such songs of Dikshitar, written in Telugu script. Of these, twelve are composed in Sanskrit language and the other eight are composed in Telugu language. The Sanskrit songs which were the replicas of the European Airs carry English captions and bear the mudra as “Guruguha”.

    A few of these songs were published as “Nottuswara sahithya” in Shri Manali A.M. Chinnaswami Mudaliar’s work "Oriental Music in Staff Notation" (1893) but without any caption. The text was printed in English, Telugu and Tamil characters.

    During the year1905, Shri Subbarama Dikshitar (grandson of Baluswami Dikshitar) published, in Telugu, “Prathamabhyasa Pusthakamu “. The book contains both theoretical and practical aspects of elementary teaching methods; andis relevant to the music field even to this day. In this book Shri Subbarama Dikshitar included thirty-two compositions, under the title "Nottaswara sahithyamu" with swara notation, as technical compositions for beginners (Abhyasagana). He did not however mention the titles of the European Airs which served as the models for some of the songs. It is likely that these songs were practiced as simple melodies in place of Gitam by the beginners in the late 19<sup>th</sup> and early 20<sup>th</sup> century.
    Subbarama Dikshitar’s monumental compendium Sangeeta Sampradaya Pradarshini, published in 1904, also contains references to the Nottuswara Sahithya.

    Some scholarly articles have been published on the subject. For instance, Prof. P. Sambamoorthy has published an article in the Journal of the Music Academy, 1951, and Dr. V. Raghavan has contributed another article on "Nottuswara sahithyam" of Muthuswami Dikshitar in 1977 in the Journal of the Music AcademyI wish these were put on the net.

    Chitraveena N Ravikiran remarks that while referring to the influence of Western music many talk only of his “English note” compositions; but few realize that its influence is more pervasive and is subtle. One can notice it in the way the movements of the song proceed, he says.
     
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    Re: Muthu Swami Dikshitar A Life Sketch

    Dikshitar and Hindustani music
    [​IMG]
    During his stay at Varanasi, Muthuswamy Dikshitar enjoyed splendid opportunities of listening to Hindustani music in its pristine forms. He seemed to be impressed greatly by the ancient Drupad form of singing and of playing the string instruments; particularly by its elaboration of raga (alap), the tempo and the structure of the lyrics .He diligently studied and learnt the Druphad. This had a profound influence on his creative genius, and apparently modeled his portrayal of ragas in general and in transforming the Hindustani ragas into Carnatic form, in particular. His synthesis of Carnatic and Hindustani Music systems is creative and original.
    ***
    The influence of Hindustani music on Dikshitar and his works are manifold. It is not confined to composing some kritis based on Outhareya that is Hindustani ragas. The influence is evident in the structure of his kritis, the tempo of his music, in the selection of the Talas and in elaboration of the raga too.

    His kritis are well structured, close knit and written in graceful Sanskrit akin to Druphad compositions. Dikshitar’s kritis do not have more than one Charanam; and many of his creations are Samasti-charanams carrying no Anupallavi or the Anupallavi acting as Charanam. His rhythm is subtle and lyrics are divine.

    The Druphad way of elaboration appears to have captured his imagination. The tempo of his songs is mostly the Vilambakala- slow, measured and majestic; rich in gamaka just as the meends on a Been. Dikshitar’s treatment of the ragaexemplifies the essence of raga bhaava and brings out its delicate shades. It is as if the musician is immersed in contemplative meditation. A scholar aptly remarked “.... Dikshitar's kritis are epitome of the spiritual record of India".

    This is amply reflected in his works ; for instance in Cheta Sri (Dvijawanthi), Balagopala (Bhairavi), Sri Rajagopala (Saveri), Meenakshi Me Mudam (Poorvikalyani) and in Sri Subramanyaya Namasthe (Kambhoji).

    It was not all slow and spacious. He built into his compositions exilirating bursts of Madhyamakala gathi, of speed and sparkling delight as if in celebration of the divine, towards the end.

    He did not merely import the Hindusthani ragas but transformed them and gave them an entire new form and luster. That was the creative genius of Dikshitar. For instance, his interpretation and rendering of ragas like Dwijavathi, Ramkali, Yamakalyani, Hamirkalyani, and Brindavan sarang are highly original and creative. He made them into his own. His Cheta sri is so wonderfully well adapted to Carnatic raga_bhava that one scarcely notices the Outhereya traces in its character. He took in the best aspects of the other system, transformed them and enriched both the systems.

    His Jambupathe (Yamankalyani), Parimalaranganatham (Hamir Kalyani), Rangapuravihara (Brindavana Saranga) and Mamava pattabhrama (manirangu) bear testimony to his virtuosity. They are the bench mark kritis in those ragas and are splendid examples of aesthetic excellence of the ragasancharas.


    The Hindustani influence spilled over to some of his compositions in Carnatic ragas too, by way of elaborate beginning and by gamakas resembling sliding meends; as , for instance , in the grandeur and slow paced majesty of Akshyalinga Vibho (Shankarabharanam)in contemplation of the Shiva the Yogi, orin Balagopala (Bhiravi), portraying the delight and beauty of thedivine child, Krishna. His Nirajakshi Kamakshi in Hindolam with dha flat redefined the wayHindolamwas sung by his contemporaries and by the later Carnatic musicians.

    Dikshitar was a scholar well grounded in good tradition (sampradaya).To him, music was more than an art; it was serene contemplation, a way of worship in tranquility and it was also an outpouring of his soul in celebration of the divine. He took his music seriously. His involvement in Western or Hindustani music was not flippant .The influences of those other systems on the traditional Carnatic music, which he practiced with great devotion and diligence, was purposeful and did not in any manner diminish the pristine tradition of Carnatic music, his forte .He took the best in the other systems and adorned the Carnatic System; enriching both the donor and the recipient systems. Dikshitar revolutionized Carnatic classic ethos while firmly positioned within its orthodox framework.
     
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    Re: Muthu Swami Dikshitar A Life Sketch

    The music of Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar

    [​IMG]
    Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar was a versatile intellect. He was open to a variety of influences. His works reflect some of those influences rather explicitly while some others shine through in a subtle way. Before we get into a discussion about Dikshitar’s creations, we need to recognize a few features that influenced him.

    *.Muthuswami Dikshitar was a vainikagayaka, a musician who sang as he played on the Veena. He was well trained both in vocal and instrumental music. Naturally, the graces, the rich gamaka prayogas of his compositions structured in slow tempo shine in mellow glow when played on the Veena.
    *.In his childhood he received training in the lakshya and lakshana aspects of Carnatic music. The lakshana gitams and prabandhas of Venkatamakhi formed an important input of his training. Later, as a composer, he chose to follow Venkatamukhi’s system of Mela _classification of ragas.
    *.He spent seven years at Varanasi, in the prime of his youth. He was captivated by the grandeur, the spaciousness and the purity of the ancient Druphad School. He learnt Dhrupad diligently; and that left a lasting impression on his works.
    *.Earlier in his teenage he gained familiarity with Western music; and traces of its influence can be noticed in the movement of his songs.
    *.He had a good command over Sanskrit; and learnt to use it to express his ideals and aspirations in pristine poetry. He had a fascination for sabdalankara, beautifully turned phrases and wordplay. He had the composure of a yogi and the heart of a poet. Dikshitar's kritis are therefore adorned with poetic imagery, tranquil grace, a certain majesty steeped in devotion.
    *.Dikshitar had acquired a fair knowledge of Jyothisa, Ayurveda, and iconography and of temple architecture.
    *.He was unattached to possessions or to a place (jangama). He was a virtual pilgrim all his life. He visited a large number of shrines and sang about them and the deities enshrined there.
    *He was intensely devotional yet not overly affiliated a particular deity. He composed soulful songs in praise of a number of gods and goddesses.
    *He had a fascination for composing a set of kritis exploring the various dimensions of on a particular, as if he had undertaken a project.
    *He was an Advaitin well grounded in Vedanta.
    And above all,
    *Dikshitar was an ardent Sri Vidya Upasaka; a Sadhaka, an intense devotee of Devi, the divine mother .He was a master of Tantra and of Yantra puja. The Tantra ideology permeates all through his compositions.

    It is the harmonious confluence of these influences that one finds in Dikshitar’s music.
    ***
    Output:
    Muthuswami Dikshitar was prolific; about 479 of his compositions have now been identified, spread over 193 ragas. These include four Ragamalikas and about forty Nottuswara sahithya verses.
    The great Venkatamaki who formulated the 72 Mela_kartha ragas is reported to have wondered ”of the 72 Melas only a few are known and found in practice... and will the permutation be a waste.?‘(Dr.V Raghavan: paper presented at All India Oriental conference, at Hyderabad, 1941). It was the genius of Muthuswami Dikshitar that gave form and substance to all the 72 Mela_kartha ragas, fulfilling the dream of Venkatamakhi.He gave expression to nearly 200 ragas of that system.

    Muthuswami Dikshitar was a pilgrim virtually all his life. He visited a large number of shrines and sang about them and the deities enshrined there. He was intensely devotional yet not overly affiliated to a particular deity. He composed soulful songs in praise of a number of gods and goddesses. About 74 of such temples are featured in his kritis; and there are references to about 150 gods and goddesses. The most number of his kritis (176) were in praise of Devi the mother principle, followed by (131) kritis on Shiva. Dikshitar was the only major composer who sang in praise of Chaturmukha Brahma.


    Some scholars have said that Dikshitar's songs are summaries of Durga Suktam, Sri Suktam and Purusha Suktam. He built in the mantras in a few krithis like Sri Raaja raajeshwari (madyamavathi), pavanatmaja aagaccha (naatta). For the benefit of those who couldn't practice rituals he composed vaara krithis on navagrahas .Similarly, he opened the doors to the secret world of Sri Vidya, for the benefit of all, through his Kamalamba navavarana kritis.



    Dikshitar had a fascination for composing sets of kritis on a composite theme, perhaps in an attempt to explore the various dimensions of the subject. In some of these, he employed all the eight Vibhaktis, the various cases that delineate a noun.No other composer has attempted so many group kritis in such a planned, orderly, meticulous fashion. The following are someImportant Krithi Groups
    • Guruguha Vibhakti krithis
    • Kamalamba Nava Varnams
    • Navagraha Krithis
    • Nilotpalamba vibhakti Krithis;
    • PanchalingaKshetra kritis;
    • Rama vibhakti Krithis;
    • Tiruvarur Pancalinga kritis;
    • Thyagaraja vibhakti Krithis;
    • Abhayamba vibhakti Krithis
    • Madhuramba vibhakti Krithis
    The selection of raga and tala; and the diction of these kritis demonstrate his musical skills and intellectual refinement. For greater information on Group Kritis of Dikshitar, please check here.
    It is rather difficult to arrange Dikshitar’s compositions in a chronological order. His Nottuswara Shitya verses were, of course, composed in his early years while his family lived at Manali a small town near Madras. His first composition as Vak_geya Kara was Srinathandi in Mayamalava gaula at the hill shrine of Tiruttani; and his last composition was Ehi Annapurne in Punnagavarali, while he was at Ettayapuram during his last years. It is believed that the set of Vibhakti kritis followed his first composition. Thereafter he travelled to Kanchipuram, Mayuram, Chidambaram, Vaidyanatha koil and Kumbhakonam. He often visited Tiruchirapalli (where it is said his daughter lived).He spent his productive years at Tiruvavur and his final years in Ettayapuram. In between, he is believed to have visited about 70 temples and sung the glory of those deities. It is however not possible to arrange those kritis in a sequence. Please check here for a map of his probable travels in South India:


    Ragas:

    Dikshitar followed the mela paddhati (a system of classifying ragas) devised by Venkatamakhi, to whose school he belonged. In handling the vivadi melas, Dikshitar followed Venkatamakhi and avoided unharmonious expressions, prayogas.Further, since Kharaharapriya was not a part of venkatamakhi’s scheme, there is no known composition of Dikshitar in that raga. The twenty-second melakarta was Sri Raga; the mangal kriti of Navavarana series is composed in Sri Raga. Again, Venkatamakhi tradition treated Bhairavi and Anandha Bhairavi as upanga ragas; so did Dikshitar.

    Some scholars opine that Dikshitar’smajor service to Carnatic music is that he gave expression to nearly 200 ragas of Venkatamakhi. He also breathed life into a number of ancient ragas that were fading away. Several ancient ragas found a new lease of life though Dikshitar’s kritis. To name a few of them:Mangalakaisiki, Ghanta, Gopikavasanta, Narayana Gaula,Sulini, Samantha, maargadhesi and mohana naatta. Even today their lakshanas are illustrated mainly through Dikshitar’s creations.

    There are many ragas which are employed only by Dikshitar; for instance; Saranganata, Chhaya Goula, Poorvi, Padi, Mahuri, Suddhavasanta, Kumudakriya, and Amritavarshini. In Dwijavanti, Chetasri and Akhilandeshwari stand out in solitary splendor.

    He transformed many Outhareya, the Hindustani ragas into Carnatic form through his creative genius.His interpretation and rendering of ragas like Dwijavathi, Ramkali, and Yamakalyani, Hamirkalyani, and Brindavan sarang are highly original and creative. He made them into his own. His Cheta sri is so wonderfully well adapted to Carnatic raga_bhava that one scarcely notices the Outhereya traces in its character. He took in the best aspects of the other system, transformed them and enriched both the systems.

    Shankarabharanam scale appears to have been his forte; there are as many as 96 kritis based on that scale. The kritis in Harikambhoji scale number about 63; while 57 kritis are in Kharaharapriya scale. He had a special affinity for Mayamalava_gaula in which he composed about 51 songs. The derivatives of that scale such as Saalanga Nata, Paadi and Mangala Kaishiki would have been lost but for Dikshitar.

    Taala:


    Dikshitar was accomplished in the matter of talas, the rhythmic patterns. He is the only composer to have set his music in all the seven basic taalas. He employed all the Saptha Talas in his Vara-Stutis i.e. a song for each day of the week. He is said to have used ten improvised varieties of taalas in his compositions. The majority of his compositions are set in Adi (190) and Rupaka (139) taalas.

    Music:


    The most fascinating aspect of Dikshitar's songs is the grandeur and majesty of his music, sublime lyrics, intellectual brilliance and the overall technical sophistication. They exude a tranquil joy. His vision of the ragas and their structure is inspiring.



    Dikshitar was blessed with the heart of a poet and the composure of a yogi. He was an intense devotee but undemonstrative. There is therefore certain composure, measured grace, dignity and a mellow joy glowing through his music as in his life.


    The Druphad way of elaboration captured his imagination. The tempo of his songs is mostly the Vilambakala- slow, measured and majestic; rich in gamaka just as the meends on a Veena. Dikshitar aptly called himself “Vainika gayaka guruguhanuta”.

    Dikshitar’s treatment of the ragaexemplifies the essence of raga bhaava and brings out its delicate shades. It is as if the musician is immersed in contemplative meditation. The graces, the rich gamaka prayogas of his compositions structured in slow tempo shine in mellow glow when played on the Veena. This is amply reflected in his works ; for instance in Cheta Sri (Dvijawanthi), Balagopala (Bhairavi), Sri Rajagopala (Saveri), Meenakshi Me Mudam (Poorvikalyani) and in Sri Subramanyaya Namasthe (Kambhoji).The other compositions of this genre are Dakshinamuthe(shankrabharanam), Manasaguruguha(anandabhiravi),EhiAnnapaurne(punnagavarali),Amba Neelayatakshi (nilambari)and each of the nava_varana kritis. These are monumental works.


    It is not all slow and spacious. He built into his compositions exhilarating bursts of speed and sparkling delight as if in celebration of the divine spirit, towards the end. Certain kritis are interlaced with Madhyamakala Sahitya, passages in tempo faster than the rest of the kriti (E.g. Mahaganapatim in Nata).



    Dikshitar redefined the treatment of even the traditional Carnatic ragas by way of elaborate beginning, rich in gamakas resembling the sliding meends as, for instance, in the slow paced majesty of Akshyalinga Vibho (Shankarabharanam) or in Balagopala (Bhiravi), portraying the beauty of thedivine child, Krishna. His Nirajakshi Kamakshi inHindolamwith dha flat entirely changed the way Hindolam came to be sung by his contemporaries and by the later Carnatic musicians.



    Dikshitar was well versed in the alapana paddhati and followed it in the elaboration of the kriti. The musicologists have said “The most outstanding aspect of the compositions of Dikshitar is their richness in raga bhava”. His sense of selection of the apt sancharas of the raga to bring out the true emotion is remarkable. They range from the mandra to the tara sthayi and give a complete picture of the raga. It is said that if you sing his kriti in akara, it can bring out the character of the raga. His kriti are virtually, raga alapana, chiseled to fit in with tala and dressed in sahitya.

    Structure of kritis

    His kritis are well structured, close knit and written in graceful Sanskrit. Dikshitar’s kritis do not have more than one Charanam; and as many as 157 of his creations are Samasti-charanams carrying no Anupallavi or the Anupallavi acting as Charanam. His rhythm is subtle and lyrics are divine.

    Each of his compositions is unique, brilliantly crafted and well chiseled work of intricate art. It is incredible how delicately he builds into his tight-knit kritis a wealth of information about the temple, its deity, its architecture and its rituals; and about jyothisha, tantra, mantra, Sri Vidya, Vedanta etc. He also skillfully builds into the lyrics, the name of the raga (raga mudra) and his Mudra, signature.


    Language and wordplay


    Except for one kriti in Telugu and three Manipravala kritis (Sanskrit+Telugu+Tamil) all his other compositions are in Sanskrit.
    Dikshitar had a good command over Sanskrit; and learnt to express through it his ideals and aspirations in pristine poetry. He had the composure of a yogi and the heart of a poet. Dikshitar's kritis are therefore adorned with poetic imagery, tranquil grace, a certain majesty steeped in devotion.
    He had a fascination forSabdalankaras, adorning his poetry with beautifully turned phrases ringing sweetly like temple bells; captivating rhymes ofPrasa and Anuprasa. He loved the intricate play of words and to coin sweet sounding phrases. Look at thepada lalithya, a grand procession of enchanting phrases:Akalanka darpana kapola vishesha; Mana matrike maye marakata chaye; Devi Shakthi beejodbhava matrikarna swaroopini, and Komlakara pallava pada kodanda Rama.The rhyming and ringing phrases – Shyamalanga, vihanga, sadayapanga satsanga- are of unparallel beauty.

    He often structured his lyrics in geometric patterns. He enjoyed a childlike delight in employing Yatis (geometric patterns) such as Gopuccha (tapering like the tail of a cow) or it’s opposite, the Sorotovaha (broadening like the flow of a river) for structuring his lyrics. For instance, in his Sri Varalakshmi (Sri) and Maye Twam Yahi (Sudha Tarangini) he used the tapering pattern of Gopuccha.


    <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="border: medium none rgb(236, 233, 216); background-color: transparent;">
    Sarasa Pade,​
    Rasapade,​
    Sapade,​
    Pade.​
    de​
    </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"> <tbody> <tr> <td style="border: medium none rgb(236, 233, 216); background-color: transparent;">
    Sarasa Kaye​
    Rasakaye​
    Sakaye​
    Aye​

    </td> </tr> </tbody> </table>

    In his kriti Tyagarajayoga Vaibhavam (Anandabhairavi),
    Dikshitar
    uses both the Yatis - Gopuccha Yati and Srotovaha. The phrases are:</pre> ​

    </pre>

    </pre> ​

    Gopuccha Yati (like a cow's tail):</pre> ​

    Tyagaraja Yoga Vaibhavam</pre> ​

    Agaraja Yoga Vaibhavam</pre> ​

    Rajayoga Vaibhavam</pre> ​

    Yoga Vaibhavam</pre> ​

    Vaibhavam</pre> ​

    Bhavam</pre> ​

    Vam</pre> ​

    </pre> ​

    And the Srotovaha Yati (Flowing as a river)</pre> ​

    </pre> ​

    Sam</pre> ​

    Prakasham</pre> ​

    Svaroopa Prakasham</pre> ​

    Tattva Svaroopa Prakasham</pre> ​

    Sakala Tattva Svaroopa Prakasham</pre> ​

    Sivasaktyadi Sakala Tattva Svaroopa Prakasham</pre> ​

    Dikshitar at times used Swaraksharams i.e., the words matching with the syllables of the notes. For instance, Sadasrita (in Akshayalinga Vibho) could be tuned as Sa Da Pa Ma; and Pashankushsa Dharam (in Siddhi Vinayakam) could be tuned as Pa SA Ga RI Ni SA.
    Muthuswami Dikshitar set the trend for embedding raga mudra, the name of the raga, in the lyrics. This served the purpose of establishing the raga of the kriti; and it also added a novel lyrical beauty. Sometimes the raga mudra could be as simple as Brindavana Sarangendra; or Satchidananda Bhiravisham; or Krithika Suddha Dhyanyena. But, at times he would ingeniously suggest the raga by hiding it in a complex word, through shlesha, a skillful play on words. For instance, as in:


    (Veena+Abheri) to suggest Abheri;​
    (Panchamukha+arishadvarga_rahita) to suggest Mukhari; and​
    (Chidbimbou+lilavigrahou) to suggest Bouli​

    Dikshitaralso specialized in the use of different vibhakti (the various cases that delineate a noun) running parallel. A striking example is the first batch of eight krtis he composed in praise of Lord Subrahmanya of Tiruttani. Sanskrit language employs eight cases (vibhaktis) for the declination of a noun, namely nominative (prathama), accusative (dvitIya), instrumental (tritIya), dative (chaturthi), ablative (panchami), genitive (Shasti), locative (saptami) and vocative (sambhodhana). The eight cases for the noun guruguha would be: guruguhah (guruguho), guruguham, guruguhena, guruguhaya, guruguhat, guruguhasya, guruguhe and (hey or Oh..!) guruguha.

    Guruguha:
    The mudra, the signature for his kritis occurs as Guruguha not only in his classic creations commencing with Srinathadi, but also in this earlier Sanskrit verses grouped under Nottuswara Sahitya. The term Guruguha means the Guru dwelling in the cave of my heart; and it normally refers to Kartikeya. The term however acquires shades of other meanings depending on the context. Dikshitar was an Advaitin and in that context Guru refers the Supreme Principle Brahman. In his Sri Guruguha dasoham he says” I am Guruguha”.
    Dakshinamurthy the yogic incarnation of Shiva is often referred to by Dikshitar as guruguha.
    Dikshitar was also a yogi; in his Shrinathadiguruguho Jayati, the Guruguha is the Lord is seated in his Sahasrara-Lotus and drinking the nectar of his sweet music.


    In Shakta tradition, the universe is an interplay of shiva and shakthi. The guru is shiva the body and shakthi the energy as guhya shakthi, the intrinsic power. Guruguha is at times a wordplay based on this principle.


    Dikshitar was also a Srividya Upasaka and as perits tradition he submitted his salutations to that Guruparampara. Sri Vidya graduates the evolution from the most subtle form (Shukshma) to the gross in 36 steps; the first being Shiva_tatva and the final one being Prithvi_tatva. According to this School, Shiva is Adinatha the progenitor; Shiva is Adi_guru. The tantric texts identity the guru and the mantra with the deity; the three are one. The mantra represents manas (mind), the Devata stands for the prana (vital force) and the guru represents the aspirants own self (atman). That is the reason Dikshitar In his Sri Guruguha dasoham he says” I am Guruguha”.



    In the Sri Vidyatradition, theGuru is not an abstract concept. Guru is an individual. He also symbolizes the hoary tradition Sampradaya in a succession of masters. The human guru is the contemporary master; who has descended in an unbroken line of gurus beginning from Adi Guru Shiva himself. He not only reveals the transcendental reality to the disciple but helps him realize his own essential reality (svartha –parartha-prakatana paro guruh). Devotion to the human guru is to purify the mind and fortify it with the spirituality of the guru. In his Anandeshwara (Anandabhiravi), Dikshitar refers to his guru who initiated him as the incarnation of Guruguha (jnana pradana guruguha_rupa).



    Dikshitar refers to the Gupuparampara as Adi guruguha varena. He mentions Paramashiva, Durvasa, Agasthya, Hayagreeva and other gurus of Sri Vidya tradition. Elsewhere he makes a mention of twelve upasakas in three schools of worship in Srividya –Kadi, hadi and sadi- in his line Kamadi dwadasha _bhi rupasthitha kadi hadi sadi mantra rupinya iharena navanathena adyena. Shiva is Adi_guru, the guruguha who resides in the cave of the heart.


    Influence of Advaita
    Muthuswami Dikshitar was well grounded in Vedanta and he was an Advaitin. The influence of that school of Vedanta is visible in several of his kritis; for instance in Girijayaa ajayaa (Shankarabharanam), saadhu Jana (purna panchamam), Sri Guruguha murthe (udhaya ravichandrika), Guhad anyam (Balahamsa), Ambhikaya Abhayambikaya (Kedara) and Abhayamba Jagadamba (Kalyani) etc.

    In these compositions, he speaks about the identity of jiva and Brahman; the superimposition, Adhyasa; the seemingly real yet not- real (maya); the errors in perception, each atom being the microcosm of the universe (chidvilasa koti koti cidabhasa) and other Advaita concepts. In his Kamalamba Navavarana kritis in Shankarabharanam he declares “I am guruguha”.

    Influence of Sri Vidya
    Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar was a Devi Upasaka and was well versed in all aspects of Sri Vidya Upasana. His kritis permeated with Sri Vidya are too many to be listed here. The prominent among this genre is the Kamalamba navavarana kritis, rich in celebration of the deities and traditions of Sri Chakra worship, expounding in each of the nine kritis, the details of the each avarana of the Sri Chakra. According to him, Sri Vidya protects the devotee: Bhaktanam Abhayapradam; and is his way to well being and also the way to liberation (bhukti mukti prada margam .He sings in inspired devotion; and beseeches the Divine mother to protect him and guide him along the right path.

    There are references to Shaktha tradition in his Nilothpalamba Vibhakthi compositions, the Guruguha Vibhakthi and Abhayamba Vibhakthi compositions, in addition to references in several individual compositions.

    Dikshitar composed about 40 kritis spread over four sets of compositions on the subjects related to Sri Vidya; Kamalamba Navavarana (11+ 2 kritis); Nilothpalamba kritis (8 kritis); Abhayamba kritis (10 kritis) and Guru Kritis (8 kritis).Of these the Kamalamba set of kritis, is highly well organized and is truly remarkable for its classic structure , majesty and erudite knowledge.


    Let us talk more about Sri Chakra, Sri Vidya and their influence on Dikshitar, in the next sections.
    ***
    Muthuswami Dikshitar was a many splendored genius. He gave form and substance to all the 72 Melakartha ragas. Besides, he breathed life into several ancient ragas that were fading away from common memory. He redefined the paradigm of Carnatic music. Each of his compositions exemplifies the essence of raga bhavaand captures the depth and soulfulness of the melody. His vision of the ragas and their structure is sublime.



    His compositions are crisp, well chiseled and rich in knowledge. His Sanskrit is delightfully captivating. His synthesis of Carnatic and Hindustani Music systems is creative and original. He took the best in the other systems and adorned the Carnatic System; enriching both. Dikshitar revolutionized Carnatic classic ethos while firmly positioned within its orthodox framework.



    He excelled in all the four aspects of the traditional music viz. Raga, Bhava, Tala and Sahitya. The technical sophistication, intellectual brilliance and the majesty of his music is unsurpassed.
    Dikshitar was a scholar well grounded in good tradition (sampradaya).To him, music was more than an art; it was serene contemplation, a way of worship in tranquility and it was also an outpouring of his soul in celebration of the divine. He described the divine as embodiment of Raga, Bhava and Tala (Bhava raga tala _swarupakam).He was a yogi, with the heart of a poet; there is therefore a certain composure and majesty in his music along with sublime poetic imagery adorned by grace and enchanting beauty. His kritis exude with soulful repose, peace and transcendental joy.

    ***
    [Sources:
    Compilation of Dishitar’s compositions -Dr. P. P. Narayanswami’s page

    Statistical Analysis of Dikshitar’s compositions, - Dr. P. P. Narayanaswami’s page

    Group Kritis of Dikshitar
    List of temples mentioned in his works

    Muthuswami Dikshitar - A Creative Genius
    By Chitravina N Ravikiran

    Guru principle and Guruguha in Dikshitar
    BROUGHT TO U BY SUNKAN I HAVE THEIR PERMISSION TO PUBLISH HERE
     
  7. sunkan

    sunkan Gold IL'ite

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    Re: Muthu Swami Dikshitar A Life Sketch

    Sri Chakra and Sri Vidya

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    According to Tantric texts, the Chakra, Mandala or Yantra is a sphere of influence and a consecrated environment. It is an instrument to activate energies, stimulate thoughts, and to harmonize feelings; and also to coordinate inner and outer forces.



    A Yantra is structured in three levels, of spaces, the level of physical world of beings and things (mahakasha); the level of thoughts and feelings (Chittakasha); and the level of pure, undifferentiated consciousness (Chidakasha).The first level is predominantly inert , Tamas; while the second level is active and emotional, Rajas. The third level is of light and pure awareness Sattva. A Yantra is a means to progress from the gross to the subtle, sukshma. To put it in another way, Yantra is an instrument to transform matter into energy and the energy into consciousness. In the final analysis, the walls separating the objective world, the subjective person and the Universal consciousness break down; and it is all One in the end. This complete harmony of existence is symbolized by Bindu, a dimensionless point at the centre of the Yantra or Chakra. In fact, chakra is the regarded the expansion or the evolution of that Bindu. The Bindu in turn is epitome or the microcosm of the Chakra. The Yantra facilitates the movement of consciousness from the concrete form of Chakra to the abstract Bindu. It also enables movement from the abstract Bindu to the form of Chakra. A Yantra in essence is a map of the universe in its emanation and absorption.



    Sri Chakra Yantra is regarded the supreme Yantra, the Yantra Raja, the king of Yantras. It is the Yantra of the Shaktha school of Tantra. It is also variously regarded as the visual representation of the city, mansion, island or the body of the mother goddess Devi, Tripurasundari, Lalitha, Rajarajeshwari and Parabhattarika, the supreme controller. The design also stands for this divinity’s court with all her attendant aids, guards, pavililions, enclosures and entrances. The principal divinity is regarded as being at the centre, the Bindu of the chakra.



    The prefix Sri denotes that the Yantra is auspicious, beneficent, salutary, benign and conducive to prosperity. Sri is Lakshmi, the goddess of beauty and prosperity. Sri is also the Mother goddess who rules the universe. Sri Chakra is a representation of the interplay of the principles of pure consciousness (Shiva) and primordial power (Shakthi).Sri Chakra represents the essential aspects of the universe and also the constitution of the devotee’s body-mind complex.

    The concept and worship of Sri Chakra is relevant in the context of an esoteric discipline known as Sri Vidya.


    Sri Vidya is hailed as the Vidya of Sri (the knowledge that leads to the ultimate benefit mukthi – liberation), she therefore is the highest divinity. Sri Vidya is also the Vidya that yields Sri (prosperity). Sri Vidya is thus Bhukthi Mukthi prada the bestower of wellbeing, prosperity and liberation. Sri Vidya is the path and the goal.


    Vidya usually stands for knowledge, learning, discipline and a system of thought. But, in the context of Tantra, it has an extended meaning. Here, it variously refers to a female deity, to the personification of her consciousness; or to the manifestation of her power. Devi Durga is described as the Vidya in all beings (Ya Devi sarvabhutheshu, Vidya rupena samsthita); and the form of her Vidya is the primordial energy Adi prakrithi.

    The Tantra texts classify ten divinities into three levels of Vidyas: (1) Maha_vidya, the extraordinary Vidyas, consisting Kali and Tara. The worship of these divinities requires great rigor, austerity, devotion, persistence and a sort of detachment. The practice of Maha_vidya is very difficult and filled with risks and dangers ;( 2) Vidya, the normal Vidyas consist deities Shodashi (or Tripura), Bhuvaneshwari, Bhiravi, Chinmastha and Dhumavathi. The practice of this class of Vidya is considered safe and suitable for householders; and (3) Siddha Vidya, the Vidya for adepts involves deities Kamalaa, Matangi and Bhagalamukhi. This class is not for normal persons as it involves rituals that cannot be practiced normally.

    Shodashi is the first among the Vidyas in the middle group; she is otherwise known as Sri Vidya. Shodashi literally meaning “a girl of sixteen” is identified with deities Lalitha, Raja_rajeshwari, Sundari, Kameshwari and Bala. Lalitha is the playful one; all creation, manifestation and dissolution is her play. She is Mahatripura Sundari the most magnificent transcendental beauty without a parallel in three worlds. She is the conqueror of three levels of existence.



    The Tantra texts however explain that the Vidya is called Shodashi because the mantra of the Vidya is made up of sixteen seed _syllables. There is another school (Kadi Vidya) which says the mantra consists fifteen visible syllables (ka e i la hrim; ha sa ka ha la hrim; sa ka la hrim). It is explained that ka represents the air; ha the fire; sa the water; la the earth and e the space. The fifteen syllables are: one of space, two of air; three of fire; four of water; and five of earth. The sixteenth letter is “srim” in subtle form. The mantra then becomes Shodashi, the sixteen lettered.



    The fifteen lettered mantra is divided into three groups: ka e i la hrim); ha sa ka ha la hrim; and; sa ka la hrim. The three groups that constitute the mantra are called Kuta (peaks) or Khanda (segments).They are interpreted variously in sets of three as: Agni(fire),Surya(sun) and Chandra(moon); srishti(creation), Shtithi(preservation) and laya(dissolution); Iccha( will), jnana(knowledge) and kriya(action);Sattva,Rajas and Tamas; Jagrat(wakefulness); swapna(dream state) and sushupthi(deep sleep);jnatra(the knower),jnana(the knowledge) and jneya( the known) ; as atma(individual self),antaratma(inner being) and paramatma(supreme self)and as past , present and future.



    There is also a view that the first group starting with ka is kadi_matha; the second group starting with ha is hadi_matha; and the third group starting with sa is sadi_matha.

    The mantra (fifteen or sixteen letters) is an expression of Sri Vidya. The verbal expression (nada or sound) of the Vidya is mantra and its visual expression is the Sri Chakra Yantra. The two are essentially the same. Both seek identity of consciousness with Maha Tripura Sundari.



    Another interesting aspect is that the vowels (aa, e, i etc.) are regarded as representations of Shakthi; while the 35 consonants are basically inert and depend on vowels (just as Shiva depends on Shakthi) to manifest in a meaningful form. It is only when the germinating power (bija) of the vowels is infused with consonants, the latter gain meaning. That is the reasons the vowels are Bija aksharas. They transform ordinary letters into mother like condition (matrika); that is, they impregnate ordinary letters with meaning and power.



    Sri Vidya is also described as Chandra_kala_vidya, the lore of the lunar digits. This school of Sri Vidya explains that the fifteen letters of the mantra correspond to fifteen digits of the moon in each fortnight commencing from prathipada, the first day of the brighter half, when the moon “comes out of the sun”; and ending with the full moon on the fifteenth day. Similarly, in the dark half of the moon cycles all digits “return to the sun”. The emanation of the fifteen digits of the moon from the sun culminates in the full moon (purnima); while the absorption of the digits into the sun results in new moon (Amavasya).The sixteenth letter (Shodasha kala or Srim) is said to be present in each of the digits which are called Kalas or nityas. The digits are invoked as forms of the Mother goddess.

    The first digit is Maha Tripura Sundari; the second is Kameshwari; and the third is Bhagamalini. These three together form the primary triangle which is the immediate unfolding of the central Bindu representing Mother Goddess.

    The Sri Vidya tradition which centers on the worship of Sri Chakra, considers the following twelve gods and sages as its gurus: Manu, Chandra, Kubera, Lopamudra, Manmatha, Agasthya, Nandisha, Surya, Vishnu, Skanda, Shiva and Durvasa. It is said each of the twelve gurus propagated a school with regard to the worship and significance of Sri Chakra. Of these, only two schools have survived to this day; one is the school started by Manmatha (also called Kamaraja) known as Kadi_matha. The Kadi tradition was continued by sage Agastya. The other school is Hadi_matha started by Lopamudra wife of the Sage Agastya. There is also a mention of an obscure third school called Sadi_matha.



    Of the three, the Kadi_ matha (with its mantra starting with letter Ka) is regarded the oldest and its attitude and worship is Sattvic. It insists on virtue, discipline and purity of rituals. The prominent gurus of this school are Paramashiva, Durvasa, Hayagreeva and Agasthya. Of the other two schools, Hadi_matha is Rajasik and the Sadi _matha is Tamasik.



    As regards the worship of Sri Chakra, there are three recognized procedures ;( 1) Hayagreeva tradition regarded as Dakshina_chara, the right handed method, reciting Lalitha_sahasra Nama and Lalitha_tristathi offering kunkumam.(2) Anandabhirava tradition , a Vama_chara,a left handed method; (3) and Dakshinamurthy tradition , a doctrinal school. Of the three the last one is considered the best.


    There are, again, three methods of worship of Sri Chakra. The shrishti_krama the expansion mode of worship, carried out in morning, comprehends the chakra from the central point the Bindu to the outer square. The Sthithi_krama the preservation mode of worship, carried out in the afternoon, comprehends the chakra from the outer square to the eightfold lotus and from the Bindu to the fourteen cornered figure. The third, Samhara_krama the absorption mode of worship, carried out in the night, comprehends the chakra from the outer square to the central point.



    In any case, Sri Vidya is the worship of mother goddess incarnated in the Sri Chakra. Her worship includes the worship of her consorts (Devata) and aids (yogini); all of whom are female. The ritualistic details are characteristically feminine. The Tantra texts, however, emphasize the merit of inner worship (antar_yaga), once a fair degree of understanding has been gained. They said “Best of all forms of worship is inner worship. External worship (ritualistic) is to be resorted until the dawn of understanding.”

    A Sri Vidya Upasaka worships beauty and grace; rejecting ugliness in thought, word and deed.


    Sri Vidya is the path of devotion and wisdom. The wisdom consists in realizing ones identity (sva svarupa prapti) with the Mother goddess. It is this wisdom that liberates the devotee (jivan Mukthi). This liberating wisdom is granted to him by the Mother out of pure love, when the devotee surrenders to her completely in full faith and devotion. The Mother is the path and the goal. Sri Vidya is the culmination of all paths, the consummation of all transformations.

    Sri Muthuswami Dikshitarwas initiated into Srividya Maha Shodasakshari Diksha. In his first kriti , he referrers to the Guru tradition, its twelve gurus and three schools of worship, kadi, hadi and Sadi: Kamaadi dwadashabhirupa_sthitha kadi hadi sadi mantra rupinya .Dikshitar also mentions that he followed the tradition of the sages Durvasa , Agasthya and Hayagreeva ; and declares he belonged to Kadi school: maatmaka kadi mathanusthano. Dikshitar followed the Kadi practice of worship of Sri Chakra from Bhupura the outer square to the Bindu the central point. He had a certain pride in his tradition; in his kriti Kamalambikai, he states “prabala guruguha sampradaya anthah karayayai referring to his hallowed tradition.



    Dikshitar composed about 40 kritis spread over four sets of compositions on the subjects related to Sri Vidya; Kamalamba Navavarana (11+ 2 kritis); Nilothpalamba kritis (8 kritis); Abhayamba kritis (10 kritis) and Guru Kritis (8 kritis).Of these the Kamalamba set of kritis, is highly well organized and is truly remarkable for its classic structure , majesty and erudite knowledge. More of that in the succeeding sections.



    Muthuswami Dikshitar, in his kritis, yearns for Videha Mukthi. He beseeches the Divine Mother repeatedly and addresses her as one who grants Videha mukthi (Mamaka videha mukthi sadanam- Ranganayakam-Nayaki); the bestower of videha mukthi (vikalebara kaivalya danaya-Guruguhaya-Sama); and at times he feels he is nearing videha mukthi (Videha kaivalyam yami-Tyagaraje-Saranga). Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar was a jivan Muktha who attained his Videha Mukthi.


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    Reference;
    The Tantra of Sri Chakra
    By Prof.SK Ramachandra Rao
    (1953)
     
  8. sunkan

    sunkan Gold IL'ite

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    Re: Muthu Swami Dikshitar A Life Sketch

    kindly Go Through The Document To Finish This Serial On Him...if Your Are Interested For More I Will Bring It Here Only On Request..this Is My Friend Mr Srinivasa Rao Who Has Brought This Out In A Different Site And I Felt I Should Share This Here For The Carnatic Music Lovers And All About Ambal And Sri Chakras..sunkan
     

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  9. Sriniketan

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    Re: Muthu Swami Dikshitar A Life Sketch

    Sunkan,
    Wow, what a great piece....
    Will read daily to get the essence of this great, who is one of the Trinities of the Carnatic world..
    Will be happy to learn more about them also...

    sriniketan
     
  10. kswati

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    Re: Bhaagyaada Lakshmi baaramma .

    I first heard this song on satyanarayan pujs day after my marriage into Kannada family and suddenly took liking for this song. Mam, can u post the lyrics of 'Aart belege na nee elyereru sou kolhapur lkashmi gey'.
    Thanks in advance.
    Swati
     

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