Carnatic Compositions – The Essence and Embodiment
– Aparna Munukutla Gunupudi
Our intent for this essay is to highlight the great features of the language, emotion and melody (rAgam) of a krithi (song/composition) and also to provide the song for your listening pleasure. Most of you may know these krithis, but when you discover the distinct features of a krithi, you may enjoy a new beauty or an attribute in the krithi.
Note: Krithi is defined as a song containing pallavi, anupallavi and charanam that have high musical value and can be sung elaborately with improvisations. Whereas, Keerthana also has a pallavi, anupallavi and charanam but is sung in a single form or simpler pattern.
dIpa lakshmIm
rAgam: Brindavani
tAlam: Adi
Lyrics: Aparna Munukutla Gunupudi
Music: Chandra Bhanu Tanikella
Language: Sanskrit
Pallavi
dIpa lakshmIm DhyAyAmi
sandIpalakshmIm AvAhayAmi
Anupallavi
Bhava timira hArini bhAvArtha dAyini
bhAnu kOTi prakAsini
Charanam
prabhAvati suprasanna bhArathi
praNathi praNathi pradIpinI
prafulla vadanI pramOdinI
Mat hrudaya kamala nivAsini
Meaning:
dIpa LakshmIm – goddess of light
DhyAyAmi – meditate upon
sandIpalakshmIm – goddess of radiant light
AvAhayAmi – invoke
Bhava timira – darkness in this life
hArini – remover
bhAvArtha – at the thought of objects
dAyini – provider
bhAnu kOTi – like million suns
prakAsini – shines
prabhAvati – person with shining face
Suprasanna – congenial and smiling
bhArathi – goddess of knowledge
praNathi praNathi – salutations
pradIpinI – lamp/light holder
Prafulla – effulgent
vadanI – face
pramOdinI – provider of happiness
Mat hrudaya – in my heart
kamala – lotus
nivAsini – resides
Summary:
Meditate upon the goddess of light and invoke the goddess of radiance! She is the remover of the darkness in our lives and provides the objects as you think of them. She shines with the brightness of a million suns! She is the goddess of knowledge with a congenial smile and a radiant face and provides happiness to all. She resides in my heart which is like a lotus and salutations to the holder of the light!
This is a well fitting krithi as we approach Diwali, the festival of lights and the winter solstice, the season of darkness with longer nights. Typically, many people worship goddess Lakshmi for Diwali to bless them with health, wealth and prosperity! Just thinking and meditating upon this bright light bearer, the ever shining goddess Lakshmi, provides us the right path and drives physical as well as spiritual darkness out of our minds. Wishing you all a bright, illuminated and joyful festival season!
The power of music is profound
The joy of music is sweet and sound
The awe of music is abound
Music makes the world go round
Tanikella Chandra Bhanu is an accomplished Carnatic musician and a graded artist in All India Radio (AIR). She has performed extensively in India and abroad. She has rendered all 30 Thiruppavai Pasurams for Sri Venkateswara Bhakthi Channel (SVBC) of TTD. She currently lives in Bangalore.
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Aparna Munukutla Gunupudi is a poet, lyricist and short story writer. She has written dance ballets such as Queen of Jhansi, Prasanna Ashtalakshmi, Usha Kalyanam, Sneham, Jamsetji Tata and they were performed in Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam styles. She wrote songs for “Prema Tarangini” an audio cassette released by noted music director Sri Manohar Murthy. She considers her parents, who provided and encouraged her in book reading, are her “gurus” and Sri Jandhyala Payayya Sastri as her writing mentor.