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.
sItamma mAyamma
rAgam: Vasanta
tALam: RUpaka
Composer: TyAgarAja
Language: Telugu
sItamma mAyamma srIrAmuDu maa tanDri
vAtAtmaja soumithri vainatEya ripu mardhana
tAta bharatAdulu sOdarulu mAku O manasA
paramEsa vasishTa parAsara nArada sounaka suka
surapati goutama lambOdara guha sanakAdulu
dharaNija bhAgavatAgrEsarulevvaru vArellanu
Vara tyAgarAjuniki parama bAndhavulu manasA
Meaning:
sItamma – sIta
mAyamma – is our mother
srIrAmuDu – srIrAma
maa tanDri – is our father
vAtAtmaja – the son of wind – Anjaneya
Soumithri – son of sumithra – lakshmaNa
vainatEya – son of vinutha – garuDa
ripu mardhana – destroyer of enemies – satrughna
tAta – grand sire – jAmbavanta
bharatAdulu – bharatha and others
sOdarulu mAku – are our brothers
O manasA – in our mind
paramEsa – lord siva
vasishTa – sage vasishTa
parAsara – sage parAsara
nArada – sage nArada
Sounaka suka – sages sounaka & suka
Surapati – indra
Goutama – sage goutama
lambOdara – ganEsha (lamba = long, udara = stomach/intestines)
Guha – subramaNya
sanakAdulu – sages sanaka and others
dharaNija – people born on this earth
bhAgavatAgrEsarulevvaru – who ever is learned
vArellanu – all of them
Vara tyAgarAjuniki – to blessed tyAgarAja
Parama bAndhavulu – close relatives
manasA – in our mind
Summary:
In this kruthi, TyAgarAja narrates that he considers sIta and rAma as mother and father. Anjaneya, lakshmaNa, garuDa, satrughna, jAmbavanta, bharata and others as his brothers. He lists all the prominent sages like vasishTa, parAsara, nArada, sounaka, suka, goutama, and siva, indra, ganesha, subramaNya, and all the learned people on this earth are close relatives to the blessed tyAgarAja.
Sreelakshmi Kolavennu is an accomplished musician, composer and music director. She has given a number of concerts in India as well as in the San Francisco bay area. She has provided score and set music to many Kuchipudi dance ballets. She also set music to many AnnamAchArya compositions. She lives in the San Francisco bay area.
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KOdanDa rAma
rAgam: Ananda Bhairavi
tALam: Adi
Composer: BhadrAchala RAmadAsu
Language: Telugu
kOdanDa rAma kOdanDa rAma kOdanDa rAma mAmpAhi srI rAma
nIdaNDa nAku nIvendubOku vAdEla nIku vaddu parAku
srIrAma mammu cEpaTTukommu AdukOrammu ArOgyamimmu
jaya raghuvIra jagadEka sUra bhaya nivAra bhakta mandAra
Vandanamayya vAdElanayya danDana sEya tagadu nIkayya
lAlita hAsa lakshmi vilAsa pAlita dAsa bhadrAdri vAsa
Meaning:
kOdanda rAma – rAma holding the bow “kOdanDa”
mAmpAhi – to your rescue
srI rAma – srI rAma
nIdaNDa – your protection
nAku – for me
nIvendubOku – don’t go anywhere
vAdEla – why an argument
nIku – to you
vaddu – don’t
parAku – ignore
srIrAma – srI rAma
mammu – us
cEpaTTukommu – hold our hand
AdukOrammu – come to protect us
ArOgyamimmu – bless us with health
Jaya – victory
raghuvIra – to the warrior of raghu dynasty
jagadEka – only one in the world
sUra – courageous
bhaya – fear
nivAra – remover
bhakta – devotees
mandAra – savior
Vandanamayya – I bow to you
vAdElanayya – why an argument
danDana sEya – to punish
tagadu – not appropriate
nIkayya – for you
lAlita hAsa – gentle smile
lakshmi vilAsa – one who lives in the heart of Lakshmi
pAlita – protector
dAsa – devotees
bhadrAdri vAsa – rAma, one who lives on the hills of bhadra
Summary:
Oh kodanDa rAma, I am at your rescue! I need your protection and please don’t go anywhere. There is no argument and please don’t ignore me. srIrAma! Please hold our hands to protect and to bless us with health. You are the victorious one in the Raghu dynasty and the courageous of all in this world, remover of fear and the savior of his devotees. Oh rAma, I am humbly bowing to you and it is not appropriate for you to pick an argument. Oh lord of Lakshmi, you made bhadra hills as your abode, kindly protect us/devotees with your gentle smile.
rAma and sIta are known to be an ideal couple for their love, endurance, righteousness, strength, mutual respect and great admiration for each other and who kindly bestows boons generously. They will stay as an ideal couple as long as the stars are shining! It is that time of the year again to spring into the lunar new year (ugAdi) and srI rAma navami. Enjoy listening to the songs in praise of rAma & sIta and have a blessed new year with good health, wealth and prosperity!
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
Dr. K. Seshu Latha Viswanath is an accomplished vocalist, teacher and composer. She has set music to many dance ballets. She is trained under renowned musician Padmabhushan Dr. SripAda PinakapAni. She has given a number of concerts in India and abroad. She teaches music and has several prominent students.
Note: These two extremely talented and accomplished singers have melodious and blessed voices. It is not by a coincidence, but of course they both are maternal cousins.
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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.