Of Kritical Importance: Undeterred Indulgence
Discovering the disguised through a ballad of beauty
This article has been written in collaboration with R.Aaditya Rangan.
Indulgence is an ambiguous concept. How much of it is right and how much is wrong? You never get to know! Indulging in your all-time favourite can also become mundane with time and boredom may set in. Will time grab the glitter in your eye that you get while indulging in it? Only time will tell…
Or will it?…
Well, in any case, you needn’t stand the test of time to validate the reality about indulgence and boredom as we do have experiences of great people which prove the contrary — time needn’t extinguish the inner flame that keeps you fixated at that one thing.
Sri Thyagaraja indulged in one thing throughout his life and did not get tired of it — his Rama. As we further set out to scavenge the secret behind any such form of undeterred indulgence, we explore whether it is in fact contingent on the subject of one’s indulgence. So, we begin with Thyagaraja’s example of his unflinching loyalty towards his Lord by understanding who Rama is and knowing whether Rama is just one individual or if any other person stands a chance to be adjectivized as a Rama.
रामः — The meaning and root of this word has been extolled in vast detail by various treatises of greats.
ramayate iti ramaha |
रमयते इति रामः |One who brings delight to all is called Rama, say scriptures.
Valmiki in the 53rd sargam (chapter) of the Ayodhya Kandam says,
ramah ramayataam shreshthaha |
रामः रमयतां श्रेष्ठः | — II-53–1The foremost amongst those radiating happiness to others is Rama.
Such is deemed to be his beauty that sage Vasishta gave the name ‘Rama’ to him, prompted by his captivating Rupa (form), says Kalidasa in his Raghuvamsha Mahakavyam.
rama ityabhiramena vapusha tasya choditaha |
राम इत्यभिरामेण वपुषा तस्य चोदितः | — X-67He captivates the minds and hearts of men by his beauty and magnanimity and is most pleasing to look at.
Thyagaraja himself has penned splendid descriptions and impeccable visual imageries of Rama. ‘Mohana Rama’, an oft rendered composition of Thyagaraja, on the captivating beauty of this incarnation, aptly set in the raga Mohanam, describes how all the denizens of the heavenly abode rush to this world as birds, beasts, monkeys etc., and flock around him to savour his grace with riveted eyes.
The same follows on with much more detail in the composition ‘Meru Samana Dhira Varada’, where he is calling Rama and wants to feast on his graceful gait, the curls on his forehead, his blooming cheeks, his teeth like that of jasmine buds and various other features. This eloquent portrayal of Rama’s traits reaches greater heights in a song in raga Suddhadesi, where he is confused which portion of Rama’s physique he should embrace and even complains saying they are all equally alluring. He continues, “O Rama, your speech alone is speech, your lilt alone is lilt and your brilliance alone is brilliance!”
endu kaugalitura ninnentani varnintura
…
nidu paluke palukura
nidu kuluke kulukura
nidu taluke talukura
It is a sumptuous blend of these bewitching features that Thyagaraja describes in Kana Kana Ruchira. The 4th among the Pancharatnams, it is set in the sedate raga Varali and the leisurely 2-Kalai Aadi Talam.
Having spoken so much about Thyagraja’s enamour for Rama, at this moment, any Carnatic connoisseur might be urged to ask the question, after all, of all ragas offered in the platter of Shringara (beauty and its description), why did Sri Thyagaraja find it apt to set this song in Varali? For those of you who have no clue as to why that question. Here is a clip that comprises a short rendering of the raga and brings out its shades beautifully. What kind of bhava do you think oozes out of this raga?
Sometimes, listening to Varali gives people chills. It encompasses various human feelings, those including seriousness, gloom, fear as well as the helpless devotion arising from unsettling scenarios. But had you known Telugu, you’d realise from the lyrics of Kana Kana Ruchira that this song is about anything but that. It is rather a very picturesque and ambitiously creative description of Rama’s beauty and grandeur. Thyagaraja speaks about how, the longer he beholds Rama the more ecstatic he gets. There are times, his brimming adulation for his Lord comes off as envy for Sita, who gets to peek at Lord Rama from side glances so gracefully, bearing a cheerful glowing face. This very description is shyly snugged away in the second Charanam (verse) of the song:
kala-kalamanu mukha kala kaligina sita
kulukucunu ora kannulanu jUcu ninnu kanakana ruchira
Thyagaraja’s lines betray a subtle flavour of his adolescent love for Rama. The verses in this song have a blush of something that can be roughly translated to a ‘chronic infatuation’ (if that exists).
So this brings us back to asking how Kana Kana Ruchira blends so seamlessly with the tunes of Varali. For answering this, let’s get some background on this raga followed by getting to know how beautifully Thyagaraja has nuanced this raga to complement his song.
The Raga and its associated Taboo
Varali is a Prachina raga, dating to 6th Century AD and has survived more than a millennium and is mentioned in treatises such as Sangeeta Makaranda (1100 CE). Etymologically, the word Varali means a bee’s hum in Sanskrit. Akin to a bee’s hum, which is jarring at start and pleasantly meditative subsequently, the swara (note) of this raga, while being presented, is first accentuated in use and then becomes attenuated, hence the name.
Interestingly, there has been a long-standing taboo about this raga in the Carnatic world, that it should not be taught by a teacher directly to their disciple. This is followed by a trail of disputed blind-belief that any teacher or student directly involved in the teaching-learning process of Varali would be plagued with incessant difficulties such as an eternally strained guru-shishya relationship or even severely damaging effects to one or the other! These strong claims bring us to a funny anecdote¹ about this Krithi and the associated taboo.
It is the year 1949. The rendition of Pancharatna Krithis started in 1942 (more about this in the next article) but was being done in pairs or small numbers and not in a huge chorus. But over the years of gathering fame, the rising number of musicians taking part in the Aradhanai celebrations demanded choral singing which led to a unique problem. Not all assembled musicians knew all the Pancharatnams and Varali was, even more, a challenge because of its rarity and the taboo that it could not be taught directly. So, Maharajapuram Vishwanatha Iyer devised a solution to this, a work around to bypass the banes. He came up with the idea to sit on the first floor of a traditional South Indian home that has a large and open, central courtyard on the ground floor. He’d sing from the first floor of the building and other performers remained in the lower floor and repeated after him line-by-line. Thus they all learnt the Varali Pancharatnam, but not directly — they simply overheard the musician sing and picked it up! ;).
Kana Kana Ruchira is contemplated to have been written by Thyagaraja, the first time he got to see Rama. At this point, we wonder if he wrote this ballad out of sheer astonishment and shock upon having finally beheld Rama. This seems like a good justification for the choice of the raga. However, Thyagaraja’s love and reverence for Rama have been perennial since his childhood. The song’s lyrics reflect that Thyagaraja was no stranger to Rama’s form as opposed to lyrics that would arise from mere shock or surprise. Thyagaraja’s ardent love for his Rama is one like that of Meera’s for her Krishna, and Andal’s for her Vishnu. Notice how we refer to Lords as their devotees’ possessions. That kind of a reference totally sums up their relationship. Throughout this song, Thyagaraja seems to have the uncontested license to describe Rama with as much enamour as he pleases that it almost seems like he is boasting about it while now giving you envy!
As they say, buzzier the bees, sweeter the nectar indeed! Striking a more obvious analogy, Varali being the buzzing of the bees (etymologically) and the composition replacing nectar in that phrase (metaphorically), this fresh perspective gives a feeling that this bitter-sweet combination of the raga and lyrics was how it was meant to be all along. Perhaps, nothing could’ve made Kana Kana Ruchira the masterpiece that it is, other than Varali itself!
This Majestic composition starts with the composer describing how he feels, the more he sees the lord.
dina dinamunu manasuna canuvuna ninnu (Anupallavi)
kanakana ruchira kanakavasana ninnu (Pallavi)
The more I behold you every day, in my mind, with love, the sweeter it gets, O Lord wearing golden finery!
Following which, Thyagaraja describes himself to have suddenly transformed into a guileless child with milk dripping on his face, seeing the lord’s face resplendent with prosperity and boundless glory! That’s the first Charanam (verse) as is.
palu karu momuna sri apara
mahima tanaru ninnu kanakana ruchira (Charanam 1)
Critiquing upon the literary genius of the composition
The song has various attributes, extolling the Rupa Mahima (greatness of the form) of Rama. The composer is limitlessly joyful and almost ecstatic in his description of the enthralling beauty Rama is. These descriptions are varied in their nature and range from natural phenomenon to mythological incidents too.
Nature plays an important role in his elucidation. ‘One who has the splendour of the rising sun’ (balarkabha — Charanam 3) to ‘the tempest who scatters cloud called enemies’ — (vimukhamudhara pavana — Charanam 6), ‘whose face surpasses the glimmer of the lily flower’s friend (moon)’ — (mukha jita kumudahita — Charanam 8) are a few instances.
Various references to Mythological incidents are also made in the song. The 4th Charanam of the song (sapatni mathayau…) describes that the comfort obtained by him, while seeing Rama, is the same as what Dhruva experienced when he meditated on the Lord’s name (Dhruva Charithram — The story of Dhruva, the pole star). Jatayu’s Moksham from Ramayana (vara jatayu moksha phalada — Charanam 5), the churning of the ocean (sukha kalasa-ambudhi vasa — Charanam 7) and quite a few other instances from the Ramayana and Mahabharata are used.
One of our personal favourites, in this song, in addition to the earlier mentioned verse about Sita, is about Hanuman.
kaminci prema mira karamula nidu
pada kamalamula pattukonu vadu sakshi
…
ashritulake kanakana ruchira
The first two lines translate to ‘the one who holds your lotus-like feet, in his hands, with overflowing adulation and longing, is witness’. The composer is conveying that Hanuman (whom those lines describe) is witness to the fact that, for those who have taken refuge in Rama, it becomes sweeter as they see him. This is a testament to the fact that Thyagaraja’s songs, laden with aesthetic, impeccable imagination, are not only a source of great music but also of great lyrical beauty and a source of insight for writers.
Looping back to Indulgence through Thyagaraja’s fluency in penning down emotions
Taking a step back, let us give a slight thought to the first 3 songs. Jagadanandakaraka is an ode to Rama’s various virtues, heroic deeds and dripping with Veera and Adhbuta rasas* (valour and amazement). Next comes Dudugugala, where Thyagaraja accepts that he is culpable for all his materialistic actions and attachments. He even goes on to ask Rama whether he is deserving of Rama’s grace at all, a clear indication to Bibhatsa, Raudra and Karunya rasas (disgust, anger and mercy). The third song, Sadinchene, playfully chides the lord and questions his action in jest while asking him to be more compassionate, Hasya and Karunya rasas (mirth and compassion) combined. The fifth and the last of the Pancharatna Krithis, Endaro Mahanubhavulu (the subject of our upcoming article in this series) deals with contemplation, introspection and deliberation, and is soaked in Shanti Rasa (peace and tranquil).
Kana Kana Ruchira describes the resplendent form of Rama, as Thyagaraja envisions. The 4th Pancharatnam, like many other songs of the composer, eulogizes the form, the charm and the associated enchantment. The Shringara rasa comes out in full bloom as Thyagaraja is enthralled in the beauty of the divinity. The creative best of the composer is seen, not only in the lyrics but also in his visualization of Rama’s various facets. To nuance a raga like Varali, which oozes with Bhayanaka rasa (terror, shock and fear), for complementing a composition that emotes something starkly different is truly an unparalleled feat.
Though Thyagaraja has endeavoured to portray Rama in innumerable compositions, he affirms in his composition in raga Gundakriya that, describing all attributes of the supreme isn’t a humane task…
kalyana ramachandra ni
sogasintanuchu varnimpa tharama
brahmendradulakaina?O Rama, is it possible even for the celestials to describe all the attributes of your elegance?
Well, that verse gives away a lot. We started off with analysing Thyagaraja’s indulgence into the Lord by trying to understand if Sri Rama being a Rama had an effect on the saint’s indulgence being so unflickered. But here we are with Thyagaraja seconding the fact that it isn’t a humane task to completely describe the nature of what we indulge in. The essence of which is, you might never know if the nature of your indulgence strikes a correlation with your discipline to stay focused unless you can completely identify its nature, which in turn is humanly impossible to achieve.
In fact, what is in one’s control, is one’s mind. Now, that is a start- to set out on an unperturbed trajectory aimed at what you wish to seek, which could be wishing for better grades, getting into your dream company or even having a peaceful state of mind.
*To know more about the rasas check out our article — “Navarasas: Decoded”.
References:
- “How did the Pancharatna kritis originate?” — V. Sriram, The Hindu
