Founder : N. SUBRAMANIAN ¥u«k« - 14 ehj« - 11 V¥uš - 2016 ... · ragam Ananda Bhairavi,...

¥u«k« - 14 ehj« - 11 V¥uš - 2016 J‹K» g§FÅ - á¤âiu

Founder : N. SUBRAMANIAN

2 Naadhabrahmam - April - 2016

While Krishna Jayanthi is celebrated

with much fanfare, Rama Navami is a quieter

affair, keeping in line with the personality of

Rama – grave and serious. It is also probably

because summer is on the ascendancy and the

heavy oily snacks so popular during the cooler

months will not be easily digested now. So the

cooling paanagam and neermor are more

welcome and apt.

In music, though, beseeching Rama

for salvation seems to come more easily.

'Ramanamamu, janma rakshaka mantram,

tamasamu cheyaka, bhajimpave manasa,'

sings Saint Thyagaraja. It is the one chant that

can protect and provide salvation.

Childhoo

Rama's childhood is not one of

mischief and naughtiness. Adored not just by

his natural parents but even his stepmothers,

right from birth Rama displayed traits of

nobility and righteousness.

When still a young boy, he was already

taken away to fight the dreaded Tataka and her

minions. Therefore, from very early his

contemporaries would have been in awe of this

divine being.

Tuls idas ' s 'Thumaka Cha la ta

Ramachandra' though creates images of a

toddling Rama, unsteady on his feet, falling

and rising as he runs hither and thither,

watched by his mother and stepmothers

fondly. After describing the sweet beauty of

baby Rama, Tulsidas ends – only the

Raghuvara can equal his image – his beauty is

Rama Nannu Brovara

- Meera Srikant

incomparable.

Saint Tyagaraja too has waxed

eloquent on the image of baby Rama on the lap

of his fond parents thus: In 'Srirama Jayarama'

(Yadhukulakambhoji), he proclaims himself

jealous of Kousalya for being able to kiss the

shining cheeks of child Rama; and of

Dasaratha who could address Rama

affectionately as his son. But he calls

Viswamitra the luckiest of all, for the Lord

w a l k e d b e h i n d h i m ! I n h i s k r i t i

'Alakalalla'(Madhyamavati), he elaborates on

this idea again as he wonders the joy

Vishwamitra must have felt on seeing Rama's

locks wave from side to side when he killed the

demon and later broke Siva's mighty bow at a

mere signal from him.

The greatness of Rama's divine feet are

brought out through the Ahalya incident, and

cited in several Tyagaraja kritis. 'Sri

Ramapadama' in Amrutavarshini and 'Nee

pada pankaja' in Begada are examples of this.

T h e k r i t i ' D a y a S e y a v a y y a '

(Yadukulakhambhoji) imagines Sita seeing

Rama as he walks down the street below her

window with Viswamitra and Lakshmana and

wondering if he would be able to fulfil the

condition of her swayamvara. This is similar to

Arunachala Kavi's kriti from Rama Natakam,

'Yaaro ivar yaaro', where Rama observes Sita

in her palace and wonders who this beautiful

maiden is and why she seems familiar as if

their relationship is from a past life.

Muthuswami Dikshitar too touches on

3Naadhabrahmam - April - 2016

some of these childhood incidents in a few of

his kritis such as 'Kodandaramam' in

Kokilarava; 'Sriramachandro' in Sriranjani ,

where he also refers to Rama killing Tataka

and Subahu, breaking the bow of Shiva and

Sita Kalyanam; and ending it with Rama

subduing Parashurama's pride.

'Rama Rama' in Ramakali by Dikshitar

reflects Valmiki's style of ending the

Balakandam by describing the growing love

between Sita and Rama following their

marriage and describing the endearing,

delightful qualities of Rama such as his

courage, generosi ty, r ighteousness ,

accessibility, humility and proficiency in the

arts, among others. The poet suggests that

dwelling on these qualities can help one rid of

the sins in Kaliyuga.

Ramayana – The Synopses

Arunachala Kavi 's 'Yen Pall i

Kondeerayya' is a brilliant summary of

Ramayana in just about ten lines. Starting with

Rama's killing Tataka at sage Valmiki's behest

to his killing Vali, and later Ravana, the poet

has picked and chosen apt portions from the

Ramayana to cover the entire epic in these 10

lines.

'Bhavayami Raghuramam' by Swati

Tirunal in Ragamalika is a more leisurely

composition that captures again the important

incidents throughout Rama's life from his birth

in the Suryavamsha up to his coronation, in six

stanzas. It is also popular amongst dancers to

choreograph for this piece since the swaras

separating the stanzas also give potential for

displaying Nritta skills.

Rama the Supreme Lord

Beseeching the lord to bless the poor

devotee is a favourite theme of Bhadrachala

Ramadas as well as Tyagaraja.

Mother Sita

to intervene on his behalf and ask Rama to

protect him.

In the kriti 'Sariyevvare' in Sriranjani,

Tyagaraja praises Mother Sita saying there is

no one to equal her in her devotion to her

h u s b a n d . I n ' A d i g i S u k h a m u ' i n

Madhyamavati, the poet displays wit when he

says, “Who-ever got any good by approaching

you? All Surpanaka got for asking for your

love was a nose cut.”

Several of Tyagaraja kritis also plead

with Rama to spare him a kind word. In

'Adamodi Galade' in Charukesi, he says,

“Even Hanuman, who is none other than an

amsa of Lord Siva, had to speak to you through

your brother Lakshmana the first time you

met. Who am I to expect anything more!”

In Nagumomu Kanaleni, set to

Aarabhi, he asks Rama why he turns his

charming face away? Even when crying out

for mercy, Tyagaraja shows a mastery of

imagery and wit as he asks, “Does not the king

of birds, Garuda, hasten to do your bidding?

Does he find the distance to earth too

wearying?”

In 'Paluke bangaramayenaa', set to

ragam Ananda Bhairavi, Ramadasa pleads

with the Lord to talk to him and heed his

requests. In his Kalyani composition, 'Nanu

brovamani cheppave', he requests


Splendour of the Lord

Some kritis bring out the beauty and

grandeur of Rama's life and his court. Bhajare

re manasa in Abheri by Mysore Vasudevachar

describes the greatness of Rama by narrating

in brief his glorious victories over Ravana, and

his ascendancy over all the demigods.

Ramachandram Bhavayami in Vasanta

by Dikshitar desribes Rama as a scion of the

Raghukula, who adds splendour to his family

and his kingdom of Ayodhya. He too has

created a set of songs that extol the virtues of

Rama while also bringing out the various

episodes in his life, concluding with Mamava

Pattabhirama in Manirangu. This kriti is a

detailed description of Rama's coronation.

Humble Supplication

Mysore Vasudevachar's Kamas kriti,

'Brocheva revurura' is a plea which reminds

the Lord of how he came quickly to the rescue

of the Gajendra in distress. Have compassion

on me too, he sings in supplication.

'Rama ninne nammi naanu' by

Tyagaraja in Huseni is a pleasing tune that

expresses the poet's complete devotion to this

Supreme Lord whom even the kings pray to.

'Nee daya rada' in Vasanthabhairavi has the

same humble tone, expressing a craving for

Rama's grace. In fact, singing Tyagaraja kritis

can make one completely surrender to Rama

because of the various ways in which he

communicates his devotion – with humour,

pain, and self-efficacy. 'Needu charanamula' in

Simhendramadhyamam is another such kriti

where the saint surrenders totally at the Lord's

feet. 'Ninu vina naamadi endu' can bring tears

to one's eyes. 'Rama nannu brovara' in ragam

Harikambhoji begs Rama, who protects even

the tiny ant, to bless him. He is deserving of

Rama's grace for he has devoted his life at the

feet of the Lord and is not bloated with pride or

greed.

'Rama Rama Rama Rama Rama

ennirO' - chant Rama's name and you will be

blessed with whatever you ask for says

Purandaradasa. Do not call out His name only

on the deathbed. After spending a lifetime

spent in sins, calling out to him at the last

minute will not help. Chant His name every

day, every minute.

'Ramayana' is a masterpiece that has

withstood the test of time. It shows through the

life and challenges of Rama that no one is

above grief. It also gives hope that with

fortitude, righteousness and self-belief, one

can overcome the worst. While the story has its

own lesson to impart, the great composers in

the Carnatic music tradition have also

introduced the element of Bhakti for not just

King Rama, but Lord Rama as the Supreme

Power. To conclude, in Sri Purandaradasa's

words, 'Rama mantrava japiso he manuja'.


- Dr. T V Sairam

YOGA NIDRA MUSIC THERAPY : SOME

WESTERN CLASSICAL THERAPEUTIC SAMPLES

In recent years, music therapy is emerging as a

wonder tool in the hands of medical

practitioners and counselors, as a dependable

intervention especially for those who suffer

from mental diseases and problems, which are

threatening the very social fibre of the human

race. Music therapy is fast emerging – both in

the East and the West - not only as a hospital or

health intervention, but also as a self-

prescription for preventing stress and tension

in every day life of people from all walks of

life and from all age groups.N a d a C e n t r e f o r M u s i c T h e r a p y,

(www.nada.in), a tiny non-profit organization

dedicated to bring music from the background

to the foreground of people's lives, has been

engaged in serious group studies and

experiments to “discover” (or “re-discover”)

the therapeutic role played by various genres

and systems of music, with a strong voluntary

support from both medicos and musicians

converging to its seminars and workshops

conducted from time to time.

One of the objectives of the Centre is to

re-discover the principles and practices of

yoga which are conducive to individual (and

thereby social) health of the nation.

Thus the Centres interests range from

nada yoga to neuro-musicology to discover the

magic that is music. In its existence over a decade the Centre has

developed its own “home” concepts and

practices successfully used by the needy

public. They are: proto-raga therapy, raga

chikitsa therapy, nada yoga music therapy,

yoga nidra music therapy, emotional music

therapy etc.

Large number of people have been

benefitted from such concepts though the

research work is still continuous.

In the system of yoga and meditation,

one such practice relates to calming down the

people with yoga nidra practice. It was a

chance discovery that combining appropriate

music into a yoga nidra session enhances their

value and results. From several practical

sessions we have taken out 12 musical pieces

from the western classical school from the

angle of their (i) imagery value and (ii)

emotional content to inculcate power to move

the mind and the spirit to overcome the

adverse situations in life. The musical pieces

identified for their reichness in imagery value


and beauty are taken for motivating the

listener (patient) to synchronize with their

characteristics. Similarly those pieces which

are rich in powerful emotional contents can be

used psychotherapeutically to address the

emotional crisis relating to dispappointments

in life, frustrations, anger, depression and all

such negative moorings that adversely affect

the mental health of an individual.

The volunteer base of Nada Centre has

thus worked on identifying the tones and tunes

from these samples that can “cool down” the

agitated and angry, when judicially applied.

The popular western classical musical

numbers which have been experimented with

yoga nidra practice on patients who are prone

to violence or misbehavior and some of them

and which show significant results in

alleviating alleviate the agitated are given in

the Table below. However we would like that

more repetitions of these experiments need to

be conducted in order to assign a scientific

validity for our humble attempt.

The selected musical pieces were

studied for their musical quality which could

be used for music imagery involved in yoga

nidra sessions. For this purpose, music was

analysed for their first-stage “amrit dhaaraa”

or nectar- effect, that is for an intensified

imaginary ambrosial secretion in the sahasrara

or crown chakra. They were also studied for

their second-stage, i.e the imaginary spread of


S.No.

1

2

3

Musical Piece/

treatment duration

in minutes

Beethoven –

Midnight Sonata

Beethoven –

Silencio (10.39)

Beethoven –

Symphony No.5

First Stage (Amrit Dhaara) Yoga NidraIntervention

(In the first half of this piece, patient to be directed to observe/ feel the oozing / dripping nectar in their crown chakras)

Here the dripping of nectar can be felt at a faster pace.

No first stage intervention

Second Stage (Spread ofNectar) Yoga Nidra Intervention

In the second half of this piece, the active spread of the nectar to various parts of the body can be felt. The patient to direct this to the problem areas in his/ her body to get the healing benefits.

No second stage intervention

Emotional and Powerful to address a crisis situation in the life of the listeners. The patient to focus on their problem or pain locus and whole-heartedly “fight” it with all energy felt and derived from music.

Author’s Remarks

The patient needs to be comfortably seated on a cosy sofa or in padmasana or shavaasana positions . Initial breathing exercises enhance the effect of the session.

This piece is somewhat faster and hence may not be probably useful for elderly and critical patients.

The dominant theme here is “Fighting the Mighty”. Its an aggressive number interspersed with self-effacing sound that lingers.

Chopin – Nocturne

Op. 9, No. 2

(04:29)

Chopin- Spring

Waltz (04:22)

Chopin –

Piano Concerto No.

1 in E Minor Op. 11

(43:46)

Chopin – 12 Etudes

Op. 25. (32:30)

Dvorak- Romance

for Piano(12:46)

Mozart- Piano concerto No 2 in C Major K 467. Pollini-Muti. (31:21)

Dripping effect to be guided if necessary




Excellent first stage experience with the piano tones which are conducive to bring down brain waves to alpha-level

Part I Music: First stage nectar-dripping

experience is felt by the majority of listeners

Helps in evaporating the tension in the mind

Not much for second stage experience

Useful.

ndEffective 2 stage experience.

ndNot for 2 stage experience

Part II music helps in addressing the crisis with one's involvement

ndNo 2 stage use.

An effective piece for amrit-dhaaraa effect

The patient to feel the spread of “nectar” into various parts of his/her body, especially where it is most-needed.

The patient to feel the spread of “nectar” into various parts of his/her body, especially where it is most-needed.

“O Nectar of Bliss! Drip, drip, drip, drip into my head like rain drops!”

performance of powerful violin helps in recalling the crisis and address it directly

Music builds up slowly, re-patterning one's chaotic thought patterns

4

5

6

7

8

9


Mozart- Concerto

No 23. In A Major.

K488.(29:36)

Schubert –

Serenade (04:08)

Tchaikovsky –

Swan Lake. The

Kirov Ballet.

1.55.41)

Feel-good music slowly changing bad times to good times

Part I for synchronizing with positive feelings in the music

Part I for synchronizing with positive feelings in the music

One can easily feel the positive energy coming from all sides, pampering the listeners to remaine .

Emotion- rich.

Powerful remdering.


10

11

12

It may be seen that music is a highly

subjective phenomenon. Before prescribing it

is essential to study the “music profile” of a

patient's personality. Music can be prescribed

only after knowing the willingness of the

patients/ clients who opt for them. Through

trial and error, it is possible to identify the

musical piece which is best-suited for the

client in hand. The Centre wishes all the best of

music and awaits feed-back on this from the

practicing music therapists which will be

valuable for taking up to the next level.


MENTAL POISE ESSENTIAL IN BHAKTHI

- V. Subramanian

Meaning: Oh Lord Rudra, remover

of all sorrows, salutations to thy anger,

salutations to thy weapon of arrow and

bow and also salutations to thy two arms.

Residing on the great hill of Kailas, doer of

good, oh

Rudra, please do look at us and do

protect us through your glowing physical

self which being serene and peaceful emits

only sparkling virtues.

The temples dedicated to worship of

Lord Shiva have already started

reverberating with the chanting of “Hara

Hara Mahaadev”. The Shiva element is

burgeoning out in these temples. The

mysterious symbols of Nandi, Coorma,

Naag, and Shivaling (representing

respectively, the sacred, bull, turtle, cobra,

and phallus) through their subtle sense and

through accessible medium of symbolic

recipes pass on the message of their

esoteric philosophy to aspirants and

devotees of Lord Shiva all over the world

If devotees of Shiva make efforts to get

rooted in their hearts concepts of these

auspicious symbolic representations ,this

festival could become an occasion for them

to kindle their self awakening, self vision ,

and for securing an insight in to the

philosophy of Lord Shiva.

The constantly dripping water above the Shiva lingam represents the sacred river Ganga symbolically

Considered to be present in Shiva's

tress. It is considered as Gyaan Ganga or

stream of wisdom. It is also considered to

represent embodiment of Ruthumbara

Pragya or divine-timely intellect, Gayatri

or Trikaal Sandhya. The trinity of Brahma,

Vishnu and Mahesh also stated to be

meditating on it eternally. Water stream

from the temple runs towards northerly

direction. The pole star, Dhruv located in

the northerly direction symbolizes

steadfast intent or goal. Stream of wisdom,

stream of thought of the Shiva's spirit of

wholesome goodness will be always

moving towards a high level determinant

objective.

Devas and Rishis in the Himalayan assemblage completed their fasting austerity pertaining to Shivarathiri festival reciting the above Vedic verses in immensely adorable tone. Sweet song of


devotion towards Lord Shiva was reverberating in the minds of all. In those moments full with devotion, Maharishi Pulastaya initiated a discussion on the concept of Bhakthi. He said-“The nuances in Bhakthi is significant at all times because without purification of physical self neither thought nor action could become pure. In prospect, when ever man's sentiments starts wandering and going astray his entire life goes on the

Pathway of drift and ruin”. Mingling his tone with the statement of Maharishi Pulastaya, Maharishi Marichi said –“You speak reality Oh Great Rishi! Even sentiment should maintain its dignity and limitations. Scarcity of these in people leads to decline of character in them. And if there is decline in moral fiber, well, who can stop their life from advancing towards the pathway of ruin?” The assembly of all sages and Devas was listening to the conceptual talk of the two Maharishis with rapt attention.

Truth lies only on the fact that restraining

oneself with in the limitations prescribed in the

shastras human spirit remains secure and safe and

otherwise there is every possibility of its down fall.

This matter is not only significant but also

somewhat strange and remarkable. On first look it

may appear odd that while examining the spiritual

aspect of Bhakthi how the restrictions of worldly

dharma could be conceptually taken into

consideration. But the truth that could emerge on

deep thought is that there is no necessity for any

one to dissemble and try a make believe show to

reveal a quality of sainthood. So long there exists

the perception of a physical form and senses one

has to accept and adhere to the restrictions imposed

by the shastras. But the matter is different when

one reaches a stage which is beyond the perception

of senses. At that stage one's mind loses its duality

and one's existence itself merges in to one great

unity called divinity.

All became aware of this matter of

discernment. Maharishi Angirasa seated there as

fierce as fire started saying-“In this context I am

reminded of the story of a Brahmin by name

Burishrava. If the honourable members of this

assembly agree I will narrate his story. “Certainly”

said Maharishi Vishwamitra. Along with this the

voice waves of agreement and acceptance

of all echoed in the ambiance there. Maharishi Angirasa started saying-

“Burishrava was a person living in Angadesh. His

childhood and adolescence was spent in the

Ashrams of Maharishis. His daily cores were

Sandhya, Gayatri and Agnihotra.

In Gurukul he had learned the Vedas.

Maharisi Ruchik was his Guru. In those days

Maharishi was known as a great personage of

erudition. But besides being a great sage the inner

heart of Maharishi Ruchik was filled with great

devotion towards Goddess Bhavani. He not only

initiated his disciple this mantra of Bhakthi but

also gave him a warning. He told –“Child! Always

keep performing ascetic penance. This is the great

secret of spiritual life; it always guards those who

tread in the path penitential services. Calamities,

which can be both internal as also outside, get

burnt in the rudimentary stage itself at the fire of

atonement. Calamities due to wandering of the

mind or because of specific circumstances in one's

life cannot just remain long.

This was his Guru's final advice. With this

advice Bhurisrava entered his family life. His legal


wife Shuchta was indeed a part of Goddess

Jgadamba. Piety and virtue were indeed packed

with in her fully. She was happy with her devoted

husband; but what to say, through God's trial or

misfortune Burishrva fell in to the trap of bad

association. He got such friends who were

immersed in addiction. Association of them put

him on a bad path. Slowly he left performance of

sacred rituals like Sandhya, Gayatri and Agnihotra.

He reached such a worst stage that he even forgot

to do the daily morning worship of offering water

material of argya towards the Sun God.

His learned wife reminded him of Maha

rishi Ruchik utterance. She asked him to return to

the path of austerity. Many times by

persistence and insistence she got him get started

with the daily regulations, but with in two weeks

all routines got reversed. The matter could not be

resolved. On the contrary Boorshriva who got

entangled with bad company started to visit the

town's vamp Mangala. This new entanglement

resulted in depletion of their family wealth also.

When he lost all wealth Mangala drove him out

from her place. The house holder Burisshriva by

then lost all his home, wealth, health and luster. Still he had memory of his Gurukul.

Occasionally he used remember his Guru and cry.

This sentimental thought about his Guru found

unity with that of his Guru. He suddenly appeared

one day before the door Bhushriva. Immediately

Bhurishrava along with his wife fell on his feet and

welcomed him. Bhrishrva got ashamed of himself

of having become an unworthy disciple of his

illustrious guru. But his Guru was still kind towards his ill-

fated disciple. He said – “Child do not be afraid, at least

be mindful now. Whatever happened to you is

because of your deviation from the path of

righteousness. Do not be upset. Goddess

Jagadamba is merciful. She knows to love even

those of her children who under evil influence have

gone astray”. He then turned towards his wife

Shuchita and told-“Looking at you it seems to me

that you are pregnant and likely to give birth to a

girl child. Name her after Goddess Bhavani. Take

her to be a part of Goddess mother”. Then tuning

back to Bhurishrava he said –“Oh Child! Only

mother's name and devotion towards her can do

you good. Recollect your faith and have conviction

on this truth that moral conduct and moderation are

essential for a devotee”.

The Great Lord Shiva frowned at Mara,

the Lord of love when he tried to motivate Lord

Shiva. The same Lord worshipped Rama

for his pure moral conduct as Rama's love towards

Sita was devoid kama or lust hence Rama became

the beloved of Sita. This concept of love or Bhakthi

is brought out beautifully by Mysore

Vasudevachar in his composition “Ra ra

rajeevalochana” set to music in raag Mohanam in

the verse below:“Maaraani vinuta Supada Sucharita

Paraathpara Dharaneeja manohara”.(Courtesy Dr.

Lalita Ramakrishna).

With this novel advice, the wise Maharishi

Ruchic took leave, but Bhurishriva got fully

enlightened. He obeyed Guru's order verbatim.

Scattered sentiments once again got coherent. By

the influence of God mother his sins dissolved.

Devotion once again became dense. Internal

beauty once again started appearing and externally

its reflection came blooming out. Incorporation of

moral conduct in devotion transformed the life of

Bhurishrava once again in to a righteous path.

Concluding the story Maharishi Angira said –“I

have only to say that a devotee should more than

ever recognize moral codes of conduct. Devarishi

added a sentence to the statement – “it is because in

this lies a learning for the common public”.


v§F« uhk«! vâY« uhk«!!

Njhy;tpiaf; fz;L Jtshky;

rkepiyapy; tho;gtNu Gfo; ngWtH.

gpujpgyd; ghuhky; vd; flik nra;Ntd;

vd;whNy mtH Gfo; mtiuj; Njb tUk;.

mj;jifa gz;ghsUf;F GfOk; ,iw

mUs; mtiu Njb tUk;. Njhy;tpiaf;

fz;L Jtshky; rkepiyapy; tho;gtNu

Gfo; ngWtH. gpujpgyd; ghuhky; vd;

flik nra;Ntd; vd;whNy mtH Gfo;

mtiuj; Njb tUk;. mj;jifa

gz;ghsUf;F GfOk; ,iw mUs;

mtiu Njb tUk;.

mg ;gbg ;gl ;l kfhd ; ek ; Kk;%Hj;jpfspy; xUtH = jpahfuh[ ];thkpfs;.

Vq;Fk; uhkd; vjpYk; uhkd; vd;Nw tho;e;jtH. mthpd; [hjfj;ij ghHg;Nghk;.

“vOk;nghOJk; uhk uhk vd;Ngd; -

vOe;Nj

kfpo;e;J njhOk;nghOJk; uhk uhk

vd;Ngd; - njhONj

cUfp mOk;nghOJk; uhk uhk vd;Ngd;

- mONj

mbNad; clYk; tpOk;nghOJk; uhk

uhkvd;Ngd N ritt p i u e ; j U N s

mbf;fpDk; uhk uhk vd;Ngd; mutk;

Juj;jp fbf;fpDk; uhk uhk vd;Ngd

ngUk; jPapy; kz;il ntbf;fpDk; uhk

uhk vd;Ngd; vd;Kd; te;J fhj;jUNs

uhkhuhkh!

xUthpd; nray;ghLfs; eyk;

jUgitahf mike;jhNy cah;T

ngWthh; mthpd; nray;ghl;bd;

fhuzkhf gyuhYk; Nghw;wgLthh;!

Nghw;WjYf;Fhpatuhdhy; GfOk;

mtiuNjb te;jilAk; xUthpd;

nray;ghL Ja;ikahf miktjw;F

mtuJ kdNk fhuzk;. kdij

MSgth; [hjfj;jpy; re;jpuNd!

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[hjfj ;j py ; mike ;jhy ; ve ;j

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nfl;lJ ,uz;ilAk; rkkhfghtpf;Fk;

vz;zk; nfhz;Ltpl;lhy; me;j

kdKilatNu ghf ;f parhypfs ; .

ntw;wpiaf; fz;L Mde;jg;glhkYk;>

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taaLam: catushra jati dhruvamComposer: Muttuswaamee DikshitarLanguage:

Pallavi

sUryam UrttE namOstutE sundarac-ch

AyAdhipatEAnupallavi

kAryakAra NAtmakajagatprAkas'asimhArAs'yadhipatEAryavinutat EjasphUrtE ArogyAdiphaladakIrtE

Charanam

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budhamASrayAmi - rAgaM nATa kuranji - tALaM jhampa

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Naadhabrahmam - April - 2016

Design & DTP: G. Balaji

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16


A Musical Genius

'Heard melodies are sweet and those unheard are sweeter' (WB Keats)

Dr. Vinjamuri Varadaraja Iyengar

In the history of Carnatic music the thfirst half of the 20 century was considered to

be the 'Golden period'. The galaxy of greats in

Music like Poochi Srinivasa Iyengar, his

disciple Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar, Tiger

brothers – KV Sreenivasa Iyengar, Tiger

Varadacharier, KV Krishnamachari ,

Maharajapuram Viswanatha Iyer, Musiri

Subrahmanya Iyer, Mysore Vasudevachar,

Harikesanallur Muttiah Bhagavathar and

many such outstanding musicians lived and

enriched Carnatic Music. They were not just

performers but were Vaggeyakaras and were

also well versed in Laksha and Lakshana

aspects of Music. Many of them were

outstanding teachers who produced equally

brilliant students who could carry their name

and knowledge forward. One such

outstanding student of Tiger Varadacharier

wasDr. Vinjamuri Varadaraja Iyengar.

'Vinjamuri' Varadaraja Iyengar was

born on 15 July 1915 in Guntur district, now in

Andhra Pradesh to his affluent parents Sriman.

Vinjamuri Bhavanacharier, an aristocrat, a

lawyer, a municipal chairman and a music and

art promoter and Smt.Kanakavallithyar.

Vinjamuri's interest in Music was nurtured by

listening his mother's singing and his sisters'

lessons from the master, Mukthyala

Samsthana vidwan Sri. Piratla Sankara

Sastri.Vinjamuri started his lessons from

Piratla from a very young age. He was such a

prodigious student his Guru started his first

lesson by teaching him the Ata Tala Varnam in

Ragam 'Reethi Gowla'! With his unmatched

natural talent and with his hard-work

Vinjamuri gave his first performance at the

tender age of 7 in the presence of the Asthana

vidwan of Mysore Veena Seshanna. He

received his first honour and title at the very

young age of 22 from the H.H. Sankaracharier of

Pushpagiri Peetam. He was awarded the title of

'Gana Vidhya Visharada' and a string of poems

high-lighting his musical prowess. By then he also

bagged the gold medal from the Madras Music

Academy and another appreciation gold Medal

from the admirer of his music; Sri CS Iyer, IG of

Police and the brother of Sir CV Raman. He

graduated from College with Mathematics as his

major subject and had adequate training and

lessons in Sanskrit, along with the music lessons.

Thus, the musical journey of Vinjamuri

started very early and continued when in 1935 he

moved to Madras and at the advice of Tiger

Varadacharier he joined the Madras University in

its Diploma course, where Tiger was the head of

Music department. At the same time he also

became the Gurukula sishya to Tiger. He continued

- Bhavadhaarini Anantaraman

his training from Tiger until the demise of Tiger in

1950. While he performed extensively all over

India and abroad, he also accompanied Tiger

wherever he went to continue his training from him

– to Annamalai University, Chidambaram and

back to Chennai when Tiger moved back and

joined Kalakshetra. By 1940, that is when

Vinjamuri was hardly 25 years of age, he became a

top rank artiste whose performances were attended

by his contemporaries and seniors like Musiri,

GNBalasubramanian, Madurai Mani Iyer and the

like! He was the preferred musician to play the

accompaniment for accompanists' like Mysore T

Chowdiah and Krishna Iyengar and many others

who wanted to improve themselves. That was the

standard of Vinjamuri and the challenges that he

would throw to the accompanists! All this attention

stood lightly on Vinjamuri's shoulders. He never

tried to achieve fame and name or retain his

position in the field either by reducing his standard

or throw exhibitionism. Music was not a

profession to him but a Nadopasana – incarnation

of Godess Saraswathi. Thanks to his rich father,

Vinjamuri did not have to use his passion for his

livelihood.

Vinjamuri performed in almost all the

major Sabhas and famous temple towns. He

performed in nooks and corners of India from

Tamilnadu to Kerala to Karnataka to Andhra

Pradesh. He performed in almost all Raja and

Zamindar Samsthanams – Mukthyala, Bobbili,

Vuyyur, Ramanathapuram, Trivandrum and

Mysore, to name a few. He was hailed as 'Thodi'

Varadaraja Iyengar' when at the age of 38 he


performed at the palace of Tiruvancor Maharaja

and was appointed as the Asthana Vidwan. He was

called 'Kutti' Ariyakudi when he performed at the

palace of Mysore. He probably was the first

musician to cross the usual venues such as

Bombay, Puna and Calcutta as he also performed

in Berhampur (Orissa), Nagpur, Kanpur, Banaras,

New Delhi, Rishikesh, Haridwar and so on. In as

early as 1945 – 1950 he was sent on a concert tour

to Malaysia, Singapore, Jaffna, Kandy, Ceylon,

Burma and other nearby countries to give

performances for fund raising for the Ramakrishna

Mission. While in his tours of performances,

Vinjamuri bagged a lot of honors and titles – he

was hailed as 'Kutty Tiger'. Probably Vinjamuri

was the only one in the field of music to be openly

praised by his own two Gurus – Tiger praised him

as the 'One and only' person who could sing like

Ariyakudi which was attested by every musician of

the time and music enthusiast who listened to his

singing; he was praised with a bunch of poems by

his first Guru Piratla when he listened to Vinjamuri

Perform at the Mukthyala Samsthanam at the age

of 17! It probably is the single most honour to

Vinjamuri when his name was mentioned in the

citation given to his Guru Piratla when he was

honoured by a Sabha! Some of the titles Vinjamuri

got are the very first Ganakalanidhi, Sangita

Jyothi, Gayaka Ratna, Gana lahari and others. His

rendi t ion of major ragas l ike Thodi ,

Sankarabharanam, Bhairavi, Kalyani were models

to even senior artistes of the time. He was highly

proficient in the presentation of Ragam Tanam

Pallavi and became a trend-setter to that genre of

Classical Music.

Vinjamuri was not just a performing

artiste; his prowess in Music and the grammar of

Music was such, he was hailed as the 'walking

Encyclopedia of Music'. He was well versed in 8

languages – Tamil, Telugu, English, Sanskrit,

Urdu, Hindi, Malayalam and Kannada. He could

sing songs from any language as the local would –

with perfect pronunciation and diction. Due to his

higher English education he was called to deliver

lectures to the visiting foreign delegates.

Vinjamuri had considerable knowledge in Western

Music as well as Hindusthani Music. Thus he

could compare and contrast the systems with ease

while giving the lectures. Vinjamuri was a prolific

writer who wrote articles about Music, Music

theory, Music Systems, Music grammar,

Musicians and Composers. In as early as 1943,

Vinjamuri started teaching Music from Madras

Radio station under the banner 'Gana Lahari'.

Vinjamuri was the founder-principal of

Hyderabad Music School in 1952, as he was

invited by the then cultural minister of Madras

presidency Burgula Ramakrishna Rao to promote

and propagate 'Tanjavur Bani' to the locals. He was

the first Carnatic Music Producer of All India

Radio, Hyderabad in 1956 where he introduced

umpteen new concepts such as 'Bhakthi Ranjani,

Sangeetha Sikshna, Raga Lakshnamu, Musical

Operas, Layavinyasam' and many such which are

being followed by the AIR stations even now!

Apart from being a successful performing

artiste, an excellent administrator, a prolific writer

and an orator, Vinjamuri was also a Composer of

great merit. His compositions are rich in quality


and less in quantity as Vinjamuri became a

Vaggeyakara only when he had his divine calling.

Every one of his compositions added a special

value to the existing treasure of Music. His

Ghanaragamalika Varnam in Nata, Gowla, Arabhi,

Varali and Sree is one of its kind. His other

varnams are in Sindhuramakriya and Swararanjani

which are also the first in those ragas, his javali in

Manirangu is a unique piece, his Tillana in Ragas

Sankari and Hamirkalyani are also the very first,

his Kriti on Godess Padmavathi has no

predecessor.

Vinjamuri contributed immensely to the

world of Carnatic music – he trained numerous

students who became performing artistes and

educationalists. Some of the senior and

contemporary musicians of his time were candid

enough to admit that they enhanced their repertoire

and improved their diction with the help of

Vijamuri. He was a model to many up-coming

artistes of the time. He contributed many articles to

the Music magazines, wrote articles for the

centenary celebrations of his Gurus' and his

manasika Guru Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar.

Vinjamuri continued his Nadopasana and his

contribution to the world of Music, one way or the

other, tirelessly until his last day on this earth!

This year marks the centenary of

Vinjamuri's birth. Many functions took place to

celebrate the event and will continue until 15 July

2016. Chennai AIR was kind to celebrate his

centenary by broadcasting an hour program

(Arangisai) of his compositions which was

presented by Smt. R. Vedavalli – the senior most

lady musician today. Chennai also broadcast an

interview about him in 2 parts and also a talk about

him. Indian Posts and Telegraphs department

honoured Vinjamuri with a special cover release .

A souvenir was released for the occasion.

Different venues such as Chennai, Guntur,

Kakinada and Hyderabad had tributes to him by

having concerts of outstanding artistes. Chennai

Fine Arts honoured his memory by recognizing

Vinjamuri as a Vaggeyakara in their 'Vaggeyakara


Vaibhavam' festival on its opening day and

presenting a music concert of exclusively

Vinjamuri Compositions. The Hindu had a special

feature in their Friday 'Music Review' section

calling Vinjamuri as the 'Trend Setter'; a couple of

other daily papers – Andhra Jyothi and Sakshi –

carried Vinjamuri story. Very many papers carried

reviews of the functions held in his honor. And the

celebration continues…..

Salutations to Lord Rama, an

Incarnation of Lord Vishnu, who is

measureless, who is of the nature of pure

Consciousness and bliss, who is the consort of

Sita, Master of Sri Hanuman, and the Lord of

the three worlds, who took His birth at His own

will in order to establish righteousness,

destroy the wicked and protect His devotees.

Ram Navami or the birthday of Lord Rama

falls on the 9th day of the bright fortnight of the

month of Chaitra (March-April). Rama was

the Lord Hari Himself, incarnate on earth for

the destruction of Ravana. He was well

accomplished, beautiful and endowed with

royal marks. His glory and prowess were

unlimited. He was peerless on earth. He was

free from malice. He was gentle. He was the

protector of all His people. He always

addressed them in gentle words. He never used

any harsh words even when somebody

provoked Him. He held sway over the whole

world.

Let Sri Rama be your ideal. Ideals are

remembered and adored for the purpose of

adopting them in your own life. The Ram

Navmi celebration or the Vasanta Navaratri

every year is an opportune period for us to

saturate ourselves with the spirit of Lord

Rama. We love and adore our ideals because

we express thereby our yearning to unite with

Jai Shri Ram

- Nalini Anantaraman

them. In our worship of God it is implied that

we should be virtuous, good and perfect even

as God is. Hence the wise instruction: “One

should become divine in order to be able to

worship God”. One cannot be a real

worshipper of Lord Rama unless one makes an

honest attempt to grow in the virtues that the

Lord represents. On the other hand, worship of

Lord Rama is itself the surest means to

develop such virtues.

One who approaches Sri Rama with

love and worshipfulness becomes large-

hearted, pure in spirit, good-natured and

dispassionate in thought, word and deed. A

true devotee of Lord Rama is His

representative, with His power and His

knowledge. Lord Rama was the prince of the

Ikshvaku race. He was virtuous and of manly

strength. He was the Lord of the mind and the

senses. Brave and valiant, He was yet gentle

and modest. He was a sage in counsel, kind and

sweet in speech, and most courteous and

handsome in appearance. He was the master of

all the divine weapons, and a great warrior.

Ever devoted to the good and prosperity of His

kingdom and His subjects, He was a defender

of the weak and the protector of the righteous.

Endowed with numerous wondrous powers of

the mind, He was well versed in all

sciences—in military science as well as the

science of the Self.



Deep and unfathomed like the ocean,

firm and steadfast like the Himalayan

mountains, valiant like Lord Vishnu, He was

the joy of Kaushalya. Though fierce like fire

on the battlefield, He was calm like the cool

breeze of the Mandara Hills, patient like

Mother Earth, bounteous like the god of

wealth and righteous like the lord of justice

himself. In the pains and the griefs of His

people, His heart swiftly sympathised with the

sufferers. In the festive scenes which held

them in joy, He like a father, shared their joys.

By His honour and heroism, as well as

by His gentleness and love for His subjects, He

greatly endeared Himself to the hearts of His

people. Such a great person was the Lord

Rama!Lord Rama was the best of men with a sterling

character. He was the very image of love. He

was an ideal son, an ideal brother, an ideal

husband, an ideal friend and an ideal king. He

can be taken to embody all the highest ideals of

man. He led the ideal life of a householder to

teach the tenets of righteousness to humanity.

He ruled His people so well that it came to be

known as Ram-Rajya, which meant the rule of

righteousness, the rule which bestows

happiness and prosperity on all.

The noblest lesson embodied in the

Ramayana is the supreme importance of

righteousness in the life of every human being.

Righteousness is the spiritual spark of life.

Cultivation of righteousness is the process of

unfoldment of the latent divinity in man. The

glorious incarnation of the Supreme Being in

the form of Lord Rama has exemplified the

path of righteousness. Let mankind follow His

footsteps and practise the ideals cherished by

Him, for it is only thus that there can be

everlasting peace, prosperity and welfare in

this world.

None but the righteous can be truly

happy. None but he who has the correct sense

of duty and the will for its implementation can

be said to live worthily. One must be imbued

with a definite conviction about the supremacy

of moral principles, ethical values and

spiritual ideals. These ought to guide one's

day-to-day actions and serve as powerful

means for the culture of the human personality.

That is the purpose of life. That is the way to

Self-realisation. That is the message and the

mission of Lord Rama's fife on earth.To a devotee, Sri Rama is not simply a

good and a great person, but God Himself.

Rama was the son of King Dasaratha of

Ayodhya, but He is also the divine

omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient God.

The destruction of the ten-headed Ravana

signifies the annihilation of the mind or the ten

senses. Worship of Lord Rama is worship of

the all-pervading Godhead Himself. Read the

prayers offered by Mandothari and Brahma in

the Yuddha Kanda of the Ramayana. They

refer to Rama as the one Creator of the

universe, the God of all, the Ruler of the

universe

Devotion to God is not a simple

emotion. It is the result of intense dispassion

and purity of heart and attitude. You should

strive your utmost to possess the good

qualities that are extolled in the Ramayana and


exemplified in the life of Lord Rama.

Otherwise, emotion may rise up in you

temporarily to a kind of ecstasy, but you will

not experience divine consciousness thereby.

Devotion is a fruit which ripens gradually

through the processes of self-restraint and

virtue. Without intense dispassion there can be

no real Sadhana for Self-realisation. Only after

detachment from the world of things, is it

possible to attain the Supreme Godhead.

Remember this.

Devotion has absolutely nothing to do

with age, caste, creed, position or sex.

Generally, the worldly-minded people say:

“We will practise meditation and devotion

when we retire from service.” This is a serious

mistake. How can you do serious Sadhana

after squeezing out all your energy in

working? How will you be able to practice the

strict Yogic discipline in your old age? Is there

any certainty in life? No, the spiritual seeds of

discipline and devotion must be sown in you

while you are young, while your heart is tender

and untainted. Then only will it strike a deep

root, blossom forth and bear fruit when you

become old and retire. Only then can you

bravely face the god of death and meet him

with a smile!

Without first developing devotion to Rama

who is the Self, who lives in the hearts of all

beings, who is all bliss and who is peerless,

how can man cross the ocean of worldly life

which has sorrow, pain and misery for its

waves?

Do thou therefore worship Lord Rama who is

Vishnu and the consort of Sita who is Lakshmi.

Abandon all foolishness and enmity. Take to

the service of Lord Rama. The Lord is

extremely fond of those who have surrendered

themselves to Him. He has given this promise

in the Ramayana: “To anyone who once takes

shelter under Me and solicits 'I am Thine', I

bestow fearlessness from all beings. This is

My vow”.

Even a great sinner who is full of evil

qualities and who is fond of other people's

wealth, is freed from all kinds of faults that

pertain to worldly life if only he remembers

the Lord always. He attains purity and goes to

the supreme abode of the Lord.

The Name of Lord Rama is the greatest

purifier of the heart. It wipes away all one's

sins. Not only this, but it wipes away the sinful

tendencies as well. The Name is sweeter than

the sweetest of objects. It is the haven of peace.

It is the very life of pure souls. It is the purifier

of all purifying agencies. It quenches the

consuming fire of worldly desires. It awakens

the knowledge of God. It bathes the aspirant in

the, ocean of divine bliss. Glory to Sri Rama

and His Name!

Rama Nama burns ignorance, passion

and sin. With or without knowledge, correctly

or incorrectly, when the word “Rama” is

pronounced it showers a rain of good upon the

devotee. Sri Rama is Brahman who takes one

across the ocean of worldly existence. Rama is

one in across whom the Yogis sport, that is, the

Self within.


Lord Shiva tells His consort Parvati:

“This Ram-Nam is equal to the Lord's

thousand Names, or repetition of the Mantra a

thousand times”. I call this the anti-gossip

tonic. When you find that you are wasting your

time in gossip, repeat His Name several times.

You can make up for the time lost, and the

mind will be slowly weaned away from the

habit of gossiping.

Sri Rama is also a wish-fulfilling tree.

He will bestow upon you whatever you want!

Just read what Lord Shiva further says: “The

seat of all good things, the destroyer of all

impurities of this age of darkness, purer than

purity itself, the food for the journey of

aspirants on the path to salvation, their only

resting place, the very life-breath of virtuous

men, is the Divine Name of Sri Rama. So say

the sages”.

On the auspicious Rama Navami day

take a firm resolve that you will repeat Ram-

Nam with every breath and that you will

endeavour to lead a righteous life. Rama

Navami is one of the most important festivals

of the Vaishnava sect of the Hindus. However,

even those who adore Lord Shiva celebrate the

occasion. Some observe a strict fast on the day.

Temples are decorated and the image of Lord

Rama is richly adorned. The holy Ramayana is

read in the temples. At Ayodhya, the birthplace

of Sri Rama, a big fair is held on this day.

In South India the Sri Ramnavmi

Utsavam is celebrated for nine days with great

fervour and devotion. Those talented in the art

of story-telling narrate the thrilling episodes of

the Ramayana. The Kirtanists chant the holy

Name of Rama and celebrate the wedding of

Rama with Sita on this great day. It is an

extremely colourful ceremony, highly

inspiring and instructive, too.

May we all attain the final beatitude of

life through intense devotion towards Lord

Rama! May we live immersed in the ecstasy of

divine love! May Sri Rama who is as effulgent

as a million suns and who is adored by the gods

and devotees, protect us all! May the blessings

of Lord Rama be upon us all!.

ehj¥u«k¤â‹ btËtu¡Toa brŒâfŸ m i d ¤ J « m ª j ª j f £ L i u a h s ® f Ë ‹ KGikahd kd btË¥ghnl. mâš tu¡Toa g h u h £ L f S ¡ F « , É k ® r d § f S ¡ F « , mtut®fns cÇat®fŸ Mth®fŸ, mitfS¡F MáÇa® FGnth, MáÇanuh bghW¥gšy.

- MáÇa®

NAADHABRAHMAMNAADHABRAHMAMMAHA SIVARATHIRI AKHANDAM MAHA SIVARATHIRI AKHANDAM

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