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CHAPTER – 5

ANALYSIS OF SELECT LAKṢYA AND LAKṢAṆA GĪTA-S

The study of the musical form gīta, based on textual and oral traditions, reveal

that the structure, content, utility and popularity of this form have undergone changes

with respect to the evolving lakṣaṇa and lakṣya concepts in the history of Karnātik

music. The contribution of various lakṣaṇa and lakṣyakāra-s to the growth of this

musical form has resulted in gīta-s with varying form, content, style, concepts and

language. An analytical study of select lakṣya and lakṣaṇa gīta-s illustrating different

musical, rhythmic and linguistic concepts has been attempted in this chapter.

5.1. Gīta-s taken for analysis

The choice of gīta-s taken for analysis in this chapter is based on variety of

concepts like different types of gīta-s namely the lakṣya and lakṣaṇa gīta-s in

different languages like Samskṛta, Bhāṇḍīrabhāṣa, Kannada, Telugu and Tamil in

different tāḷa-s and rāga-s, by different composers. Following is the list of gīta-s

taken for analysis. These gīta-s have been rendered and appended (Appendix-v).

S.No. Choice of Gīta Rāga Tāḷa Type Composer Language

1. Kannaḍa gīta

Sarasvati nine

Bēgaḍa Tripuṭa Lakṣya Purandaradāsa Kannaḍa

2. Graham conept in

Munijanaviram

Ārabhi Dhruva-

rūpaka

Lakṣya Attributed to

Veṅkaṭamakhin

Samskṛta

3. Anukramaṇika

concept in

Kanakāmbari arē

Guṇḍakriya Tripuṭa Lakṣya Anonymous Bhāṇḍīrabh

āṣa

4. Muktapadagrastam

concept in

Manmadanaḷa

Māḷavaśrī Dhruva Lakṣya Attributed to

Veṅkaṭamakhin

Samskṛta

5. Comparitive study of

lakṣaṇa gīta-s of two

different authors

Harikēdāraga

uḷa and

Kēdāragauḷa

Tripuṭa Lakṣaṇa Muddu

Veṅkaṭamakhi

and Gōvinda

Bhāṇḍīrabh

āṣa and

Samskṛta

6. Jayakaruṇāsindhō Dhanyāsi Dhruva Lakṣaṇa Paiḍāla

Gurumūrti Śāstri

Prākṛt

7. Sārasākṣi Sāvēri Tripuṭa Lakṣya Śyāma Śāstri Samskṛta

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8. Melodic identity in

Kamalasulōcana

Manjari Ādi Lakṣya Anonymous

Samskṛta

9. Maṅgaḷadēvatē Pantuvarāḷi Ādi Lakṣya Tenmaṭham

brothers

Samskṛta

10. Rāgaamālagīta

Karnāṭa Koṅkaṇa

Rāgamāla Jhampa/

Maṭhya

Lakṣya Vijaya

Varadayya

Samskṛta

11. A rē daśaratha Śaṅkarābhara

ṇa

Simhana

ndana

Lakṣya Anonymous Bhāṇḍīrabh

āṣa

12. Unpulished gīta Śrī

ramaṇi

Pūrnacandrik

a

Dhruva Lakṣya Anonymous Bhāṇḍīrabh

āṣa

13. Tamil gīta

Ēzhumalaimēl

Śaṅkarābhara

ṇa

Tripuṭa Lakṣya K. Varadāccāri Tamil

14. Telugu gīta Saṅgīta

kalanidhi

Udayaravican

drika

Dhruva Lakṣaṇa S.R.

Janakiraman

Telugu

5.1.1. Criteria for analysis

The analysis of the selected lakṣya and laksaṇa gīta-s is done based on the

three major components of any musical form namely the text, melody and rhythm.

Text - The textual analysis includes the study of the content of the gīta, its

meaning, the prosodic embellishments (prosody, yati, prāsa, svarākṣara,

padacchēda, mudra), the emotion it portrays, the style of composition and the

language used.

Melody – Gīta is a musical form with continuous melody devoid of

repetitions, saṅgati-s and pause. The melody involves long winding phrases

covering different octaves. The melodic analysis is therefore done by breaking

the melody with respect to the corresponding text which is complete in its

meaning or in terms of each tāḷa cycle. The analysis further includes the

choice of the rāga, rāga rañjaka phrases used, the range of the melody, the

viśēṣa prayōga-s and the rāgalakṣaṇa aspects followed. A comparative study

of the melody with other popular musical forms in the same rāga is also

attempted.

Rhythm/Tāḷa – The rhythmic analysis includes the study of the svara-sāhitya

relationship with that of the tāḷa mātra and aṅga-s of the tāḷa, the syllabic /

melismatic nature of the composition and the tempo of the gīta.

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5.2. Analysis of a less popular gīta of Purandaradāsa

The Kannaḍa gīta ‘sarasvati nanna’ in the rāga Bēgaḍa set to tripuṭa tāḷa has

been taken up for analysis as this is a less popular composition of this popular

composer. This is a lakṣya gīta in praise of Goddess Sarasvati in Kannada. The

notation for this gīta has been taken from P. Sambamoorthi’s South Indian Music,

Book II (SIM- Book II, Eng. Pg. 81, 1992). The notation for this gīta is given in the

Appendix- 3.16.

5.2.1. Text

sarasvati nanna nālige yallikuṇisali

avaḷanugraha dinda nanna mukhadali

mādhurya śrī lalita vacanaṅgaḷu jani suge

avaḷanugraha varada vālmīki muni pēḷdanu

śrī rāmana śubha caritra ||

Meaning

Oh Sarasvati! Please stay on my tongue and shower your blessings on me, so that

sweet and auspicious words come out of my mouth just like sage Vālmīki who wrote

the epic Rāmāyaṇa with your blessings.

In this lakṣya gīta on Goddess Sarasvati, Purandaradāsa seeks her

blessings enabling him to speak good, sweet words like Vālmīki. This gīta in

Kannaḍa does not have the mudra ‘Purandara viṭṭhala’.

5.2.2. Melody

This is a single segmented gīta without any repetitions. But the melody

gets repeated with varying text giving a feel of a two segmented gīta. This is very

true to the style of Purandaradāsa as evident in all his piḷḷāri gīta-s.

The choice of the rāga Bēgaḍa is also very rare in Purandaradāsa’s

compositions. Bēgaḍa is not mentioned as one of the battīṣa rāga-s (thirty-two

rāga-s that prevailed during Purandaradāsa’s time). Nevertheless the rāga svarūpa

has been brought out very effectively through many rañjaka prayōga-s in this gīta

as evident in the following phrases.

p d p- ṡ n- ṙ ṡ||

ya l li ku ṇi sa li

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ṁ ġ ṙ- ṡ ṙ- n ṡ||

a va ḷa nu u gra ha

m p d- m ,- g r||

ki mu ni Pē ḷ da nu

The range of this gīta is from madhya ṣaḍja to tāra madhyma. The ārōha

and avarōha of the rāga as evident from the sañcāra-s found in this gīta is

‘sgrgmpdpṡ-ṡndpm,grs’.

5.2.3. Tāḷa and rhythm

This gīta is syllabic in nature with mixture of short and long svara-s

wherein the extension of the long svara-s does not extend two or three counts. The

following is a melismatic musical setting where in each svara takes one syllable

each.

ṁ ġ ṙ- ṡ ṙ- n ṡ||

a va ḷa nu u gra ha

There are instances where there is extension of svara-s to three counts as

follows.

g , ,- g ,- m p||

ya a a śṛī i la li

g , ,- g ,- m p||

śrī i i rā a ma na

The placement of syllables does not match the aṅga-s of the tāḷa at many

an instance. This is very unlikely of Purandaradāsa’s gīta-s.

p d p- ṡ n- d p|| m p d- m ,- g r||

di n da na n na mu kha da li mā a dhu r

, ,- g ,- m p|| g r s- g r- g m||

ya a a śṛī i la li ta va ca na ṅ ga ḷu

The wrong splitting of the words between the tāḷāṅga-s can be seen in

‘mukhadali’, ‘mādhurya’ and ‘lalita’.

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The tripuṭa tāḷa used in this gīta is the tāḷa used for three of his Piḷḷāri

gīta-s too. The simple rhythm of this gīta is ideally suited for beginners. The

whole gīta is of fourteen tāḷa cycles only.

Observations

This gīta brings out the bhāva of the rakti rāga Bēgaḍa very effectively through

simple phrases and can be ideally taught to beginners of this art form.

5.3. Analysis of ‘graha’ in gīta from Saṅgīta Sampradāya Pradarśini

Subbarāma Dikṣita in Saṅgīta Lakṣaṇa Saṅgrahamu of SSP ( SSP-Vol.I, Eng.

Pg.74) says, “the svara by which a rāga is first taken up, is the graha of that rāga

(graha = to receive {to take up})”. While describing the lakṣaṇa-s of rāga-s, for each

raga a particular svara is specified as graha. If for a rāga a svara other than ṣaḍja is

specified as graha, then irrespective of what that svara is, it has to be placed in the

position of ṣaḍja and sung. If ṣaḍja is the graha svara, then it should be placed on the

ṣaḍja pitch position. According to him this graha-svara concept is explained by

Govindamātya in his work ‘Rāgatāḷa Cintāmaṇi’ and there was a tradition of singing

graha-svara-s 300 years ago.

In SSP there are ten gīta-s available with the graha passage which means there

are svara syllables in the text representing the graha svara-s to the corresponding

svara-s in the dhātu. These gīta-s are in the rāga-s Śuddha Sāvēri, Bhinnaṣaḍja,

Hejjaji, Rītigauḷa, Ghaṇṭa, Bhairavi, Vēḷāvaḷi, Kēdāragauḷa, Nārāyaṇagauḷa and

Ārabhi. All these ten rāga-s have a different graha svara instead of ṣaḍja. For

example, the graha svara of Śuddha Sāvēri is pañcama and that of Bhinnaṣaḍja is

ṛṣabha and so on.

It is therefore obvious that graha passage can occur only in those rāga-s that

have any other svara other than ṣaḍja as their graha svara. In singing the graha

passage in a composition, the graha svara of the particular rāga will have to be sung

in the position of ṣaḍja, and the other svara-s in the positions of the subsequent

svara-s. If dhaivata is the graha in a rāga, then ‘dha’ should be sung in the position

of ‘sa’; ‘ni’ in the position of ‘ri’; ‘sa’ in the position of ‘ga’ and so on. This means

that, instead of ṣaḍja, dhaivata is the svara which will be identified with the tonic.

Therefore in instrumental rendition no change can be noticed in the melody.

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The concept of graha in the Ārabhi rāga gīta ‘ Munijana virammanasa’ set to

dhruva-rūpaka tāḷa from SSP is taken up for analysis here (SSP, Vol.III, Pg. 847,

Tamil ed.). Notation for this gīta has been appended (Appendix-3.17). The

rāgalakṣaṇa ślōka given for this rāga clarifies that ‘niṣāda’ is the graha svara for

Ārabhi. The following is the lakṣaṇa ślōka which is attributed to Veṅkaṭamkhin by

Subbarāma Dīkṣita.

ārabhihi sarvadā gēya ārōhē ga ni varjitaha

kvacidārōha samyukta niśādō ni grahō bhavēt ||

(Pg.846, SSP, Part IV, Tamil ed.)

Meaning - Ārabhi which can be sung anytime, is devoid of gāndhāra and

niṣāda in the ārōha, with niṣāda occurring sparingly in the ārōha and has

niṣāda as the graha.

According to this ślōka, the graha svara of Ārabhi rāga is niṣāda. But in

Caturdaṇḍīprakāśika of Veṅkaṭamakhin, the graha svara of Ārabhi is given as ṣaḍja

which is contradictory. This again proves the fact that the author of the lakṣaṇa ślōka

and that of the treatise mentioned above cannot be the same. The author of this Ārabhi

gīta could be the same person as that of the lakṣaṇa ślōka, i.e. Mudduveṅkaṭamakhi

though not mentioned by Subbarāma Dīkṣita.

5.3.1. Text

{Dhruva}

munijanaviram manasa mānasa

parahamsa caraṇakamala kaṭakayata

bhōjāja samdrarē kavi bhuṣaṇa

Jāvaḍa

śuphalōkana parājita

candra bhakta lōka cintāmaṇi

sakala surāsura manikya

maṇi kiraṇa vilasita padām

bhōja p m g r s s ṇ ḍ

munijanaviram ||

This lakṣya gīta is in praise of Bhōja in Samskṛt language with a mixture

of Prākṛṭ. This is a two segmented gīta with a dhruva and jāvaḍa.

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5.3.2. Melody

The range of this melody extends from madhya pañcama to tāra dhaivata.

The entire gīta is high pitched which is more suitable for instrumentalists than

vocalists. As explained by Subbarāma Dīkṣita himself in Prathamābhyāsa

Pustakamu (1905), the phrases in madhya and tāra sthāyi-s of the gīta can be sung

in mandra and madhya respectively considering the range of the musicians of the

present day.The entire melody has many janṭa phrases like ‘ṁġṙṙṡṡ’, ‘dṡṡṙdṡṡndd’,

‘ṗṗṁ ġġṙṙṡṡd’, ‘ddppmp’, ‘ppddpp’. The phrase ‘mgrrss’ is repeated many times.

The graha passage in this gīta is found in the last line of the jāvaḍa.

Svara d p m g r r s n

Graha p m g r s s n d

The graha svara of Ārabhi is niṣāda. So in the graha phrase, the niṣāda is

sung in the pitch value of ṣaḍja. The other svara-s therefore will follow the order -

ṣaḍja is sung in the position of ṛṣabha, ṛṣabha in gāndhāra, gāndhāra in

madhyama, madhyama in pañcama, pañcama in dhaivata and dhaivata in

niṣāda. So, while listening to the graha phrase, it might sound wrong. The

musicological concept of ‘graha’ which is implemented here requires a lot of

concentration and skill to sing. If the same melody is played in any instrument,

both the svara and the graha phrases will sound alike.

5.3.3. Tāḷa and rhythm

The tāḷa adopted for this is dhruva-rūpaka which is a hybrid between

dhruva and rūpaka tāḷa. This tāḷa has been handled exclusively for gīta-s by

Veṅkaṭamakhin and his descendants. The structure of this tāḷa has been discussed

in the third chapter in detail. The aṅga-s of this tāḷa is O2 O2 l4 l4 for the

beginning āvarta of the gīta and the consecutive sections alone. Otherwise

through the composition it is O2 l4 resembling the rūpaka tāḷa.

This Ārabhi gīta has an anāgata eḍuppu wherein the melody starts two

beats after the tāḷa. This kind of eḍuppu is observed in most of the dhruva-rūpaka

tāḷa gīta-s found in SSP.

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Observations

The concept of graha illustrated in few gīta-s of SSP is an old musical concept that is

not in vogue now. Similarly the dhruva-rūpaka tāḷa followed by Veṅkaṭamakhin and

his descendants is also not in use now. For these very reasons these gīta-s are

considered highly significant.

5.4. Analysis of the Anukramaṇikā gīta

In SSP of Subbarāma Dīkṣita, there is a rāgāṅga rāga lakṣaṇa

gītānukramaṇikā gīta in the rāga Guṇḍakriya, set to tripuṭa tāḷa (SSP, Vol.I, Pg. 185,

Tamil ed.). ‘Anukramaṇikā’, is a Samskṛta word which means ‘table of contents, an

index showing the successive contents of a work’ (The Student’s Sanskrit-English

Dictionary, Vaman Shivram. Apte, pg.20). The term rāgāṅga rāga lakṣaṇa gīta

anukramaṇikā gīta means a gīta which gives the index of the rāgāṅga rāga-s along

with the gīta-s that enumerates the lakṣaṇa-s of these rāgāṅga rāga-s. This gīta is

one of its kind and therefore of great significance and has been taken up for analysis.

There is one seventy two rāgāṅga rāgamālika ‘Īkanakāmbari” of Subbarāma

Dīkṣita and Kṛṣṇakavi (Appendix to SSP, Vol.V, Pg 1320, Tamil ed.) where the rāga

names of some rāgāṅga rāga-s of later Kanakāmbari nomenclature have changed.

5.4.1. Text

Dhruva

Kanakāmbari Arē rāgāṅga Pheṇadyuti Rājā

Gānasāmavarāḷi Raṇavi Bhānumati Śrīraṅgavāsini

Manōrañjani Ujhaḷita Tanukīriti Harūrāṇī

Sēnāgraṇi Rajatalilā Jannatōḍi Arē rāja rājārē

Dhunibhinnasaḍja Rasikā Naṭābharaṇa Ravitējā

Kōkilāravā Balarāma Rūpavati Ramaṇīya

Gēyahejjajjī Apratisurūpa Vāṭīvasantabhairavi Raṇataḷī

Māyāmāḷavagouḷā Ravikōṭi Tōyavēgavāhini Madhurānātha

Chāyāvati Rañjita Jayāśuddhamāḷavi Rādhāhṛdaya

Jaṅkārabhramari Rīṇājī Nārīrītigouḷa Iśvarī

Kiraṇāvaḷi Ripusaṅghā Śrīrāga Śrīdhara

Gourivēḷāvaḷi Śaṅkari Vīravasanta Tribhuvana

Śarāvati Ripucāpa Taraṅgiṇi Śrīrājā

Sourasēna Tripurabhairavī Harikēdāragouḷa Śrīnāthā

Dhīraśaṅkarābharaṇa Ripubala Nāgābharaṇā Śrīraṅgaddha

Kalāvati Arekrūra Rāgacūḍāmaṇi Rūpakaluṣita

Gaṅgātaraṅgiṇī Are rukumacela Bhōgacchāyānāṭa Ruciram

Śailadēśākṣi rumākānta Calanāṭa Arē rūpagirivāsā

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Jāvaḍa

Sougandhinī Rāmāśrīrāma Jaganmōhana Rakkasamaradana

Dhāḷivarāḷī Saṅgrāma Nabhōmaṇi Hērmbha

Kumbhini Ratnasimhāsanē Ravikriya Are raṅganāyaka

Gīrvāṇi Pratibhaṭarē Bhavāni Praṇataja

Śivapantuvarāḷi Gōvara Stavarāja Ravisannibha

Souvīra Dhārādhari Jīvantikā Kṣīrābdhikanyē

Dhavalāṅga Rādhāśubha Nāmadēśi Ārattarakṣaka

Kāśirāmakriya Arērāvaṇa Ramāmanōhari Arē raṇavīra

Gamakakriya Bṛndāraka Vamśavatī Sāraṅgapāṇi

Śāmaḷa Are śrīdēvi Cāmara Śrīraghurāma

Sumadyuti Śrīkṛiṣṇa Dṛśisimharava Śrī Veṅkaṭa

Dhāmavati Himagirīndrā Niṣadha Trinayana

Kuntala Amararipu Ratipriya Kṛpakari

Gītapriya Gourimanō Bhūṣāvati Śrīramaṇi

Śāntakalyāṇi Rē re triśūlini Caturaṅgiṇi Śrīkara ramaṇīya

Santāna mañjari Arē rudravatāra Jōtīrāga Akrūrakkaṇurē

Dhoutapañcama Rudrakumāra Nāsāmaṇi Māruti

Kusumākara Dhruvaraksakurē Rasamañjari Śruti dvāvimśati

Kanakāmbari Arē rāgāṅga Phēṇadyuti Rājā ||

The text of the above lakṣya gīta lists the names of the seventy-two

rāgāṅga rāga-s as per the later Kanakāmbari nomenclature. The names of these

rāgāṅga rāga-s appear in the correct order and also with their kaṭapayādi

prefixes. The name of each rāgāṅga rāga is followed by the beginning words of

the gīta that enumerates the lakṣaṇa of that rāga.

The term lakṣaṇa gīta is found nowhere in SSP except in the title given to

this anukramaṇika gīta. Here also it implies the indexing of those gīta-s that

enumerates the lakṣaṇa-s of the rāgāṅga rāga-s. The term lakṣaṇa gīta appears

for the first time in Gōvinda’s SC. It is P. Sambamoorthy who first uses the term

rāgāṅga rāga lakṣaṇa gīta in his book South Indian Music, Book II, Chapter III,

Pg. 39. Here he refers to those gīta-s that enumerates the lakṣaṇa-s of the seventy-

two rāgāṅga rāga-s namely Kanakāmbari, Phēṇadyuti and so on given in SSP.

The mudra available in the text of the gīta ‘Veṅkaṭa’ undoubtedly refers to

a composer atleast a hundred years later than Veṅkaṭamakhin of CDP. This is

because most of the rāga names that appear in this gīta are unknown to

Veṅkaṭamakhin. The mention of caturvimśati towards the end of the gīta is again

a proof that this gīta is not of Veṅkaṭamakhin, as he believed only in twenty two

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(dvāvimśati) śruti-s. Subbarāma Dīkṣita records in the errata to this work that

caturvimśati is a misprint for dvāvimśati which is obviously a lame excuse. So,

this gīta could be of Mudduveṅkaṭamakhin or Veṅkaṭa Vaidyanātha as Subbarāma

Dīkṣita himself states in Vāggeyakāra Caritramu of SSP that some gīta-s have the

mudra-s of Mudduvenkatamakhi or Venkata Vaidyanatha who may be close a

relative of Venkatamakhin under whom Rāmasvāmi Dīkṣita underwent musical

training ( SSP -Vol.1, Eng. pg.19).

This gīta is only a lakṣya gīta as it does not give the rāgalakṣana-s of

Guṇḍakriya in the text. It is neither in praise of a deity as the purpose of this gīta

is only indexing. The text does not imply any meaning because of the same reason

mentioned above.

5.4.2. Melody

Guṇḍakriya is a janya of the 15th rāgāṇga rāga Māḷavagauḷa. This is an

old rāga known by different names like Gauḍakriya, Guṇḍakari or Guṇḍakriti.

The ārōha and avarōha of this rāga as given by Subbarāma Dīkṣita is ‘s, r g m p d

n ṡ- ṡ, n p m g m d p m g r s’. He also states that the dhaivata is used sparingly in

the avarōha. This is a sampūrna rāga with ṣaḍja as the graha, amśa and nyāsa

svara.

The range of this composition extends from mandra niṣāda to tāra niṣāda

(Appendix-3.18). The composition has many phrases in the tāra sthāyi especially

in the jāvaḍa section and so the melody is high pitched. As per the mūrcchana the

phrases without dhaivata in the descend appears quite often, such as

‘ṡnm,ppmgm’, and ‘ṡnpmmpm’. Important prayōga-s of this rāga that get

repeated are’ mpmgrs’, gmpṡnmpm’, ‘gmpgrs’ and ‘rsṇss’. Most of the phrases

have ṣaḍja as their nyāsa svara as seen in ‘ṡ,psnṡ’, ‘dpmgrs’, ṡnpdpmpdṡ’. There

are prayōga-s in the ascend wherein niṣāda is avoided, as in ‘gmpddṡ’, and

‘mp,dṡdp’ which are repeated often and not true to the mūrcchana.

Subbarāma Dīkṣita gives a composition ‘rāja rājēndra’ of Muttusvāmi

Dīkṣita in this rāga. But it is only through the composition ‘intanucu’ of

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Tyāgarāja by which a knowledge of the oral tradition of this rāga is ordinarily

gained.

One more unpublished lakṣya gīta in this rāga that is available from the

GOML manuscript (D.No. 923) is ‘ghanatarabbhūta’ in jhampa tāḷa. It is very

interesting to see the absence of ‘srgm’ usage throughout this composition. It is

only ‘srmgr’,‘s,rpmm’, ‘srmpmgr’ and ‘srgr’ that occur through this gīta. The

notation of this gita has been appended (Appendix 3.18.1).

5.4.3. Structural and rhythmic aspects

The melody of this gīta is set to tiśra jāti tripuṭa tāḷa of seven

akṣarakāla-s. The melody begins on the sixth beat of the tripuṭa tāḷa. The list of

thirty-six śuddha madhyama rāgāṅga rāga-s along with their gīta-s is covered in

the dhruva section. The list of thirty-six pratimadhyama rāgāṅga rāga-s and their

gīta-s is covered in the jāvaḍa section. Even the jāvaḍa has the same eḍuppu.

There is an uniformity in the number of āvarta-s of tripuṭa tāḷa allocated for each

rāgāṅga rāga and each cakra. Generally two āvarta-s of tripuṭa tāla are used for

every rāga and its gīta. Only very rarely in the case of rāga-s with bigger names

three āvarta-s are used. So, each cakra extends to twelve āvarta-s. Since this is a

very long composition, the composer has intelligently incorporated extensions of

vowels to a full āvarta in almost every cakra. Otherwise the melody is highly

syllabic in nature. These pauses come as relief to the singers while singing this

long composition without repetitions or breaks.

Observations

This gītānukramaṇika gīta is one of its kind and so highly significant.

Though singing this composition is a real challenge, it is the best exercise to

memorise and remember the seventy-two rāgāṅga rāga-s and their gīta-s.

5.5. Analysis of the concept of Muktapadagrastam in gīta

‘Muktapadagrastam’ is a literary concept which is much similar to ‘antyādi’

in Samskṛta language, wherein the ending syllables of a phrase become the beginning

syllables of the following phrase. The literal meaning of the Samskṛta word ‘Mukta’ is

release, ‘pada’ is word and ‘grastam’ is taking back. So ‘Muktapadagrastam’ means

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‘taking back the word that is released’. For example -‘sēvita vitaraṇa’. The same

concept is also found in the ‘cakravāla’, a prabandha variety belonging to the

Tārāvaḷi type.

There are only two lakṣya gīta-s available in SSP of Subbarāma Dīkṣita,

wherein the concept of Muktapadagrastam is adopted. One is in the rāga Māḷavaśrī

‘Manmadhanaḷa’ and the other in the rāga Maṅgaḷakaiśiki ‘Rērē Śrīrāmabhadra’.

The lakṣya gīta ‘Manmadhanaḷa’ in the rāga Māḷavaśri set to caturaśra

dhruva tāḷa is taken up for analysis( SSP. - Vol.II, Ta. Pg.489). This gīta is in

Samskṛta language. The notation has been appended (Appendix-3.19).

5.5.1. Text

Dhruva

manmadhanaḷa naḷakūbarasama samarōnmukha mukharamahīpati

patitōttama tamava śikhāvaḷi vaḷikatanu tanurucirōdaya

dayamānava navajita ghana nava

Jāvaḍa

navakhagamaka makaraṅgākara karalavabhaṭa bhaṭanasamudbhaṭa

bhaṭasēvita vitaraṇajitaghana ghanabhujabala balaripuvairi

manmadhanaḷa naḷakūbarasama samarōnmukha mukharamahīpati ||

Meaning

This lakṣya gīta is in praise of a King who is lover of war like the sons of

Kubēra. The might and power of the King who has an efficient army

supported by strong soldiers and his beautiful appearance is explained here.

In the above text the muktapadagrasta portions have been highlighted. This shows the

composer’s command over the language.

5.5.2. Melody

This gīta which is set in the rāga Māḷavaśrī is a janya of the twent-second

rāgāṅga rāga Śrī according to the Veṅkaṭamakhin’s scheme of rāga

classification. The ārōha and avarōha of this rāga as given by Subbarāma Dīkṣita

is ‘sggmpnnṡ- ṡnndpmpndpmmgs’. The svara-s taken by this rāga are ṣaḍja,

antara gāndhāra, śuddha madhyama, pañcama, catuhśruti dhaivata and kaiśiki

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niṣāda. Gāndhāra, niṣāda and madhyama are the jīva and nyāsa svara-s for this

rāga.

The range of this gīta extends from madhya ṣaḍja to tāra madhyama. The

repetitive rāga rañjaka phrase ‘ smmggs’ and the vakra phrase ‘pndns’ bring out

the rāga bhāva of Māḷavaśrī. The gāndhāra, madhyama and niṣāda svara-s occur

mostly as jaṇṭa svara-s.

5.5.3. Tāḷa and rhythm

The dhruva tāḷa ( l4 O2 l4 l4 ) used for this gīta is of caturaśra jāti and has

fourteen akṣarakāla-s totally. The eḍuppu of this gīta is sama (starting on the

beat). The gīta extends to eleven āvarta-s on the whole. The beauty of this

composition is the uniformity found in the positioning of the Muktapadagrasta

syllables throughout the gīta. One set of repetitive syllables occur in the dhruta

and two beats of the following laghu and the other pair occur in the last two

beats and the first two beats of the tāḷa cycle. So, the rhythmic occurrence of the

repetitive syllables throughout the gīta adds to the beauty of the composition. For

example-

ṡ , ġ ṡ| n d| n ṡ n ,| n n d p||

ma n ma dha na ḷa na ḷa kū u ba ra sa ma

m m p ,| m p| n n d n| ṡ , n ṡ||

sa ma rō n mu kha mu kha ra ma hī i pa ti

Observations

The concept of Muktapadagrastam employed in two of the gīta-s found in Saṅgīta

Sampradāya Pradarśini is a rare occurrence and has to be propagated.

5.6. Comparitive analysis of the lakṣaṇa gīta-s in the rāga Kēdāragauḷa

The two lakṣaṇa gīta-s defining the lakṣaṇa-s of the rāga Kēdāragauḷa with

respect to the two different schools of thought have been taken up for a comparitive

analysis. ‘Ārē Śrīnātha’ is the lakṣaṇa gīta in the rāgāṅga rāga Hari Kēdāragauḷa

which is the twenty eighth rāgāṅga rāga as per the Kanakāmbari-Phēṇadhyuti

scheme formulated by Veṅkaṭamakhin and Mudduveṅkaṭamakhi. ‘Śrīkara purandara’

is the lakṣaṇa gīta in the rāga Kēdāragauḷa which is classified as the second janya

rāga of the twenty eighth mēḷādhikāra Harikāmbhōji as per the Kanakāṅgi- Ratnāṅgi

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scheme formulated by Gōvinda. The text of the gīta-s as found in SSP is given here.

The notation has been given in the appendix-3.20.

5.6.1. Text

Harikēdāragauḷa – Tripuṭa

[Dhruva]

a re śrīnātha gurūcē manōbhīṣṭa pālakurē dhīrurē

nijaparākrama dēvurē rē jāṇurējjāṇujāṇu tujhasamānu kōṇurērē

{Antari}

nandagōpa nandanūre mandahāsa vadanurē

{Jāvaḍa}

kāḷiyandana kañjalōcana kamsahimsaka

kāraṇūrē rāgāṅga harikētārigauḷa upāṅga balahamsa

māhuri dēvakriya āndhāli chāyātaraṅgiṇī nārāyaṇagauḷa

naṭanārāyaṇī bāna bhū cakrādhipa

[Antari]

nandagōpa nandanūre mandahāsa vadanurē

ā rē bhāṣāṅga kāmbhōji kannaḍa īśamanōhari

suraṭi yerukulakāmbhōji aṭhāṇa nāgarūrē

ā iyaiyai nininidhapapamamapamagarisani

[Antari]

nandagōpa nandanūre mandahāsa vadanurē ||

Note : The section names in square brackets have not been given in the original.

This is a three segmented rāgāṅga rāga lakṣaṇa gīta. The dhruva and

antari sections together form the first segment which is called the udgrāha. This is

also called the sūtra khaṇḍa as the initial syllables of the text give the śuddha and

vikṛta svara-s (the underlined syllables) of this rāga in mnemonics. The syllables

ri, gu, ma, pa, dhi, ni stand for pañcaśruti ṛṣabha, antara gāndhāra, śuddha

madhyama, pañcama, pañcaśruti dhaivata and kaiśiki niṣāda. This is an

invocatory segment glorifying the valour and beauty of Lord Viṣṇu in

Bhāṅḍīrabhāṣa.

The second segment is the jāvaḍa which ends with the same antari as a

refrain. This is also called the upāṅga khaṇḍa as it lists the upāṅga rāga-s

(underlined text) of the rāgāṅga rāga Harikēdāragauḷa. The cakra and rāga

numbers have been denoted with their respective mnemonics bāna bhū cakra

indicative of the fourth rāga in the fifth cakra (which in turn gives the number of

the rāgāṅga rāga i.e. twenty eight).

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The third segment is the bhāṣāṅga khaṇḍa which lists the bhāṣāṅga rāga-s

(underlined text) of this rāgāṅga rāga.This again ends with the same antari as a

refrain. This segment also has a graha passage (given in bold) and gītālaṅkāra

pada-s that occur in the gīta-s in Bhāṅḍīrabhāṣa. Though this has been attributed

to Veṅkaṭamakhin this definitely belongs to a later composer. Kēdāragauḷa is a

janya of Kāmbhōji mēḷa according to Veṅkaṭamakhin which later became a

rāgāṅga rāga.

The following is the text of the lakṣaṇa gīta of Gōvinda from his work SC.

The notation has been given in the appendix-3.20.1.

Kēdāragauḷa – Tripuṭa

Śrī - karapurandara- vandita – akhilalōka - vinutu rē rē - catuhśruti ṛṣa - bha

antara- gāndhāra - catuhśruti dhai – vata svara kai – śiki niṣāda- itara

śuddha – ārōha – ga dha varjita- avarōha- sampūrṇa – ni graham nyā –

sāmśa- tripuṭayukta – harikāmbhō –ji mēḷa janita- kēdāra- gauḷa rāga –

mavadhāraya- śrī rāma namō namō ||

Note : The hyphen in the above text indicates the end of an āvarta.

The above is a janya rāga lakṣaṇa gīta which is single segmented without

any section names unlike the SSP gīta. The first five āvarta-s form the invocatory

section which is in praise of Lord Rāma in Samskṛta. The rāga laksaṇa details

give the śuddha vikṛta svara-s and the ārōha and avarōha of this rāga as s r m p n

ṡ – ṡ n d p m g r s. The term itara śuddha denotes the śuddha madhyama and

pañcama svara-s. This rāga is given as the janya of the mēḷa (twenty eighth)

Harikāmbhōji with niṣāda as the graha, amśa and nyāsa svara.

A comparative analysis of the textual details of both the lakṣaṇa gīta-s is given in the

table below.

S.No. Textual

details

Lakṣaṇa gīta of SSP Lakṣaṇa gīta of Gōvinda

1. Rāga Rāgāṅga rāga Harikēdāragauḷa

(28th mēḷa)

Kēdāragauḷa-a janya of the

mēḷa Harikāmbhōji (28th

mēḷa)

2. Gīta type Rāgāṅga rāga laksaṇa gīta Janya rāga lakṣaṇa gīta

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giving the list of upāṅga and

bhāṣāṅga rāga-s

3. Structure Three segmented with the

format dhruva+antari -

jāvaḍa(1st section) + antari-

jāvaḍa (2nd section) + antari

Single segmented without

sections

4. Language Bhāṅḍīrabhāṣa Samskṛta

5. Svara-s pañcaśruti ṛṣabha, antara

gāndhāra, pañcaśruti dhaivata

and kaiśiki niṣāda

catuhśruti ṛṣabha, antara

gāndhāra,

catuhśrutidhaivata and

kaiśiki niṣāda

6. Ārōha -

avarōha

srmpnṡ-ṡndpmgrs srmpnṡ-ṡndpmgrs

7. Graha, amśa

and nyāsa

svara

Niṣāda as per the graha passage Niṣāda

5.6.2. Melodic and rhythmic aspects

Since both the gīta-s give the same ārōha and avarōha with the same

śuddha- vikṛta svara-s and are set in tripuṭa tāḷa a comparative analysis of

melodic and rhythmic aspects is done and the same are listed in the table below.

S.No. Melodic/rhythmic

aspects

SSP lakṣaṇa gīta Gōvinda’s lakṣaṇa gīta

1. Graha svara ṣaḍja for all the sections ṣaḍja

2. Range of the

melody

Mandra niṣāda to atitāra

ṣaḍja

Mandra pañcama to tāra

madhyama

3. Rare phrases ṡġṙġṡṙṡ Ndpnmpm, mpdmpnn,

r,grgss, rrgsrrs.

4. Rāga rañjaka

prayōga

Rmgrmmp, r,mmgrpmgrs N,srmgr, mpndpdpmgr

5. Jaṇṭa prayōga-s Profusely used Used moderately

6. Svara to syllable One to one relationship of One to one relationship

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relation svara to sāhitya syllable of svara to sāhitya

syllable

7. Eḍuppu of the gīta First druta of the tripuṭa

tāḷa and the gīta ends with

seven akṣarakāla-s in the

end.

Last druta of the tripuṭa

and the gīta has five

akṣara-s in the last

āvarta.

Observations

The rāga Kēdāragauḷa follows the same rāga lakṣaṇa-s in both the schools of

Veṅkaṭamakhin and Gōvinda as evident from the laksaṇa gīta-s.

5.7. Analysis of Paiḍāla Gurumūrti Śāstri’s lakṣaṇa gīta

Paiḍāla Gurumūrti Śāstri is one of the prominent composers of lakṣya and

laksaṇa gīta-s of post-Veṅkaṭamakhin period. The stylistic study of his compositions

has already been done in the previous chapter. Here an analysis of his lakṣaṇa gīta

‘Jaya karuṇāsindhō’, in Dhanyāsi rāga has been taken up in an attempt to understand

the lakṣaṇa-s of the rāga Dhanyāsi by a composer of 18th century. This gīta is set to

caturaśra jāti dhruva tāḷa of fourteen akṣarakāla-s per each tāḷa cycle. The notation

for this gīta taken from the Music Book ‘Gāyakapārijātam’ of Taccūr brothers is

given in the appendix-3.21.The mudra ‘gurumūrtē’ appears in the last line of this

composition.

5.7.1. Text

Jaya karuṇāsindhō – dhanyāsi – dhruva tāḷa

jaya karuṇāsindhō tava padāmbujamatulan dhyāyāmi

śrīkāṇtā bhakthāvaḷi pālana caṇarē

dhanyāsi rāgam gāyāmi śruṇuta lakṣaṇamakhilam

aṣṭamādhikāri janyam auḍuva sampūrṇam

ārōhē ri dhāktyaktam avarōhē sampūrṇam

mandra madhya tāra kalitam ga dha lasitam

nāda bēdha dhurīṇa gurumūrtē prasīva ||

Meaning-

Jaya karuṇāsindhō - all merciful Lord Viṣṇu

tava padāmbujamatulan dhyāyāmi -I meditate upon your feet all the time

Śrīkāṇṭā - the lover of Lakṣmi

bhakthāvaḷi pālana caṇarē -protector of devotees

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dhanyāsi rāgam gāyāmi -I sing the rāga dhanyāsi

śruṇuta lakṣaṇamakhilam -listen to the lakṣaṇa

aṣṭamādhikāri janyam -janya of the 8th mēḷa

auḍuva sampūrṇam -5 notes in the ārōha and 7 notes in the avarōha

ārōhē ri dhāktyaktam -ārōha is without ṛṣabha and dhaivata

avarōhē sampūrṇam -avarōha has all the 7 notes

mandra madhya tāra kalitam -can be sung in all the three registers

ga dha lasitam -vibrating gāndhāra and dhaivata

rāgabēdhadhurīṇa - expert in rāga-s and its varieties

gurumūrtē prasīva - says Gurumūrti

Gurumūrti Śāstri pays his obeisance to Lord Viṣṇu in the beginning of this

gīta and then proceeds to explain the rāga lakṣaṇa-s of Dhanyāsi. He states that

Dhanyāsi is a janya of ‘aṣṭamādhikāri’, which means the 8th mēḷa. It is to be noted

that, in the mēḷa scheme of Gōvinda, Dhanyāsi is stated as a janya rāga of the 8th

mēḷa, which is ‘Hanumattōḍi’. This shows that the composer was aware of the

Gōvinda’s scheme and so should belong to a period later to Gōvinda. His lakṣaṇa

details are similar to that of Gōvinda. But contrastingly, in the rāgāṅga rāga

scheme, Dhanyāsi is given as a bhāṣāṅga janya of the twentieth rāgāṅga rāga

Rītigauḷa. But the ārōha and avarōha have the same śuddha and vikṛta svara-s.

Dhanyāsi is explained as a auḍava sampūrṇa rāga which means that the

ārōha has five notes and the avarōha all the seven notes. The notes that are absent

in the ārōha are given as ṛṣabha and dhaivata. So, the scale of this rāga can be

understood as sgmpnṡ-ṡndpmgrs. With this information, the composer gives us

the clue to the svara-s taken by this rāga, which are ṣaḍja, śuddha ṛṣabha,

sādhāraṇa gāndhāra, śuddha madhyama, pañcama, śuddha dhaivata and kaiśiki

niṣāda. Since there is no mention about the order of the svara-s, it is understood

that the svara-s follow the right order. These are very important rāga lakṣaṇa

details that help in identifying the period of this composition as well as the

composer.

The notes gāndhāra and dhaivata are said to be the vibrating (lasitam)

notes. The notes are captivating in all the three sthāyi-s (octaves) namely mandra,

madhya and tāra. Gurumūrti Śāstri finally signs off by calling himself ‘rāga bēda

dhurīṇa gurumūrtē prasīva’, which means that he is an expert in rāga and its

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varieties. Probably this could be a title earned by him for his musical knowledge.

His signature ‘gurumūrtē’ confirms the authorship of this gīta.

The language used is Samskṛta mixed with Prākṛt and replete with

prosodic beauties. The text or the sāhitya is in poetic metre i.e. padya, with

‘antyaprāsa’, i.e. similar letter occurring at the end of every line or pada, which

creates a pleasant resonance- rāgam, akhilam, janyam, pūrṇam, āktyaktam,

kalitam and lasitam.

5.7.2. Melody

The melody of this gīta is continuous from the beginning till end without

any pause or repetition. The melody true to the syllabic structure of this musical

form is devoid of any saṅgati-s or mixture of speeds in rendition. Therefore the

long winding continuous melody is broken into phrases, based on the

corresponding meaningful text for analysis here.

The choice of rāga Dhanyāsi for a gīta is a rarity. Ofcourse SC and SSP

give the lakṣaṇa gīta-s for Dhanyāsi composed as illustrative pieces explaining

the rāga and its lakṣaṇa-s. The opening phrase of this gīta begins in mandra

pañcama and the melody extends upto tāra ṣaḍja. The melody has more phrases

in mandra and madhya sthāyi-s. So, the entire gīta sounds low pitched. Repetitive

phrases like ‘ṇḍpṇṡ’ and ‘gmpmgrs’, hinder the flow of the melody. Most of the

phrases have ṣaḍja as the nyāsa svara (end note). The jīva svara-s, gāndhāra and

dhaivata have been used effectively throughout the composition.

The usage of hrasva (short) and dīrgha (long) svara-s are equal, wherein

the elongation of dīrgha svara-s do not exceed more than two counts. It is to be

noted that many a times, the extension of vowels in the text exceeds two counts,

resulting in a melismatic (when five to six svara-s are sung melodically to one

syllable) musical setting. But in order to maintain the syllabic structure, the vowel

is repeated for any number of svara-s it takes. In any case the melody is in

medium tempo, maintaining the basic rhythmic structure of the musical form gīta

devoid of fast phrases. The following is an example where the short and the long

svara-s occur according to the corresponding vowel extensions of the text with a

melismatic setting at the end of the āvarta.

163

P p ṇ ṇ | s , | ṇ s g , | m g r s ||

Ja ya ka ru ņā a si m m m m m dho o

Syllabic setting long vowel melismatic setting long vowel

In the above phrase we can see a combination of melismatic and syllabic

musical setting. The syllable ‘m’ is extended for five mātra-s and therefore takes

five svara-s ‘sg,mg’ which is a melismatic musical setting. We can also see a

combination of short and long svara-s in this melodic phrase which brings the

‘rañjakatva’ of this rāga.

This gītā has more of melismatic than syllabic musical setting. Some are

cited below-

G m , p | m p | g m p- g | m g r s ||

Gā a a a a yā a a a a a a mi

N s , g | m p | g m , g | g r r s ||

Au u u u u u u u u u u u ḍu va

S , s , | g g | m , p m | g m p , ||

Ā a a a a a rō o o o o o hē e

The composer has used jaṇṭa svara phrases-s like pp ṇṇ ss – gg mm ṇṇ ss

gg – gg mm pp nn to add beauty to the composition.

G g m , | m m | ṇ ṇ s s | g g m , ||

dha n yā a a si rā a a a a a ga m

M g p m | p n | g g m m | p p n n ||

Pū u u u u u u u u u u u rņa m

N ḍ p ṇ | ṇ s | g g r r | s r s , ||

Pra sī i i i i i i i i i i vā a

N ṇ s s | g g m , ||

Rā a a a a a ga m

Rāga rañjaka phrases like ṇsg,mgrs - ṇḍpṇs,ṇsmggrs enhances the bhāva of the rāga.

164

N s g , | m g r s ||

Si m m m m m dho o

N ḍ p ṇ | s , | g m p m | g r s , ||

Śru ņu ta a la k şa ņa ma khi la m m m

5.7.3. Tāḷa and rhythm

This is a single segmented gīta without any sections. The composer has

cleverly used dhruva tāḷa for this composition so as to give a grand and majestic

feel. The composer has strictly stuck to the syllabic structure wherein each beat of

the tāḷa takes only one svara. There is no mixture of tempos. The splitting of the

words in the text, matches well will the aṅga-s of this tāḷa throughout the

composition.

Observations

The lakṣaṇa gīta of Gurumūrti Śāstri is highly informative and gives us an idea about

the oral tradition of the rāga Dhanyāsi during his time.

He not only gives valuable information about the lakṣaṇa-s of the rāga handled but

also gives details about himself in this gīta.

Though he was aware of both the early Kanakāmbari scheme of rāga classification

and that of Gōvinda’s, he did not strictly adhere to one scheme. For, he assigns the

rāga Sahana under Kāmbhōji as per the earlier Kanakāmbari scheme (discussed in

the previous chapter) in his Sahana lakṣaṇa gīta while he assings Dhanyāsi under the

8th mēḷa as in the Kanakāṅgi scheme.

The above observationss help us to decide the period of the composer which is 18th

century.

5.8. Analysis of Śyāma Śāstri’s gīta

Śyāma Śāstri is the only composer among the trinity to have composed gīta-s.

An analysis of this composer’s gīta is attempted to understand his conception of gīta

and how he has adapted this form in his own style especially when the musical form

kṛti had already gained prominence.

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The lakṣya gīta ‘sārasākṣi sadāpāhimām’ in the rāga Sāvēri set to tripuṭa tāḷa

of seven akṣarakāla-s has been taken for analysis. The notation for this gīta has been

taken from the Śyāmā Śāstri’s compositions by Vidya Shankar and this has been

given in the appendix-3.22.

5.8.1. Text

Sārasākṣi sadāpāhimām – Sāvēri – Tripuṭa tāḷa

sārasākṣi sadā pāhimām

kumāra janani sarasa hṛdayē

parāśakti bālē suśīlē

apāra mahima sphūrtē śivē |

kōṭi sūrya prabhē kōmaḷē

trikōṇa nilayē kanaka sadṛśē

kaṭīdhṛta kāñcē salīlē

prakāśa suguṇa kīrtē umē |

śyāma kṛṣṇanutē śyāmaḷē

śrī kāmakōṭi pīṭha sadanē

sāmagāna lōlē suśōbhē

viśāla hṛdaya mūrtē śubhē ||

Meaning

Oh, Lotus eyed! Always protect me

Mother of Subrahmaṇya, One with a loving heart!

Supreme energy, Bāla, one with chaste conduct!

One shining with boundless glory, Śiva!

One with the luster of a crore of suns, Tender one!

One whose abode is the trikōṇa, bestower of desired fruit!

One wearing the girdle around the waist, one with sportiveness!

One famed for glowing virtues, Uma!

Adored by Śyāma Kṛṣṇa, Śyāmaa !

One who resides in the seat of Kāmakōṭi!

Enjoyer of the music of Sāma, one of shining splendor!

Goddess with generous heart, auspicious one!

The text of this Samskṛta gīta which has a poetic metre, is in praise of

goddess Kāmākṣi, the favourite deity of the composer. The composer describes

the beauty, fame and benevolent qualities of his favourite deity and seeks her

blessings with adoration. This composition is filled with anthyaprāsa ‘ē’

(alliteration of the last letter) which gives a rhythmic effect. hṛdayē - bālē – suśīlē

–sphūrtē – śivē – prabhē - kōmaḷē – nilayē - sadṛśē – kāñcē- salīlē – kīrtē - umē -

kṛṣṇanutē - śyāmaḷē – sadanē – lōlē – suśōbhē – mūrtē - śubhē .The language and

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the choice of words shows his flair for the language. The signature of the

composer ‘śyāmakrṣṇa’ appears in the third segment or khaṇḍa.

5.8.2. Melody

The rāga Sāvēri is a janya of the mēḷakarta rāga Māyāmāḷavagauḷa. In

the ārōha the svara-s gāndhāra and niṣāda are absent while the avarōha is

sampūrṇa. The svara-s taken by this auḍava-sampūrṇa rāga are ṣaḍja, śuddha

ṛṣabha, antara gāndhāra, śuddhamadhyama, pañcama, śuddha dhaivata, and

kākali niṣāda. Ṛṣabha, madhyama and dhaivata are the rāga chhāya svara-s,

madhyama, pañcama and dhaivata are the nyāsa svara-s while ṛṣabha is an alpa

(rare) nyāsa svara (Dictionary of South Indian Music and Musicians, P.

Sambamurthy, Vol.-IV , 2007, Pg.214).

The choice of rāga Sāvēri suits the mood of the composition. This rāga is

very emotive by nature and one of the favourites of the composer who has

composed four kṛti-s in this rāga. In fact his first kṛti ‘Janani natajanapālini’, is

in Sāvēri rāga.

1. Janani natajanapālini - ādi tāḷa – Samskṛta - in praise of Kāmākṣi

2. Durusuga - ādi tāḷa – Telugu – in praise of Dharmasamvardhini of

Tiruvaiyāru

3. Śaṅkari śamkuru - tiśra tāḷa – Samskṛta – in praise of Akhilāṇḍēṣvari of

Tiruvānaikkāval

4. Śrī patimukha - ādi tāḷa – Samskṛta – in praise of Kāmākṣi

In this gīta, the melody can be easily split linewise, though the melody is

continuous without repetitions or pause. The melody of this gīta begins in tāra

ṣaḍja with a phrase ‘ṡ, ṡ- ṡ p- d ṡ’, and glides down with a jāru (gliding) gamaka

from tāra saḍja to madhya pañcama. This is a feature that is true to a gīta,

wherein the opening phrase is generally a special phrase that is identified with the

rāga in which the gīta is composed. The first line has a śuddha svarākṣara phrase

‘sadāpahimām’.The usage of svarākṣara-s is nothing unusual to this composer

though. The beginning phrase of the composition durusuga in Sāvēri is

melodically set as svarākṣara-s ( du ru su ga – d ṙ ṡ d) .

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ṡ , ṡ | ṡ p | d ṡ || d , p | , m| g r||

sā a ra sā a kṣi sa dā a pā a hi mā m

The entire melody extends from madhya ṣaḍja upto tāra gāndhāra. The

composer has intelligently brought out the salient phrases of the rāga Sāvēri in

this small composition. The usage of madhya pañcama has been restricted to the

jāru phrase- ‘ṡpdṡ’ and phrases in the descend ‘ṡd,p,mgr’-. The madhya pañcama

is mostly avoided in the ascending phrases - srmmdddṡ, ṡndmdṡ, etc. giving a

different feel yet bringing out the rāga bhāva of Sāvēri fully.

The melody is almost the same for all the three khaṇḍa-s. The melody for

the first āvarta of the third line alone varies showing different melodic variations

in the upper octave with ‘ṙ’ as ending note.

d ṡ ,| ṙ ṙ| ġ ṙ|| ṙ

pa rā a śa kti bā a lē

ġ ṙ , ṡ ṡ d , ṙ

ka ṭī i dṛ ta kā a ñcē

d , ṡ ṡ , ṙ ṡ ṙ

sā

a ma gā a na lō lē

The gamaka-s used in this gīta are

Jāru - \ and / - gliding notes in the descend and ascend

Nokku - w - note that is stressed

Kampita - ᴖ - oscillating note

Odukkal - x – the note that is reached from a lower note with one oscillation

The ‘dhaivata’ is always given as an oscillating svara, the oscillation

varying from one to two. The gliding jāru gamaka is used in the descent

mainly from tāra ṣaḍja to madhya pañcama or to madhya dhaivata. The

notation clearly gives the gamaka details wherever necessary. The melody

when sung along with the gamaka brings out the rāga bhāva of Sāvēri fully.

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5.8.3. Tāḷa and Rhythm

This is a gīta with three khaṇḍa-s. Each khaṇḍa is of eight āvarta-s or tāḷa

cycle. So, totally the gīta is of twenty-four āvarta-s. The text of each khaṇḍa, is of

four lines which is spread over eight āvarta-s. So, each line of the text extends to

two āvarta-s. The splitting of the words in the first two āvarta-s of each line is

obviously crooked throughout the gīta. This results in padacchceda (wrong

splitting of a word) between the first and the second āvarta-s in the first line of the

text of all the three khaṇḍa-s.

ṡ , ṡ | ṡ p | d ṡ || d , p | , m| g r||

sā a ra sā a kṣi sa dā a pā a hi mā m

d ṡ , | ṙ ṙ | ġ ṙ || ṙ , ṡ | ṙ, ġṙ | ṡ , ||

pa rā a śa kti bā a lē e su śī, ,, lē e

In the above lines we can see the wrong splitting of the words ‘sadā’

and ‘bālē’ between two āvarta-s. This continues through the other khaṇḍa-s

also.

This gīta can be called a syllabic composition structurally but for the

one prayōga that occurs in second speed. The third line has a phrase in second

speed (ṙ, ġ ṙ) where there are two svara-s per beat that does not conform to a

syllabic structure of a gīta.

Observations

Śyāma Śāstri’s gīta in Sāveri rāga can be rated in par with his kṛti-s in this rāga in

terms of both melodic and textual contents.

He has maintained the same melody for all the khaṇḍa-s and this gives an effect of a

kīrtana though there is no getting back to the first line as a refrain after each khaṇḍa.

The composer has definitely treated this musical form gīta with the same melodic

standard as that of his varṇa, svarajati and kṛti. So, his gīta-s appear to be in a slightly

advanced level demanding a sound understanding and knowledge of gamaka-s.

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This is one bold attempt of Śyāma Śāstri to compose gīta-s almost in the format of a

kīrtana, which has come to stay. His gīta in Madhyamāvati ‘Kāmākṣi Lōkasākṣini’ is

sung as a maṅgaḷam piece in musical concerts even now. This gīta-s also has scope

for saṅgati-s and repetitions while maintaining the syllabic structure.

His other gīta-s should also be given the same status of concert pieces like his other

compositions considering the high musical and lyrical standard.

5.9. Analysis of the Mañjari rāga gīta

The Telugu work of the Tenmaṭham brothers, Veṅkaṭa Narasimhācāri and

Veṅkaṭa Varadācāri, named ‘Saṅgītānandaratnākaramu’, published in the year 1917,

gives the notation for the famous gīta ‘Kamalasulōcana’ in the rāga Mañjari set to

ādi tāḷa. The author of this gīta is not given. The notation of this gīta from the above

source has been given in the appendix-3.23. This gīta has been taken for analysis in

an attempt to understand the melodic identityof this gīta ,as in oral tradition this gīta

is being sung in the rāga Ānandabhairavi till date.

5.9.1. Text

kamalasulōcana vimala taṭākini

marāḷagāmini karihara madhyē

bimbānana vidumaṇḍalarē

candana kuṅkuma samkalitā

parimaḷa kastūri tilakatarērē

jāji śayya kacakuca gana jagan

ambōja marāḷa gāmini

kariharamadhyē bimbānana vidumaṇḍalarē ||

Meaning

Kamala sulōcana - Oh, Lotus eyed !

Vimala taṭākini - in pure water of the lakes

Marāḷa gāmini - who walks like a swan

kari hara madhyē - who has a thin waist like that of a lion

bimbānana - bright like the disc of the sun

vidhumaṇḍalarē - and the circular moon

candana - sandal paste

kuṅkuma - kumkum powder

saṅkalitā - mixed together

parimaa kastūri - fragrant musk

tilakatarērē - adorning a tilak

jāji śayya - lying on a bed of jādi flowers

kaca kuca gana - with thick black hair

jaganambhōja - beautiful all over like a lotus

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The composer of this lakṣya gīta has explained the beauty of the Goddess

very tastefully. The text which is in Samskṛta has a poetic metre.

5.9.2. Melody

The rāga Mañjari appears for the first time in the Samskṛta work

‘Saṅgraha Cūḍāmaṇi’ of Gōvinda says S.R. Jānakirāman in his book

‘Rāgalakṣaṇam’, Vol. III, 1997. Pg. 81.The lakṣaṇa ślōka for this rāga Mañjari as

given in Saṅgraha Cūḍāmaṇi is as follows

jātō mēḷāt kharaharapriyādrāgastu mañjarī |

dha nyāsam dha amśakam caiva dhaivata grahamucyatē |

ārōhē pūrṇa vakram cāpyavarōhē sama graham |

s g r, g m p, n, d, n ṡ n, d p m, g r, || ( SC - chapter III , Pp. 112 and 113)

Meaning

The rāga mañjari has come from that mēḷa Kharaharapriya.

dhaivata is the nyāsa, amśa and graha svara .

ārōha follows a vakra sampūrṇa order while the avarōha has sama order.

s g r, g m p, n, d, n ṡ n, d p m, g r, .

Gōvinda gives a lakṣaṇa gīta Śrī daśarata rājakumāra in the rāga

Mañjari, set to tripuṭa tāḷa in his work. SC-Pg. 117 (Appendix-3.23.1). He gives

the same lakṣaṇa details as given by him in the lakṣaṇa ślōka quoted above. The

ārōha and avarōha of the Mañjari rāga gīta Kamlasulōcana, found in

Saṅgītānandaratnākaramu coincides with that of Gōvinda’s.

Mañjari – Janya of mēḷa Kharaharapriya

S (sa) G (cha) R G (śu) M P (kai) N ( cha) D N Ṡ - Ṡ N D P M G R S

The svara-s taken by the rāga Mañjari are ṣaḍja, sādhāraṇa gāndhāra,

chatuhśruti ṛṣabha, śuddha madhyama, pañcama, chatuhśruti dhaivata and

kaiśiki niṣāda.

The rāga defining phrases for this Mañjari are the vakra phrases ‘sgrgm’

and ‘pndnṡ’. Both these two phrases occur in the gīta Kamalasulōcana.

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n d n ṡ| ṡ ,| n ṡ||

ka ma la su lō o ca na

s g r g| m g| m ,||

Jā a a ji śa y ya a

p n d n| p d| n ṡ||

ka ca ku ca gha na ja ga

The same vakra phrases occur many times in the Mañjari rāga laksaṇa gīta.

s g r| g m| , m||

da śa ra ta rā , ,

p , n| d n| d p||

dha a gra ha n yā a

There is a Tyāgarāja kṛti in this rāga,’Paṭṭi viḍuva rādu’ set in Ādi tāḷa,

which is the only kṛti available in this rāga. The notation for this kṛti taken from

K.V. Śrīnivāsa Iyeṅgār’s ‘Tyāgarāja Hṛdayam’, vol. II, is also given in the

appendix-3.23.2. The two rāga identifying phrases occur very frequently in this

kṛti also.

, , s , g , r , g, m, m g r , | g g m , , , , , | p , d n d p d , ||

, , paṭ, ṭi , vi , ḍu , va , rā , , , du , , , , , , , na , , , ce i , ,

, , p , n , d , , d n , ṡ , , n | ṡ , , , , , , n | d n , , d p m p||

, , puṭ , ṭi , na , , nā , , ḍē , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Interestingly the opening phrase ‘ndns’ of this gīta kamalasulōcana is also

the opening phrase for many of the compositions in the janya rāga-s of

Kharaharapriya as in Evarani in Dēvāmṛtavarśini, Evarikai in Dēvamanōhari and

so on.

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Comparing the phrases of the gīta ‘Kamalasulōcana’ with that of the

laksana gīta of Gōvinda ‘Śrī daśarata rājakumāra’ and the kṛti ‘Paṭṭi viḍuva

rādu’, it is clear that the rāga of the gīta Kamalasulōcana is more likely to be

Mañjari and not Ānandabhairavi.

Ānandabhairavi is bhāṣāṅga janya of the Naṭabhairavi. The ārōha and

avarōha of this rāga is, S G R G M P D P Ṡ - Ṡ N D P M G R S. The svarasthāna-s are

chatuhśruti ṛṣabha, sadhāraṇa gāndhāra, śuddha madhyama, catuhśruti dhaivata

and kaiśiki niṣāda. The anya svara in this rāga is the catuhśruti dhaivata.

Though Ānandabhairavi and Mañjari are dvi svara vakra sampūrna

rāga-s with the same svarasthāna-s, the prayōga ‘p d p ṡ’ is key rāga identifying

and defining phrase for Ānandabhairavi. The obvious absence of the phrase

‘pdpṡ’ in the gīta ‘Kamalasulōcana’, is a thought provoking one. From the

illustrative prayōga-s given for this rāga by Subbarāma Dīkṣita and Sahaji, it can

be gathered that the phrase ‘p d n ṡ’ is not allowed in Ānandabhairavi. This is

again found in this gīta.

p n d n| p d| n ṡ||

ka ca ku ca gha na ja ga

These are the two strong points against the rāga of this gīta being

Ānandabhairavi.

The usage of ‘p d n d’ in ‘p d n ṡ’ in the gīta probably indicates visēśa

prayōga-s identified with the rāga Kharaharapriya. Likewise the prayōga

‘s g g m’ occurs in this gīta which resembles Ānandabhairavi. But the handling of

the gāndhāra with catuhśruti ṛṣabha as the anusvara between the two gāndhāra-s

is the differentiating factor between Mañjari and Ānandabhairavi. The phrase ‘ṡ n

n ṡ’, found in the gīta should be sung with kaiśiki niṣāda and not kākāli niṣāda.

And the usage of this phrase in the madhya sthāyi again is a clue for Mañjari, for

in Ānandabhairavi this phrase occurs only in mandara sthāyi.

The notation of the kṛti ‘paṭṭi viḍuvarādu’ as given by K.V. Śrīnivāsa

Iyeṅgār provides an insight into the oral tradition of this rāga. The usage of ‘p d n

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d’ and ‘p d p m’ is found in the pallavi of this kṛti, apart from ‘p n d n ṡ’. The ‘ṡ n

n d’ phrase also occurs in the madhya sthāyi as seen in the gīta.

The oral rendition of this kṛti by Vōlēṭi Veṅkaṭēśvarulu has many

progressive saṅgati-s both in pallavi and anupallavi with many interesting

phrases. These saṅgati-s remind about the progressive saṅgati-s that occur in the

popular kṛti ‘Cakkanirāja’, by Tyāgarāja in the rāga Kharaharapriya. There are a

lot of janṭa prayōga-s in the pallavi like ‘ṡn nd dp pm gr rs’, ‘gmgg mpmm pdpp’,

‘ġṙṙṡnd dppmgr’, etc. This rendition strictly follows the ārōha avarōha krama

throughout.

Observations

From the above discussions it can be concluded that the rāga of the gīta

Kamalasulōcana is more likely to be Mañjari as found in Saṅgītānandaratnākaramu

by Tenmaṭham brothers.

The lakṣaṇa gīta of Gōvinda in Mañjari serves as a reference point in identifying the

rāga of this gīta Kamalasulōcana.

The lakṣaṇa gīta-s of Gōvinda in many rare and unfamiliar rāga-s are of great

significance as they serve as important illustrative compositions.

5.10. Analysis of Tenmaṭham brothers’ gīta

This gīta has been taken up for analysis in an attempt to highlight the

composition of a less popular composer of this musical form, whose contributions are

noteworthy.

The lakṣya gīta in the rāga Pantuvarāḷi set to ādi tāḷa of eight akṣarakāla-s

per tāla cycle has been taken up for analysis. This gīta is in Samskṛta language. The

notation for this gīta has been taken from the Telugu book Saṅgītānandaratnākaramu

by Tenmaṭham brothers and has been appended (Appendix-3.24). The signature of the

brothers, ‘narasimha’ appears in this gīta.

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5.10.1. Text

maṅgaḷa dēvatē mahitē - mārajananitē namōstu sītē

rākācandra ramya vadanē - rājita vikacēndī varanayanē

rāghavapriyē rajanī pati śati - rucimukta hārāñjita hṛdayē

dāsanarasimha sadayē - dayayā pālaya daraṇī tanayē||

Meaning

Oh! The honourable goddess, one who bestows prosperity, the mother of

Māra, the god of love, Oh! Sīta, my obeisance unto you!

One who possesses a beautiful face akin to the full moon, whose eyes are

more beautiful than a fully bloomed lotus with a large bee in it!

Oh! The beloved of Rāghava, one who adorns on the chest, a necklace made

of hundred lustrous pearls that glow like the beautiful moon.

The abode of your devotee Narasimha, Oh! The merciful daughter of the

mother earth, protect me.

The above gīta is in praise of Goddess Sīta. The composer seeks the

blessings of Sīta, praising her as the goddess of prosperity. The text is in poetic

metre. In this gīta the last letter alliteration of the vowel ‘ē’ called ‘antyaprāsa’has

been beautifully handled -Dēvatē, Mahitē, Jananitē, Sītē, Vadanē, Priyē, Hṛdayē,

Sadayē and Tanayē. This kind of prosodic embellishment is common in most of

their compositions. The brothers have also used the second letter alliteration,

called ‘dvitīyākṣaraprāsa’ in this gīta. The alliteration of the second letter ‘ā, can

be seen in the following words - māra, rāka, rājita, rāghava, dāsa and pālaya’.

5.10.2. Melody

Pantuvarāḷi is the fifity-first pratimadhyama mēḷakarta rāga also known

as Kāmavardhini. The svara-s taken by this rāga are ṣaḍja, śuddha ṛṣabha, antara

gāndhāra, pratimadhyama, pañcama, śuddha dhaivata and kākali niṣiāda. The

rāga Pantuvarāḷi is a very rare choice for a gīta.

The melody of this gīta is continuous from beginning till the end. There

are no saṅgati-s (melodic variations) or repetitions in the melody. The

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composition is syllabic in nature. The extension of the svara-s does not exceed

two counts, and in line with the vowel extensions of the syllables of the text.

The melody begins in tāra ṣaḍja which gives a bright start to the composition.

ṡ , n d| p m| g m|| p d n ,| ṡ n| d ,||

maṅ , ga la dē , , va tē , , , ma hi tē ,

The melody extends from mandra niṣāda to tāra madhyama. So the whole

composition is brisk and effective. The composer has used the note madhyama as

the ending note in most of the phrases. This gives a pleading effect which aptly

suits the mood of the song.

ṡ , n d| p m| g m||

maṅ , ga la dē , , va

n , d n| d p| m ,||

mā , ra ja na ni tē ,

s r g m| p d| m ,||

ra m , ya va da nē ,

The composer has used ‘svarākṣara’ (the svara-s appearing as syllables in the text) in

one instance.

d n ṡ n|

dā , sa na

5.10.3. Tāḷa

The composition is in ādi tāḷa with eight counts for every tāḷa cycle. The

entire gīta is of sixteen āvarta-s or tāḷa cycle only. The syllabic structure is

maintained throughout the composition.

Observations

The gīta-s of Tenmaṭham brothers, rich in their musical and lyrical value are ideal

compositions to be taught to beginners. Tenmaṭham brothers have to be recognised

and given a status as prominent composers of gīta-s of 20th century.

More of these gīta-s have to be made available through printed forms and an

awareness of these gīta-s should be brought about.

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His gīta-s with high devotional value can be sung as invocatory and tukkaḍa pieces in

concerts too.

5.11. Analysis of the rāgamāla gīta of Vīṇa Vijaya Varadayya

Vīṇa Vijaya Varadayya is a pioneer in composing a gīta in rāgamālika.

Generally gīta is a musical form that is composed in a single rāga and tāḷa. But Vīṇa

Vijaya Varadayya has composed two gīta-s adopting the concept of rāgamālika which

is unique to this musical form.

The rāgamāla gīta taken for analysis here is a lakṣya gīta ‘Karnāṭa koṅkaṇa’,

which has thirty-six rāga-s. The tāḷa is not mentioned in the notation. Since each

āvarta has ten akṣarakāla-s, the tāḷa can be reckoned as caturaśra maṭhya or miśra

jhampa. The notation for this gīta is available in the Telugu work SSSS of Vīṇa

Rāmānuja which has been appended (Appendix-3.25). The mudra ‘Vījaya varada’

appears in the last āvarta set in Nāṭa rāga.

5.11.1. Text

karnāṭa koṅkaṇa gauḷa dēśādhipa varāḷi manōhāra birudaṅka

śrīrāga rañjita bahuḷi kṛtōtsara sāraṅganaṭana naranārāyaṇa

Khaṇḍika

śrī nityakalyāṇa varasakāmbhudhi śayana varabhūpālaka caturītilaka

vara śuddha satva kēdāragauḷa nāṭakurañji varamukhāri

śaṅkarābharaṇa bhairavi pantuvarāḷi gauḷipantu

bilahari ghaṇṭārava sāraṅgā nourōju

yadukulakāmbhōji tōḍi rēvagupti sarasa sāvēri

kāpi kannaḍa āhiri māruvadhanyāsi

śuddha dhanyāsi madhyamāvati sourāśtrādita

racita gītamālā vijaya varada māmava ||

Meaning

Oh Nārāyana! You are the head of Karnātakoṅkaṇa gauḷadēśa and the lover of rāga-

s like Varāḷi, Śrī, Bahuḷi and Sāraṅganāṭa. The ever auspicious one, sleeping in the

milky ocean and protecting the world very smartly, I, Vijaya Varada, have composed

this gītamāla with rāga-s Śaṅkarābharaṇa, Bhairavi, Pantuvarāḷi, Gauḷipantu,

Bilahari, Ghaṇṭārava, Sāraṅgā, Nourōju, Yadukulakāmbhōji, Tōḍi, Rēvagupti,

Sāvēri, Kāpi, Kannaḍa, Āhiri, Māruvadhanyāsi, Śuddha Dhanyāsi, Madhyamāvati

and Sourāśtrā.

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This lakṣya gīta is in praise of Lord Nārāyaṇa and is composed in

chaste Samskṛta language. This gīta has one khaṇḍika and has the mudra of

the composer ‘Vijaya Varada’ in the last line. The composer has very

intelligently woven the rāga mudra-s into the text. In the following verses we

can see the clever usage of rāga mudra by the composer.

Karnāṭa koṅkaṇa gauḷa dēśādhipa –The rāga mudra-s Nāṭa and Gauḷa have

been intelligently used while addressing the Lord as the head of the region

Karnāṭa koṅkaṇa gaula.

Sāraṅganaṭana -The rāgamudra here is Sāraṅganāṭa which gives the

meaning of variety in form and colour of Lord Nārāyaṇa.

Nityakalyāṇa – The rāga mudra Kalyāṇi gives the meaning ‘auspicious’ as an

adjective.

Varasakāmbhudhi śayana – The rāgamudra Kāmbhōji has been very

beautifully incorporated into the phrase giving the meaning of ‘one who sleeps

in the milky ocean’

Varabhūpālaka – The rāga mudra Bhūpāla is used to denote Lord as the one

who protects the world

Caturītilaka – The rāga mudra Rītigauḷa has been cleverly incorporated into

the word ‘caturītilaka’.

The rest of the rāgamudra-s are used as it is in the composition. The

use of the rare rāga Ghaṇṭāravam which is same as Ghaṇṭa of today again

shows the virtuosity of the composer in this art form and the popularity of this

rāga during his time.

5.11.2. Melody

The composer has used thirty-six rāga-s for this rāgamāla gīta. Eight

rāga-s have been used for the first segment and the rest for the following

khaṇḍika. Initially the prathama pañcaghana rāga-s Nāṭa, Gauḷa, Varāḷi, Ārabhi

and Śrī have been used followed by other common rāga-s. The dvitīya

pañcaghana rāga-s namely Bauḷi, Nārāyaṇagauḷa, Rītigauḷa and Sāraṅganāṭa

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have also been used excluding Kēdāra Some rare rāga-s like Ghaṇṭārava,

Navrōju, Sāraṅganāṭa, Māruvadhanyāsi and Calanāṭa have also been included.

Finally the composition ends with Nāṭa again.

The composer has very effectively handled the order of thirty-six rāga-s.

The continuity is well maintained without hindering the flow of the melody. All

the twelve svarathāna-s have been used in this melody. The vivādi svara-s

ṣaṭśruti ṛṣabha and ṣaṭśruti dhaivata have also been included in the rāga

Calanāṭa. Though each rāga extends to only one āvarta, the rāga bhāva has been

very effectively brought out through rāga rañjaka and visēśa prayōga-s of the

respective rāga-s.

The melody begins with the stable svara pañcama which gives a bright

start. The effective handling of the three varieties of ṛṣabha in the first five ghana

rāga-s can be observed in the following phrases. The ṣaṭśruti ṛṣabha in the Nāṭa

phrase ‘ p,pmp,mmr,’, The śuddha ṛṣabha in the Gauḷa and Varāḷi phrases ‘

s,srrm, rrs’ and ‘ḍgrrgrgrsṇ’ and the catuhśruti ṛṣabha in the Ārabhi and Śrī

phrases ‘rrr,rmgrrs’ and ‘r,grrs,sṇp’. The melody extends from madhya pañcama

to mandra pañcama in the above five rāga phrases.

In the next rāga Bauḷi, the absence of niṣāda is obvious, as the composer

has also used Bhūpāla though not consecutively. But the absence of ṛṣabha in the

Bauli phrase comes as a relief. In the Sāraṅganāṭa phrase, the melody goes up to

tāra madhyama. This is a very unusual and a rare rāga to be used in a rāgamālika.

This is a janya of Māḷavagauḷa. There is only one composition ‘Avyāja karunā’ of

Muttusvāmi Dīkṣita available in this rāga now.

The usage of Nārāyaṇagauḷa for the corresponding text ‘Naranārāyaṇa’

is very apt.

The khaṇḍika begins with the pratimadhyama rāga Kalyāṇi, after eight

śuddha madhyama rāga-s. This gives a bright start to the khaṇḍika. The rāga

rañjaka prayōga-s have been used very effectively in the Kāmbhōji phrase

‘mgpd,ṡnddp’ and Rītigauḷa phrase ‘ nndm,gggrs’.

Another pratimadhyama rāga used is Pantuvarāḷi. This is followed by

Gauḷipantu wherein the controversial madhyama has been omitted. The Sāraṅga

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phrase ‘d,pmr,gmd’, is a very unusual one that is not commonly sung. The

composer has applied the concept of svarākṣara in the Sāvēri rāga phrase ‘srs

r,m,p,d’ for the corresponding text ‘sarasa sāvēri’.

Of the thirty-six rāga-s used for this gīta, only two pratimadhyama rāga-s

namely Kalyāṇi and Pantuvarāḷi have been used apart from the dvimadhyama

rāga Sāraṅga.

5.11.3. Tāḷa

The tāḷa for this gīta has not been mentioned in SSSS. Since there are ten

akṣarakāla-s in each tāḷa cycle, the tāḷa can be reckoned as caturaśra maṭhya or

miśra jhampa. But the placement of syllables coincides with the kriya of jhampa

tāḷa best. The tempo of this gīta is maintained uniformly in madhyamakāla due to

the syllabic melodic structure that has been adopted throughout. The extension of

dirgha svara-s does not exceed two akṣarakāla-s, anywhere in the entire melody.

The first section of this gīta extends to eight āvarta-s while the khaṇḍika extends

to twenty-nine āvarta-s.

Observations

The concept of rāgamālika has been very effectively incorporated into this musical

form gīta by the composer as a pioneering attempt.

The choice of rāga-s for this rāgamālika reveals a scholarly approach.

The composer has very intelligently incorporated the rāga mudra-s into the text

making the composition even more interesting.

5.12. Analysis of simhanandana tāḷa gīta

Saṅgīta Sarvārtha Sāra Saṅgrahamu of Vīṇa Rāmānuja gives a gīta, ā re

daśarata rāja in the rāga Śaṅkarābharaṇa set to simhānandana tāḷa. This lakṣya gīta

is in praise of Lord Rāma in Bhāṇḍīrabhāṣa. This gīta is one of its kind. The notation

for this gīta has been taken from the above mentioned source (Appendix-3.26).

5.12.1. Text

āre daśaratha rāja nandana paripālita goutama sati rē rē

mēdini suta pariṇaya vilasita sakala rāja makuṭa

nīrājita pada paduma bhāsitu rē rē

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rāvaṇādi vidaḷitu rē rē sākētapura pālanārurē ||

The text of this gīta explains the efficient ruling power of Lord Rāma. The

words ‘rē rē, ārē’ correspond to the nominative case, meaning ‘Oh, son of

Daśaratharāja!’. The entire text is in chaste Samskṛta.

5.12.2. Melody

The choice of Śaṅkarābharaṇa for this gīta only adds to the grandeour of

this composition. The melody is simple without any jaṇṭa or vakra prayōga-s. The

opening phrase in madhyama gives the feel of the rāga Śaṅkarābharaṇa at the

very outset. The range of this gīta is from mandra niṣāda to tāra

pañcama.Though the original notation does not give the octave symbols, the flow

of melody is indicative of the ascent and the descent of the svara-s.

This gīta extends to one āvarta of simhanandana tāḷa. Since the duration

of one āvarta of this tāḷa is of hundred and twenty-eight aksarakāla-s, the gīta has

been intelligently composed with pauses extending to two akṣarakāla-s at three

places. These pauses come as a relief for the singers singing a big āvarta as in this

tāḷa without a break. The pauses have tāra ṣaḍja and madhya pañcama as the

resting notes. These phrases are cited below.

ṁ ġ ṁ ṙ ṡ ṙ ṡ n ṡ , ṡ ,

Li ta ga u ta ma sa ti re e re

S r g m p , p ,-

Ni i i i rā ā

P d n ṡ ṡ ṙ ṡ n ṡ , ṡ , -

Ā ā ā di vi da ļi tu re re

This gīta is syllabic in nature but for the last segment. The text

corresponding to the last two aṅga-s the laghu and kākapāda of this tāḷa, has the

vowel ‘a’ extending to seventeen akṣarakāla-s. This is a melismatic melody

setting also known as gamakālapti giving a good finishing touch to the long tāḷa

cycle.

d n ṡ ,- ṡ n d p d p m g m p m g m g r s||

na a ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ā ru re

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5.12.3. Tāḷa and rhythm

Generally gīta-s are composed only in sapta tāḷa-s and its varieties. Vijaya

Varadayya, to whom this gīta has been attributed to, has boldly attempted to

compose a gīta in Simhanandana tāḷa. There is no signature of the composer in

this gīta.

Simhanandana tāḷa is the thirty-seventh tāḷa of the hundred and eight tāḷa-

sfound in the musical treatise, Saṅgīta Ratnākara of Śārṅgadēva. This is the

longest of the tāḷa-s with thirty-two mātra-s or hundred and twenty-eight

akṣarakāla-s for one tāḷa cycle. The tāla aṅga-s as given in Saṅgīta Sarvārtha

Sāra Saṅgrahamu are as follows.

8 8 l 3 l 8 0 0 8 8 l 3 l 3 8 l l +

There are five tāḷāṅga-s in this tāḷa. They are 0 - dhruta - 2 akṣarakāla-s; l

-laghu-4 akṣarakāla-s; 8 – guru –8akṣarakāla-s; 3 – plutam - 12 akṣarakāla-s;

and + - kākapādam-16 akṣarakāla-s. Plutam is generally denoted by the symbol

81 in other works. Total number of aṅga-s in this tāḷa are eighteen.

Simhanandana tāḷa is well explained by the following verse taken from

Saṅgītaratnākara.

caccatpuṭa rati tāḷa darpaṇah kōkilapriyā |

abhaṅga mudrikatāḷō śaḍētē simhanandanam ||

According to the above verse Simhanandana tāḷa comprises of six other

tāḷa-s namely Caccatpuṭa, Rati tāḷa, Darpaṇa, Kōkilapriya, Abhaṅga and

Mudrika. In any case this tāḷa has a distinct rhythmic entity for itself.

This gīta is of single āvarta. Since there is a distinct kriya (hand

movement) for each akṣarakāla of all the tāḷāṅga-s, a syllabic composition is

feasible in this tāḷa. So, composing a gīta in this tāḷa makes sense. According to

the old tradition guru, plutam and kākapādam were all considered as extensions of

laghu, which involves beat and counting of fingers. So, even the guru which is

now reckoned in a circular closed fist movement was reckoned as two laghu-s one

below and one above summing up to eight akṣarakāla-s. So, each akṣarakāla has

182

a specific action of the hand and so suitable to this syllabic compositional form

‘gīta’.

But the splitting of words between the different tāḷāṅga-s indicates

padaccēda (wrong splitting of words) in many places which is very obvious, ‘pā-

lita, vila-sita, saka-la, rā-jita and pāla-na’. This is very unlikely of Vijaya

Varadayya who has so beautifully composed the rāgamāla gīta incorporating the

rāga mudra-s in single āvarta-s of jhampa tāḷa. For example-

S r g m p , p ,- m g m p-

Ni i i i rā ā ji ta pa da

The word ‘rājita’ gets split as ‘rā’ and ‘jita’ between the two tāḷāṅga-s

namely the guru and laghu.

Observations

This composition is a proof that gīta-s can be composed in any of the tāḷa-s that uses

the śaḍāṅga-s. Ofcourse capu tāḷa-s do not fall into this category.

This gīta is the only other composition available in simhanandana tāḷa apart from the

famed tillāna in Kānaḍa rāga ‘Gouri nāyaka’ composed by Maha Vaidhyanāta Śivan.

So, this gīta is of great significance.

A sculpture depicting this tāḷa is found in the Mīnākṣi temple at Madurai (A

Dictionary of South Indian Music and Musicians, P. Sambamoorthy, Vol. IV, 2007,

Pg. 230).

5.13. Analysis of an unpublished gīta from manuscript

The unpubished gīta Śrīramaṇī pada sarōja in the rāga Pūrṇacandrika set to

dhruva tāḷa is from a manuscript available in the GOML-Chepauk, Chennai. This

manuscript (D.No.923) was transliterated by Kuravi Lalitha as part of her M.Phil

dissertation. The gīta taken for analysis is in praise of Sōma Bhūpālarāya, the King of

Gadwal (Appendix-3.27).

183

5.13.1. Text

srī ramaṇī pada sarōja mānasa cañcarīkurē

tujha bhūri bhērīninadu janita vairi hṛdaya vikaḷurē

pracaṇḍa dōrdaṇḍa maṇḍita karōra maṇḍalā gradhārurē rē

Jāvaḍa

vimala cāritrure saṅgarāvanī tuma sammānu kōnure

parākrama mṛgēvandrurē tiyam va iya iya yā ru

śrī gadvāla rājā sōma bhūpālarāya cirañjīvurē ||

The above text is in praise of the famous Sōma Bhūpāla, is the King of

Gadwal. History shows that Gadwal which is inbetween Hyderabad and Kurnool

was ruled by Pedda Sōma Bhūpāluḍu alias Sōmanādri during late 17th and early

18th century. Here text says that he is so powerful that he cannot be compared with

anybody. So, this gīta should have been composed by some early 18th century

composer. The text is in Bhāṇḍīrabhāṣa with gītālaṅkāra pada-s like tiyam, vaiya

and iya. The gīta has section name jāvaḍa which is generally seen in SSP gīta-s.

5.13.2. Melody

The rāga Pūrṇacandrika is a janya of the nineteenth mēḷa Dhīra

Śaṅkarābharaṇa. It takes the svara-s catuhśruti ṛṣabha, antara gāndhāra,

pañcama, śuddha madhyama, catuhśruti dhaivata and kākali niṣāda. But the

āroha and avarōha varies between the Veṅkaṭamakhin and the Gōvinda schools.

According to SSP, the ārōha and avarōha of bhāṣāṅga rāga Pūrṇacandrika is

srgmpdnṡ - ṡnpmgmrs with kaiśiki niṣāda as the anya svara in prayōga-s like pnp

and sdnp alone. But Gōvinda gives a different ārōha and avarōha in his

Pūrṇacandrika lakṣaṇa gīta ‘ā rē rē jaya jaya’ which is srgmpdpṡ - ṡnpdpmgmrs.

This is the scale that is commonly followed at present. But this unpublished gīta

seems to follow the lakṣaṇa of SSP.

The sampūrna krama of the ārōha ṇp,dṇsrgmrs as per SSP lakṣaṇa has

been followed in this gīta. The usage pnsr is also seen.

ṇ p , ḍ| ṇ s| r g m r| s , ṇ p||

ka rō . . . ra man . . . . . . .

184

The vakra rāga rañjaka prayōga-s rgmr and mgmr have been frequently

used in this gīta.

The gīta also has ‘pdp’ prayōga-s in phrases like snpddpdpsrrs and

rgmp,dp in the mandra and madhya registers. Though the SSP does not include

pdp in the scale, the phrases like pdpm and npdp have been given as significant

usages.

s ṇ p ḍ| ḍ p ḍ p s r| r s , ,|

mā na sa can . ca rī . . . ku rē . .

The bhāṣāṅga prayōga-s are absent.

5.13.3. Tāḷa and rhythm

The textual setting matches well with the tāḷa and its aṅga-s. The one to

one relationship of the svara and sāhitya has been maintained well with very rare

extension of svara-s to two or more akṣarakāla-s. This matches well with the

medium tempo that this rāga usually demands.

Observations

The historical evidence available from this gīta helps in fixing the period of this

unpublished gīta as early 18th century. This gīta is highly significant because of its

historical reference

The composer has definitely followed the lakṣaṇa-s of the Veṅkaṭamakhin scheme.

This gīta gives us an idea as to how this rāga was handled in early 18th century. The

pdns prayōga in the ascend is rare and not in use nowadays.

5.14. Analysis of a Tamil gīta by K. Varadāccāri

The following is a popular Tamil gīta of Tiger K. Varadāccāri in rāga

Śaṅkarābharana, set to tripuṭa tāḷa (Appendix- 3.28).

5.14.1. Text

Ēzhumalaimēl – Śaṅkarābharaṇam- Tripuṭa

ēzhu malai mēl ezhunda sōdiyē

emperumānē iraṅgi vā vā

iduvē taruṇam ṣaraṇa sēvai

185

eḷiyarkkaruḷvāi iniya kōvē

padamalarai ninain durugi nāḍiyē

iḷaittu melindapin gati unai yallāl

kāṇgilēnē karuṇai vaḍivamē

kanaka malar padam aruḷ varadā.

Meaning

Oh, Lord who resides on the seven hills! This is the time for you to come

down and bless your worshippers. I do not find any reason but to take refuge

at your lotus feet, now that I have shrunken awaiting your arrival.

The composer has totally surrendered himself to Lord Veṅkaṭēśvara and

begs for his mercy. The composer has used simple colloquial language for this

gīta.

5.14.2. Melody

The melody begins in madhya pañcama and the phrase slowly settles

down in ādhāra ṣaḍja. The range of the melody extends from mandra dhaivata to

tāra madhyama. The melody throughout is a combination of short and long

svara-s according to the vowel extensions of the syllables in the text. The entire

melody is highly syllabic in structure ensuring a medium tempo. The composer

has aptly used the tāra phrases, cited below, where he is pleading mercy loud and

high.

ṁ ġ ṁ| ṙ ġ| ṡ ṙ|| ṡ d n| ṡ ṙ| ṙ ,||

i ḷai ttu me lin da pin ga ti u nai yal lāl ,

ġ ṙ ṡ| ṙ ġ| ṁ ,|| ġ ṙ ṡ| ṙ ġ| ṡ ṙ||

kā ṇ gi lē , nē , ka ru ṇai va ḍi va mē

5.14.3. Tāḷa and rhythm

The choice of the tāḷa is very apt to the text and synchronizes very well.

Each tāḷa cycle has meaningful text. Both the melodic and textual settings are a

combination of hrasva and dirgha svara-s and syllables not extending two

akṣarakāla-s throughout. This gives a steady medium tempo to the song making it

vibrant and challenging as well.

186

Observations

The easy language and simple melody of this composition are the reasons for this gīta

being very popular amongst beginners.

5.15. Analysis of a Telugu lakṣaṇa gīta of S.R. Jānakirāman

The Telugu gīta ‘Saṅgīta Kalānidhi, is a lakṣaṇa gīta in the rāga Udayaravicandrikā

which is set to dhruva tāḷa. This is the only full fledged gīta available in Telugu. An

important feature of this gīta is that, the composer has paid his salutations to his guru

‘Tiger Varadācāryar’, in the beginning of this gīta. This gīta also gives an elaborate

description about the lakṣaṇa-s of this rāga (Appendix -3.29).

5.15.1. Text

Udayaravicandrikā – Dhruva tāḷa

saṅgīta kalānidhi śrī varadācāryulaku

vandana moneriñceda

ṣaḍja śuddha madhyama pañcama svaramulatōnu

sādhāraṇa gāndhāra kākali niṣāda

svaramulanu cēri ārōhāvarōhaṇa mulayandu

r d varjita krama auḍavamai

g m p svaramulu yuktamagu

grahāmśa nyāsa svaramulai

g n svaramulu mṛdu kampitamai

mandra pañcama modalu tāra madhyamamu varaku sañcariñci

dhunibhinna ṣaḍjamu maṛiyu dhēnuka mēḷa

vargamulaku cendina rāgamu

udayaravicandrikayani pēr konnadi

Meaning- Paying tributes to the Saṅgīta Kalānidhi, Śrī Varadācāryar....the

rāga which is named Udayaravicandrika takes the svara-s ṣaḍja, śuddha

madhyama and pañcama along with sādhāraṇa gāndhāra and kākali niṣāda in

both ārōha and avarōha ; devoid of ṛṣabha and dhaivata, this is a krama

auḍava rāga ( the five svara-s occurring in the correct order); gāndhāra,

madhyama and pañcama act as graha, amśa and nyāsa svara-s; gāndhāra and

niṣāda are the mṛdu kampita ( mild oscillating) svara-s ; phrases range

between mandra pañcama and tāra madhyama; the rāga belongs to the mēḷa

Dhunibhinnaṣaḍja, which is also known as Dhēnuka.

187

5.15.2. Melody

From the above meaning it is clear that, the composer distinctly follows

the mēḷa-janya classification of Mudduveṅkaṭamakhi, the author of the so called

Rāgalakṣaṇam who states Udayaravicandrika as the janya of Dhunibhinnaṣaḍja.

Dhunibhinnaṣaḍja, the ninth mēḷa of the rāgāṅga-rāga scheme of classification, is

the nomenclature given to Bhinnaṣaḍja, with the Kaṭapayādi prefix. In the

Kanakāṅgi scheme of rāga classification, the corresponding ninth mēḷa is called

Dhēnuka.

While Tiruvēṅkaṭa Kavi mentions this rāga in his Saṅgīta Sāra Saṇgraha,

neither Veṅkaṭamakhin nor Gōvinda Dīkṣita mention about this rāga. Gōvinda of

Saṅgraha Cūḍāmaṇi gives this rāga as a janya of Naṭabhairavi, the twentieth mēḷa

with kaiśiki niṣāda. P. Sambamoorthy gives this rāga as a janya of

Kharaharapriya, the twenty-second mēḷa, with kaiśiki niṣāda. Subbarāma Dīkṣita

states that while Śuddha dhanyāsi takes kaiśiki niṣāda, Udayaravicandrika takes

kākali niṣāda. These are the various textual views on the clasiification of this

janya rāga Udayaravicandrika. But S.R.Jānakirāman states in this lakṣaṇa gīta

very clearly that, Udayaravicandrika takes kākali niṣāda and rules out the doubt

on the variety of niṣāda that has to be followed while rendering this gīta.

The composer has very tastefully and interestingly matched the dhātu and

mātu in this gīta. The text ṣaḍja is tuned in the svara ṣaḍja while the word śuddha

madhyama is tuned in the svarasthāna of madhyama and so on.

s , s m| , m| m , p m| p , p p||

sa d ja śu d dha ma dhya ma pa ñ ca ma

g g m g| g s| n , n n| n s , s||

gān . . dhā , ra kā ka li ni ṣā da

The ārōha and avarōha have been incorporated into the dhātu to the

corresponding text ‘ārōha and avarōha’.

s g m p n ṡ ṡ n p m g s

ā . . rō . hā va rō . . ha ṇa

The entire range of the melody extends from madhya ṣaḍja till tāra

madhyama. This gives a bright feel for the composition.

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5.15.3. Tāḷa and Rhythm

The composer has used dhruva tāḷa of caturaśra jāti to give a majestic feel

for his composition. He has used dirgha svara-s extending upto four akṣarakāla-s.

This only comes as a relief to the musician in big composition like this.

Observations

This gīta is significant because it reflects the ideas of a contemporary composer and

the existing trend of the rāga Udayaravicandrika.

This is the only Telugu composition available in this musical form.