Nadopasana of thANumAlayan

Classical Carnatic music is totally dominated by compositions on Gods. Since the Trimurti – Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are an integral part of a Hindu life, it is no wonder that they are very much woven into the fabric of classical music, which is the most ancient of all arts. Every treatise on music discusses how music emanated from the Trimurti.  In his magnum opus Sangita Ratnakara, Sarangadeva mentions that

Nadopasanayadeva

            Brahma Vishnu Maheswara

Bavanthyupasita nunam

          Yasmad yethe tadatmakaha

(If we invoke sound, we also invoke without doubt Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva because they are nothing other than sound)

Saint Tyagaraja who has composed a series of songs on the theme of nadopasana, avers more than once that the Trimurti “shined” because of worship through nada. “nadopasanache shankara narayana vidhulu velasiriyo manasa”. Then, in another kriti (ananda sagara….), Tyagaraja says that those who do not ‘swim’ in the ocean of joy brought about by the knowledge of music are a burden to the universe. In the same kriti, while pleading with Rama, he queries “sri viswanatha srikantha vidhulu bavana murthulu pasincha ledha?” (Didn’t the three murti–Shiva, Vishnu, Brahma do (nada) upasana?) He emphasizes that bhakti is the only route to salvation. In “sangeeta gnanamu bhaktivina sanmargamu galate manasa”, he proclaims that only music (gnanam) that is infused with devotion (bhakti) will lead to sanmarga.

Venkata Kavi echoes Tyagaraja’s sentiments.  He says “bhakti* yoga* sangeeta* mArgamE*, paravapavanamagume*” and goes on to link the two (bhakti and sangeetam) as sakti and shivam (rakthi*rAgamaya*isai* ….bhakti*illAvidil* palan*viLaiyAdhu*………sakthi* illAvidil* sivam* uLathEthu*) and concludes that rAma*nAma*rAsa* nAmam*rAgamOdu*iNaiyum* pOthellAm*anurAgam*”.

Beautiful sentiments expressed unequivocally.

Famous composers have referred to the Trimurti collectively and have also named them individually in their songs. In addition, they have composed severalsongs exclusively on Shiva and Vishnu (and his avatars). But only Muthuswamy Dikshitar has composed a lone song on Brahma. (bhooshapathim manjubashapathim bajeham in raga bhushavathi) Curiously Brahma is not very popular in the temples department either. The temple at Pushkar is very famous but there are not many others. In Uthamar Koil on the out-skirts of Trichy, all the three, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva appear with their consorts in kalyana kolam (in wedding dress). This lack of “worship” could be something to do with the two curses Brahma had incurred.@@

Venkata Kavi too has referred to Brahma in several songs but has not composed a song exclusively on the God of Creation. It is no secret that Venkata Kavi’s favourite God is Krishna but he has composed several songs on Shiva, Vishnu and his avatars Narasimha and Rama. The songs on Krishna take all kinds of hues – satire, criticism, fond love, adoration and at times even erotic but the songs on Shiva and Vishnu almost always portray total surrender. Here he is considering Vishnu as an all-encompassing “gurunathar” and  is showering praises for delivering him from all kinds of evil.

pallavi

ellAm* gurunAthan*karuNai* -thavam

eNNiya*eNNamum* paNNiya* puNNiyam* – kaNNan*

vaNNamalar* pAdham* naNNiya* thiNNam*

anupallavi

allAtha*uRavidam* nEsam*- thavam*

AgAthu* maRaiththidum* pAsam*- nAmam*

sollA* dhurguNaththin* AvEsam*- aththanaiyum*

madhyamakalam

thuraththi* enai* aRam* uNarththi* hari* padham* niRuththi*

manaththil* niRuththi* vaiththavan*

charanam

anthamigu* harigunam* pAduvathum* antha*

Ananthaththil* adiyArgaL* kooruvathum* antha*

Sinthanaiyil* enai* maRanthAduvathum* udan*

dEvaki* bAlanudan* rAsam* Oduvathum*

thiRamighu* maRaimaNantha* sollAnathu*

nilaiyodu*poruLAga*ninRathum*

theeyavinai*maRaviguththavinai*janmavinai*seyal*

maRanthavinai*Anavai*senRathum*

amudham*kasandha*aththanai*iniththavARAi*

ArAvamudhan*harinAmam*uNarnthathum*

aruLodu*kalandhu*thAnAgi*ninRathum*ANavamalam*

aganRathum*gnAnam*uNarnthathum* ….(ellAm*gurunAthan*karuNai*)

After proclaiming in the pallavi that the compassion of the Lord has been the reason for the deliverance, in anupallavi, Venkata Kavi lists out the evils in life – inappropriate relationships (allAtha* uRavidam* nEsam*), affections which spoil penance (thavam*agaththu*maRaiththidum*pAsam*), bad character preventing utterance of God’s name(nAmam*solla*dhurguNaththin AvEsam*) and then credits the Lord with directing him to the path of righteousness. The alliteration and rhyme in the pallavi and anupallavi are noteworthy.

The lines of charanam reiterate the theme of the Lord’s sweet name driving away the evils (amudhum*kasandha*aththanai*iniththa*…..ArAvamudhan*harinAmam*). Again, the poet’s style should be analysed. He doesn’t say that the Lord’s name is sweeter than elixir(amudham) He says that the elixir was rendered bitter in comparison with the Lord’s name! Venkata Kavi emphasizes that revelation comes only if one loses ego; to be above oneself is a pre-requisite to be one with God.

Venkata Kavi continues in the same vein while praising Shiva too. Indicating total surrender, he says that Lord Shiva is everything to him.

pallavi

Unnilum*ennakoru*utRAr*yArumundO*oLimudhalE*sivamE*

uLLum*puRamu*niRaivAna*thunnaruLE*uththamamAna*maRaitharu*poruLE*

theLLaththeLinthidu* gnanamun*aruLE*senjadaimathi*thanakkAnathu*pugalE*

anupallavi

thennampuliyUr* thiruchitrambalam*mEvi*thEdivandhOrukkAi*Adiya*pAdhamE*

theethA* kitathaka*thimithath* thirithaka*thigurthamAna*nadamAdum*iRaiyE*

vEdhAgam*muRai*viLanga*varuthigazh*vigirththanE*nenja*thanniRaivE*

charanam

idamthEdi*unainAdi*EththalAmenRAlO*nee*irukkumidam*mudhukAdAchE*

yerikkuNavuthEdi*EththalAmenRAlO*yeriyunanju*uNavAchE*

vadamAna*ponnAram*vAngalAmenRAlO*vALaravum*elumbum*paNiyAchE*

varameeyum*thiRamenRu*vandhaNainthAlO*pichchai*vAnguvathum*neeyE*ennalAchE*

thidamum*nAdi*unai*uRavenRu*thEda*theLinthathoru*vishayam*idhu*kANum*

seyalum*maRithAna*mAmanum*thuNaithodar*maganum*midiyAnathu*kANum*

nadanamumAdi*sarAsaramengaNum*nallavaiyAnathum*karuNaiyAnathum*

nAdi*vanthathuvum*inRu*tharavEndum*thaNNiya*munathu*pAdham*puNNiyam*peRavENumE*

The common thread in the two songs is that the composer acknowledges and appreciates the compassion he has received from the Lord through delivering him from all evils. But in this song, Venkata Kavi launches into his characteristic sarcastic adoration. “I can’t come searching for you in your abode because you live in a cemetery (idamthEdi*unainAdi*EththalAmenRAlO* nee* irukkumidam* mudhukAdAchE*), I can’t bring anything for you to eat because you drink poison (yerikkuNavuthEdi*EththalAmenRAlO*yeriyunanju*uNavAchE*), I can’t bring you any ornaments to adorn you because you wear skull and bones (vadamAna*ponnAram*vAngalAmenRAlO*vALaravum* elumbum*paNiyAchE*), I can’t ask you for anything because you yourself are begging in the streets (varameeyum* thiRamenRu* vandhaNainthAlO*pichchai*vAnguvathum*neeyE*ennalAchE*)

Venkata Kavi concludes on the same lines of the previous song. Your compassion has instilled righteousness (nallavaiyAnathum*karuNaiyAnathum*) and begs for blessings from the Lord (*thaNNiya*munathu* pAdham*puNNiyam*peRavENumE*). Despite having a favourite God in Krishna, Venkata Kavi is not partial in surrendering - be it Vishnu or Shiva. That would be true of most composers. While they recognized the trimurti and individual existence, they did not alienate one from the other and often spoke of brahman as one.

Kautsya’s hymn of praise in Maitriya Upanishad (200 BC) – “thou art brahma, thou art Vishnu, thou art rudra” is echoed often by other poets and composers. Sarangadeva’s  opening hymn “the consciousness of all living beings which has changed itself into the world the (nada-)brahman , the form that delights, that is One, without a Second, is what we bring to mind”. The thought is reflected by Kalidasa in his hymn to the trimurti:

“Praise to you O trinity, one before creation, afterwards divided, in your three qualities…..”

The great poet repeats this in more than place. In Kumarasambhava, (II.4), he says:

namastrimurtaye tubhyam praksrishteh kevalatmane

gunatraya-vibhagaya paschadbhedamupeyushe

(Bow to you who was only one before creation divided into three gunas (sattva, rajas and tamas) and obtained three forms)

And again in Raghuvamsa ( X, 16),

namo visvarije purvam visvam tadanubibhrate

atha visvasya samhartre tubhyam tredhasthitatmane

(Bow to you who are in three different forms, you were Brahma while creating, then Vishnu while protecting and Mahesha while destroying this)

The rich baritone voice of M.D.Ramanathan singing his own composition reverberates for eternity “hariyum*haranum *onrE* enRu *ariyAthavarum *uLarO?”

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Legend has it that Brahma, after killing the demon Vajranabha, decided to do a yagna. But his wife Saraswati or Savitri was delayed coming to the venue because she was waiting for Lakshmi, Parvati and Indrani. Since the yagna could not be completed without a consort, Brahma took a Gurjari woman named Gayatri as his wife and performed the rituals. When Saraswati finally arrived at the scene, she became very angry and cursed Brahma that he will never be worshipped.

The other legend pertains to Vishnu and Brahma competing with each other to prove their superiority, set out to find the top and bottom of Shiva who appeared as a beam of light. Whoever reached their destination first would be deemed to be the winner. Vishnu assumed the form of a boar and started digging while Brahma, as a swan, started flying up.  Vishnu gave up because even after going very deep, he could not find the base of the column. However, Brahma, while flying up encountered a ketaki (thazhampoo) flower falling off the head of Shiva. He laid a claim that he had reached the top and the flower vouched for his lie. Infuriated, Shiva cursed that the flower will never again be used in a puja and cursed Brahma that he will never be worshipped on earth.

This article was published in the December 2014 issue of Nadhabrahmam.