Tyagaraja's kriti in Kaanada- "Sri Narada"

In the last post, we introduced the kriti composed by Tyagaraja... "Sri Narada..." set to the raaga Kaanada. Some points pertaining to this song are presented here.

Bombay Jayashree in her inimitable style:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4DQ0cHmKZs

Pallavi:
Sri Naarada ! Naadasaraseeruha Brunga ! Shubhaanga!

Anupallavi:
Deena Maanarakshaka! Jagadeesha! Bhesha Sankaasha

Charanam:
Vedajanita Vara Veena Vaadana Tatvagnya!
Khedahara Tritaaparahita Khechara Vinuta!
Yaadava Kulajaapta Sadaa Modahrudaya! Munivarya!
Srida ! Tyagaraja Vinutha! Srikara ! Maam Paalaya


Sri Naarada naada sarasiruha bhringa:

Here, Naarada is compared to a bee (bhringa) drinking honey from "Naada" (subtle-form of Sound). Naada is compared to a lotus (sarasiruha).
What does this bee-lotus imagery remind us of ? The famous Geeta Dhyaana shloka-

"Loke sajjana shatpadairaharahahaa,
pepeeyamaanam mudaa bhuyaad bhaarata pankajam"

A bee has 6 legs- shat (six) pada (legs). Sajjana- noble people. In this shloka, noble people are compared to a bee- (six legged insect). They drink (pepeeyamaanam) honey from the Mahabharata (bhaarata) which is compared to a lotus (pankajam). It simply means that noble people imbibe the wisdom of the Mahabharata (and its quintessence, the Geeta).

Significance of the bee metaphor:

It is evident that Tyagaraja has used the same metaphor. What is the significance of this metaphor? It can be seen in two ways:
1. Bhringa, Bhramara (another Sanskrit synonym for bee)... why even the word 'bee' are all examples of the figure of speech- "onomatopoeia". The word conveys the sound that a bee makes. Sound is the bee's most evident aspect. Just as a bee cannot be thought of without its buzz, Naarada... is verily sound (naada) personified.. the epitome of music.
Alternately......
2. We can again go to Adi Shankara's Saundaryalahari. "Nimajjan majjeeva karana-charana shat-charanataam" (Verse 90). Here we find an explanation for the bee. The five-sense organs (karana) and the mind (antah-karana) make up the six legs of the bee. We are the bee! In effect, surrendering our entire being (all the six organs) to the lotus feet of the Lord is the significance of the bee-lotus example. Naarada is similarly immersed (nimajjan!)....his being dedicated to music (naada)....

What is naada ?

In simple terms, naada is "sound". Naada reminds us of another popular song of Tyagaraja- "Naada tanum anisham Shankaram namaami". (We will see this song in a different context). Tyagaraja says that Lord Shiva's body (shankara tanu) is "Naada". Naada (Sound) indeed is Lord Shiva.
Shiva's tanu takes us to that famous Vedic hymn Shri Rudram. Yaa te rudra shivaa tanu shivaa vishvaaha bheshaji. Hey Rudra! Your body (tanu) is auspicious (shivaa) and serves as a medicine (bheshajam) for the afflictions of the world (vishva). Now that Tyagaraja has defined Shiva's body as naada, we can say that music serves as the antidote to the mental affliction that we suffer from.

Bhringa and Bhringi!

Coming back to our original kriti in Kaanada raga, we can now say that Naarada pays homage to Lord Shiva (the one with naada-tanu) through his music just as a bee buzzes around a lotus. Now, the bee bhringa and Lord Shiva are related through a mythological story as well.
Rishi Bhringi was a great Shiva bhakta to the extent that he wouldn't worship any deity other than Lord Shiva, not even Parvati. Hence, when Parvati stood next to Shiva, Bhringi took the form of a bee (bhringa) to hover only around Lord Shiva! It was only when Parvati took half of Lord Shiva's body as Ardhanaareeshwara, that Bhringi was unable to give exclusive attention to Lord Shiva and had to relent to Devi.
Such is Naarada's focus too when it comes to naadopaasana (practice of music).

Why Lord Shiva here?

Though we used Tyagaraja's own definition of naada to bring Lord Shiva into the picture, an objection may be raised that Naarada is after all Lord Vishnu's devotee and Lord Shiva is a needless intrusion here. How do we explain this objection? We always have a quotation ready-

"Shivasya hrdayam Vishnu... Vishnoshcha hrdayam shivah!

Vishnu resides in Shiva's heart and Shiva resides in Vishnu's heart! This mutually-dependent riddle simply means that Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu are one and the same.

For confirmation, we need to go to Saint Tyagaraja's birthplace.. Tiruvarur.

The temple at Tiruvarur:

As per tradition, the temple of Tiruvarur is constructed in the form of Lord Vishnu. The sanctum sanctorum is where Vishnu's heart would be present. It is here that Lord Shiva is manifest as Tyagaraja. Our saint Tyagaraja gets his name from this deity. As Lord Vishnu breathes, his chest moves up and down. Lord Shiva, residing in his heart also bobs up and down. It looks as if Lord Shiva is dancing and Shiva's dance is called "ajapa natanam" at this temple. It is precisely to show Shiva's association to Vishnu that Shiva is called "Raja" (Tyagaraja here)... an epithet used normally with Lord Vishnu (who has names like Rangaraja, Govindaraja, Varadaraja etc.)
Tiruvarur itself is called "Kamalaalaya" in Sanskrit... associating it with a lotus which again is Lord Vishnu's emblem. We can recall the quotation (jananat kamalalaye).

Coming back to Naada- a technical definition:

The Universe is supposed to have evolved from a singularity...in stages... from the subtle to the gross. Scripture talks about this evolution either in terms of matter (artha-prapancha) or in terms of sound (shabda-prapancha). The relationship is that "matter" at every stage of evolution would have a corresponding "word". When matter is in a subtle form, the word would also be "subtle". When the matter evolves to a gross form, the word also becomes "gross". Thus, we have an "evolution of sound" as it were... from the subtle to the gross parallel to the "evolution of the matter universe".
This is true in the macrocosm as well as in the microcosm (in a given individual). In a particular individual, the production of sound or speech is also supposed to follow a similar process. Initially, subtle and unmanifest... which soon manifests itself into vocal, audible speech.
In keeping with this "evolution of sound", scripture has  two different sets of technical terms:
(a) bindu-naada-kalaa.
(b) paraa-pashyanti-madhyamaa-vaikhari.
     
In definition (b), Vaikhari is manifest sound as we know it. Vaikhari itself is divided into (1) dhvani (non-speech sounds like laughing, crying etc.) and (2) varna (intelligent speech).
Both Vaikhari and kalaa refer to audible sound in the two defintions.

Further, naada in definition (a) is the same as paraa in definition (b). They refer to "Sound in its subtlest aspect". Hence, Naada is sometimes translated as "primeval sound".
Narada, through his music, propitiates this naada- the primeval sound.

Naarada and Naada:

Shakuni changed the destiny of the Kurus. Just remove the middle syllable "ku" from Sha-ku-ni and we get Shani (Saturn, the planet which influences destiny). For the Pandavas, Shakuni was verily Shani bhagavaan!
So too, in Naarada- remove the middle syllable  "ra" and we get "naada". Naarada is naada incarnate. We see this play of words by Tyagaraja.

The rest of the kriti is now simple.

Shubhaanga:

This name occurs in Vishnu Saharanama. Here, of course, it refers to Narada. We can use the same interpretation given to Shubhaanga in the Sahasranama. Names like these are used for "upaasana" where the devotee imagines a form of the Lord and meditates on the entire form of the Lord or a particular anga (part) of the Lord- may be, His face or His feet. Whatever anga of the Lord is chosen for meditation, the benefit is always "shubha"- "wellness" in terms of enjoying a peaceful and one-pointed mind. Tyagaraja invokes Narada as shubhaanga and receives the benefit there of.

Deena maana rakshaka:
Narada is praised as the one who protects the helpless. We can recall here the story of Dhruva who left the kingdom and wandered helplessly in search of Lord Vishnu. It was Narada who showed him the path and served as Dhruva's guru.

jagadeesha:
We saw in the last post that Narada was a sakala-lokamulaku-sadguru: He taught Valmiki, Dhruva and Tyagaraja himself. As a guru, he rules the world. Also, music rules the world. Hence, jagadeesha (ruler of the world).

Bheshasankaasha:
This is translated as moon-like appearance. The full moon is known for its "aahlaada-karatvam"- the ability to give instant relish and happiness the moment we look at it. Music has the same effect on us, isn't it? Who doesn't like at least some form of music?

Veda-janita-vara-veena:

The veena is born (janita) from the vedas. The vedas are anaadi (birthless). The veena, closely associated with the veda is also a very ancient instrument. The veena is referred in Valmiki Ramayana itself (Ayodhya kaanda).
Narada's veena is called Mahati. We can recall other special Veenas here- Tumburu's veena is Kalaavati. Saraswati's veena is Kachapi.

Veena vaadana tatvagnya: - Narada, the one who is an adept at playing the Veena.

Tyagaraja here quotes Sage Yagnyavalkya.
Yagnyavalkya says:

veena vaadana tatvagnya shruti jati vishaarada
Taalagnyashchaprayaasena moksha maargam niyachchati.

 The one who knows the essence (tatvagnya) of veena vaadana (playing the veena), by aligning to "shruti" (purity of notes), "jati" (movement) and "taala" (rhythm) will be on the "path to moksha" (moksha maargam). Naadopaasana (music) helps to prepare the mind by bestowing the following qualities (a) relaxation (b) concentration (c) expansion (d) a mind with values. When such a mind is exposed to the teaching of the tatva from a qualified teacher, the student grasps the teaching of the Whole effortlessly.

Khedakara tritaapa rahita: Narada, who is not afflicted by the three "taapas"

A human being is afflicted with problems arising from three sources:
(a) Aadhyatmika - Problems from ones own sick body and  mind.
(b) Aadibhautika - Problems stemming from immediate surroundings.
(c) Aadidaivika -   Problems arising from supernatural forces like earthquakes and tsunamis.

Narada helps to mitigate the taapa (affliction) in the mind through his music. That music acts as a soothing balm for the agitated mind is well known.

Khechara vinuta: Narada, who is worshipped (vinuta) by the Devas and Gandharvas.

Kha (space) chara (one who moves). Literally, the one who moves across the space or the sky (Sky-Walker as in Star Wars!)

(1) Lord Shiva is called "Khacharah gocharah" in the Shiva Sahasranama (Mahabharata). Lord Shiva is the Sun, the sun who moves across the sky (khacharah) and who is also the pratyaksha devata, available for our perception- hence, gocharah.

(2) Lord Vishnu is called "vihaayasa gati" in the Vishnu Sahasranama. This is the same as Khacharah and refers to Lord Vishnu as the Sun (the one who moves (gati) through space (vihaayasa)).

(3) "Chaaranaa charitey pathi" in the Sundara Kaanda (Valmiki Ramayana). Hanuman is described as a "sky walker" because he takes the path (pathi) of space  (to fly to Lanka) just as a type of celestials called chaaranaas do.

So who is this Kechara vinuta- one who worships Narada? Both Shiva and Vishnu do not worship Narada. It is the other way around. Hence, we can take the following meaning.
The Sun or Surya Devata is the upalakshanam (symbol) for the devatas in general. The devatas definitely adored Narada.
The Gandharvas are celestials just like the Chaaranaas. Gandharvas are great lovers of music and surely must have surely worshipped Narada.
Hence, khechara vinuta can be safely taken as Devas and Gandharvas who looked up to Narada.

Yadava kulajaapta: This qualifies Narada, the one who is dear to Lord Krishna, who belongs to the kula (clan) of the Yadavas. And why is Narada dear to Lord Krishna? Krishna himself says:

naaham tisthami vaikunthe   yoginam hrdayeshu va

mad-bhakta yatra gaayanti   tatra tisthami naarada

O Narada! I do not reside in Vaikunta or even in the hearts of the yogis. Wherever my devotee  sings, I reside there! Narada is forever singing the Lord's glories. Little wonder that he is dear to Lord Krishna.

Sadaa-moda-hrdaya:
Again Narada is described as one who is always (sadaa) happy (moda) at heart (hrdaya). Why is Narada always happy? Why does music make us happy? The Taittiriya Upanishad explains the mechanism of happiness in the "Brahmaananda valli". Music or any object of happiness helps to temporarily quieten the "wanting, demanding mind". Briefly, the mind is peaceful and entertains "subtle thoughts" called "priya", "moda" (the word here) and "pramoda" vrittis (Upanishad terms). Such a non-demanding mind is like a mirror and is able to "reflect" "brahmananda" (our essential nature) so that we "become" happy. Quieter the mind, clearer is the reflection and consequently greater the happiness. Music helps the mind to be at ease with itself and hence the pleasure.
Naarada, the master musician enjoys this happiness to the maximum.
Morever, Naarada is a tatvagnya, a Master who knows the Truth. Hence, in addition to enjoying the pleasure that music provides, he knows his essential nature as Sat-chit and more importantly aananda-swarupa- of the nature of happiness.

Munivarya:
Narada- the best of munis (sages). Devarshinaam naaradah (seen earlier. Geeta Chapter 10).
Manana-sheelah munih...meaning muni is the one who is always in manana- introspection. Narada is engaged in the thought of the Lord always. Also, as naaram dadaati iti naaradah (seen earlier), his mind is soaked in atma-chintana.

Srida-Srikara:

Both words are Lord Vishnu's names in the Sahasranama. Here, they are used for Narada. A devotee, as it were borrows his Lord's qualities through constant manana (thinking). Srida- the bestower of happiness. Srikara- the one who brings about "sri". What does Sri mean? Anything that gives happiness is Sri. It need not be wealth alone; sri has a wider connotation. We talk about different kinds of Sri- happiness due to grha (family), dhana (money), dhaanya (plenty of food), santaana (children), vidya (knowledge), aarogya (health) etc. We can get all these from Naarada. More importantly, through music, we can get relaxation and mental peace which is the greatest Sri.

Tyagaraja vinuta- maam paalaya:

Tyagaraja bows down to Narada, who enjoys so many attributes and prays for protection (maam paalaya). Since this song ends in first person (protect me..maam paalaya), every musician singing this kriti invokes the blessings of Narada to bestow him with Sri, the wealth of happiness.