Tyagaraja's first performance- Dorakunaa in Bilahari raaga

Soon after learning under the Thanjavur court musician Sonti Venkararamanaiyya (refer previous posts), Tyagaraja sang before an assembly of musicians. This event is documented in several biographical accounts of Tyagaraja's life. He is said to have sung the kriti "Dorakuna Itu vanti seva" (Can I ever have such a 'seva'...such a privileged darshana?) set to the raaga Bilahari. Sonti Venkaramanaiyya was so moved by his pupil's rendition that he expressed openly, "Dorakuna itu vanti sishyudu"...meaning..."Can I ever have the privilege of teaching such a blessed student?"
Charulata Mani's rendition with "visual lyrics"-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSK4jD9gHrk


Later, Sonti Venkataramanaiyya invited Tyagaraja to sing before his father. In the presence of other notable musicians, Tyagaraja sang an elaborate alapana of the raaga Kambhoji (some say for eight hours!) and rendered the kriti "Mari mari Ninne". These two events and the associated kritis are mentioned in most biographical accounts vouching for their veracity.
In this post, we will take up the kriti "Dorakuna itu vanti seva" for a detailed analysis. In the next post, we will look at the kriti "Mari mari ninne".

The raaga Bilahari:

Bilahari and Vishnu:
"Dorakuna itu vanti seva" is set to the raaga Bilahari, a janya raaga of Shankarabharanam. "Bila" means "burrow". "Hari" is Lord Vishnu. Put together, Bilahari refers to Lord Vishnu present in a burrow/hole. At the Kamakshi temple in Kanchipuram, in the inner sanctum, there is an idol of Lord Vishnu inside a hole. Muthuswamy Dikshitar uses "Bilahari" as a raaga mudra to refer to this idol. He says "kaamakoti bila hari nuta kamaley"- (Kamakshi, who is worshipped by Lord Vishnu seated in a hole) in the composition "Kamakshi vara lakshmi". Thus, Bilahari refers to a particular image of Lord Vishnu in Kanchipuram.
Nityashree's rendition of this Dishitar kriti with a brief Bilahari alapana.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZk9bsbN0ys

Bilahari and Narasimha:
The word "Hari" also means a lion (simha). That's the reason sometimes "Narasimha" avatara is referred as "nara-hari". If we take this meaning, it would point to a "lion residing in a burrow/cave". Thus, "Bilahari" is used as a pun- for Lord Vishnu as well as for a lion. To lend credence to this line of thinking, we see that both Tyagaraja and Muthuswamy Diskhitar composed kritis titled "Narasimha" in the raaga Bilahari! The compositions are well known and rendered often in concerts.
Bilahari is often called the raaga which exudes "veera" (bravery) rasa. We can't exactly say that Narasimha exhibited courage or bravery. He dismembered Hiranyakashipu with such ferocious ease that it seems superfluous to classify it as an act of bravery! The "veera" rasa seems to fit better with musicians and poets-  it takes some courage to extol Narasimha murty...who is not exactly your "soumya murty" (gentle, benign form)!!
TVS's rendition of  Tyagaraja's "Narasimha" prefaced with a beautiful Bilahari alapana:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwZEScPVgSc

Bilahari and Shiva:
We saw that Bilahari can refer to either Lord Vishnu or to a lion in a cave. Adi Shankara has used a similar pun in his work Shivanandalahari. In verse 44, he refers to "pancha-mukhah" residing in a "kuhara" (cave). Panchamukha, like Hari has two meanings- It refers to Lord Shiva who has five faces- each with well known names: Ishaana, Sadyojaata, Aghora, Tatpurusha and Vaamadeva.  Panchamukha also means a lion- the one with a "wide (pancha) face (mukha)".

Bilahari and the Upanishad:
So where does this pun of a "lion in a cave" and "Lord Vishnu/Lord Shiva" finally take us? For this, we need to come to the Veda. In Taittireeya Upanishad, we find the well known mantra- "Satyam gnyaanam anantam brahma...yo veda nihitam guhaayaam". Simply translated, it refers to the Ultimate Reality, Brahman, whose nature is sat (satyam) chit (gnyaanam) and aananda (anantam). This Reality is available in each one us as "I",  the atma. Also, this teaching has to be recognized by the mind (sometimes called "the cave of the heart" -guhaa).
What was "bila" and "kuhara" in the discussions above is the "guhaa" (cave) in the Taittireeya. Our mind is the bila/kuhara/guhaa. Like a cave, the mind is steeped in the darkness of ignorance. Ignorance of what? Ignorance... of my essential nature as truly divine. It is this mind that has to own up the teaching and bring light to the cave- I am not this miserable self that I mistake myself to be, but in reality, my essential nature is the Self- the atma- whose nature is poorna (full)- "sat", "chit" and "aananda".

It is in the mind, the cave.... ....that the atma, the lion, the Shiva/Hari.... has to be recognised.
This is the final meaning of Bilahari!

Starting from the charanam- "sat" "chit" and "aananda":

The charanam says....
raamuni jagadodhaamuni sura ripu
bheemuni trigunaateetuni poorna
kaamuni chinmaya roopuni sadguna
dhaamuni kanulaara madini kanugona (dorakunaa)

Tyagaraja appears to have had this Upanishad meaning of Bilahari in mind. The charanam has the expressions "Raamuni", "chinmaya rupuni" "jagadodhaamuni" and "trigunaateetuni". Many stotras describing the Lord are called "paadaadi keshaanta stotras". They start from the Feet (paada) of the Lord and describe every anga (feature) of the body till the hair (kesha)! So too, for a better understanding of some kritis, we have to start from the feet (charanam!) and then go to the pallavi and the anu-pallavi stanzas.

Here, "Lord Raama" is described as "chinmaya" (nature of consciousness) and "jagadodhaama" (abode of the world). Taking each of these 3 words in order:

The word "Raama" is described as follows in commentaries of the Vishnu Sahasranaama.
"nityaananda lakshaney asmin yoginah ramanta iti Raamah"- The one in whom the noble people (yoginah) discover happiness (nityaananda) is Raama. Thus, Raama refers to "aananda swarupa" (of the nature of happiness).

Tyagaraja uses the expression "chinmaya rupuni" which is "chit swarupa"- of the nature of consciousness.

Next, jagadodhaama refers to the "substratum of the jagat, the universe". The universe has space, time, galaxies, solar system, earth, mountains, trees etc. Scripture says- Universe is, space is, time is, galaxy is, solar system is, earth is, mountain is, tree is.... The name and form varies....but "is-ness" associated with every object in the jagat (universe)  remains as the "non-variable". Even when an object is destroyed, its current name and form is gone, but it remains (is!) in a different name and form (as earth, as ash, as dust, as blackhole). Hence, the ultimate substratum of the universe, behind every form in this "is-ness" called in Sanskrit as "sat swarupa" (nature of "existence").
Thus, the charanam says that Raama is of the nature of "sat-chit-aananda"... the very words used in the Taittireeya Upanishad quotation that we referenced earlier.

Trigunaa-teetuni:

There is one more expression that Tyagaraja mentions- "trigunaa teetuni" (beyond the 3 gunas). We need to get into some Vedantic details here because this kriti has many references to "gunas". We have "trigunaa teetuni" here, next "sad-guna dhaamuni" for Lord Raama and the expression "taamasa guna rahita" with reference to noble people. Hence, for the sake of clarity, a few technical details are presented here which may look like a digression to some.

As per the Upanishads, the Lord or 'Brahman' is "essentially" of the nature of "sat-chit-ananda" and unconnected to the 3 gunas (also called Maya). We will call this- "the Lord's essential nature".

However, at the time of creation, "Brahman" associates with "Maya" (also called "prakriti"...which has 3 gunas) and creates the Universe.
It is just like the dream world we create during sleep. The "waker" uses "nidra-shakti" (power in sleep) to create a "dream world". Our "latent thoughts" get projected in sleep to form the dream world.
"Maya" is like the nidra shakti....made up of "rudimentary matter" (trigunaas- satva, rajas and tamas). During creation "Brahman" as though wields these 3 gunas and creates the world.

Thus, both aspects are present. Essentially He is "gunaa-teeta" (beyond the 3 gunas) and also "guna-bhrit" (associated with the 3 gunas when seen from the standpoint of creation).

We can recall the following quotations from the Geeta. Krishna says:
"aanaaditvaat nirgunatvaat paramaatma" (Chapter 13)- Essentially the Lord is nirguna (gunaa-teeta). But....
"mayaadhyakshena prakriti sooyatey sacharaacharam" (Chapter 9)- At the time of creation, enlivened by Me (the gunaa-teeta.. the Spirit), prakriti (maya.. with 3 gunas) evolves into this universe.
"nirgunam gunabhoktr cha"- Essentially nirgunam, but from a different standpoint, experiencer of gunas too.
"anur brhat krsha stulo gunabhrn nirguno mahaan" - Vishnu Sahasranama - He is guna bhrit, He is nirguna (gunaa-teetaa) too.... seen from two different angles.

Hence, Tyagaraja's "trigunaa teetuni" has to be linked with the expressions "Raama", "chinmaya rupuni" and "jagadodhaamuni" as revealing the "essential nature of the Lord as unconnected with the 3 gunas".
Later, when sadguna dhaama is mentioned, we will not take the "essential nature", but Lord as the "creator-sustainer-destroyer associated with the creation" or even as Lord Raama, a particular form of the Lord.

"Poorna kaamuni": One whose desires are fulfilled.
Which aspect does this refer to? Essential aspect or the creator aspect? As we see below, this can be explained from both angles.
The question is "Does the Lord have desire"? On one hand, he does seem to have a "desire". The Upanishad says "so kaamayata bahusyaam prajaa yeyeti"- "He desired to become "many" and evolved into the Universe... and started the whole cycle of creation". But Tyagaraja says "poorna kaamuni" here meaning- one with all desires fulfilled. Does he have a desire or no desire? We can answer it in 2 ways:

1. Essentially, Lord is gunaa-teeta: with no association with Maya and hence with no desire too. Maya is like the mind of the Lord. If the mind is kept away, there is no desire too. Hence, poorna-kaamuni. "Tribhir gunamayair bhaavaihi.... param avyayam" Geeta Chp 7- Krishna says- "I am param-avyayam and beyond the 3 gunas (essentially)".
Alternately.....
2. Once the cycle of creation begins, the same Lord...now as "creator"and associated with Maya, his mind.. is again "poorna-kaamuni". We feel a "sense of want" and "desire" for some "object". The Lord's desire is different- it does not stem from a "sense of inadequacy". He creates "out of fulfilment" and "not out of want". Hence, poorna-kaamuni.
We can recall the Geeta, Chapter 3: Krishna says:
"na mey paarthaasti kartavyam trishu lokeshu kinchana"- "Hey Paartha! There is nothing in the 3 worlds that I need to accomplish, still I do my duty (project the world and protect it) ".

Sura-ripu bheemuni:

Sura- devas. Ripu- enemies. Bheema - bhayankarah, the one who torments.
The one who torments the enemies of the devas, i.e. the asuras.
Here, we have left the topic of "trigunaa-teeta" and entered the realm of the "Lord as the creator". Once creation begins, the "order" has to be maintained. The ones who are inimical to the order... by violating the norms of right conduct are asuras... and are a threat to the creation itself. To maintain the universal order (dharma), the Lord chooses to incarnate and destroy the wicked (sura-ripu).  We can remember the well known quote from the Geeta, Chapter 4: Krishna says...
"paritraanaaya saadhunaam, vinaashaaya cha dushkritaam"- For the protection of the good people, for the destruction of the wicked, I incarnate from time to time.

Sadguna dhaamuni:

Every devotee invokes the Lord as "sadguna dhaama"- endowed with noble qualities- with ananta kalyaana gunaas. Here, the Lord is presented as "Guna-bhrit" as opposed to "gunaa-teeta" seen earlier. We can recall the well known quotation describing Bhagavan- "aishwaryasya samagrasya veeryasya yashasas shriyah gnyaana vairaagyayoshchaiva shannaam bhaga iteeranaa"- bhagavan has 6 qualities in full measure- power, strength, glory, richness, knowledge and absence of want.
Here, the devotee considers himself as a daasa (servant) and the Lord as gunavaan (sadguna-dhaama). The devotee finds relief and comfort in this relationship to go through the vicissitudes of life.

Soon, he gets the mindset to absorb the essential teaching that the "Lord" and....why.... even "I" am "essentially" "gunaa-teeta".
Geeta Chapter 14: Gunebhyashcha param vetti - The individual recognizes himself also as gunaa-teeta. We can recall the "gunaa-teeta lakshanaani" (the description of the individual who owns up the teaching and claims his essential Self also as gunaa-teetaa) towards the end of the Chaper 14 of the Geeta. Thus, gunaa-teetaa can fit the Lord (as seen earlier) or even a gnyaani. This is an aside point.

Alternate reading: Jagadodhaaruni sura-ripu bheemuni

Sometimes, in this kriti, we see the expression "jagadodhaaruni" instead of "jagadodhaamuni". Here, we leave the "essential nature of the Lord" (the context in which we interpreted this term ealier) and come to the Lord's role as the creator-sustainer-destroyer.
Since, it is followed by sura-ripu bheemuni (the destroyer of the wicked), "jagat uddhaarana" points to the Lord's role as the protector, the sustainer who helps to maintain the fabric of dharma through this avataras.

kanulaara madini kanugona:

 Is it possible to have darshana of such a Lord Raama (as described above) asks Tyagaraja. Kanulaara- to the satiation of the eyes. madini- in the mind. This is similar to Wordsworth's expression- "inward eye", "mind's eye" etc. kanugona- to behold. Is it possible for us to mentally appreciate, visually behold Lord Raama with these attributes?
What should be our answer? There is no answer in the keertana where Tygaraja explictly says that..... yes, I have got such a darshana. The pallavi, anu-pallavi and charanam are all open-ended questions on similar lines. But given the mood of the kriti, the tone of the questioning and the wealth of detail that Tyagaraja has packed into each stanza, it is clear that this question has only one answer. Tyagaraja is singing this kriti in the exuberance of the darshana that he's just had of Lord Raama. We return from Tirupati and exclaim- I stood in front of the Lord for 5 full minutes! Can someone have a Balaji seva like this... dorakuna itu vanti seva!?

This charanam is not yet complete. Tyagaraja shifts gear from the "Lord's essential nature" and the "Lord as the creator-destroyer" to Lord Raama as Tyagaraja's personal God (Ishta Devata). In fact, he first presents the Lord as his Ishta Devata in the charanam. It's just that we found it convenient to jump to the "Essential nature" to maintain a certain flow in this write-up.
So, Tyagaraja starts the charanam by painting a word picture.  He has the pleasure of gently rocking Lord Rama and Seeta seated on a swing. We'll see those details in the next post.

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.

Narada and Tyagaraja

Narada in Shruti, Purana and Itihaasa:

In the last post, we saw that Tyagaraja was particularly indebted to Narada. He had a vision of Narada and received the musical treatise "Swaraarnava" from him. Contrary to the popular perception of Narada as a character meant to provide only comic relief in the middle of a serious drama, Narada was in fact a "sakala lokamulaku sadguru"- "a world teacher" as Tyagaraja refers to him. (Kriti: vara naarada  in raaga Vijayashri). Tyagaraja explicitly mentions the work "Swaraarnava" in the famous composition "Swara raaga sudha" (Shankarabharanam raaga).

Narada figures prominently in the Shruti (vedas), Puranas and Itihaasa.
In the Chandogya Upanishad (Sama veda), Narada tells SanatKumara that he has mastered all Sciences and Arts. Still he has no peace. SanatKumara then teaches him the knowledge of the Self (Bhuma Vidya). With this, Narada's resume is complete- a master of "paraa vidya" (Self Knowledge) and "aparaa vidya" (all the material Sciences).
The puranas are of course replete with stories featuring Narada. Narada was Prahlada's guru as well as Dhruva's (Bhaagavata Purana).
The Ramayana (itihaasa) begins with Narada as Valmiki Maharishi's teacher. It is Narada who convinces Valmiki to write about Rama and narrates the entire story in a nutshell.
In the Geeta, Lord Krishna identifies Himself with Narada when recounting his glories (vibhutis) and says "devarshinaam naaradah". "Amongst the divine seers, I am Narada," Krishna says.
"Naaram (Self Knowledge) dadaati (bestows) iti Naaradah"- the one teaches self knowledge is Narada.... - is a well known statement.
In the list of Bhaagavatas (prime devotees of the Lord), Narada figures prominently- "Prahlaada, Naarada, Paraashara, Vyaasa, Ambareesha, Shuka, Shaunaka, Bheesma, Rukmaangada, Arjuna, Vasishta, Vibhishana.....parama bhaagavataam smaraami".

Narada and Tyagaraja:

Tradition identifies Tyagaraja as Valmiki Maharishi's avatara. If Valmiki composed the Ramayana with 24000 verses and set them to music in the "maarga sangeetam" format, Tyagaraja is said to have composed 24000 kritis set to music in the "deshya sangeetam" format. And just as Narada was Valmiki's teacher, he was Tyagaraja's teacher too. (Commentators talk about division of music into "ghana", "maarga", "naya" and "deshya" types).

In the kriti, "vidulaku mrokkeda" in the raga Mayamalavagaula, Tyagaraja pays obeisance to all the accomplished masters of music and invokes their grace. Like the "parampara prayers" in Vedanta- "Sadaashiva samaarambhaam..." and "Narayanam padmabhuvam...", this kriti mentions a kind of musical parampara. The list is long- it begins with "Shankara" (Lord Shiva in the anu-pallavi) and covers almost everyone- the trimurtis, their spouses, their children, rishis, right down to historical personalities like Shaarnga Deva (author of Sangeeta Ratnakara)... all the way to Tyagaraja's own guru (asmad-acharya)- Narada.

Vidulaku mrokkeda sung by M.S Subbulakshmi
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llsETzsGWzU

An aside point: It is fitting that this kriti is in Mayamalavagaula. It is the first raaga that a student of Carnatic music learns. It looks as if Tyagaraja would like every student to begin his musical journey by invoking the blessings of all the acharyas of the musical parampara by singing this kriti.

Narada and raaga alapana:

The story leading to the Ramayana is well known- Valmiki was a robber in the forest. He tried to rob the Sapta rishis. But the tables are turned and Valmiki soon repents for the evil actions of his past and resolves to change. Valmiki is incapable of saying "Raama" and the Sapta Rishi's teach him to chant "maraa"-the syllables reversed. "Maraa" soon transforms to "Raama" as Valmiki's japa gains in intensity. (Isn't this an example of "spoonerism" (reversal of syllables in English)... which is attributed to Archibald Spooner who lived as late as the last century? Ramayana is considered the "adi-kavya"- 'the first poem' and  at least 2000 years old.) How is this incident concerning reversed syllables connected to Tyagaraja?

During Tyagaraja's time, raaga alapana involved explicit usage of words. One harikatha exponent says that it was Tyagaraja who started the tradition of singing "raaga alapana" using the syllables of  "Narada"... curiously, with the syllables reversed - "da-ra-na".

The next time you attend a concert and the vocalist begins  Kalyani raaga with the syllables "da-ra-na.........", now you know why!! You should immediately think of Narada!

Narada pancharatnam:

Tyagaraja composed many kritis on Narada. "Sri Naarada naada..." in the raaga Kaanada and "Vara Naarada" in the rare raaga Vijayashri are well known. Apart from these, 3 others kritis are mentioned which together form the "Narada pancharatnam".
- "Naarada guru" in Durbar
- Naarada muni" in Pantuvaraali
- Sri Naarada muni" in Bhairavi.

Another popular kriti "Naarada gaana lola" in the raaga Atana is sometimes included in the above set. Though this kriti begins with the name Narada, this song is actually in praise of Lord Rama (or any of Lord Vishnu's variants since there is no explicit mention except as "blue hued" (neela)), who is captivated by Narada's music (Naarada gaana lola) and not on Narada himself. Hence, strictly speaking, it should be kept outside this set.

"Sri Naarada naada" in raaga Kaanada:

Narada is renowned as a "kalaha priya"- a mischief monger whose mischief always ends with something good done... to either the inhabitants of the earth or to the denizens of heaven. Universal welfare is always the "janya" (result) of this "kalaha priya's" actions! It looks as if Tygaraja had this point in his mind when he composed "Sri Narada" in the raaga Kaanada.

Kaanada is a janya ('child' raaga) of the raaga Kharaharapriya. And can't we apply the rule "ra-la-yor abhedah" in Sanskrit- meaning "the syllables 'ra' and 'la' can be replaced ? Kharaharapriya would then be Khalahalapriya! What better raaga for a kriti on Naarada.... the kalahapriya.... than Kaanada, a janya raaga of Khalahalapriya!!? Don't take this bit seriously!

In the next post, we will take up this kriti for a detailed analysis.

Sri Narada naada..... Artiste: Neyveli Santhanagopalan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAPmqxHjszk

Till then, adios amigos!


P.S: Sceptics have a problem with celestial beings like Narada making an entry into our work-a-day world. How could Tyagaraja have "seen" Narada? Did he come in a dream or as a vision? Could Narada, the triloka sanchari, have left a book for Tyagaraja? We are assailed with these questions.

We follow a simple rule. When it comes to puranas, mythological stories, sthala-puranas at temples or even incidents like the above, we accept it at face value and enjoy it for what it is worth.
If our intellect still questions, we can always explain it away in different ways. According to one version, the sanyasi Ramakrishnananda (previous post) was none other than Narada and left the book for Tyagaraja.
Wherever there is a super-human contribution, we attribute it to Ishwara's (God's) vibhuti (glory) manifesting through a particular individual which prompts us to say that so-and-so is an avatara of some divine being. It is in that sense that these incidents and beings have to be understood.

However, once we leave the field of puranas, mythology, veda-purva bhaaga and come to Vedanta (Upanishads), we are given full scope to ask every possible doubt (after receiving the teaching from the guru). The teacher himself raises questions, the student counter questions and the discussion continues till the mind of the student is fully convinced about the validity of the knowledge. This is the field to question.
We need to remember these two rules all the time: When to accept at face-value and when to question... whenever we read the scripture.