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.
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.
Beutiful narrative.Thanks.
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