At Starbucks- One short meesto please!

South Indians are coffee lovers. Baba Budan Giri, a hill in Chikmanglur, Karnataka, stands testimony to the saint Baba Budan who came centuries ago from Arabia. As per tradition, he brought with him coffee seeds and soon had the whole of South India converted- into a bunch of coffee or rather "kaapi" (as they choose to call the beverage) lovers.

Die-hard coffee fans go to the extent of shamelessly dragging even the Musical Saint Tyagaraja into their fold. They claim that there is a reason why he composed the song "inta saukhya manine cheppa jaala" (which in Telugu means "I cannot describe in words this pleasure") specifically in "kaapi" raaga.  Tyagaraja may have wanted to convey the elation that he feels while chanting "Rama nama". However, as per these new age critics, he actually left a hidden message through his choice of raaga! He wanted to equate the bliss of chanting "rama nama" to something  terrestrial- something which you and I would understand. Hence he composed it kaapi raga and in one masterly stroke ensured that people of his generation would  take to "rama nama" chanting! Tyagaraja may very well have filed a defamation suit if he heard this.... but you can't silence a coffee fanatic that easily.

Little wonder that when he is the US, his eyes light up at the sight of Starbucks! "One short meesto please"- is the cryptic magic phrase that you must utter.. loud and clear at the store....to get hold of a concoction closest to filter coffee back home. "One short meesto" is a little like parseltongue... (For the uninitiated, Harry Potter fans talk about a secret language which wizards use to talk to snakes- it's called parseltongue)....parseltongue which only you and the Starbucks attendant follow. It works like magic. I've never understood this one- if you look at the display at Starbucks, the size "short" is never mentioned. You only have sizes called "grande", "vente" and "tall". As far as coffee varieties go, you have all sorts of choices like "frappucino", "caffe latte" "cafe au lait" etc. but never, never something called "meesto".  But "one short meesto" is like your proverbial railway platform "nine and three-fourths"... to borrow one more analogy from Harry Potter- it cannot be seen, but it exists!
Probably, all new hires at Starbucks are put through some elaborate training- where they learn the tricks of the trade and alongside, a brand new jargon as well.

The next time you are at Starbucks in the US you needn't mumble at all. (to be read in a South Indian accent)..."I want coffee, but not black coffee. I want coffee with milk... not with too much of decoction, but little bit. The rest of the cup... you fill it with milk. No no!... not milk from a creamer! It will  make the coffee lukewarm I say. It will destroy the coffee! You heat up the milk and pour it into the decoction.....not in one shot, but little by little! Sugar?? Yes, yes, preferably 2 spoons, though my wife says that I should cut  down on sugar these days. What is this? I have to tell you how to make filter coffee? You are running this big Starbucks shop and charging 400 rupees for one coffee.. and you don't know!? You come to Kumbakonam I say...nice, brisk, Kumbakonam "degree" coffee you can get... with chicory added...and that too.... at one-fortieth of this price!!".... he trails away though we're sure the Starbucks attendant has moved on and our candidate is actually talking to himself!!

None of these. Just walk into Starbucks with elan... twirl your tongue to get the American accent right....and enunciate the magic words...one more time...loud and clear... "One short meesto please and...... yes, a banana-walnut cake to go with it!"

Tyagaraja's "Giri raaja sutaa tanaya" in Bangaala raaga

We accept success in any field as a combination of human effort (prayatna) and divine grace (anugraha). The reason why we bring in divine grace is because success requires many things to "fall in place". These factors are many and sometimes outside our limited purview- what we call "hidden variables". We can plan and carefully prepare for known variables- may be....with a "plan B" if "plan A" goes awry. But hidden variables being hidden in their very nature are unknown and we cannot prepare for them. In our tradition, we invoke the divine grace with a prayer to take care of these hidden variables.
Prayer is an action (karma) and for any action, there is a definite result (phala). Hence, through prayer (in any format to any God), we use our effort (prayatna) to tap His grace  (anugraha) so that the hidden variables are accounted for and success will be ours.
I am here on work. It has many variables and I have tried to plan for them as well as I can! I thought it would be fitting to review a kriti of Tyagaraja on Lord Ganesha who is popularly worshipped as "vighnaraja"- the one who takes care of hidden variables (vighna) and thereby bestows success.

Pallavi:

giri raaja sutaa tanaya sadaya

Giri raaja sutaa- Giri is a mountain. Raaja- king. Taken together, it refers to Himavaan.
sutaa- daughter. Put together, giri raaja sutaa refers to Parvati, who was born as the daughter of Himavaan.

Devi was born as the daughter of Himavaan as Parvati. She was also born at a different time as the daughter of King Malayadhwaja Pandya as Meenakshi and at yet another time as the daughter of Rishi Katyayana as Kaatyaayani. These are three famous incarnations of Devi.

tanaya- son. All of them put together- giri raaja sutaa tanaya refers to Ganesha, who is the son of Parvati.

This complicated epithet for Ganesha is not new. Tyagaraja appears to have recalled the following verse on Lord Ganesha which is similar.

"agajaanana padmaarkam gajaananam aharnisham
anekadan tam bhaktanaam ekadantam upaasmahe"

Here, we see the same construction. "ga" is that which moves as in "gacchati"-to move in Sanskrit. "aga" implies that which does not move. A mountain does not move. Hence, "aga" refers to a mountain. "ja" is that which is born. Taken together "agaja" is "born off the mountain"- i.e. Goddess Parvati. We need not analyse the rest of this shloka since it is outside the context. The running meaning can be said as follows: We meditate (upaasmahe) aharnisham (day and night) on Ganesha (gajaananam), the one with the elephant face who bestows all (anekada) that the devotee (bhaktaanaam) asks for. Ganesha is further described as ekadantam (with one tusk) and whose presence makes Parvati's face glow (agajaanana padmaarkam) just like the sun (arka) makes the lotus (padma) bloom.

A question may be asked as to why the maternal lineage giri raaja sutaa tanayaa is alone mentioned by Tyagaraja... why not the paternal lineage? The reason is that there is no paternal lineage beyond a point as shown in the following verse on Lord Ganesha:

maataamahaa mahaashailam mahastat apitaamaham
kaaranam jagataam vande kanthaad uparivaaranam

maataamahaa is grandfather on the maternal side. Who is that? For Ganesha, it is "mahaashailam" which refers to Himavan, giriraaja. How about his paternal grandfather? There is none- apitaamaham. Shiva, being the Supreme Lord has no father. Hence, Ganesha has no paternal grandfather. Therefore, apitaamaham. We need not analyse the rest of this shoka since it is outside our context. It simply says - I bow down (vande) to Ganesha who is the Cause of the Universe (kaaranam jagataam), who has an elephant head (vaaranam) above the neck (kanthaad upari).

sadaya- Compassionate one.

Anupallavi:

sura naatha mukhaarchita paada yuga:

Sura naatha- King of Suraas (Devas). It refers to Indra.  Archita- worshipped. Paada yuga- Ganesha's feet. It refers to Indra, the Lord of the Devas who worshipped Ganesha. There is a popular shloka for this too which is typically chanted at the beginning of the new year.

vaageeshaadyaah sumanasas sarvathaanaam upakramey
yam natva kritakrityaasyuh tam namaami gajaananam

Sumanasa refers to the Devas since they have a pure mind (sumanasah). Vaageesha refers to Lord Brahma. It says that the Devas and Lord Brahma worshipped Ganesha at the beginning of any work (upakramey). I bow down (namaami) to gajaananam (Ganesha) who was worshipped thus by the Devas and Lord Brahma.

We can see a similar pattern in Dikshitar's "nottu sahitya- shakti sahita ganapatim" sung by Carnatic music newbies. We have the following line:

"virakta sakala muni jana sura raaja vinuta guruguham"- Ganesha, worshipped by sura raaja- same as sura naatha here. However, it appears as if Dikshitar has taken guruguha (Skanda) as sura raaja here. After all, Skanda is the commander-in-chief of the army of the devas (senaaninaam aham skandah- Geeta)

paripaalaya maam ibha raaja mukha

paripaalaya- Protect maam - me. ibha raaja - King of elephants mukha- face. The one with an elephant face. This is well known.

Charanam:

ganaa naatha paraatpara shankaraagama
vaari nidhi rajani-kara
phani raaja kankana vighna
nivaarana shaambhava shri tyaagaraaja nuta (giri)

gananaatha- King of Ganas. This is again well known- same as ganapati. We also have kritis on Ganesha like "gananaathaney gunabodhaney" (in Saaranga raaga).

paraatpara- This is a vedantic term. It refers to Brahman who is superior to Maya. Here, the first "paraa" refers to Maya. The one who is superior (second para) to even Maya is "paraatpara". Maya is prakriti or matter. As per Vedanta, basic matter (maya) depends on Brahman (spirit) for "sattaa" (existence). Hence, matter cannot exist without spirit. Hence, paraatpara. Where do we find this in the Upanishad? In Mundaka,we have the expression- "paratah parah"- Same meaning as here.
We can also recall Adi Shankara's "Ganesha Pancharatnam"- set of 5 verses on Lord Ganesha. He says "paraatparam nirantaram" describing Lord Ganesha...at the end of the second verse.

Shankara- Most people have taken this as shankara in the etymological sense. "sham"- mangalam, auspiciousness; kara- the one who causes. Hence, Ganesha is referred to as Shankara because he is mangalakaari- the one who bestows auspiciousness.
Interestingly, Adi Shankara says "samasta loka shankaram.... nirasta daitya kunjaram" as the first line of the third verse in the Ganesha Pancharatnam. Lord Ganesha destroyed the asura Gajamukhaasura (nirasta daitya kunjaram) and saved the world  (samasta loka shankaram). Tyagaraja has surprisingly used the two epithets- paraatpara and shankara in exactly the same sequence as Adi Shankara.


Aagama vaarinidhi rajanikara:
Aagama refers to the vedas. Vaarinidhi means ocean. Here, the vedas which are vast are compared to an ocean. Rajanikara. Rajani is night. kara is maker. Hence, night-maker... which refers to the moon. The sun is dinakara (day-maker). The moon is rajani-kara (night-maker).
Ganesha is the moon for the ocean comprising the vedas. What does this mean? As per mythology, the moon arose when the ocean was churned. It is a product... the essence... as it were of the ocean. If the vedas are churned, its essence- its wisdom is in the form of Ganesha.
We see this description in several places in scripture. Brahmaaji churned the vedas and got its essence as the Gayatri mantra (tat savitur varenyam...). He churned some more and out of that arose the vyaahriti mantra (Bhur bhuva suvah). He churned still more and got the essence still further as the monosyllabic "om" or "pranava" as "om" is also referred to. Thus, the wisdom of the vedas is condenced in the monosyllabic "om". Lord Ganesha is synonymous with "om". Ganesha is referred to as "pranava swarupam" in many songs including the celebrated kriti by Dikshitar, Vatapi Ganapatim.
Visually too, Ganesha's face looks like the symbol "om" in Sanskrit as well as in Tamil. In fact, we can easily extrapolate Ganesha's face from the Tamil symbol for "om" by just drawing 2 ears!!

phani-raaja kankana: Who has phani-raaja (Aadi Shesha) as kankana (bracelet).
Adi Shesha seems to be associated with all Gods. There is shloka on him...
"haritalpa haraanghri noopura" - Shesha is Lord Vishnu's bed (hari talpa). He is also Lord Shiva's foot ornament... (hara anghri noopura). Here, we find that he is a bracelet for Ganesha.
A snake refers to "shakti"- energy. The snake has no legs but can move rapidly using pure energy as in a spring. Hence, Gods are often portrayed with snakes to show that "shakti" (power) is inseparable from them.

vighna nivaarana: Ganesha is specifically invoked to remove obstacles. This is also well known- "nirvighnam kurumey deva sarva kaaryeshu sarvadaa" etc. We can also recall the shloka which mentions the 16 names of Lord Ganesha beginning with "Sumukha" and the promise that whoever chants these 16 names will be free from all vighnas at all times in life.

Shaambhava: Son of Shambu, Shiva. The kriti begins with Parvati and ends with Shiva.

Shri Tyagaraaja nuta: The one praised by Tyagaraja. Tyagaraja can refer to the saint or it can even refer to Lord Shiva. When did Lord Shiva praise/worship Lord Ganesha?
During Tripura samhaara- when the demon Tripura was destroyed by Lord Shiva. Shiva mounted a chariot and went after Tripura. However, Shiva forgot to take his son, Ganesha's blessings. Hence, the axle of his chariot broke. Even Shiva had to bow down to Ganesha to ensure that further impediments are kept at bay. Paramacharya observes in his discourses that the place "accharupaakkam" in Kanchipuram district is the place where the axle broke. Hence, the name of the place (acchu-iru-baagam) where the axle (acchu) broke into two!
We can again go to the Dikshitar's "shakti sahita ganapatim" (referenced earlier) and see a connection.
"shakti sahita ganapatim... shankaraadi sevitam"- Ganesha, who was worshipped even by Lord Shiva.

This kriti has several "raajas": some explicit and others implicit. It is on Vighnaraaja- Ganesha. It is sung by Tyaagaraaja. It brings in Himavaan who is giriraaja. It refers to sura raaja who is Indra and to Aadi Shesha who is phani raaja! It calls ganesha as "ibha raaja" and as gana raaja (same as naatha). It brings in the moon who is the king of the night- yaamini naatha or yaamini raaja!

U Srinivas, Shankar Mahadevan, Mclaughlin and Zakir performing Giri raaja Sutaa...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31yc8PELL3E

Pier 39, Fisherman's wharf and Ghirardelli

A trip to the Bay Area is incomplete without a visit to San Francisco- especially the Pier39 area. It would be shameful if I came this far and went back without covering this place- a little like a visit to Agra without seeing the Taj.
With the best of driving skills, negotiating the streets of San Francisco- some with steep inclines poses a challenge. Presently, I find my driving a bit rusty when it comes to adapting to American conditions where every move and turn has to be spot-on. You don't have the luxury that you have in India- stop the car at any point and ask for directions. You can be certain that some wandering voice- a man squatting on the parapet wall or even a spirit will always answer regardless of whether it is correct or not! To confirm, you just ask three other people and you are all set!
No such flexibility in the US. This point constrains me. Hence, we decided to keep things simple and take the public transport and find our way to San Francisco- something I had never done in my many years in the Bay Area.

It took a combination of two Light-Rail connections to get to Mountain-View. At Mountain-View, took the CalTrain all the way to San Francisco. It took two more "MUNI" (pronounced "myooni") light-rails to get us close to Pier47. The CalTrain ride was nostalgic. Many years ago, it was a Saturday ritual- take the kids by CalTrain from Sunnyvale to Atherton and back- the round trip lasting a good one-hour. The feeling of deja vu was overwhelming. Atherton-that quaint little station was still the same. It has had a coat of fresh paint since then. But the structure, the bench we used to wait on and the newspaper rack were all intact. There used to be a bunch of stop signs at the far end of the platform. They were stacked much the same way- the ensuing years had changed nothing! Only, we had become older!

By the time we hit the Pier, it was past lunch time and we were tired and hungry. Submitted ourselves to chocolate and ice-cream at the Ghirardelli. Ghirardelli is a chocolate shop with a history of over 150 years and claims itself as the pioneer of "ground chocolate" (whatever that means). Hot-fudge Sundae- rich and sinful... on a breezy Saturday afternoon was just what we needed to kickstart our system once more. Purchased a couple of mementoes at the gift shop and sauntered along the pier.
The view from here is beautiful. The sun coloured the bay in a delicate hue of greenish blue..... and the water sparkled as the boats and the occasional ship languidly made their way.  The gentle roll of mountains in the distance were inked in a shade of deep violet- their tops covered with fluffy white cloud- as though someone had stuck a wad of cotton at just that spot. The Golden Gate bridge took centre-stage in the distance. It looked surreal with its top completely covered with a thin film of cloud and glazed in a coat of mist.

The Alcatraz island- housing the famous prison cells is tantalisingly close. It is difficult to believe that most prisoners who tried to escape couldn't make it (or so we are told!)- consumed by the water, its wicked current and sharks.

It was the day the San Francisco Giants had a "game" at the stadium close to the pier.... and there was more than the usual crowd. The feeling of joie de vivre (joy of life) was in the air and it was infectious. Artists drew caricatures,  some displayed exquisite water-colour paintings, musicians regaled the passing crowd with their spirited percussion and guitar numbers, others sold trinkets and jewellery, acrobats did spellbinding feats on a bicycle perched high up.....all along the pier- a carnival atmosphere all right. Sea gulls joined the fun- they swooped and came dangerously close to the people and even ate off their hands....hopefully not the hand too!

It was late afternoon. Had to be cautious to keep track of time as public transport thins down later in the day. It was easy to get back using the same combination of  Light-Rails and CalTrain.

One last mistake and a costly one at that....! The last light rail ride was winding to a close. We were still in the light rail and approaching our station. I pulled out my car keys instinctively and could see the car parked by the station. But but... the light rail did not stop....instead gathered speed and moved on! Frantically, we tried punching some buttons and the air around us.. but to little avail! I had forgotten this vital point- you *have* to ring the bell in advance to let the driver know that you need to get down at the station. Otherwise, he ain't stopping anywhere!!

Got down at the next station....miserable and exhausted, repentant and contrite! Walked....and walked.. back to the previous station and to the car! There's many a slip between the cup and the lip!

A vegetarian in America

"Is there something vegetarian?" I asked at the McDonalds joint next to the Hotel. "Sure sir, we have chicken!" began the man , in a crisp and enthusiastic voice, only to be bluntly interrupted. "I meant something which contains no meat!" I explained. "I'm sorry. We have nothing which has no meat!" "How about some bun with tomato and lettuce?" "No sir, there is nothing like that on the menu," was the sharp retort, perhaps fearing that I would intrude into his kitchen and try my own recipe! I could have had french-fries. But there is a fear that even french fries could be cooked in lard (animal fat) in the US. I was left with little choice.

Next stop... In N Out Burger. Cheeseburger was on the menu. "I would like to have a Cheeseburger," I began cautiously, "I hope it has no meat!" This attendant was well informed. "Sir, anything which says burger has meat. Period." "How about some bun with tomato and lettuce?" I asked. "Yes, that would be a grilled-cheese. That has no meat". I settled for that... not one... but two- since it appeared to be the only option!

I have no doubt. Soon, the vegetarian will be just as extinct as the animals!! A vegetarian is a general nuisance.. both to himself and to society at large. Paranoia dogs him, though he is no dog eater! Plus, he has a doctrine which he cannot consistently follow in today's time and age. He fears that this dog-eat-dog world is out to get him, by feeding him what he shouldn't eat.
One is inclined to feel that vegetarianism is possibly on the rise, going by the numerous articles against red-meat. But vegetarianism of this kind is entirely different. Mostly, it is a preference to stay away from red-meat or other forms of meat by abstaining for a particular meal or for a specific length of time. It does not have the dogged, missionary zeal with which the "strict vegetarian" tries to restrict his menu- often to the point of self mortification!!

But here's how strict.... a "strict vegetarian" is. (To be read with that halting Indian accent that Hollywood chooses to portray Indians!) "I don't eat eggs, but yes, I do eat cake! I mostly eat eggless cake. But if I don't know it is egg-cake, I do eat egg-cake! I don't eat mushrooms, but if mushrooms are in a pizza and I don't know that they are in the pizza, I eat the pizza and the mushrooms too! I don't like it if vegetable burgers and meat burgers are grilled on the same apparatus. It makes me sick. But if I don't know that vegetable burgers and meat burgers are grilled on the same plate or fried in the same oil, I eat them all right! I like Subway Sandwich. But they make all kinds of sandwiches on the same counter... a beef sandwich followed by my vegetable sandwich. And yes, they use the same knife to cut both sandwiches which makes me uneasy. But if I turn my back the other way and I don't see them making it, I am fine and consume my sandwich with relish!!"

And yes, I am this strict vegetarian... in case you had any doubts. I will be eating "grilled cheese" for an entire month in America and will be extra cautious to have my eyes averted and not face the kitchen or any cooking area!
Why does the vegetarian tie himself in knots so much? Can't he be normal like the rest of them!? His motto is simple. "Jitam sarvam... jitey rasey"- (the one who conquers his tongue, conquers everything!")

Geeeeez.!.....that's a mouthful!!

The 101 drive...

The drive from the airport to the hotel on the Highway 101 was eerie in a sense. A combination of jet-lag and general exhaustion clouds your mind, to the extent that it wasn't clear as to which was actually "real". Is *this* the "real" home and .....all the images of India  spread over 6 years was actually a big dream!? Can I go to our place opposite Encinal Park, knock at the door and find family welcoming me? It was all way too confusing!

Nothing had changed.... the general feel of the highway, the cars and the exits.... It all came back in a trice ....just as we pick up the thread after a good night's sleep. "Millbrae", "Rengstroff", "Embarcadero", "Mathilda"... names that had receded to the mind's background, were shuffled once more... they had suddenly become playing-cards that I must hold close to my chest.....at least for a month.

America doesn't change. Perhaps, it doesn't need to. India revels in change and thereby ensures that its residents don't suffer from Alzheimer's disease! These are two diametrically opposite ways of thinking- get it right the first time and the other extreme-ensure that you NEVER get it right so that there is always scope for "jugaad" and desi-innovation! Two-way roads become one-way, one-way becomes two-way, Bangalore becomes Bengaluru, the intersection now has an underpass in progress, the round-about  has been razed down and a flyover in all its monstrosity now looms over it, a mall has a taken over the chawl...India is a painting which is forever "in progress". We hate to sign our names and complete the painting. Thereby, we all stay employed, alert and alive!

The Bay-Area is beautiful.... mountains on all sides, blues skies and bright sunshine.. the weather- just perfect. It is difficult to miss the expanse of space...like a film in "cinemascope"....everything appears magnified and expanded....and the previous sepia-tinted images that the mind has stored of these places, at times, just does not fit. The roads seem wider, the intersections bigger and the parking lots seem to stretch endlessly.

For an instant, it looks totally unnecessary and a complete waste- there is absolutely no reason to position the buildings so far away from the road. Surely we could have done better than this... built at least 4 full rows of houses and sold each of them as "Highway View Apartments!"

Bangalore to San Francisco- the interminable plane journey

This trip is for nostalgia's sake. Work will of course be a part of it, perhaps the most essential part, but it will also be a trip down memory lane. The bay area was home and will remain so.....even if we've set up tent elsewhere.

So... here's how it has unfolded till now. The writing will be intermittent... but I do intend to blog as and when I find some time. There's going to be nothing of merit in these writings..just some rough sketches...more like a cartoonist's doodles... done with a bold, free hand... which I may perchance read another day. Or may be, it will go completely unread, which would be equally fine!

The plane ride was excruciating. No word describes it better. 4 hours to Dubai and close to 16 hours..at a stretch... from Dubai to San Francisco.
The "Garuda Purana" is supposed to contain a graphic description of hell- the multifarious ways an inhabitant is tortured. Some are fried in oil and others impaled mercilessly...all in keeping with the magnitude of the crime committed on the earth. The list of punishments in this Purana needs an urgent addendum- this plane ride! I have definitely expiated some of my sins by simply enduring this ride... couped up in a cattle-class (economy class!) seat with no elbow room, no leg-room, no sleep, no proper vegetarian food, a screaming kid in the adjoining seat, an equally frustrated mother.... and restrooms which get increasingly unusable as the hours go by.

Just before we boarded this flight, a gentleman in a jibba (kurta) and white dhoti...walked up to me at Dubai and asked me.. out of the blue, "Telugu newspaper leda?" ("There is no Telugu newspaper, isn't it?") (which I figured out only later).
I have a knee jerk reaction to respond to these situations with "Kannada gottilla!" (as we are trained to say in Bangalore). Thankfully, better sense prevailed and I mumbled some incomprehensible reply which made him move on. His question though... concerns me now. Dude! This is Dubai... Dubai.... mind you, not Renigunta or Tadipatri!! Hopefully, you didn't catch the wrong plane and land up in Dubai when you intended to go to Hyderabad!
The second.. and more provoking point is... why did he ask *me*? I was standing beside a newspaper rack all right, but so were dozens of people. Did he mistake me for a newspaper vendor by any chance? Probably, there *is* a problem with my white jacket. It was after all, the same jacket that I wore to the Bangalore City Railway Station and had a bunch of people run up to me with "Sir, sir.. we have an issue!" And when I walked a few yards with them, one of them actually pointed to a tube light in a compartment and said that it is not working!! Evidently, he had mistaken me for a railway inspector!
I need a "sartorial makeover" for sure...and right now!!

The route... The plane doesn't fly from Dubai Westwards- across the Atlantic and over the American continent to reach San Francisco. Instead, it travels North- over Iran and Russia. It hits the Arctic Ocean, goes exactly over the North Pole and dives into Canada on the other side of the globe! From Canada, it heads Southwards, goes past Seattle and lands at San Francisco!

Mari mari ninne- Part 4: The story of Prahlada

The next line in the charanam runs as follows:

sura ripu tanayunikai nara mrgamau soochanaleymayya
sura-ripu: Enemy of the devas, the asura Hiranyakashipu in this context.
tanayunikai- for the sake of the son (of Hiranyakashipu)
nara-mrgamau- (you took the form of) Narasimha
soochanaleymayya- What about  (emi) the account (soochanalu) of (above incident), O Lord (ayya)?

The running meaning is:
Haven't we heard the story of Prahlada, the son of Hiranyakashipu for whom you appeared as Narasimhha?

Sura ripu:

The story of Prahlada is well known. What is interesting is the term Tyagaraja uses for Hiranyakashipu, the asura king- "suraripu". 'Sura' refers to the devas. 'Ripu' means enemy. Suraripu stands for the enemy of the devas, any asura. Apart from the contextual reference which tells us that it is Hiranyakashipu, there is another point we can bring in here.

We have the following set of names in the Vishnu Sahasranama:

"amrityu sarvadrik simhah sandhaata sandhimaan sthirah
ajo durmarshana shaasta vishrutaatma suraarihaa"

In Vaishnava sampradaya, these names are supposed to qualify Lord Vishnu.... specifically as Narasimha. Of these, the last name is "suraarihaa". "Sura" means the Devas as we saw earlier. "Ari" is the same as "ripu" and means "enemy". "Haa" refers to the one who destroyed. It refers to Lord Narasimha who killed "suraari", Hiranyakashipu. This is exactly the way Tygararaja also describes- suraripu.


Prahlada, the greatest devotee:

Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad Geeta- "Prahlaadaschaasmi daityaanaam".
"I am Prahlada amongst the daityaas, i.e. the asuras". This quote is from Chapter 10- the chapter on "Vibhuti Yoga". Krishna takes various facets and in each one of them, identifies with the biggest and the best (yad yad vibhutimat satvam shrimad oorjitam) in the species and says.. "Know THAT to be Me!" Hence, amongst water bodies, He is the ocean, amongst animals, He is the lion, in the night sky, He is the moon, amongst rivers, He is the Ganga and so on.

It is in this set that He says "Prahlaadachasmi daityaanaam". "One who gives complete happiness" (prakarshena aahlaadayati iti Prahlaadah) is the etymological meaning of Prahlada. The reason why Prahlada is given the prime place amongst devotees of the Lord is because he came from a challenged background. He was born in an asura family, in a neighbourhood where Lord Vishnu was an anathema! Prahlada struggled against these odds and that too at such a young age.

The Uddhava Geeta (section from the Bhagavata Purana) follows the Bhagavad Geeta closely. In Chapter 11, while recounting the glories (vibhutis) of the Lord, we have a similar quotation. Lord Krishna again says "Maam viddhi Uddhava daityaanaam Prahlaadam asureshvaram" - "Among daityas, I am Prahlada, the asura king".

The list of bhagavatas gives Prahlada the top spot. We can recall that verse too.

"prahlaada naarada paraashara pundareeka....
 vyaasaaAmbareesha shuka shaunaka bheeshma daalbhyaan...
rukmaangadaArjuna vasishtha vibheeshanaani...
 punyaani maam parama bhaagavataan smaraami"

It says- "We remember the great devotees of the Lord (parama bhaagavatas) beginning with Prahlada".

Prahlada also recites this famous shloka (in the Bhagavatam) where the 9 modes of  devotion are enumerated- "nava vidha bhakti". Bhakti literature never fails to quote this verse-

"shravanam keertanam vishno
smaranam paada-sevanam
archanam vandanam daasyam
sakhyam atma-nivedanam"

Most of us know this verse. The 9 modes of devotion are: listening to His stories, singing/reciting His names, thinking about Him, worshipping His feet, offering flowers, extoling Him through stotras, serving Him, relating to Him as a friend and finally complete surrender unto Him. These are Prahlada's words.

Prahlada bhakti vijayam:

Tyagaraja is particularly fond of Prahlada. He often places himself in Prahlada's shoes as seen in his opera- "Prahlaada bhakti vijayam". Many famous songs that we hear in concerts are actually from this opera. Most carnatic rasikas would be familiar with these pieces:

"Shri Ganapatini"  in the raaga Saurashtram
"Nannu vidachi" in the raaga Reeti Gowla
"Vaasudevayani" in the raaga Kalyani
"Vandanamu raghunandana" in the raaga Sahana
"Daya raani" in the raaga Mohanam
"Ni naama roopamulaku" in the raaga Saurashtram (every concert typically ends with this mangalam)

An aside point:
Notice how Tyagraja follows the "upakrama upasamhaara nyaaya" where the "beginning" (upakrama) and the end (upasamhaara) are tied together. He begins with Saurashtram raaga (Shri Ganapatini) and ends the opera with a mangalam in the same raaga- (ni naama roopamulaku).

Lord Rama and Prahlada:
Another interesting point is that many kritis in "Prahlaada Bhakti Vijayam" are on Lord Raama though it should have been on Lord Narasimha. For example, we have "Vandanamu Raghunandana".
There is a problem of chronology- Lord Rama came after Narasimha- isn't it? However, Tyagaraja's "ishta devata" is Lord Rama to the extent that he sees all the incarnations of Vishnu as Lord Rama himself! There is no other explanation. If there is a shloka which presents this concept, it is this one:

shri-naathey jaanaki-naathey abheda paramaatmani
tathaapi mama sarvasvam raamah kamalalochanah

This shloka is attributed to Hanuman. It says- Shri-naatha (Lord Vishnu) and Jaanaki naatha (Lord Raama) are one and the same (abheda) no doubt. However, (tathaapi), for me, Lord Rama (raamah), the one with lotus-petal shaped eyes (kamalalochanah) alone is everything (sarvasvam)! Such is the fascination for one's ista devata and Tyagaraja follows this approach in most of his kritis.

 Another point (needless!), based on the above quotation (which is chanted in Ramakrishna Mission before the paarayanam of naama-ramayana). Why is raamah specially referred to as "kamalalochanah" here? What is the significance? For this, we need to go to the Sundara-kaanda of Valmiki. Sita  asks Hanuman to describe Lord Rama's physical features to be certain that Hanuman has come as a messenger from Lord Rama and is not Ravana in one of his ingenious disguises!
 Hanuman says "Shrinu".. "Listen". The first attribute that Hanuman recounts is "raamah kamala-patraakshah sarva bhuta manoharah". "Rama is the one with lotus-petal-shaped eyes" and then goes on to other attributes. Hence, the above shloka too captures the essential attribute of Rama as "kamalalochanah".

Anyway, why did we get into all this? Tyagaraja brought in Lord Rama in Prahlada Bhakti Vijayam which necessitated this digression!

Tying it to the kriti:

The refrain is the same in the charanam- You appeared before Prahada and ensured that his statement... that the Lord is inside the pillar is proved. Why then do you not appear before me, Tyagaraja says, when I plead to you repeatedly?


P.S: Ignore this please!
I was wandering aimlessly in the streets of Mylapore, Chennai... last weekend. We all know the famous Shiva temple -Kapaalishwara here. Skirting the temple pond is another temple I never knew about all these years! It has a little gopuram of its own, looks ancient and houses Lord Shiva as "velleeshvara" (Lord of the planet Shukra/Venus-"velli" in Tamil) and the Goddess as "Kamakshi". Why am I mentioning all this here? There is a connection to Lord Narasimha!
In this temple, there is a shrine for "sharabheshvara"- Shiva as a grotesque creature- lion like but with wings! Here, he is shown as quelling "ugra" Narasimha so that Lord Vishnu can return to his benign ways, I learnt. The vimana is painted and shows "sharabha" and a Vishnu-like figure in blue. The details are not too clear in the actual idol.
Of course, we don't want a Shiva-Vishnu war here based on this reference. I have never heard of this story earlier. Please take it in the right spirit and pay a visit to this temple!