Component-I (A) – Personal Details

Component-I (A) – Personal details:

Prof. P. Bhaskar Reddy Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati.

Prof. R Thiagarajan Presidency College, Chennai.

Dr. V. Premalatha Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati.

Prof Ritha Rajan, Music Academy Chennai

Component-I (B) – Description of module:

Subject Name Indian Culture

Paper Name Indian Aesthetics and Fine Arts

Module Name/Title Early Composers of South India

Module Id I C/ IAFA/ 23

Pre requisites an interest to know about the famous composers of South Indian Classical music belonging to the period, 12th century to 17th century.

Objectives to give an account of the biographical details and the contribution of some great music composers of South India who lived during 12th - 17th centuries

Keywords Jayadēva, Gītagōvinda, Annamācārya, Nārāyaṇa Tīrtha, Kṛṣṇalīlā taraṅgiṇi, Bhadrācala Rāmadāsa, Purandaradāsa, Kṣētrayya, Padam, Aṣṭapadi, Dēvaranāma

E-text (Quadrant-I):

Introduction

Indian Music has a rich tradition and in the previous modules, we had learnt about the various aspects of the classical music forms of India and the popular instruments used in the North and the South Indian Systems. In this module, we shall learn about a few early composers of music of South Indian music. These great masters are considered as the pathfinders and pioneers of the classical and devotional streams.

1. Jayadēva

1.1 Biography

Jayadēva was a Sanskrit poet of the early 13th century, born in a village called Kenduli in Odhisha to Bhōjadēva and Ramadēvi. He was married to Padmāvati, a dancer who was an ardent devotee of Lord Puruṣōttama. He was the earliest of the Oriya poets. He was also one of the gems who adorned the court of King Lakshmanasena of Navadvipa in Bengal. He composed the Gīta Gōvinda.

1.2 Gītagōvinda

Gītagōvinda is a Śṛṅgāra mahākāvya composed in 12 sarga-s and consists of 24 songs. Each song contains eight sections or stanzas and hence is called Aṣṭapadi. They belong to the realm of sacred music but are sung in concerts of art music as well. The Aṣṭapadi hymns are the earliest examples of regular musical compositions. Each song is being set to a specific rāga and tāla. Rādha (nāyaki or Jīvātma), Kṛṣṇa (nāyaka or Paramātmā) and Sakhī (the friend or preceptor who leads the devotee on to the path of mukti or liberation) are the prominent characters figuring in this work. The first Aṣṭapadi describes the ten incarnations of Lord Viṣṇu, which begins with the words,

1) pralaya-payodhi-jale dhṛtavān asi veda

vihita-vahitra-caritram akhedam

ke ava dhṛta-mīna- arīra jaya jagadī a hare

(2) kṣitir iha vipulatare tiṣṭhati tava pṛṣṭhe

dharaṇi-dhāraṇa-kiṇa-cakra-gariṣṭhe ke ava dhṛta-kūrma- arīra jaya jagadī a hare

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCwfVCS9T88

The Aṣṭapadi -s are beautiful examples of flowery metrical sāhitya-s. The Gītagōvinda may be described as the nucleus, which provided the inspiration for the development of the classical opera and dance drama a few centuries later. The cult of Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa derived its inspiration principally from Gītagōvinda. The place where Jayadēva began and completed the hymns has since been known as Jayadēvapura. Annual festivals in memory of Jayadēva are held every year in Kenduli. The whole of Gītagōvinda is sung during the festival.

1.3 The dar aṇa Aṣṭapadi

There are so many interesting anecdotes in Jayadēva’s life. While writing Gītagōvinda when he came to the 10th sarga, in 19th Aṣṭapadi, he felt he did some disrespect to Lord Kṛṣṇa while writing two lines. He scored off those two lines and went to take bath leaving the manuscripts with his wife. After sometime his wife, Padmavati saw him coming back with oil smeared all over his body and asked for the manuscripts. He rewrote those two lines and went back to take bath. In reality, it was only Lord Sri Kṛṣṇa who had come in the guise of Jayadēva. When the real Jayadēva came back and took the manuscript to continue the work, he was astonished to find that the same two lines, which he had scored off, were again written there. He asked his wife about this and she said that “My Lord, did you not yourself come and write these lines?”. This incident was an eye opener to Jayadēva and he praised the spiritual greatness of his wife because only she had the supreme fortune to see the Lord, a fortune denied to himself. He immortalized the event by referring to himself as "Padmavatiramana Jayadēva Kavi” (i.e Padmavati's husband, Jayadēva) in the last caraṇa of 19th Aṣṭapadi. This Aṣṭapadi has been widely and frequently sung even today and is called as dar aṇa Aṣṭapadi and Sañjīvanī Aṣṭapadi. The mudra found in the Aṣṭapadi-s is “Jayadeva”.

In the famous temple of Lord Jagannath at Puri, even now one or two Aṣṭapadi -s are sung every evening after the pūjā. In the recent times Aṣṭapadi-s are sung and danced widely.

2. Tālappākkam Annamācārya

2.1 Biography

Tālappākkam Annamācārya is a very prominent and significant composer among the vāggēyakāra-s (composers) of the medieval period. He was born in 1408, in Tālappākkam, a village in Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh. He was described as a saint singer and Kīrtanācārya. His parents were Narayana Soori and Lakshmi. He left his home at the age of 16 and went to Tirupati hills. On the way he is believed to have got the dar aṇa of Goddess Alamelumanga, who offered him the divine prasāda and then he composed a atakam in praise of Lord Venkateswara which consists of 100 lōka-s. He is believed to have composed nearly 20000 compositions.

In the Tirupati temple, he was given the charge of conducting the Kalyāṇōtsavam, which made him the father in law of Lord himself. It is believed that whatever he said were actually poems or verses and many of these were later on converted as Kīrtana-s attaining popularity and fame. The scholars of Vijayanagara also considered Annamācārya as the incarnation of Tumburu and Narada. The King Chaluva Narasimha jailed him as he refused to compose in praise of the King. The sufferings he had while in jail are described in the kīrtana, “ākaṭi vēlala” in Mukhāri Rāga. The king hearing this composition begged the pardon of Annamācārya and ordered his release.

2.2 His compositions

The medium of language in the compositions of Annamācārya is simple Telugu, the language of laymen. It is enjoyable and understood by the masses of classes. Being a Telugu poet, his kīrtana-s outpoured both love and devotion. His compositions depicted high level of philosophical thoughts like the one see below:

Brahmamokaṭē para brahmamokaṭē kanduvagu hīnādhikamu lindulēvu andariki rī harē antarātmā indulō jantukulam intā okaṭē andariki rī harē antarātmā

The meaning of this song goes thus: There are no differences, such as low and high within the creations of God. In front of HIM, all are one and the Supreme Lord dwells in all the living beings.

In an other song, beginning with, “Nānāṭi baduku nāṭakamu, he says,

puṭṭuṭayu nijamu pōvuṭayu nijamu

naṭṭa naḍimi pani nāṭakamu

yeṭṭana duḍagaladī prapañcamu

kaṭṭakaḍapaṭidi kaivalyamu

Meaning:- Birth and death are real in this world. The work that is done in between these two is a drama. We are able to see the whole world that is in front of us, but we are unable to see beyond that. That is where the liberation or salvation is.

He has composed compositions describing the various temple rituals of Tirupati like, “tiruvīdula tirigē dēva dēvuḍu, “kṣīrābdi kanyakagu” etc. “Kolani dōpariki gobillu” is a folk melody which is usually sung for a specific kind of dance called gobbillu, where young girls dance, clapping their hands.

He has composed Śṛṅgāramañjari, Saṅkīrtana Lakṣaṇamu. Other composers like Purandara Dasa and Kshetrajña have been influenced by Annamācārya, largely. It is evident from some of their compositions, which followed the same style of Annamācārya.

Annamācārya’s compositions spread the philosophy of Vaiṣṇavism and its significant Bhakti. It is believed that he laid down the guidelines for an ideal Kīrtana, which served as a model for later composers and he was considered as the Mārgadar ī by later vāggēyakāra-s. After living for a period of 95 years, he passed away in the year 1502. Some of his compositions are preserved in copper plates at Shri Venkateswara Swamy temple, Tirumala.

3. Purandaradāsa

Purandaradāsa was the only son of a very wealthy merchant father Vardappa Naik and Kamalamba. He was named after the Lord of the seven hills, Srinivasa. Born in affluent circumstances the child was brought up with great care and affection and with all comforts. He was married to Sarasvati Bai in his 16th year. After the death of his father, he expanded the business and soon became wealthier. With the increase of his fortune, his miserliness also increased.

3.1 A Business-man becomes a bhakta

One day a Brahmin came to Purandaradāsa’s shop requesting some help to conduct the upanayanam of his son. Purandaradāsa told him to come the next day. The next day also he replied the same and this continued for the next few days. The Brahmin felt disgusted and went to Purandaradāsa’s wife. She was a saintly woman and without any hesitation, she gave away her nose screw and told the Brahmin to sell it and conduct the upanayana. The Brahmin took this ring to her husband’s shop. Purandaradāsa who was an expert in assessing precious stones became doubtful and sent a messenger to his wife to get his wife’s nose ring. When the messenger came and asked Sarasvati for the ring, she was seized with a shudder. Fearing the temper of her husband, she decided to commit suicide. As she was mixing poison in a cup, a miracle happened and she saw an exact replica of the nose screw appearing in the cup. She took it and gave it to the messenger. Purandaradāsa was amazed seeing this second jewel, which was an exact replica of the one he had in his hand. Sarasvati bai narrated the incident to him and this was an eye-opener to Purandaradāsa. He sent for the Brahmin but the Brahmin was not found anywhere. He soon gave away all his wealth and started composing songs in praise of Lord. The very first song that he sang after this incident was ‘mōsahōdanallo’ in the rāga Aṭhāṇā.

3.2 Contribution

Purandaradāsa later started on an extensive pilgrimage. He visited all the sacred shrines from Himalayas to Kanyakumari. At the age of 40, he had formal initiation from Vyāsarāya. The bhajan-s and religious discourses performed by Purandaradāsa were attended by many people. He and his wife were ardent devotees of Krishna and pleased with their devotion the Lord himself gave dar ana to the couple more than once.

According to the statement in the song “Vāsudevana Nāmāvaliya” in Mukhāri rāga, jhampa tāla we find that the number of his compositions comes to 4,75,000. His compositions are generally called as dēvarnāma-s. They are mostly in Kannada and the style is very simple. The texts of the songs portray the emotions of a true devotee to Lord. In one of his songs, “rama mantrava japisō – hē mānuja”, he says that uttering “rāma-nāma”, is the only way and the easiest one to reach God. He has used the mudra “purandara viṭṭhala” in his compositions.

“Śrī gaṇanātha sindūra varṇa” is a famous Gīta that is taught to the students of Karnāṭaka Music. Realizing the importance of teaching music through a series of graded lessons, he is said to have composed the Gīta-s, Sūlādi-s, Ugābhōga-s, Ṭhāya-s and Prabandha-s. Rightly, he has been called the “Karnāṭaka Saṅgīta Pitāmaha”. He died in the year 1564.

4. Nārāyaṇa Tīrtha

4.1 Biography

Nārāyaṇa Tīrtha, the illustrious author of Krishna Leela Tarangini, belongs to mid 17th century. He was born to Gangadhara and Parvati. He had attained high proficiency in learning early in his life. He studied Bhāgavatha and was an expert in Music and Bharata āstra. Nārāyaṇa Tīrtha

9 is said to have been initiated into the life of a Sanyāsa after a strange incident. It appears that while Nārāyaṇa Tīrtha was once swimming across a stream he was about to be swept off by a sudden current. He instantly prayed to God that his life be saved and offered himself to become a sanyāsa and recited the necessary prayers. He reached safely and went home but did not tell anything to his wife. However, his wife had some intuitive knowledge of the vow of Sanyāsa he had taken and refused to go near him. Then he confessed the truth and from that time onwards, he became a sanyāsi. Afterwards, he visited many temples and holy places.

4.2 Kṛṣṇa līlā taraṅgiṇi

During his tour once he was once afflicted with severe stomachache, he prayed to Lord Venkateswara for relief. He was told in a dream in the night to follow the thing he sees first in the morning. In the morning, he saw a boar, which led him to Varahur (in Tamilnadu) and then disappeared. He settled down in that place and began to render great service for the cause of religion and for the promotion of South Indian Music.

Kṛṣṇa līlā taraṅgiṇi is the longest dance drama (Gēyanāṭaka) in Sanskrit made of 12 taraṅga-s. In this dance drama, the author narrates the story of Lord Krishna from his birth upto the time of his marriage with Rukmini. The songs in the opera are in the forms of a kīrtana, and are crouched in music appropriate to the occasion. Nārāyaṇa Tīrtha has tried his best in portraying the Advaita philosophy. The story element is less important. All his compositions portray the outpourings of a true devotee to the supreme Lord and total surrender at His feet. The Rādhā kalyāṇam in the 12th taraṅga is filled with the thoughts of Upaniṣad-s. The pattern of wedding customs followed in the brahmin families are also described in this. The song, “Pūraya mama kāmam” in the rāga, Bilahari is a famous composition, which is a prayer of Gōpi-s, who wanted to perform the Rāsa dance with Lord Krishna. “Mādhava māmava dēva” in the rāga Nīlāmbarī, depicts the Gōpi-s, pleading Lord Krishna to play with them in Brindāvana. “Gōvardhana giri dhārā” is also one of the popular compositions of this form. Nārāyaṇa tīrtha has used his own name as the mudra in his compositions.

The Kṛṣṇa līlā taraṅgiṇi has become an integral part of the Kuchipudi dance repertoire. Nārāyaṇa Tīrtha has composed two other works namely Pārijāta Apaharaṇam and Haribhakthi Sundarārṇavam. His songs are sung as bhajan-s in Varahur and other places. He entered into the state of Samādhi in the year 1745. The Krishna Jayanti festival is celebrated every year in Varahur and during this time, one can hear the entire Kṛṣṇa līlā taraṅgiṇi faithfully sung by devotees.

5. Kṣētrayya

5.1 Biography

Kṣētrayya was born in a village called Muvva in the Krishna District of Andhra Pradesh. His parents named him, Varadayya. He came to be called as Kṣētrayya as he visited a number of holy places (kṣētra-s). He is said to be the architect of the musical form called “Padam”.

Padam refers to a musical form filled with nāyaka-nāyaki bhāva, set in a slow tempo. It is also a predominant item in a classical dance concert. It is mostly composed in rakti rāga-s

5.2 Contribution

Kṣētrayya is said to have composed 4200 Padam-s, but only very few of them are available with notation. The texts alone of some Padam-s are available. His mudra is ‘muvvagōpāla’. The first composition of Kṣētrayya was “Sripatisutubariki” in Ānandabhairavi rāga, āditāla. His Padam-s are filled with rich melodic content and shine with subtle gamaka-s and intricacies. They are set in slow tempo, which is helpful to bring out emotions by the dancer. Before Kṣētrayya, any song was called as Padam. But, it was only after Kṣētrayya that the Padam came to denote a Telugu composition based on ṛṅgāra rasa.

Kṣētrayya visited many places and he was highly praised and honored. From the composition, “vedukato naduchukonna vitarayade” in Dēvagāndhāri rāga, we learn that he had composed 2000 Padam-s in Madurai, 1000 in Tanjavur court and 1100 before the Badusha of Golconda. He has also sung in praise of Viraraghavaswamy of Tiruvallur, Kanchi Varadaraja and Govinda

Raja of Chidambaram. While he was in Tanjore, as the honored guest of Vijayaraghava Naik, he composed at the request of the ruler, five Padam-s with the rājāṅkitam. These five Padam-s in five different rāga-s, constitute the well-known Vijayarāghava Pañcaratnam.

In the manuscript containing Kṣētrayya Padam-s, we find at the top of each composition, brief notes relating to the context in which the song is sung, by whom it is sung, the type of nāyikā or nayaka portrayed etc. Some of his frequently sung pada-s are Ninnu jūḍa (Pantuvarāli), Ayyayyo vegatayene (Nādanāmakriyā), Mānini vinave (Śaṅkarābharaṇa) etc.

6. Bhadrācala Rāmadāsa

6.1 Biography

Bhadrācala Rāmadāsa was a Telugu Brahmin belonging to the Kancherla family. He was born in a village called Nelakondapalli near Hyderabad, in the year, 1620. His parents were Linganna and Kamamba. Rāmadāsa attained proficiency in Sanskrit and Telugu from his guru Raghunatha Bhattacharya. He developed a devotion to Sri Rama from his childhood itself. He lost his parents early in his life. His maternal uncles Akanna and Madanna held the posts of controller of the forces and chief minister of Golconda at that time. Hence it was easy for Rāmadāsa to be appointed as the Tahsildar of Bhadrachalam Taluk. During this time, he had an oppurtunity to visit the Rama temple at Bhadrachalam, frequently and thus his devotion to Lord Rama became multifold and started composing beautiful songs in praise of Sri Rama. Rāmadāsa was blessed with an ideal wife and a son named Ramudu.

6.2 Rāmadāsa In Prison

While working as Tahsildar in Bhadrachalam, Rāmadāsa started renovating the temple of Srirama in Bhadrachalam. He used the revenue charges, which were remitted to the treasury,

12 for the renovation without proper sanction. The misuse of the fund led to the imprisonment of Rāmadāsa and he was put into jail for 12 years. This incident is being referred to in his famous song, “sītā rāmasvāmi nā’ in sāvēri rāga. He was in a prison in the Golconda Palace. It was during this time that Rāmadāsa composed many beautiful compositions.

It is also recorded that Lord Rama and Lord Lakshmana disguised themselves as employees of Rāmadāsa and approached the Nawab and paid the outstanding dues and asked for the release of Rāmadāsa. The King was stunned by this act and the seeing the charm of the two lads, identified them as Rama & Lakshmana. Having realized the greatness of Rāmadāsa the King released him and begged for his forgiveness. The king also appointed him as the Tahsildar. He refers to this incident in the composition, “rāmuḍu dāsuḍu” in Nādanāmakriyā.

His Compositions

Rāmadāsa enriched Karnāṭaka Music with his illustrious compositions numbering more than hundred. Most of them have pallavi, anupallavi and multiple caraṇa-s. Some were in the form of divya nāmāvali-s having a pallavi and multiple caraṇa-s. His compositions are in Telugu and a few in Sanskrit. He has also composed the Dā arathi atakam, a set of 100 poems on Lord Rama. His mudra is “bhadrādri” “bhadrāchala”, “bhadragiri” and so on.

Some of his popular compositions are, “palukē baṅgāramāyana” in the rāga, ānandabhairavi, “ō rāma nīnāma entarucirā” in the rāga pūrvīkalyāṇī. Many of his compositions are didactic in nature.

For example, “rāma jōgi mandu konave” in the rāga Kamās.

rāma jōgi mandu meeru prēmatō bhujinchinapuḍē

kāma krōdhamulanella kaḍaku pāra drōlu mandu

mada matsara lōbhamulanu māṭalō nilipēṭi mandu

gudigonna karmamulu kōḍaka eḍadrōlumandu

Meaning: Rāma jōgi medicine eradicates lust and anger if you take it heartily. The medicine instantly eradicates arrogance, envy and avarice. It dispels accumulated sins.

His compositions are very simple and have become very popular, like “rāma daya jūḍavē” in the rāga dhanyāsi. The song “ikṣvākukula tilaka ikanaina palukavē” in the rāga Yadukulakāmbhōji, he expresses his pain while he was beaten up for using Government revenue to make jewels to the Lord at Bhadrachalam. He lived for a period of nearly 60 years.

7. Summary

This module has dealt with a brief biographical note on six early composers of South India. Their contribution to music has been of great motivation and has served as a model for many later composers in terms of content, structure and style of Classical music compositions.