Additional Krthis on Sriman NaarAyaNan

From the Bhakti List Archives

• March 10, 1999


Dear BhakthAs :

I am delighted to receive the feedback from
Sri Vijayaraghavan . I will attempt to write 
in future Bhajans and mangalam on our Pancha PirAttis
( Sri Devi , BhUmi Devi , NeeLA devi ,Godhai and DayA dEvi)
as identified by H.H. The Revered Jeeyar of Poundarikapuram
Aasramam in one of his Tele-UpanuyAsams .
May Sri Lakshmi HayagrIvan bless these efforts ! 

I travel some times from my home to New York City 
by train to attend to the Business of my company .
During those trips , I compose krithis .This way .
my Thought is on Sriya: Pathi instead of ,
on something else ! I try to recite a sthOthram 
or compose a krithi . This is the origin of these 
krithis .

I continue to be inspired by my sister's moving 
compositions on Sri Oppiliappan ( Some 200 of 
them with 72 in MeLa karthA Raagams alone ).

In my head today were rolling two Krithis 
composed by my sister. Their pallavis are :

1. karuNaikkadalE KaNN vaLarAi 
   (Oh Ocean of Mercy ! Please sleep 
    listening to my lullaby )

2. PathiyE nee gathiyE KaNNA 
   ( Oh, KaNNA ! My Lord ! You are my refuge !)
  
They provided the inspiration to compose 
the following two Krithis :

Neelaambhuri Raagam : TaalElO TaalElO
***************************************

Pallavi :   Vadamathurai MyndhA !
            VaasudEvA TaalElO

Anupallavi: VeNNai Thayir vENdi 
            ThAyidam Kenjia BalA ( TaalElO)

CharaNam :  AayanAi MaayanAi
            Godhai MaNavALanAi
            YasOdhai KaNNmaNiyai
            viLangum Sri RajagOpAlA ( TaalElO)

Notes: Vadamathurai Myndhan :
*****************************
Our Lord was born in Vadamathurai 
( In uncle KamsA's prison ) as the Myndhan (child )
of King vasudEvan and His queen Devaki PirAtti .

Notes : Anupallavi--ThAyidam Kenjia Baalan :
*******************************************
Swami Desikan's description of the navaneetha 
naatyam in Nandha Bhavanam comes to our mind .

The fourth slOkam of Swami Desikan's 
Gopala Vimsathi covers this delectable scene :

aavirbhavathu anibhrutha AbharaNam  purasthAth
  aakunchitha yEka CharaNam nibrutha anya paadham 
dhadhnA nimatha mukarENa nibhaddha tALam 
  naatasya Nandha BhavanE NAVANEETHA NAATYAM 

In NandhagOpan's house , YasOdhai is churning
the milk. Bala KrishNan pesters His mother for
VeNNai . She ignores Him and engages in her work .
The divine child comes in front of His mother again
and performs a dance to gain His prize .SarvEsvaran
begs in front of His mother for a ball of VeNNai .
He plants one foot firmly and bends the other and dances .
During those movements , His AabharaNams jingle
with a pattern that seems to serve as TaaLam for the 
rhythmic sound of the churning of the Milk . 
Swami Desikan prays for that Navaneetha Naatyam 
scene in NandagOpan' house to appear before his 
mental eyes .

Notes : Aayan 
*************
The divya naamam of the EmperumAns at ThirukkOvilUr 
and ThErazhundhUr is Aayan ( GopAlan or the divine cowherd).

Second Krithi to be sung in Raagam KunthalavarALi 
**************************************************

Pallavi :   pathiyE neeyE gathiyE , Lakshmi ( pathiyE )

Anupallavi: IrEzhu lokamALum JagannAthA
            Yemm ParanthAmA , malar Makal ( pathiyE )

CharaNam : Geethayai aruLiya PaarthasArathE
           ThiruvalliKKENI Vaazh MaNivaNNaa
           krupA nidhE ! Daasa vathsalA !
           MaruL neengum aruL thArAi( pathiyE )


Notes : neeyE gathiyE
*********************
The reference here is to ANDAL's
Sri Sookthi " NaarAyananE namakkE
PaRai tharuvAn ", the meanings of which 
were explained by Sri sampath RengarAjan 
in his recent scholarly postings .

Notes : pathi -gathi 
********************

The DevAs eulogize the Lord in the UdhyOga parvam
of MahA Bharatham this way :

gathisccha nasthvam dEvEshu pUrvajO Jagadha: prabhu
rakshArtham sarvabhUthAnAm VISHNUTHVAM upajagmivAn 

"Thou art our REFUGE (GATHI).Thou art the first-born
amongst the gods.Thou art the LORD (PATHI) of the Universe.
Thou didst assume the role of VishNu (VishNuthvam )
for the protection of the worlds " .

Notes : Lakshmi Pathi 
**********************
DamapthI JagadhAmpathi ;
The Lord is always associated with MahA Lakshmi .
That is why we salute Him as SrinivAsan , MaalOlan ,
Lakshmi HayagrIvan , Lakshmi NaarAyaNan ,
Lakshmi Varaahan and Lakshmi Narasimhan .

Notes : maruL neengum aruL thArAi
**********************************

NammAzhwAr's first ThiruvAimozhi Paasuram
comes to mind here :

uyarvaRa uyarnalam udayavan yavanavan
mayarvaRa mathinalam aruLinan yavanavan
ayarvaRum amararkal adhipathi yavanavan
thuyaraRu sudaradi thozhuthezhan mananE

(Meaning as per Sri V.N.vedAntha Desikan  ):

" Oh, my Mind! Worship , for being elevated ,
the effulgent feet, which will remove our sufferings ,
of the One Lord , who possesses auspicious qualities 
that can not at all be excelled .Who endowed us with
the Jn~Ana Bhakthi faculty , which effaces the weakness 
of the intellect ( that doubts , confuses, argues and
fails to see what ought to be seen )and Who is the Lord of 
the Nithyasooris and DevAs of unfailing knowledge
( or Who is Lord Devaraajan of Hasthigiri ).

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri SadagOpan