Sri Jayanthi Celebrations
From the Bhakti List Archives
• September 3, 1999
Dear BhakthAs : I was immersed in the joy of browsing the Shri KrishNA Home pages of Sri Haresh BalasubramaNyan yesterday ( Sri VaikAnasa Munithraya Sri Jayanthi day). Today (Sri PaancharAthra Sri Jayanthi day), I had the delectable anubhavam of (1) listening to Saint ThyagarAjA's NowkhA Charithra Krithis and (2) Swami Desikan's Sri GopAla Vimsathi . I will share with you the story of NowkhA Charithram, the Operatic drama of Saint ThyagarAjA. There is no basis for this story in Srimath BhAgavatham just as Sri Hamsa sandhEsam has no connection to Srimadh RaamAyaNam of Adhi Kavi. NowkhA Charithram is a beautiful testament to Saint ThyagarAjA's kalpanA sakthi capacity to write padhyams and musical genius. NowkhA Charithram ****************** It is also known as GopikA Gharva Bhangam . On one evening , Our Lord , Baala KrishNan and number of beautiful Gopis were sailing in a boat and were having Sarasa Kreetai. The Gopi girls were taken up with themselves over the thought that the Lord was caught in their soundharya valai(net) and became bloated over their Soundharya Gharvam. Sri KrishNan wanted to teach them a valuable lesson . He wanted them to remember that He as ParamAthmA is far away from the JeevAthmA , when it becomes proud about its prowess and independence . When the JeevAthmA has this Bramam about itself , then ParamAthmA causes certain things to happen to bring the JeebvAthmA to the sober state of remembering that it is totally dependent on the Lord as a seshan. BhagavAn suddenly created a great storm and the winds and the rain shook the boat and YamunA waters entered the boat .A hole opened up in the body of the boat and the boat began to sink .There was a threat to the life of the proud Gopis.Now the gopis began to worry about the Lord's safety and prayed to Mother YamunA to save them and get them ashore without harm . Our Lord laughed inside and suggested to His Playmates to take their sarrees off and use them plug the leak in the boat . The Gopis remembered the days of VasthrAbharaNam and were stricken with shame over the demands of the Lord. Finally ,they gave up their pride and surrendered themselves totally to Sri KrishNan to save them from the impending calamity.They prayed to HIm with utter devotion . Immediatley , they had His darsanam as the divya ManhgaLa Vigrahan ( divine resplendent SubhAsrayam ).The storm subsided and the boat came ashore safely.The Gopis recovered their clothes and fell at their Lord's sacred feet . They formed a procession and placed their Lord in the middle , sang His glories and returned to their homes . Saint ThyagarAjA composed this Opera to remind us about the importance of PoorNa Prapatthi and when that is done , He becomes our full protector in the spirit of the GithA slOkam : ananyAscchinthayanthO maam yE Jana: paryupAsathE tEshAm nithyAbhiyukthAnAm Yoga kshEmam vahAmyaham Raagams used by Saint ThyagarAjA for display of the RasAs: *********************************************************** The Saint used 13 RaagAs in his nowkhA charitham. These are : Surutti, pantuvarALi ,Yathukula KaambhOji, SaurAshtrA , SaaranhA , Bhairavi , PunnAgavarALi, SaavEri, karnAtaka Kaapi, GhantA , varALi and Mohanam . The saahithyams are full of SringAra Rasam and Bhakthi Rasam . The poetry is of a high order . The ghandha Padhyams, Seesa Padhyams Vachanams, SaardhUlams and the dhvipathais are most delectable to experience in the Sundara Telegu. The choice of Raagams for the occasions of the fast moving drama are most apt.The use of KaruNA rasa PrAdhAnya Ragam , PunnagavarALi for 4 songs and the SooryakAntha Janya Raagam, SourAshram for four more songs of NowkhA charithram are masterly strokes of the genius of Saint ThyagarAjA . I will conclude this posting for Sri Krishna Jayanthi of PramAthi Samvathsaram with the Phala Sruthi : ThyagarAja kruthAm PuNyAm kathAm Saadhu manOharAM yE sruNvanthi narA lOkhE thEshAm KrishNa; praseedhathi (Meaning): For those of the world , who hear the auspicious and delectable kathai of NowkhA Charitham composed by ThyagarAjA, Lord KrishNA will appear before them . Sri KrishNArpaNam asthu. Oppilaippan Koil V.Sadagopan
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