Chinnanchiru kiliye

cinnam chirukkiLiyE kaNNammA selva-kaLanjiyamE

Oh my little parrot, my dear (kannamma), my treasure trove (selva kalanjiyam)

ennaik-kali tIrttE ulagil Etram puriya vandAi 

you came (into this world) to remove all my worries and troubles

piLLaik-kaniyamudE kaNNammA pEshum por-chittiramE

my little child, my dear, my speaking masterpiece - as in artform (por chittiram)

aLLi aNaittiDavE en munnE Adi varum tEnE

You come toddling in front of me so I can take you into my arms (alli anaithidave)

Odi varugaiyilE kaNNammA uLLam kuLirudaDi

When you run to me, my dear, my heart melts/cools down

Adit-tiridal kaNDAl unnaip-pOi Avi tazhuvudaDI

When I see you roam around happily, my soul goes and embraces you. 

ucci tanai mughandAl garuvam Ongi vaLarudaDi

When I smell your head (baby's head smells amazing), my pride grows stronger

mecci unnai yAr pugazhndAl mEni shilirkkudaDI

When other people praise you, I get goosebumps

un kaNNil nIr vazhindAl ennenjil udiram koTTudaDi

When tears roll down from your eyes, my heart bleeds

en kaNNin pAvaiyenrO kaNNammA ennuyir ninradanrO

Aren't you the apple of my eye, isn't my life yours?

Amba Shambavi

 This is a song that I have been wanting to learn for so long. Finally learnt it but unfortunately need a lot of practice for it. 

This is a condensed version of the Rajarajeswari Ashtakam with few chosen lines. 

ambā śāmbhavi chandramauḻi abalā' (a)parṇā umā pārvatī

Amba - Mother
Shambavi - Wife of Shambu (Shiva) 
Chandramauli - the one who wears the crescent(mauli) of the moon(chandra

Abala - lady Aparna - The one who penanced for shiva without even eating a leaf

Uma - Name of parvati (usually indicating splendour)

Parvati - Daughter of the mountain (parvata)

kāḻī haimavatī śivā trinayanī kātyāyanī bhairavī

Kali - The dark one
Haimavati - daughter of Himavan (the mountain king)
Shivaa - The feminine of Shiva 
trinayani - The wife of the one with three eyes
katyayani - The daughter of Rishi Katyanana
Bhairavi - wife of Bhairava (Shiva)

ambā mōhini dēvatā tribhuvanī ānandasandāyinī

Mohini - the mesmerising one
Devata tribhuvani - The goddess of the 3 worlds
Anandasandhayini - The one who gives us all happiness

vāṇī pallavapāṇi vēṇumuraḻīgānapriyā lōlinī

Vani - one with beautiful speech
pallava pani - with slender hands
Venumurali - bamboo flute
ganapriya lolini - who enjoys the music 

ambā nūpuraratnakaṅkaṇadharī kēyūrahārāvaḻī

ratna - gems
nupura - anklet

kankana - bangles

keyura - armband

haravali - wearing necklace

You wear all the ornaments studded with gems

jātīchampakavaijayantilaharī graivēyakairājitā

You are adorned with garlands (graiveya) of jasmine(jati) champa and vaijayanthi (pearl like flowers).

vīṇāvēṇuvinōdamaṇḍitakarā vīrāsanēsaṃsthitā

You play the veena and the venu(flute). You sit in virasana (a pretty difficult yoga pose putting your hips between your feet. You often see very small kids sit in this position very casually). It could also refer to her sitting on the lion which denotes bravery(veera) and lion is the vahana of her

chidrūpī paradēvatā bhagavatī śrīrājarājēśvarī 

The one who's form is of consciousness, goddess of godesses, Sri rajarajeswari (the empress of all emperors). 

Maha kali Maha shakti - Gowlai

Happy Navarathri to all. It gives me great pleasure in writing the lyrics and meanings for this beautiful composition by Shri Madurai R Muralidharan. 

 Viruttam

akila bhuvananum kaathidum ambike

The goddess (ambike) who protects (kaathidum) all (akila) the world(bhuvanamum)

aanandhavalliye

The goddess of happiness (aanandha)

adhisayam nidham nidham nigazhthidum annaiye 

the Mother (annaiye) who performs (nigazhthidum) miracles (adhisayam) every day (nidham nidham)

aadhiparasakthiye

The primary (adhi) Powerful Goddess (parashakthi)

ambalavaananin agamadhu nirandhavale

The one who fills (niraindhavale) the heart (agamadhu) of the lord of the temple (ambalavaanan) (aka Shiva)

angayar kanniye

The fish-eyed one (angayar kanni)

aagamam aanavale

the one who embodies ancient traditions (aagamam)

arumperum karunai purindhu ennai aadharitharul tharum amma

The Mother (amma) who bestows (purindhu) The rarest (arumperum) compassion (karunai) and supports (aadharithu) and blesses me (arul tharum).

unnadi malar panindhen arul mazhai pozhivaai

I pray (panindhen) your floral feet (unnadi malar), shower (pozhivaai) your rain (mazhai) of blessing (arul)

Pallavi

Mahakali Mahashakthi Maheswari

Mahishasura mardhini

The slayer of mahishasura

Madhiyadhu thelivura manamadhu oli pera

To clear (thelivura) my mind (madhiyadhu), to brighten (oli pera) my heart (manamadhu)

adhisaya sugam pera arul mazhai pozhivaai

to obtain miraculous (adhisaya) joy (sugam), shower(pozhivaai) your blessings (arul)

Anupallavi

Mahadevan magizh devi mangala roopini

The goddess (devi) who brings happiness (magizh) to mahadevan (shiva), whose form(roopini) is auspicious (mangala).

madhusudhanan sodhari

The sister(sodhari) of the slayer of madhu (a demon) (Parvati is considered a sister of Krishna/vishnu)

mahamaaye maha durge  maha lakshmi maha saraswathi

madhiyadhu (...)

Charanam

Aakamai niraindha sakthiye 

The power filled(niraindha) as creation (aakamai)

ookamai uraindha sakthiye

The power sustained (uraindha) as encouragement (ookamai)

nokkamai valarndha sakthiye

the power that grew (valarndha) as an aim (nokkamai)

kakka vaa kadamba vana vasiye

Come protect me (kakka vaa) the one who lives in (vasiye) the forest of Kadamba (kadamba vana)

Asamyukta Hasta Vinoyoga Slokas

Asamyukta hasta are hand gestures that you learn as a beginner. Asamyukta - not joined Hasta - hands. As the name suggests these are hand gestures with one hand. Note however that you may still be using gestures on both hands, either same or different but the gesture itself uses only one hand.
There are a total of 28 Asamyukta hastas.

A shloka specifies what these are

"Pathakas Tripathako Ardhapathakas Kartharimukhaha

Mayoorakhyo Ardhachandrascha Araala Shukathundakaha

Mushtischa Shikharakhyascha Kapitha Katakhamukhaha

Suchi Chandrakhala Padmakosha Sarparhirasthathaa

Mrigashirsha Simhamukhaha Kaangoolascha Alapadmakaha

Chaturo Bhramaraschaiva Hamsasyo Hamsapakshakaha

Samdamsho Mukulaschaiva Thaamrachoodas Trisoolakaha

Ithyaasamyukta Hastanam Ashtavimshati reerita”

This is a new paragraph

Kaa Va Va

Kaa vaa Vaa Ragam: Varaali Talam: Aadi Composer: Papanasam Sivan 

My last post was from 2017.  I am sorry I haven't been keeping up with this blog but encouragingly, I keep getting Google updates about how many people this blog is actually helping. There are many visitors (ahem, well at least more than what I expected anyway) who come here for lyrics, meanings, explanations. I am grateful for all the support. Your comments keep me going so keep 'em coming.

This is almost I would say a masterpiece by a masterful composer in a very beautiful ragam called Varaali. Varaali has a bad rep of destroying student-teacher relation so it's never "taught" by the teacher. (Or at least that's what I was told as a kid). But it is a beautiful ragam nonetheless. More on it in my music blog. Let's focus on the dance.

First Lyrics. Meanings will follow shortly.


Pallavi

kA vA vA kandA vA vA enaik-kA vA vElAvA pazhani malai uraiyum muru-


Anupallavi

dEvAdi dEvan maganE vA para dEvi maDiyil amarum guhanE vA
vaLLi deyvayAnai maNavALA vA sharavaNabhava parama dayALa SaNmu-

Charanam

AbattiruLara aruLoLi tarum appanE aNNaLE aiyA vA
pApat-tiraL tarum tApam agala varum pazhanNi vaLar karuNai mazhaiyE vA
tApatraya veyil ara nizhal tarum vAn taruvE en kula guruvE vA
shrI padmanAbhan marugA rAmadAsan vaNangum muttayyA viraivODu

Kanna Va Manivanna Va

This is not a song that I learnt personally but some of my classmates did. So writing this for their benefit

(rAgA: kApi)
Pallavi
kaNNA vA maNIvaNNA vA kamala padam vaittuk-kaNantanil nI vA (kaNNA)
Come Kanna, come the beautiful one.  taking steps (vaithu) with your lotus feet (kamala padam) come in a moment - meaning at once (Kanam - moment, thanil -in).

Anupallavi:
taNDai shalangai konjat-tavazhndumE vA tAmaraip-padam vaittut-taLar naDaiyiTTu vA
your anklets & bells (thandai - type of anklet, salangai - bells) tinkling (konja), come crawling. Come toddling with your lotus feet. (talai nadai - toddle)

koNDaik-kuzhalashaiyak-kumarA vA kOvalar tam kulak-kozhundE vA (kaNNA)
Oh Kumara (young one) come with your bun (kondai) and hair (kuzhal) swaying. Oh come the offspring(kula kozhundhe) of the cowherd (kovalar) tribe. 

(rAgA: sAmA)
2: veNNai vizhunduNNum vimalA vA vEdam pugazhppadam vaittingu vA
Oh Vimala (the pure one) who gobbles up butter (vennai vizhundhu unnum), come!!. Come with the steps that have been praised by vedas. Possibly a reference to vamanavataar. 

eNRumen idayattil irundiDa vA paNNishaittingun padam vaittu vA (kaNNA)
Come to reside in my heart(idayattil) always (endrum). Come playing your music and walking/stepping (Pan - music, isaithu-playing, ingu- here un-your).

(rAgA: vasanta)

3: Anirai meittiDum aNNalE vA ATkoLLum daivamE aDi vaittu vA
Oh Pious one (annal) who grazes the cows come, The god (deivame) who rules over me (aatkollum) , come walking (adi vaithu). 

gOpiyar manam kavar kaLvA vA kOlan-kATTa ingu kudittODi vA (kaNNA)
The thief who stole gopi's hearts, come!! Come jumping (kudithodi) to Show your form (kolam kaata) - Can be viswaroopam but doesn't match with kudithodi. 

(rAgA: nIlAmbari)
4: karunkuzhal yashodai kaNmaNI vA aravin siram ninra aDi vaittu vA
Oh apple of the eye (kanmani) of the dark haired yasodha (karunguzhal) come. The one who stood on snake (aravam) 's head (siram), come with walking - refer to kalinga narthana.

irunAn kezhutturai iraivA vA iDaragaTrum tirup-padam vaittu vA (kaNNA)

(rAgA: suarTi)
5: Alilait-tuyilum azhagA va ArvamAic-cuvaikkum aDi vaittu vA
Come oh beautiful one that sleeps on banyan leaf. I don't necessarily know why there is a connection between banyan leave and krishna but aalilai krishnan refers to the really infant krishna. The one who sucks/tastes his big toe interestingly (aarvamai) - aalilai krishna is usually depicted sucking his big toe. 
mUvulaginukkum mudalvA vA muktiyaLikkum malar padam vaittu vA (kaNNA)
The leader of all 3 worlds (moovulaginukkum) come, Come the flower feeted one who gives moksha (absolution)

Orkut memories - Anname

During a recent search google suddenly threw this gem at me.
http://orkut.google.com/c77622-t9d038d4a4251976c.html

Apparently I wrote lyrical meanings for Anname Aruginil va in an orkut forum as early as 26 Jan 2011. To be honest I have no recollection of doing so :) Ahh... how much I miss the Orkut communities. 

Muruganin Marupeyar - Behaag

Ragam: Behag
Thalam: Kanda chapu

This week became a behaag vaaram (or at least behag day) at the dance class. Since we learnt this piece in the first class and a tanjore quartet thillana in behaag in a subsequent class.

Behaag means to be pleasing in Afrikaans (wow I did NOT know that until I started writing this post). quite aptly named I must say. Behaag is indeed a very pleasing and soothing ragam. It's a janya of the 29th Melakartha Sankarabharanam with prathi madhyamam as a anyaswaram in the avarohanam. More about this enchanting raga in my music page maybe later.

This piece though a krithi is being done as a kavadi chindu. It's an interesting choice for kavadi chindu since most kavadi chindu that I have come across have upbeat music and very layman lyrics. None of the wordplay that you see in padams. This makes kavadi chindu reach the masses quite easily and the upbeat music adds to its charm. Another usual characteristic of kavadi chindu is also that it usually is not divided into the usual pallavi anupallavi charanam pattern. This one, however, is different. It does have clear pallavi, anupallavi and charanam. Tries a little more lyrical language while still being simple and is usually sung in vilambitha kalam or slow speed.

Now for the lyrics

Pallavi

Muruganin Marupeyar azhagu
Andha muruvalil mayangudhu ulagu

The other (maru) name (peyar) of Lord Muruga is beauty(azhagu)
In that (andha) smile (muruvalil), the world (ulagu) stands mesmerized (mayangudhu)

Anupallavi

Kulumaikku avan oru nilavu
Nee kumara ena solli pazhagu

He (avan) is a (oru) moon exuding coolness (kulumai)
You (nee) should practice (pazhagu) saying (solli) the name Kumara.

Charanam

Vedhangal kooridum oliye
Uyar velodu vilayadum ezhile
thuraviyum virumbiya thurave
Nee thuraviyai ninritta thiruve

The light (oliye) that is described(kooridum) in the vedhas.
Editorial Note: I see this line as being interpreted in two ways. The light is described in the vedas or the light that described the vedas. Incidentally both seem appropriate The light (referring to Lord Muruga here) described the vedas - this could refer to Lord muruga describing the primordial sound of Om to his dad Lord Shiva.

High (uyar) spear (vel) wielding/sporting (vilayadum) beauty(ezhile). You are the beauty that plays with the high spear.
The renounce (thuravu) that even the renouncers(thuravi - one who renounces) desire(virumbum). You are desired by even those who have renounced everything.
You (need) are the wealth (thiruve) that had stood (ninritta) as an ascetic(thuraviyai). This refers to the story where Muruga gets angry with his parents for not giving him the mango and goes and stands as an ascetic in the palani hills.

Simple lyrics, musically pleasing.
How can any post for dance be complete without a discussion of the tala. This is set to kanda chapu. kanda meaning 5. Each line covers 4 avartanams making it a grand total of 20 akshara kalas

Nirutha Ganapathiye

After a somewhat long hiatus, am back to blogging about the pieces. There are reasons for my absence 1. We haven't been learning any lyrical pieces since Konjum Salangai. It was mostly mallari, alarippyu in misram and jathiswarams. So haven't really needed any meanings and analysis. Though the misra nadai might require some special treatment 2. Our arangetram 1:1s have started and on in full swing that our group lessons have taken a back seat 3. I was also away in india for about 5 weeks so that gave me very little time if any to blog. But here I am and back to blogging. This piece we are about to discuss is Nirutha Ganapathiye in Raga Kanakangi. If you are familiar with melakartha ragams (or even if you aren't, now might be a good time to learn about the 72 melakarthas), this is the first of them. I may have to complete this post and come back to it later. It's been a while and the details are a little hazy but I promise to come back and finish this.

Konjum Salangai - Lathangi Varnam

Ragam: Lathangi Talam: Adi


Pallavi

Konjum chadhangai thigazhum unn thiruvadi

Your feet(thiruvadi) that are adorned(thigazhum) with beautiful (konjum) anklets(chadangai - a variation of the word salangai)

thanjam endrunai paninden paramporule

I bow(paninden) to thee (unai)  and take refuge(thanjam)  oh supreme being (paramporule). This refers to taking refuge on His feet mentioned in the previous line

Anupallavi #1

Nanjinai amudhenave Umayavalin nejamum anjida und(u)-arul purindai

You blessed (arul purindhai) us by consuming (undu) poison(nanjinai) considering it as elixir(amudhenave), though uma's heart(nejamum) was filled with fear(anjida) 

Anupallavi #2

Pancha bootham vadivaga maaperum prabanjam yaavilum nee nirandhai

You(nee) filled(niraindhai) this entire(yaavilum) huge(maaperum) universe(prabanjam) in the form(vadivaga) of 5(pancha) elements(bootham) - namely Air water fire sky and earth.
Bootham here refers to elements and not to be confused with ghosts :)

Anupallavi #3

Senjadai meedhinil chandiran soodiya sanjalam theerkum ponnambala vaanane

The one who wears(soodiya) the crescent moon(chandiran) on(meedhinil) his auburn hair(senjadai), that resolves(theerkum) all worries(sanjalam), the ruler(vaanane) of golden(pon) roof(ambalam) - refers to the shiva temple in Chidambaram in Tamil Nadu. The ruling deity of this temple is none other than Nataraja, the supreme dancing form of Shiva!!

Mukthayiswara -sahithyam

naridhanai nodiyinil pariyena matriya
The one who changed(matriya) foxes(nari) into horses(pari) in a second(nodiyinil). This refers to a story in siva puranam, about Lor d Shiva coming to the rescue of one of his devotees (Manickavasagar) by transforming the foxes to horses. 

kariyai urithu sira mann sumandhavane
The one who ripped(urithu) the elephant(kari) and the one who carried(sumandhavane) sand(mann) on his head(sira). This refers to 2 stories - story of gajasura in the form of elephant, who's skin Shiva ripped and wore and the story of Shiva who accepted pittu (sweet made with rice flour) as fee for carrying sand to build a bridge.

thiruvadi naadinen arulmugam thEdinen
I sought(nadinen) your feet(thiruvadi) and searched(thEdinen) for your divine face(arulmugam)

Arumperum varam tharum gunanidhiye
The virtuous(gunanidhiye) one who bestows(tharum) the rarest(arum) and biggest(perum) boon(varam). 

Charanam

Natanam adidum Natesa lathangi inaindhu layamudane
The Natesa who dances(adidum) the cosmic dance(natanam) in harmony(layamudan) with lathangi - refers to the ragam in which this song is set. It can also be interpreted as dancing with Parvathi since lathangi is one of the names of Ambal (Parvathi)

Chittaswaram

#1
Samaganam thanil thanai marandhu agam magizhndhu udan varum

The one who blissfully(agam magizhndhu) immerses himself(thanai marandhu) in melodious music(samaganam) and accompanies us(udanvarum).

#2
Naathan un azhaginai kaanum iru vizhiyinil 
naalum un dharisanam kaana vizhaindhidum 
malarpadham ninaindhidum thavithulam 
pagalum iruvum uzhalum thavamirundhu

The two eyes (iru vizhiniyil) that saw(kaanum) the beauty of the Lord (Nathan un azhaginai), seeks (vizhaindhidum) to see His darshan everyday, thinks(ninaindhidum) of his flower-like feet (malarpadham), restless mind (thavithulam), worries (uzhalum)and prays (thavamirundhu) day and night (pagalum, iravum).

#3
Nee virisadaiyan nee puliudaiyan 
nee ariaranum nee kaliulagil 
nee karunaikadal nee pathanjali muni thozhum paraman nee varamarulvai 

You are the open matted haired one (virisadaiyan), you are the one who wears tiger skin (puliudaiyan), You are both hari and haran (ariaranum), you are the sea of compassion(karunai kadal) in kaliyuga, you are the Supreme one (paraman) that Sage pathanjali (patanjali) prays(thozhum) to. Bless me (varamarulvai). 


#4
thaam dheem thakadhimi thakajana vena
naadham mazhaiaruvi inaindhu vara
paadum adiyar kalithada idathu padam thooki anudinamum adal pala vidhamum 
Valakkai udukkai pidithe isaikkum 
azhagil murali magizhndhu vanangum

With jathis and flow music (naadham mazhaiaruvi)combining (inaindhu vara), much to the joy(kalithida) the singing (paadum) devotees (adiyaar),
everyday (anudinamum), you lift(thooki) your left (idathu) foot (padam)and dance (adal) in various ways(pala vidhamum),
You right hand(valakkai) holds(pidithe) the damru(udukkai) and plays it (isaikkum) - In this beauty (azhagil), murali enjoys (magizhndhu) and bows to you (vanangum).

Gaanam Isaithu Nindrayo - Varnam

Composer: Madurai Muralidharan

Pallavi 
Ragam: Valaji
Gaanam Isaithu Nindrayo 
Have you been standing somewhere playing music (on your flute
Ennai marandha kaaranam ondru sollvayo Kanna Kuzhalil
Can you give me one reason why you forgot about me? O Kanna (Krishna)

Anu Pallavi #1
Ragam: Hamsanadham
Maanam Kaakave Sendrayo 
Did you go away to save somebody's honor (referring to Draupadi from Mahabharatha)
Oru murai maamugam kaati chelvayo Manivanna
Will you show me your wonderful face once before going? O Beautiful one.

Anu pallavi #2
Ragam: Vasantha
Dhaanam Kekkave Sendrayo 
Did you go away to get some donation/charity (referring to Krishna asking Karna for his earrings and armor) (forgetting that I am waiting here)
Udan vara thaamatham innum seyvaayo Kanna marandhu
Will be you be late to come accompany me?

Anu pallavi #3
Ragam: Dhanyasi
Neelam nirai vanna mEniyane 
O beautiful one filled with the color of blue
Inimel nee varum vElai solvaayo karunai kondu.
Will you please take pity on me and  tell me when you will come?

Mukthayiswaram (Sahityam) (This uses the 4 ragas above in reverse direction of Dhanyasi, Vasantha, ??, Valaji)
Kalingam meedhinil nal nadanam seidhu 
Did you dance on the Kalinga serpent 
vadham purindhayo Kamsanai venru
Did you win Kamsa and kill him?

Kalaithanayao Maamalai karam thookiye 
Did you get tired of lifting the mountain on your hand
ennayum marandhanayo Kanna
Is this why you forgot me? O Kanna

Charanam
Ragam: Charukesi
Anandham kondu nadanam aadi varuvaye Gopiyargal sozhndhidave
You come dancing with glee, surrounded by the Gopika ladies

Chittaswaram 1
Ragam:?
Geethai uraithu nalla paadhai vagutha maadhava
Oh Madhava who preached the Gita and showed us the good path

Chittaswaram 2
Ragam: Surya/Sallapam?
Maadam thorum oli maamani deepamum 
There a lights lit in various sconces
Maayan undhan vazhi maandhargal naadavum
Oh tricky one, the ladies are looking for you
Manaseegamai maayam seyyamal 
Will you please not trick me
maadhenai thediye maalayida varuvaai
But seek me out to garland (marry) me?

Chittaswaram 3
Ragam: Amrithavarshini
Saagasam nee seivadhenna Kanna 
Why are you teasing me such? O Kanna
kaaranam inriye karunai seyyamal
you are not showing me any pity for no reason at all 
Maamugam kaatavum manam irangavum
Show me your face, show me some kindness
naan paayiram paadinen pagal iravaaga
I sing songs for it day and night
thamadham inriye thavithidum pedhaiku 
Without any further ado, for the lady who is despairing
nee manam negizhndhu varam tharuvaye
Give a boon with a kind heart
Sagaram meedhinil paamaraiyin mel 
In the ocean, on the serpent (Adisesha)
pallikonda parandhaman padham naada
O sleeping Supreme one, I seek your blessings.

Arputha Narthanam

This is the first piece we learnt as the prep class for 2016.  It's an interesting piece by Madurai Muralitharan. What I observe as I learn more pieces by this composer is that his pieces are very intricate and mathematical but not necessarily musically rich. I am not sure if I am making sense here but his pieces (this was the second piece i learnt by him, the previous one being the amrithavarshini jathiswaram in khanda matya tala and I am currently beginning a ragamalika varnam by him as well). There is a lot of fanfare, intricate korvais and karvais but somehow leaves me unsatiated musically. Of course take this with a pinch of salt (a bucket if you will) since it is coming from someone who cannot even be termed a novice.

Anyways after that armchair review, now to the actual piece. This is set to Gambheera naatai literally means "Majestic Naatai".  It is a janya of the 36th melakartha chala naatai (without the R and D). It's very upbeat and happy raga usually used in mallaris or procession music.

Viruttam
Moolaadhaaramai moo ulagam vilangum
The one who is the primordial force in the three worlds

Muzhu mudhar kadavule
First and foremost God

Velaayudhan vanangum
The one who is prayed to by Lord Shanmuga(Kaarthikeya)

Maayon Marugone
The nephew of Vishnu (Remember Parvathi, Ganesha's mom, is Vishnu's sister which makes Ganesha the nephew of Vishnu)

Kaelaai enn muraiyai
Listen to my pleas/requests

Kanivudane udan kaavai Ganapathiye
With kindness. Protect me right away Ganapathi (Ganesha)

Kanam idhuve Ganapathiye
This is the time (for you to protect) Ganapathi


Pallavi
Arputha narthanam azhagudan aadidum
The one who dances the wonderous dance beautifully

Aanai mugath(u) omkara roopane
Elephant faced who has the form of an OM

Aanandham thandhidum aingarane
The five handed one(Ganesha) who gives happiness (Ganesha is said to have 5 hands - 4 arms and 1 trunk)

Arul varame anudinam.
Bless us with a boon daily

Anupallavi
Parpalarum paniyum param dhayanidhiye
The kind compassionate one whom everybody bows to

Murpagal vinai theerkum moolaadhaarane
The primordial force that absolves me of sins from my previous birth

Charanam
Ethisaiyum pugazh naayakane
The leader whom the eight directions praise

Siddhi vazhangum vinayakane
The Vinayaka (Ganesha) who blesses (us)

Nal buddhi tharum mudhalaanavane
The pioneer who gives us good brains (wisdom)

Bhaya bhakthiyudan dhinam murali vanangidum
Murali (the composer) bows to thee with reverence

Kanne en Kanmaniye

This is a thalaatu set in Ragam Kurinji. Kurinji is a rare ragam and is most suited for lullabies and laali paatu (Those sung during the oonjal ceremony in tambram weddings). "Seetha Kalyana Vaibogame" is a popular song in this raaga
Kurinji is a janya of 29th melakartha Shankarabaranam

This piece sung by Bombay Jayashree has two parts - 1 Viruttam from Periyazhwar Thirumozhi (from NAlAyira Divya Prabandham) and 2 - a beautiful song by Papanasam sivan


Lyrics

Viruttam
mANikkam katti vairam idai katti
Studded with rubies, interspersed with diamonds

Ani ponnAl seidha (vanna) siru thottil
a small (beautiful) cradle made with purest gold 

pENi unakku piramman thandhAn
Lord Brahma gave it to you with utmost care

mANikuRaLanE thAlElO
thAlElO is an form of endearment that can probably be translated as "sleep baby" or "hush baby". 
Oh short-form-ed one (may refer to vamana based on following line but could also refer to him being so small as a baby)

vaiyam aLandAn thalElO
Oh the one who measured the universe

devaki bAlane thalElO
Oh the baby of Devaki

ulagam uNdavane thalElO
Oh the one who ate earth (referring to how Krishna ate mud as a kid)

Pallavi
kaNNE en kaNmaNiyE
Oh my eye, the pupil of my eye (Not to be taken in literal sense but as an endearment)

kaNNanE kaN vaLarAi
Oh Kanna, may you grow up well

maNNulagil en vAzhvai vaLam peRa vanduditta
You came to this world to make my life more prosperous



Anupallavi
kuyiliSai kuzhalOSai un konju mozhik kiNaiyAmO
Can the cooing of the cuckoo bird or the music from the flute, even be equal to your sweet words

koNDa mana sancalaNgaL panjAi paRandiDumE
All the worries that clouded my mind just blows away like mere cotton fibre in the wind (referring to the sweet words from above)
tAlElO! tAlElO!

CharaNam
tEDAda en nidhiyE tigaTTAda teLLamudE
The wealth that I couldn't have found anywhere, the pure ambrosia that I can never grow tired of 
vADAda menmalarE manattuL inikkum tanittEnE

the flower that never withers, my own sweet honey that sweetens my heart
tAlElO! tAlElO!

Govindan Kuzhalosai

This is a beautiful padam in ragamalika composed by Kalamamani Dr Saraswathi
It praises Lord Krishna and how his flute music enchants everyone around that they forget their normal routines. 

It is set to raga Desh predominantly. This is popular hindustani raga but there has been a lot of tamil/carnatic songs tuned to this. One popular song that comes to mind is of "Vande Mataram" the national song... set in desh (meaning country... you get it?)
The other is "Thunbam nergayil" from an old Tamil movie.

The Pallavi and anupallavi are set to this raga. 
the Charanam forays into Atana (janya of 29th melakartha Shankarabharanam).  

There is then a burst of chittaswarams in various raga - Atana, ranjani, simmendra madhyamam, mohanam, hindolam, finishing up back in desh

Lyrics

Pallavi

Raga:Desh

gOvindan kuzhalOsai kEtu 

Hearing the music from Govindan's flute
angu mEvidum Avinam mEIdhal marandhana

The cattle and livestock grazing over there, forgot to graze

Anupallavi

KUvidum paravaigal kUdugal thurandhana

The chirping/singing birds forgot their nests
PUvidai thEn arundha vandinam marandhana

The honey bees forgot to drink nectar from the flowers

Charanam

Raga: atana

KatiLa mangaiyar kaNNan kuzhal kEtu

The young damsels heard Kannan's flute (and)
Mattila Ananda kadalil mUzhgi

drowned in the sea of boundless joy
KaNNanai kandu kAdhal kondu

Saw Kannan and fell in love with Him
KaNNa endrE thEdi alaindhanar [kaNNa nin kuzhalosai ketu]

Called out "Kanna" and started searching for him

Anandha Natamaduvar thillai

This is the first of the many padams that we would learn eventually.


This is a song in praise of Lord Shiva - the cosmic dancer. The composer is Neelakanta Sivan. He is little known but has given some wonderful compositions. His disciple, Papanasam Sivan, on the other hand is quite popular as we all know.

This song is set to raga Purvikalyani. Purvikalyani is a janya of (no, not Kalyani but) Gamanashrama.
Will probably post on my music blog regarding this raga.

Lyrics

Pallavi

Ananda naTam ADuvAr tillai ambalam tannil aDi
paNIbavark-kapajayam illai
(Ananda)

Ananda (happy) natam (dance) aduvar (he's dancing) tillai (Chidambaram) Ambalam (temple) tannil (in)

adi panibavar(devotees) apajayam illai (no troubles). 

He who dances  happily in the Chidambaram temple, if we pray to him we won't have any troubles. 

Anupallavi

tAnandam illAda rUpan 

tajjam takajham takajhaNu 

taLAngu taka tatingiNatOm 

taLAngu taka tatingiNatOm 

taka dhimi taka tatingiNatOmena

(Ananda)

He is the one with no start/end (tanandam). Referring to how he wanted to show Vishnu and Brahma that he is endless. Vishnu goes for Shiva's feet and when he couldn't find it he surrenders. Brahma goes to find his head and meets a thazhampoo (Kewra phool) that falls from Shiva's head. He asks the thazhampoo to back him up and say that yes brahma saw his head. Accordingly Brahma and the flower lie to Shiva but he finds out and curses brahma that there would no temple to worship him because he lied. 

CaraNam 

pAdi madi jyOti phaLir phaLIr enna 

pAda shilamboli ghalIr ghalIr enna
Adi karai uNDa nIlakNTham minna 

arapura hara shiva sundara 

aruL gurupara shiva shankara
ANdamum piNDamum AdiDa 

eNdishaiyum pugazh pAda
(Ananda)

Padhi (half) madhi(moon) jothi(light). The light from the crescent moon on his head is glowing brightly. 

Pada (feet) silamboli (sound of the bells). The sound of the bells from his feet are so sonorous and loud. 

Aadi (in early days) karaiunda (drink poison from the ocean) neelakantam (blue throat) is shining

arapura hara shiva sundara - the one who has conquered all worlds

Arul gurvara shiva shankara - The shiva who bless gurus 

Andamum pindamum aadida (The entire world with all its living/non living beings are dancing with you)

Endisaiyum pugazh paadida (the eight directions are singing your praise). 

Thillana - Ratipatipriya

This is the first thillana we learnt. Thillanas are a form of song where the rhythm is given a lot of importance. In fact the whole piece is centered around the rhythmic syllables set to a tala pattern. Unlike the solkattu that we encountered earlier in varnam or shabdam, the solkattu in thillana is the "actual" song and is sung as such. Each thillana is also set to a raga (or scale or tune) and sometimes it might even be a ragamalike (remember shabdam?).

The beauty of the thillana is in the fast verses and the intrinsic and complex patterns that still adhere to the tala patterns. A few months (well, maybe a year) ago I wrote a post on Korvais (joins) and Karvais (splits). Thillana is just full of them. I want to highlight some using the current thillana as an example.

This thillana is set to Ratipatipriya (a little known ragam except for the masterpiece Jagajanani). The ragam is the janya of 22nd Melakartha Karaharapriya. It's a audava-audava raga, very simplistic in its structure. Not a whole lot of neraval swaras. As with a lot of KHpriya janya, it is a very melodious raga. KHpriya is quite the prolific mother but I digress.

As I mentioned the emphasis of thillanas is on the rhythm. This is beautifully explored in the current Thillana. It is set to adi talam which is the regular 4+2+2 however, it is set to cycle of 2 avarthanams or 16 beats (That is it takes 16 beats to complete one cycle).
(Nadir theemtha deem deem deem) -4
(nadirtha deem deem) -2
 (deem deem thana) -2
 (dhirana thana dheem) - 4
 (janu dheem) - 2
(dheemtha dheemtha dheem) -2
What this does is that it gives the percussionist and hence the choreographer a little more freedom to work with which makes for some very beautiful combinations.

A typical structure of the thillana is Pallavi and anupallavi of solkattu followed by a lyrical charanam. In this version, the charanam goes as follows

Ponnezhil mEni vaNNanE
The one whose body has the charm of gold
kANa eNNinEn mEga varNanE
I wanted to see you, the one who's colored like the clouds (dark skinned - as Krishna is said to be dark skinned)
viNNavar pAdum mannanE
The king whose praise the celestial gods sing
maNi vaNNanE kamala kaNNanE
O Beautiful one, O lotus eyed one.

The forgotten verses

What makes a varnam beautiful is not just the lyrics but also the intricate nattuvangam (or sorkattu) that is interspersed. In tamil, sol = word and kattu means to tie or tied, therefore sol+kattu = sorkattu which is essentially the words tied together. these are identified as the Theermanams in the previous post. Jegatha had asked me to provide the sorkattu for the varnam and here you go. I am including all the theermanams as well as the swarams (mukthayi and chitta) in the same order as they appear in the varnam.

Each transition from song to solkattu is preceded by 
thalaangu thakathiku thaka thathinginathom

Theermanam 1: This is a trikala jathi meaning the same solkattu is repeated in 1st speed 2nd speed and 3 speed. the speed or tempo controls how many aksharas (or swaras) per beat. and the tempo increases exponentially  that is 2nd speed is twice 1st speed and 3rd speed is twice second speed (or 4 times 1st speed). 

The sol goes as follows

Tha ritha ritha kina | naka thaka | jam jam || 
Tha jam , , , |  thaka jam|, , , || thakun dari kita thaka| 

(Note that this is 2.5 avarthanams(cycles) and therefore repeated 2 times to make 5 avarthanams)

The same is repeated in 2nd speed as follows repeated 4 times
tharitha rithakina nakathaka jamjam| tha jam thaka jam | thakundari kitathaka||

3rd speed repeats the above 4 times.

a special "theermanam" is appended to completed the cycle as follows
tharitha rithajam thatharitha rithajam| tharithaka ritha tha thakathiku kitathaka tharikitathom||
tharikitathom thaka tharikitathom thakathiku kitathaka tharikitathom||

This is repeated thrice to finish the cycle.

Theermanam 2: (One speed only)
tha thadingu thaka thaka thadingu thaka tha nom thadingu thadingu thadingu tharikita ,dingu dingu tharikita
tha thadingu thaka thaka thadingu thaka tha jam thadingu thadingu thadingu tharikita ,dingu dingu tharikita

tha thadingu thaka thaka thadingu thaka tha jam thaka thadingu thaka naka thadingu thaka tha jam

tha thadingu tha thadingu thai thaka thadingu tha thadingu thai
tha thadingu tha  thaka thadingu thai thalaanguthom thakathiku kitathaka tharikitathom
tha thadingu tha  thaka thadingu thai thalaanguthom thakathiku kitathaka tharikitathom
tha thadingu tha  thaka thadingu thai thalaanguthom thakathiku kitathaka tharikitathom


to be continued.

Anatomy of a Varnam

Varnams are milestones in the world of music/dance. Since this is a dance-based blog I will concentrate on dance based varnams. Varnams are of different types and have different purposes. The two popular types of varnam are Taana Varnam and Pada varnam. The Tana varnams are usually used in music training/concerts and consists more of the akaaram based singing/playing. "Pada" means verse, so true to its name pada varnam have a lot of verses (even for places where, in Tana varnams, you only have swaras). Almost all varnam pieces in dance training are pada varnams because tana varnams are mostly to prove the prowess of one's singing rather than on nritta or abhinaya.  Therefore for the rest of this post, whenever I say Varnam, I mean pada varnam.

The structure of a varnam with the nattuvangam is as follows. The blue color shows verses and green color shows swaras or simply musical notes (as in sa ri ga ma  or some such combo :) ) The nattuvangam is in red.
For illustrative purposes I have shown the corresponding parts of nee indha mayam (in purple italics). Please refer to the previous blogpost for actual lyrics.


-------------- Begin Purvangam (usually in 1st speed or sometimes in chowkam) -------------------

 First Line Intro

Theermanam I

Arudi (Walk back)

Pallavi - Nee indha maayam seidhal nyayam dhana dhayanidhiye

Arudi (Hit back)

Theermanam II

Arudi (Walk back)

Anupallavi - paayum maaran ambinale....

Arudi (Hit back)

Theermanam III

Arudi (Hit back)*

Mukthayiswaram (only musical notes) Ni Dha pa Ma ga ri..

Arudi (Walk back)

Mukthayiswara sahityam (verse for the same tune as #3) (Nee allal thuNai illai...)

Arudi (Walk back) and Pose¨ 

------------- End Purvangam (Purvangam == first half)   -----------------------------

============ Begin Uttarangam =====================

 Charanam (usually sung in 2nd speed) (Ayar kula deepame...) Intro
Theermanam IV

Arudi (Walk back)

Charanam Sanchari

Arudi (Hit back)

Chittaswaram #1 (Sa pa ni ma)

Arudi (Walk back)

Chittaswara sahityam #1 (svAmi ni kan pAr...)

Arudi (Hit back)

Chittaswaram #2 (Sa ri sa ni ri sa dha)

Arudi (Walk back)

Chittaswara sahityam #2 (Sarasadala ...)

Arudi (Hit back)

Chittaswaram #3 (Sa ri sa ni sa...)

Arudi (Walk back)

Chittaswara sahityam #3 (tarunamidu...)

Arudi (Hit back)

 Chittaswaram #4 (Sa sa ga ri sa ni ri sa...)

Arudi (Walk back)

Chittaswara sahityam #4 (Paaraai...)

Arudi (Walk back)¨

.... some varnams have more than 4 chittaswarams and some have lesser than 4.

============= End Uttarangam (Uttarangam == latter part) ================

* - You hit back because the next line is Mukthayiswaram which is also foot work. So you prefix the footwork with the hitting back

¨ - You walk back because the next line is Charanam and therefor abhinaya. You prefix the abhinaya with the more graceful walk (rather than hit).

While this is taking a specific varnam for illustrative purposes, the structure for varnams remain more or less the same.
Couple of things to note
1. Both nattuvangam (such as theermanams) and swaras (such as chittaswara or mukthayiswara) comprise of purely footwork.
2. All verses with actual lyrics comprise of abhinaya. For the main verses (Pallavi, Anupallavi and Charanam) they are often repeated multiple times. The dancer usually uses these repititions to either a. show variations in abhinaya or b. use abhinaya to show drama/story. For ex, eventhough the lines themselves may not directly refer to it, the dancer may show stories of krishna or rama during the lines. Such elaborations are called "sanchari"s. Sanchari literally means to roam around. These are called sanchari because they go in a roundabout way to express the meaning by enacting stories rather than do the abhinaya of the actual words.
Remember that these sancharis are creative outlets for the dancer to depict their facial expressions of emotions just as the intricate theermanams are their outlets for footwork.

I may do a followup post on just Dhanyasi varnam to explain a little more about the raga/tala structure of the same. 

Beginning Varnam 5/11/2013

My last post has been from October 2012 where I spoke about Korvais and Karvais.  Fast forward 7 months and we are already beginning our Varnam.
The post prior to that is from Sept 2011 where I introduced Kavuthuvum. So here's a list of what we learnt in the intervening year and half.
1. Ganesh Kavithuvum
2. Subramanya Kavithuvam
3. Natesha Kavithuvam
4. Alarippu
5. Kalyani Jathiswaram
6. Govardhanagiri (Krishna Shabdam) - Raga malika
7. Thodaya mangalam - Raga/Tala malika
(did I miss any)

You can see that as a child learns first the alphabet, forming into words learning the pronunciation and then eventually forming sentences, we have now reached a stage where we can put together these various elements of footwork, hand gestures and abhinaya to create a full length piece.

The varnam we are learning is Nee Indha Mayam by Papanasam Sivan in Raga Dhanyasi and Aadi Thalam.
Don't worry yet if the structure is a little vague. I will be explaining this in a subsequent post. Just pay attention to the bolded terms,  I will be referring theses names in the following post.
Here's the lyrics of this varnam . Meanings follow (in blue).

nI inda mAyam (padavarNam).  rAgA: dhanAysi.  tALA: Adi

Pallavi:

nI inda mAyam seidAl nyAyam tAnO dayAnidhiyE 

Is it fair/right if you do this mystical action, oh sympathetic one. (the "mAyam" here could refer to magic or testing behavior).

Anupallavi:

A:  pAyum mAran ambinAlE puNpaDu pAvaiyaik-kaNNAl pArAmal innum 

The girl has been hit by the arrow of the leaping Manmadhan (the love god), you are not even looking at her with your eyes yet (you're ignoring the lovestruck woman)

Muktayiswaram:(sAhityam)
nIyallAl tuNaiyillai bhuvi tanilE dayai purivaiyE nijamidu vanaja nayana

Without you, there is no support in this world, take pity on me, this is true oh lotus-eyed.

ninadubhaya caraNam kanavilum maravA enadu tApamara vandaruL iraivA

I pray to your helping feet. Oh God, please help remove the yearning that I don't even forget in my dreams.

muraLi gAna kuLir niraimati vadananE murahara munivar tozhum kamala caraNanE

the flute player, the cool moon faced one, the slayer of demons, the lotus feeted that sages pray to.

rAdhai maNavALA tuyaram ini tALEn mukhil nigar dayALA yadu patiyE  

Husband of Radha, I cannot bear this sorrow now, oh compassionate one like the rain bearing cloud, oh leader of yadavas.

Charanam:

Ayarkula dIpamE aruL tArAi

Oh shining light of ayar lineage bless me.

Chittaswaram (Sahityam):1:  svAmi nI kaN pAr satyabhAmA lOlA gOpAlA 

Oh God, please see me the lover of Sathyabhama, Gopala.

2:  sArasadaLa vilOcana parama pAvana sAmajavarada madurai vaLar 

Oh lotus eyed, the supreme holy being. The boon-giver to gajendra, the one who grew up in Mathura.

3:  taruNamidu ninaindu ninainduLLam varundinEn  

karuNai nidhiyE manadu kanindaruL viraindu 

this is the right time. I despaired thinking over and over again. Oh compassionate one, please soften your heart and come fast.

4:  pArAi punnakaiyoDennarugil vArAi nI manam irangi enai
parivuDanE enaduyirudan onrena anru kaland(u)En enai inru marandAi
pani nilAvil tavazh iniya tenralilum enadu mEniyazhal mezhugu pOl uruga
pagalirA tuyilurA tiru vizhigaLum pArAmukhamum tagumO manamum silaiyO

Please see me (pArAi), come near me with a smile, take pity on me. With lots of affection, that day you become one with my life, why did you forget me today. Even in the cool breeze that floats in the dewy moon, my body melts like an inflamed wax. There is no day with sleepless eyes, Is it right to show indifference (to me), is your heart a statue (as in made of stone?)