Thamizh Songs in Carnatic Music—20-- அழகா அழகா என்றழைத்து--azhagA azhagA enRazhaittu

Thamizh Songs in Carnatic Music—20

அழகா அழகா என்றழைத்து--azhagA azhagA enRazhaittu

Composer: ambujam KrishNA

Oh, beauty! Oh, beauty!

Composition:  azhagA azhagA enRazhaittu

mudrA:           ambuja (?)

(signature):   

rAgam:           suddha danyAsi (janyam of karaharapriyA, 22nd mELam)          

tALam:           kaNDa cApu

ArOhaNam:   SG₂M₁PN₂ PS

avarOhaNam: SN₂PM₁G₂S

பல்லவி:      

அழகா அழகா என்றழைத்துக் கை

தொழுது வந்தேன் திருமாலிருஞ்சோலை உறையும் வடி  (வழகா)

அனுபல்லவி:     

வழுவாது திருப்பாதம் தொழுதேத்தும் அன்பர்க்கு

அருள் வாரிச் சொரிந்து அவர் உள்ளம் கவரும் கள்   (ளழகா)

                       

சரணம்:      

 நடந்து நடந்து உன் சன்னிதி வந்தேன்

 நாதனுன் நற்றாள் நிழல் தாராயோ?

 நாடி நாடி உன் புகழ் கேட்டு வந்தேன் நாரணா

 என் குரல் செவியுரக் கேளாயோ?

 அடைக்கலம் அடைக்கலம் என்றுனை அடைந்தேன்

 அபயக் கரம் தந்து வினை தீராயோ?

 பாடிப் பாடி உனைப் போற்றிப் பணியும் எனக்குப்

 பவழ வாய் திறந்து அஞ்சேலென்று அருளாயோ?

                                                மத்யமகாலம்

 விரிஜ்யோதி கமலமென உன் முகத்தே திகழும்

 இருவிழி அருள் தேனை அள்ளி அள்ளி

 மறை புகழும் திரு மார்பில் மன்னி என்றும் உறைந்திட

 மன வண்டுன் புகழ் பாட மையலுடன் உனை நாடி       (அழகா)

 Lyrics in Roman script

Pallavi:         

azhagA azhagA enRazhaittuk kai

tozhudu vandEn tirumAlirunjcOlai uRaiyum vaDi (vazhagA)

anupallavi:    

vazhuvAdu tiruppAdam tozhudEttum anbarkku

aruL vAric corindu avar uLLam kavarum kaL     (LazhagA)

                       

CaraNam:      

naDandu naDandu un sannidi vandEn

nAtanun naRRAL nizhal tArAyO?

nADi nADi un pugazh kETTu vandEn nAraNA

en kural seviyurak kELAyO?

aDaikkalam aDaikkalam enRunai aDaintEn

abhayak karam tandu vinai tIrAyO?

pADip pADi unaip pORRip paNiyum enakkup

pavazha vAi tirandu anjElenRu aruLAyO?

                                                madyamakAlam

virijyOti kamalamena un mukhattE tigazhum

iruvizhi aruL tEnai aLLi aLLi

maRai pugazhum tiru mArbil manni enRum uRaindiDa

mana vaNDun pugazh pADa maiyaluDan unai nADi       (azhagA)

Source for Lyrics: See Reference below    

Meaning:

Pallavi:           I came with folded hands chanting. “azhagA, azhagA!” Oh, the beautiful one who dwells in Tirumalirunjcolai (also known as azhagar koil).

           

Anupallavi:    You confer your grace on those devotees who worship your graceful feet and capture their hearts.

CaraNam:       I came into your sanctum sanctorum walking a lot. Won’t you please offer me the shelter of your divine feet? Oh nAraNA, I came to you knowing your fame. Won’t you listen to my appeal?

                        I came to you seeking shelter. Won’t you protect me with your graceful hands and get rid of my ills? I sing your praise. Won’t you open your coral mouth and tell me not to worry?

                        Your eyes, which shine like a fully blossomed lotus flower, radiate such a grace. The vEdAs speak your glory. My mind sings your praise like a humming bee. I come to you with great passion.

           

General Comments:

The Lord of tirumalirunjcOlai is also known as KaLLazhagar. There are great stories about KaLLazhagar who comes down to attend (perhaps return without attending) the divine wedding of Devi Meenakshi with Lord Sundareswarar in Madurai. There is a temple for Vishnu at azhagar koil in the hills on the way to PazhamudirccOlai (last of the six abodes of Murugan), near Madurai. Azhagar koil is also known as TirumalirunjcOlai.

This particular song is on the deity at azhagar koil. It is also a typical one seeking shelter at the feet of the Lord. It has poetic dignity without any lofty words in Thamizh. Ambujam Krishna was known for her immense piety which she tried to convey in a musical mode. The melody makes the words sound sweet and special.

ANDAL, (also known as kOdai), one of the 12 AzhvArs, had a special liking to Sundararaja PerumAl (azhagar) in TirumalirunjcOlai. PeriyAzhvar, the foster-father of ANDAL sings to her about how the girls at AyarpADi (the place surrounding gOkulam) play around Krishna and how another maiden pines at the sight by looking through her window and resolves that she would never marry anybody other than Krishna.

ANDAL resolves in a like manner. She sings in one of her pAsurams thus:

            sindurac cempoDi pOl tirumAlirunjcOlai engum

            indira kObangaLE ezhundum paRandiTTanavAl

            mandaram nATTi anRu madurak kozhum sARu koNDa

            sundarat tOLuDaiyAn suzhalaiyil ninRu uydunkolO!

            சிந்துரச் செம்பொடி போல் திருமாலிருஞ்சோலை எங்கும்

            இந்திர கோபங்களே எழுந்தும் பறந்திட்டனவால்

            மந்தரம் நாட்டி அன்று மதுரக் கொழும் சாறு கொண்ட

            சுந்தரத் தோளுடையான் சுழலையில் நின்று உய்துங்கொலோ!

 ANDAL describes the mountain surrounding the abode of Tirumal like a red powder applied on the forehead of the elephant. The red butterflies which swarm the mountain soon after the rainclouds deposit rain on the mountain appear to her thus. The hills remind ANDAL of Vishnu. She thinks about how the mandara mountain was used as a spindle to churn the milky ocean out of which Lakshmi came out as amirtam for Vishnu. ANDAL pines about how her Lord would ignore her but not let her forget Him either through a mystic bondage. For ANDAL, TirumalirunjcOlai is her world. Likewise, one wonders, the composer (Ambujam Krishna) may have also sported similar feelings while writing this song.

Composer’s Bio:

Ambujam Krishna (1917-1989), before attaining fame as a composer, was known through her familial connections, namely that she was the daughter-in-law of the famous industrial magnate T. V. Sundaram Iyengar (TVS).  She learnt music from Karaikkudi Ganesan and Madurai Ganesa Bhagavathar. She has composed over 600 songs, many of them on Krishna (obviously her favorite deity), in Thamizh, Telugu, and Sanskrit. Her compositions have been published in four volumes titled, “gItamAlA”. Reputed musicians of her day tuned her compositions to various rAgams.

Some of Ambujam Krishna’s compositions that are heard often in the concerts and commercial recordings are: kaNNan kuzhalOsai kETkudaDi (tilang), enna solli azhaittAl (kAnaDA), http://periscope-narada.blogspot.com/2015/11/enna-solli-azhaittal.html pArthasArati un pAdamE gati (kAmbhoji), ODODi vandEn kaNNA (darmavati),  http://periscope-narada.blogspot.com/2016/02/ododi-vanden-kanna.html

guruvAyUrappanE appan (rItigauLai), varuga varugavE (mohanam), ADinaiyE kaNNA (mohanakalyANi), kaNNaniDam eDuttuc collaDi (ragamalika), http://periscope-narada.blogspot.com/2015/09/kannanidam-eduttuc-colladi.html gAnamazhai pozhiginRAn (ragamalikai), and mananilai aRiyEnaDi (bAgeswari).

Reference:

http://www.carnatica.net/lyrics/azhaga.doc

Some audio/video links:

To listen to MLV,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x43HQn-A6a0

To listen to Bombay Jayashree,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TziRQNLyNq8

To listen to Divya Ramachandran,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cw0kOwBn7-A

T N  Seshagopalan sings here

Vasundara Rajagopal sings here