Thamizh Songs in Carnatic Music—24 --- பராமுகமேனம்மா –parAmukhamEnamma

Thamizh Songs in Carnatic Music—24

பராமுகமேனம்மா –parAmukhamEnamma

rAgam: KalyANi (கல்யாணி)     tALam: tripuTa (திரிபுட)

Composer: ShyAma SAstri (ஸ்யாமா சாஸ்திரி)

Why are you neglecting me, Oh, mother?

Composition:  parAmukhamEnamma

Composer:     syAmA sAstiri

mudrA:           syAmakrishnNa

(signature):   

rAgam:           kalyANi (janyam of mecakalyANi , 65^th mELam)   

tALam:           tripuTa

ArOhaNam:   SR₂G₃ M₂PD₂N₃ S

avarOhaNam: SN₃D₂PM₂G₃R₂S

பல்லவி:            

பராமுகமேனம்மா பார்வதியம்மா

அனுபல்லவி:   

 பராத்பரி பரமபாவனி பவானி அம்பா

 பாரில் நான் உன்னையே நம்பினேன்

சரணம்1:     

அகிலமெங்கும் நிறைந்த ஜ்யோதியே அம்பிகையே

அன்னையே இனி நான் தாளேனேன் சொன்னேன்

சரணம்2:     

உனது பாதமின்றி வேறு துணையுண்டோ

உந்தன் மனமிரங்கவும் நான் சொல்லவோ

சரணம்3:     

ஸ்யாமக்ருஷ்ண சோதரி க்ருபாகரி

சரணம் என்று சொன்னேன் தாயே

Lyrics in Roman script

Pallavi:            parAmukhamEnamma pArvatiyammA

Anupallavi:    parAtpari paramapAvani bhavAni ambA

                        pAril nAn unnaiyE nambinEn

CaraNam1:     akhilamengum niRai^nda jyOtiyE ambikaiyE

                        annaiyE ini nAn tALEnEn sonnEn

CaraNam2:     unadu pAdaminRi vERu tuNaiyuNDO

                        undan manamirangavum nAn sollavO

CaraNam3:     syAmakrishNa sOdari krupAkari

                        caraNam enRu sonnEn tAyE

                       

Meaning:

Pallavi:             Oh. Mother Parvati, why are you ignoring me?

Anupallavi:     You are at the pinnacle. You cleanse every soul, Oh, Bhavani mother! In                                                  this world I place my trust only in you.

CaraNam1:      You are the light which pervades the whole world, Oh mother. I can’t                           bear my plight any more. I have to tell you that.

CaraNam2:      Is there another source of solace other than your feet? What can I say                          so that you shall take pity on me?

CaraNam3:     You are SyAma Krishna’s sister full of grace. I declare that I take                                                             refuge in you.

General Comments:

This kriti is in praise of dEvi. Since Syama Sastri (SS) literally grew up in the Kamakshi amman temple, first in Tiruvarur and then in Thanjavur, he was enchanted with thoughts of dEvi all the time.  Many of his kritis are on dEvi Kamakshi. The idol that was brought from Kanchipuram had a history of being stolen from the family and then recovered. It was known as “BangAru Kamakshi”—bangaru meaning gold in Telugu.

There is an interesting anecdote behind what made him address Devi Kamakshi at Thanjavur as his sister (syamakrishna sOdari—which incidentally became his mudrA). King Tulaja was the ruler in Thanjavur at that time and he built the Kamaksh temple at Thanjavur. SS would practice his songs sitting on the temple bell tower. It seems one day his aunt sent some milk to him through her little daughter. The girl came calling him “aNNA’ (brother), placed the milk beside him and disappeared. SS noticed the divine charm in her face with the golden necklace of the deity adorning her neck. SS went home and chided his aunt for sending the little girl bedecked with the deity’s jewel. When his aunt denied having sent her daughter with milk or the jewel, SS knew that the goddess herself played a trick on him to enslave him forever.

The first kriti started flowing from his lips soon after, “Oh, jagadamba nannu..” in the rAgam Ananda Bhairavi, which was followed by 300 more. They all carried the mudrA, “syAmakrishNa sOdari”---in recognition of Devi calling him “aNNA”.

This particular kriti “paramukhamEnamma” is reflective of SS’s constant rumination of Devi--- while awake as well as asleep. It is not an appeal in the regular sense seeking relief from misery but he was looking for the Devi to be with him in real time all the time—not just in thoughts alone but also to appear before him in true form.

Composer’s Bio:

Syama Sastri (1762-1827) was born in Tiruvarur in an ancestral Telugu family which settled in Thamizh Nadu a couple of centuries before he was born. While his mother tongue is not settled as to whether it is Thamizh or Telugu, it was the time when the court language of the Thanjavur kingdom was Telugu even though the rulers were Maratta kings. Accordingly Syama Sastri (SS) learnt Telugu and Sanskrit while growing up and learnt the Vedas and music. SS’s ancestral family had been the priests of the Kamakshi amman temple in Thanjavur and guardians of the golden Kamakshi icon brought over from Kanchipuram when they had to flee the Muslim invasion in 1566.

SS was christened “venkatasubramanian” at birth. He was given the nickname of “syama Krishnan” which he used as his signature in his compositions. In his later life he was known as Syama Sastri.  It is said

jananAt kamalAlayE dharshanAt aprasadasi

smaraNAt aruNAcalam KAshi tu maraNAn muktih…

(—i.e., it is glorious to be born in tiruvArUr (kamalAlayam), worship in Cidambaram (aprasadasi), meditate in tiruvaNNamalai (aruNAcalam) and die in KAshi to attain salvation). It is a coincidence that the trinity (Thyagaraja, Dikshitar, and Shyama Sastry were all born in tiruvArUr.

SS’s ancestors settled in tiruvArUr after running through several places in Thamizh Nadu.  In 1781 the family moved to Thanjavur where SS’s father got the king’s (Tulaja) support. Kamakshi temple was built in Thanjavur and the family was given the care of the temple worship services. In his early life SS was helping his father out in the temple activities. One noteworthy feature is that the current priesthood of the Kamakshi amman temple in Thanjavur is still in the hands of SS’s posterity.

One Sangeetha Swami came from Varanasi and encouraged music training for SS. The family was fairly well-to-do (with income from the temple and landed property) and hence SS could afford music lessons. Later Pachimiriyam Adiyappaiyah (the Thanjavur samasathana vidwan) recognized SS’s musical talent and gave him training. Bobbili Kesavayyah, another great musician of that time challenged saint Tyagaraja in Tiruvaiyaru, lost and then came to Thanjavur court and challenged the musicians there. SS met his challenge upon King Sarabhoji’s request and defeated Bobbili. SS spent his time mostly at the Kamakshi amman temple singing so many kritis on Her. He also traveled to a few places like Pudukkottai, Madurai, Chennai, and Kanchipuram and sang on the deities there.

SS composed mostly in Telugu and Sanskrit. He wrote just 5 kritis in Thamizh which are crisp and emotionally devotional. His disciples include his own son Subbaraya Sastri, Alasur Krishnayyar, and Tarangampadi Panchanatha Iyer.

SS is enshrined in the Carnatic music institution as a member of the Trinity which includes Saint Tyagaraja and Muttuswami Dikshitar. Of the three among the Trinity, only SS wrote kritis in Thamizh.

Some of Syama Sastri’s compositions that are very popular in music concerts are: dEvi brOva samayamidE (cinTAmaNi), kAmAkshI (bhairavi), himAdrisutE, and talli ninnu nera (kalyANi), kanaka shaila (nAdanAmakriyA), palincu kAmAkshI (madyamAvati), mAyamma yani nE (Ahiri), and sarOjadaLanEtri (sankarAbharaNam). His other Thamizh songs are: taruNam IdammA (gauLipantu), ennEramum un pAda (punnAgavarALi), santatam ennai (paras), and ennEramum un nAmam (pUrvikalyANi).

References:

http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/fr/2002/05/10/stories/2002051000870600.htm   

Some audio/video links

Listen to G. Srikanth here

Listen to a group singing here