Thamizh songs in Carnatic Music—27-- ArenRu rAghavanai ---ஆரென்று ராகவனை

Thamizh songs in Carnatic Music—27

ArenRu rAghavanai ---ஆரென்று ராகவனை

Composer: aruNAcala kavirAyar  (அருணாசல கவிராயர்)

rAgam: bhairavi  (பைரவி )   tALam: Adi  (ஆதி)

Backgkround:

MarIcan, uncle of RavaNa, complying with the request/order from RAvaNa to entice SItA, took the form of a golden deer and appeared before SitA near the hermitage in PanchavaTi. SItA asked Rama to catch the deer so that she could keep it as a pet.  LakshmaNa said that it is an illusory deer intended to create trouble. Rama, however, went after the eluding deer. Finally when he couldn’t capture it alive, Rama shot an arrow at the deer and the deer died but not before screaming LakshmaNa’s name.  SItA heard that scream and thought Rama was in trouble. She asked LakshmaNa to go to Rama’s help. LakshmaNa remonstrates saying Rama is capable of protecting himself in any situation and that the deer was intended to create problems by somebody with evil motives. The song describes LakshmaNa’s counsel to SItA.

பல்லவி                                                                                                                                                                                                

ஆர்என்று ராகவனை எண்ணிநீ - ரம்மா இதை
அறிந்து சொன்னீரோ அறியீரோநீ ரம்மா          (ஆர்)

அநுபல்லவி                                                                                                                                                                             

ஏறாவார்த்தையிது வசையோ டொக்குமே-போரில்
 எண்டிசை அதிபரும் அண்டின படையுடன்
 மண்டினாலும் என் அண்ணன் சுண்டுவிரல் போதாதோ (ஆர்)

சரணங்கள்                                                                                                                                                                                  

விந்தையாக வெண்ணெய்க்குப் பல்லு முளைத்தாற்போலே                                                                            

மிஞ்சி ராட்சதர் அண்ணன் தன்னை வளைத்தால்                                                                                     

வந்தராமன் அதுகண்டு ஏங்கி இளைத்தால் வேறே
மந்திரம் என்னஒரு    தந்திரம் என்ன வானில்
இந்திரன் கதிப்பானோ சந்திரன் உதிப்பானோ-     (ஆர்)

ஆதிருத்திரன் வில் ஒருவர் ஒடிக்கப்போமோ - அத்தை
அறிந்தும் பெண்புத்தியால் உம் சித்தம் நோமோ
 வேதையாய்  என்னையும் சோதிக்கல்    ஆமோ-நல்ல
 வேதண்டம் எனப் பெரும் கோதண்டம் தன்னை-அண்ணன்
 காதண்டம் வளைக்குமுன் மூதண்டம் பிளக்குமே        (ஆர்)

 பண்ணின மாயையாலே அந்தமாரீசன் - மாளும்
 பருவத்தில் அங்கே ஓலம் இட்டானே நீசன்
 எண்ணாத்துன்பம் ஏதுக்கிருக்கிறேன் தாசன்-அவனை
 எண்ணினால் ஒருமேக வண்ணனுடனே நெற்றிக்
 கண்ணனுடனே கூட்டி அண்ணனையும் எண்ணாமல்-(ஆர்)

Lyrics in Roman script

pallavi 
ArenRu rAgahavanai eNNinIrammA idai                                                                            

aRindu sonnIrO aRiyIrO nIrammA

anupallavi 
ERA vArttai idu vasaiyODokkumE pOril                                                                     

eNDisai adhiparum aNDina paDaiyuDan                                                                                maNDinAlum en aNNan suNDu viral pOdAdO

CaraNam1

vindaiyAga veNNeykkup pallu muLaittARpOlE
mi~nji rATcadar aNNan tannai vaLaittAl                                                                        

vandarAman adugaNDu E#ngi iLaittAl vERE
mandiram ennoru    tandiram enna vAnil
indiran kadippAnO candiran udippAnO-     

CaraNam2
Adi rudran vil oruvar oDikkap pOmO adai                                                               

aRindum  peN buddhiyAl um  cittam   nOmO                                                                                         vEdaiyAy  ennaiyum sOdikkalAmO nalla                                                                                   

vEdaNDam enap-perum kOdaNDam tannai aNNan                                                                   

kAdaNDam  vaLaikku mun mUdaNDam piLakkumE

CaraNam3                                                                                                                                

paNNina mAyaiyAlE andamArIsan –mALum                                                                            

paruvattil a#ngE Olam iTTAnE nIsan
eNNAttunbam EdukkirukkiREn dAsan-avanai
eNNinAl orumEga vaNNanuDanE neTRik
kaNNanuDanE kUTTi aNNanaiyum eNNAmal

Meaning:     
                                                                                                                                

Pallavi: Who do you think Raghavan is, Oh mother? Did you think before uttering this? Don’t you know (his might)?   

                                                                                                        

Anupallavi: This remark (that he is in danger) is not fair (to my brother). It amounts to a censure (of him). In a battle even if generals with vast armies surge from all eight directions, my brother would demolish them all by himself with very little effort. 

                                                                               

CaraNam1:  In a strange twist of circumstances, if demons confront Rama and Rama succumbs to them, then there will be no moon in the sky and no Indra left as the leader of the celestials. (This situation is as unlikely as a ball of butter sprouting a tooth).     

                                     

CaraNam2:  Is there anybody else who can break the bow of Rudran (Shiva danush)? Knowing that fully well is it proper on your part (due to feminine thinking) to hurt me with cruel words? Why would you test me (regarding my loyalty to Rama)? Before Rama can take his mighty bow (KOthaNDam) string it and stretch it, the whole earth would split.  

                                    

CaraNam3:  Due to the use of magic that lowly soul MArIcan made that noise just before dying. That has created all the problems for me. Why am I still living? Rama has the power of the blue-hued lord (Vishnu) and the lord with the eye on the forehead (Shiva). Ignoring such features why do you think Rama needs help?

General Comments: The composer writes this song with the knowledge of Ramayanam post facto (after he knew the progression of events and the denouement). When ValMIki wrote his Ramayanam he wrote that Rama was unaware of the intentions of the deer episode. Otherwise he would not have gone after the deer nor would Lakshmana know how the events would turn out. (Some have interpreted the deer incident as the precipitating event in Ramayanam that let Ravana resort to abducting SItA and that Rama knew about it and let the deer chase take its own course and bring about Ravana’s end). AK knew all the details regarding RAvaNa’s plan and his dispatch of MArIcan to the scene in the guise of a deer to tempt SItA. Thus he attributes this knowledge to Lakshmana who tells SItA that it is MarIcan who screamed Lakshmana’s name before dying as though he had foreknowledge of the plot. Also Rama, had he known it was MArIcan (as a proxy for RAvaNa) who came as the deer, would have discouraged SItA about acquiring the deer. VAlmIki described Rama as a human being in such a situation but AK had the hindsight that it was bound to happen and ascribes to Lakshmana knowledge of the plot.

Audio/video clips:

ariyakkuDi RAmanuja iyengAr sings here        

 Listen to T N Seshagopalan sing here     (in Yadukula KAmbOji rAgam) 

                                            Listen to Bombay Sisters here   (Click on Yarendru Raghavanai from the list that appears)           

Listen to R VEdavaalli here       

  M D Ramanathan sings here  (yadukula kAmbOji rAgam)

Padma Sugavanam sings here

 Sankari Krishnan sings here