tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35787870545351239342023-11-15T06:26:53.940-08:00Music :-))Vidhya Govindanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12355044751092022635noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3578787054535123934.post-89379020828889999122010-08-01T05:05:00.000-07:002010-08-01T05:05:00.731-07:00Jai Sri Sadhguru Thyagaraja (Sangeetha Mummoorthigal)<em>Author: Smt Pushpavalli Srinivasan</em><br />
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<strong>Endharo Mahanubhavulu andhiriki vandanamu- Sadhguru Sri Thyagaraja Swamikal </strong><br />
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Sadguru Sri Thyagaraja Swamikal was born at Thiruvarur. He was born on 4th May 1767 corresponding to 25th Chithra,Tamil year Sarvajithu on Pushyam star.<br />
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His grandfather Giriraja Brahmam belonged to Mulakanad Telugu Brahmin sect. His family hailed from a village called Kakarla in Prakasm district of Andrapradesh, but later on during Muslim invasion migrated to Tamilnad and got settled at Thiruvarur. Giriraja Brahmam was proficient in Telugu and Sanskrit and also in Music.<br />
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Ramabrahmam was his offspring and he used to do Ramayana Pravachanam. <br />
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He received Rama Tharaka Manthropadesam from the head of Maruthanallur Mutt. His wife’s name was Seethamma. The couple was bestowed with three sons. The eldest was Panchanatham alias Jalpesan, the second one was named Ramanathan, but he died at childhood. The third one was Thyagaraja. The name was given to him as both Ramabrahmam and Seethamma had dreamt the same dream in which Lord Thyagaraja told them that they would get a son, who would be blessed by Narada and Valmiki and he should be named as Thyagaraja.<br />
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Ramabrahmam performed Thyagaraja’s upanayanam when he was eight year old. He taught him Telugu and Sanskrit and Thyagaraja’s mother Seethamma taught him Jayadevar’s Ashtapathi and Purandaradasa’s Kirthanas. Thyagaraja had a mellifluous voice and a natural flair for music. <br />
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Once Ramabrahmam planned to go to Benares with his family. On his way when he arrived at Thiruvaiyaru he had a dream. He heard a voice telling him that he need not have to visit Benares and Thiruvaiyaru was sacred than Benares. There is a proverb in Tamil that “ Kaasikku veesam athikam Thiruvaiyaru.” <br />
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King Thulshaji who was ruling over Thanjavur also had a dream in which he was told to give land and house to Ramabrahmam. Accordingly he gave land and house to Ramabrahmam at Thiruvaiyaru. Thus Ramabrahmam got settled there. <br />
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Ramabrahmam was performing puja daily to Sri Rama Phattabisheka Murthi which was worshipped by his ancestors. Thyagaraja used to assist him by bringing flowers and also used to chant Rama Tharakamanthram which was taught to him by his father. He also joined the Sanskrit college at Thiruvaiyaru and studied for four years. He was also taught Ramayanam, Bharatham, Bhagavatham and vedantha granthas.<br />
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When he was just thirteen years old, he was assisting and watching his father performing puja, and all in a sudden he was carried away with deep devotion and started spontaneously singing his first song, “Namo Namo Raghavaya Nama Namo Anisam.”<br />
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Both Ramabrahmam and Seethamma were overwhelmed with emotion to hear their son singing spontaneously.<br />
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Seethamma said, “Did you hear our Thyagu’s song? It is incredible that without even learning music under a tutor he sings so well. I wish that we do something to bring out his talent. We must look for a guru to teach him music.”<br />
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Ramabramam said, “I was struck with wonder when I heard him. I never knew that he possessed so much talent. It is all due to the Grace of Lord Rama. I will request Sonti Venkata Ramanaiyya who is the Asthana vidwan of Thanjavur samasthanam to teach him music.”<br />
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When Thyagaraja heard this his joy knew no bounds. When he used to go to pluck flowers near Sonti Venkata Ramanayya’s house he used to listen to his music. He always got enthralled when he heard him singing and used to loiter near his house. Now Thyagu was so happy to hear that he would learn music from his most revered musician. <br />
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Sonti Ramanaiya had great respect for Ramabrahmam for he had heard his Ramayana Pravachanam and admired him for his knowledge. When Ramabrahmam approached him to accept Thyagu as his disciple he gladly acceded to his request.<br />
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Thyagu was under the tutelage of Sonti Venkata Ramanaiya just for a year. As he was bestowed with great talent and had great proficiency in the nuances of raga lakshanas and kalpana swaras, his guru’s work was made easy. The raw diamond was cut and polished and started emitting its luster. Thyagu outshone all the other disciples of his guru. The guru was proud of his student and he wanted to showcase his talent before music lovers. <br />
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He invited people who had knowledge in sampradaya sangitham and who could appreciate good music and asked his disciple to show his talent before them. <br />
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Thyagaraja sang the song “Dhorakuna iDuvaNti seva,” in Raha Bilahari which was composed by him. The song describes the beauty of Lord Vishnu in His abode with his bejeweled and pithambaram attired body relaxing on adisesha and His Devi looking at Him admiring His exotic beauty. Thumburu and Narada are singing songs praising Him, Ambarisha and others are singing bajans and the apsaras are dancing, Brahma and Indra are standing at both sides and in the last charaNam he says that the son of Ramabrahmam,Thyagaraja pushing the swing slowly singing song in praise of him. He exclaims whether it is possible even for those rishis who did penance and even for devas to perform this kind of seva to the Lord.<br />
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People who heard him singing were all in praise of him. His guru’s remark was ‘Dhorakuna IduvaNti sishyudu’ meaning can any one get a disciple like him? Thyagaraja sang many other songs and after that his guru gave him lot of gifts that he himself had received. The most precious gift was rare books on Musicology which belonged to Sonti Venkataramanaiya’s maternal grandfather. Thyagaraja studied those books in earnest and learned a lot and used them when he composed songs. <br />
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When Thyagaraja was seventeen year old, Ramabrahmam felt that he had one more duty to perform. He had performed Thyagaraja’s marriage with a girl named Parvathi. But unfortunately his married life lasted only for five years. His wife Parvathi died due to some ailment. His father also died three years after Thyagaraja’s marriage. His brother Jalpesan and his mother got him married again to Parvathi’s sister Kamalambal. <br />
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After few years Kamalambal gave birth to a female child. Thyagaraja named the child Seethalaksmi. He loved his daughter very dearly. At the appropriate age he performed her marriage and a lot of people attended the marriage. There was a galore of gifts to the bride. Thyagaraja who did not care for material things devoted the costly gifts to Lord Rama. He was fascinated by one gift that was a painting of Lord Kothanda Rama. His most favourite disciple Venkataramana Bhagavathar carried it all the way from Walajabad to Thiruvaiyaru by walk. Thyagaraja overwhelmed with emotion by the beauty of the picture instantly composed the Mohana raga krithi, “Nannu palimpa Nadachi vachithivo.” <br />
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In this song he asks Lord Rama whether he came by walk all the way to show his benevolence to him as he was always thinking and visualizing His lotus face.<br />
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Thyagaraja composed almost all his songs as if he was directly talking to the Lord through his song. Some of his songs relate directly to some incident in his life.<br />
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Once a sanyasi came to his house for biksha. He left with him some granthas related to music saying that he would come back after taking bath in the river Kaveri. Thyagaraja was waiting for him the whole day, but he did not return to take them back. <br />
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That night Thyagaraja had a dream in which the sanyasi appeared and said,<br />
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“ Thyagaraja! I am Narada and I came in the guise of sanyasi to give those rare granthas. They are rare secret granthas. One is “SwararNavam” and the other one is “Naratheeyam.” They will be very useful to you.”<br />
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In the morning Thyagaraja looked at the granthas and found them very valuable as they were related to his favorite subject sangeetha sasthram. He felt greatly indebted to sage Narada for the benevolence he had showered upon him.<br />
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Thyagaraja composed songs in tribute to sage Narada. The Bairavi Raga song ‘Sri Narada muni gururaya kanti’ and the Kaanada raga song ‘Sri Narada naadha’ prove that he had darshan of Narada. <br />
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Though Thyagaraja’s fame had spread far and wide his financial status was very poor. He never used to take fees from his disciples. In the mornings he used to go for biksha singing bajans with his disciples. His brother Jalpesan was also struggling in poverty. But he was jealous of his brother for his proficiency in music and also had the grievance that he was not using it for making money.<br />
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King Saraboji who came to know about Thyagaraja’s high proficiency in music wanted to make him his asthana vidwan. He sent his emissaries to Thyagaraja’s house expressing his desire. <br />
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One of them said, “King Saraboji has sent us to tell you that he is willing to offer you land, house, gold and many other gifts. He also has intended to make you his asthana vidwan.”<br />
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Thyagaraja said, “Oh! Is it so? What for he wants to give me all those things?”<br />
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He replied, “The king wants you to come to the palace and sing for him. If you sing songs in praise of him he is even willing to perform kanakabishekam to you.”<br />
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Thyagarja got shocked to hear this and He retorted in anger.<br />
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“What did your king think of me? Did he think that I will indulge in nara sthuthi in stead of singing my beloved Rama just for the sake of material wealth?”<br />
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The king’s emissary said, “If you come to the palace and sing in praise of the king you will be freed from the clutches of poverty.”<br />
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Thyagaraja did not reply to him. He just took out his thambura and started singing the Kalyani raga krithi “Nidhi chala sukama Ramu ni sannidhi seva sukama.”<br />
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This shows that Thyagaraja did not give importance to wealth, and he dedicated his music only to Lord Rama. <br />
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King Saraboji got very angry when he came to know that Thyagaraja did not accede to his request. He gave orders to bring Thyagaraja forcibly. But sooner than he gave the order he had severe stomach pain. Though the physicians gave him medicine the pain did not subside. He realized that because of his bad intention to humiliate a true devotee of the Lord he was suffering from pain. He went to Thyagaraja’s house and begged for his pardon and also beseeched him to cure him. Thyagaraja prayed to Lord Rama and the king’s stomach pain was cured. After that the king used to come to the temple to hear Thyagaraja’s music.<br />
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This news spread like wild fire in Thiruvaiyaru. Thyagaraja’s brother Jalpesan also heard this. He got very angry with Thyagaraja for throwing away a golden opportunity. He felt that if he would have grabbed the opportunity it would have made the whole family rich. He thought that his brother was spending most of his time in puja and teaching music to his disciples without getting any thing in return. He could not control his rage and so that night when Thyagaraja went to sleep after performing puja and putting the Lord also to sleep after singing a lullaby, he went to the puja room stealthily, took the Rama Pattbisheka Murthi and threw it in the river Kaveri. <br />
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Next morning Thyagaraja got up and after finishing his morning ablutions, went to the puja room to wake up the Lord with Suprabhatham. When he did not find his beloved Lord, his heart wrenched with pain like a pigeon struck with a sharp arrow. He was in great anguish and asked everyone whether they had seen his beloved Lord Rama. As he did not get reply from anyone he did not have any other alternative other than pleading with the lord himself. He questioned and pleaded with him to reveal Himself. He sang the song “Etla kanukonthuno” meaning how he could find him again. <br />
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The Lord did not want to put His devotee under depression for a long time. He appeared in his dream and showed him the location where he was buried under the sand in the river Kaveri. Thyagaraja was so happy and he felt as if a person who lost his vision got it back again. He went to the river Kaveri and found his beloved Rama at the place where the Lord pointed out in his dream. <br />
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The Lord looked more beautiful than before. Thyagaraja hugged him, his eyes were filled with tears of joy, and he carried him over his head with great love and respect. He installed him in the puja room and sang with fervour the song “Rara maa intithaka.” And also another song “Etla thirikithivo,” wondering how he got him back when people around him tried to take him away from him. He says that he might have got him back for he had surrendered himself at the Lotus feet of the Lord or due to the blessings of his elders or the way he dedicated his music for worshipping the Lord.<br />
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His brother Jalpesan had realized his folly and the greatness of his brother and he repented for his misdeed.<br />
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The Idol which was worshiped by Thyagaraja is kept at Varagappayyer street, Thanjavur and could be seen even now. <br />
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When Thyagaraja’s father was alive a yogi named Ramakrishna Yathindra had come from Kanchi to his house. He told Thyagaraja that he could have darshan of Lord Rama if he chanted Ramanama ninety-six crore times. Thyagaraja had taken it to his heart and daily he used to chant Ramanama and completed the great assignment in twenty one years. After this he was waiting for the darshan excitedly. He had waited nearly for three months, but was very much disappointed and lost hopes. But one day after puja when he was looking at the songs he had composed someone knocked at his door. When he opened the door who did he see there? Ram and Laksman were standing at the threshold with their bow and arrows and appeared to him as they protected Vishwamithra’s yajna . But they vanished at once.<br />
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Once he went to Srirangam and Lord Ranganatha was having his Brammothsavam. The place was crowded and people were jostling and pushing to have darshan. Thyagaraja could not have darshan and he started singing Rajuvedala judhamurare and the people who were carrying the Lord got stuck up and could not move. People were wondering what had happened. The archakas saw Thyakaraja struggling to have darshan and they sent one person to bring him near the Lord. Thyagaraja went near the Lord and sang ‘Vinaraathaa naamanavi’ and after he finished the song the archakas showed the karpura deeparaadhana and they were able to move from there. Thyagaraja composed the Sriranga pancha rathnam containing five songs on Lord Ranganatha. In the Kamboji raga kirthana “O Rangasayi” Thyagaraja pleads with the Lord to give him darshan. He says that the Lord has assumed Sriranagam as bhooloka vaikuntam and he was enjoying there with his Lady Love forgetting about His devotee who was yearning for His darshan. <br />
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Once he went to Tirumalai to have darshan of Lord Venkatesa. He reached the temple after the morning puja was over and so the curtain was drawn. Thyagaraja pleaded with the Lord to give him darshan and he sang ‘Thera theeyakaraathaa’ in Gaulibanthu. When he finished the song the curtain was removed as the archakas and people came to know Thyagarja had come to have darshan of the Lord. The archakas honoured him with Parivattam ( a silk cloth of the Lord tied around the head of the honoured devotee and also a garland also put on the devotee’s neck that was worn by the Lord.)<br />
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From Tirumalai he proceeded to Madras as for the wishes of his disciple Veenai Kuppaiyar. At Madras he stayed at the house of Kovur Sundara Mudaliyar, a devotee of Lord Siva. He went to Kovur Sundareswara temple and there he composed five songs which are known as Kovur Pancharathnam. <br />
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When he left Kovur Sundara Mudaliyar gave him gold moharas, but Thyagaraja refused to take them. But Sundara Mudaliyar hid them in the palanquin. When it became dark robbers threw stones to stop them and the disciples who were carrying the palanquin started shouting, “robbers, robbers.” <br />
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Thyagaraja got down and said, “Why should we be afraid of robbers? We have nothing valuable.”<br />
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Then Kuppaiyar said, “ Sundara Mudaliyar had kept the moharas in side the palanquin.”<br />
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Thyagaraja said, “Then give it to the robbers. I do not need them.” <br />
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Kuppaiyar replied, “As you have refused to take it, he hid the gold moharas in the palanquin saying that they could be used to celebrate Ramanavami uthsavam. As he gave it very affectionately for celebrating Ramanavami we also could not say anything.”<br />
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“Oh! Is it so? Then let Lord Ram take care of it.” So saying Thyagaraja told them to carry on. The falling of stones stopped. At dawn the robbers all came running and fell at Thyagaraja’s feet. <br />
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They said, “Swami, please forgive us. We threw stones with the intention of robbing, but when we followed we saw two persons with bow and arrows, one at the back and one at the front guarding the palanquin.”<br />
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When Thyagaraja heard this he could not control his excitement. He could very well guess it was Ram and Lakshman who protected them all from the robbers.<br />
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He said, “You were really blessed. The persons whom you have seen with bow and arrows were Ram and Lakshman. Lord Ram Himself gave darshan to you with His beloved brother Lakshman means He wanted to bring you under His fold. Henceforth you stop this robbery and lead a pious life. I will teach you the Rama tharaka manthram”<br />
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Then he taught them Rama tharaka manthram. The robbers carried the palanquin chanting Rama nama and they all reached Thiruvorriyur. There when Thyagaraja had darshan of Devi Thripurasundari he forgot himself in her enchanting beauty. Yet he could not control his natural urge of composing songs. He composed Devi Thripurasundari Pancha Rathnas praising the beauty and karuna kataksham of Devi Thripurasundari in ragas kalyani, bekada, suddha saveri, arabi and saveri. <br />
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As Syama Sastri and Muthuswami Dikshidhar were contemporaries of Thyagaraja they used to visit his house and listen to his songs and also he used to listen to their songs. They used to discus and appreciate each other’s songs. Whenever Syama Sastri came to Thyagaraja’s house both of them spent hours together chatting and singing songs. The disciples of Thyagaraja would be feeling hungry when both of them were spending time like this and so as soon as they saw Syama Sastri entering they would say, “Oh my God! Today we can’t have our lunch before 2 or 3 P.M.”<br />
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Once Thygaraja invited Dikshidhar to his house to see him performing puja to his beloved Rama. Dikshidhar was very much impressed by the divine atmosphere at Thyagaraja’s house. Thyagaraja sang the Bhairavi Raga song “Koluvai unnade” in which he invites all to have darshan of Ram and Sita who are sitting on the simhasanam with all splendour.<br />
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Dikshidhar also was very much inspired by the Divine atmosphere. Then he also started singing his Manirangu raga kirthana “Mamava Pattabhisheka Rama,” describing the beauty of Rama on his crowning ceremony. <br />
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All great souls’ lives do come to an end. In the year 1846 on 27th December Thyagaraja had a dream. Lord Rama had appeared in his dream. He said, “My dear Thyagaraja, I am very much pleased to tell you that I want to keep you beside me and you will be with me on the tenth day from today.”<br />
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Next morning Thyagaraja told his disciples that on the following Pushya Bakula Panchami day one important event would take place and they all should come to witness it without fail. The disciples were surprised to hear this and were wondering what could be the event.<br />
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The day before Pushya Bakula Panchami he obtained sanyasa from Paramahamsa Brahmma Narendra Swami and he was given the name Nadhabrahmmananda by Paramahamsa. He told his disciples that Lord Sri Ram had promised him to take him back under his lotus feet on the following day. He told them to sing bajans continuously. When they heard these words from their guru’s mouth they all felt like a calf losing the mother cow. The news also spread like wildfire through out Thiruvaiyaru. The whole village was drowned in a sea of sadness.<br />
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January 16th 1847 the day broke with a feeling of darkness and gloominess for those who loved and admired Thyagaraja.<br />
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Thyagaraja as usual performed all the daily rituals and puja and then sat with folded hands chanting Rama nama telling his students that he would be attaining yoga Samadhi. He told them that his Samadhi should be erected next to his guru Venkata Ramanaiya’s Samadhi.<br />
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As the people were watching with bated breath they saw a bright light emanating from Thyagaraja’s head and diappearing in the sky. The jivathma had merged with Paramathma. <br />
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As for his wish a Samadhi has been built and a thulsi was planted. His disciples visited his Samadhi every year on Pushya bakula Panchami day and paid tributes to him by singing his songs. <br />
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The Thyagaraja Aradhana festival was started from the year 1907 jointly by Panju Bagavathar, Narasimha Bagavathar and the violin maestro Govindhaswami Pillai.<br />
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In the year 1925 Bangaluru Nagarathnamma built a temple at the Samadhi with money saved by her.<br />
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Through out his life Thyagaraja utilized his natha yoga in the seva of Lord Rama. He followed all the nine paths, namely sravaNam, kirthanam, smaraNam, paathasevanam, archanam, vandhanam, dhaasyam, sakyam and athma nivedhanam which helps one to attain jeevan mukthi.<br />
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In his songs we can enjoy description of nature’s beauty along with bhakthi. His Pancharathna krithis are his master pieces.<br />
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He had also composed three musical dramas namely, Prahladaha Bhaktha Vijayam, Nauka Sarithram, and Sita Rama Vijayam.<br />
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He had many disciples. Veenai Kuppaiyar, Venkatakrishna Bhagavathar, and lalgudi Ramaiyar were quite famous among them. Lalgudi Jayaraman is the descendant of lalgudi Ramaiyar and has the credential of coming from the family of direct disciple of Thyagaraja.<br />
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Sadhguru’s divine music will remain eternal and the music lovers will get enthralled listening to his kirthanas.<br />
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I conclude and dedicate this series by paying my tributes to the great Mahaan with his Pancharathna kirthanai “endharo mahanubhavulu andhiriki vandanamu” which reverberates in his brindavan on Pushya Bakula Panchami day sung by all great musicians.<br />
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Jai Sri Sadhguru Thyagaraja Swamiki!Vidhya Govindanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12355044751092022635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3578787054535123934.post-21383113181944473562010-07-26T14:36:00.000-07:002010-07-27T10:05:29.680-07:00Legends of Carnatic Music Part - 1<b>Smt. M.S.Subbulakshmi (16-Sept-1916 - 11-Dec-2004)</b><br />
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She was born in a Devadasi family (traditional temple dancing & singing girls) in the temple town of Madurai on September 16th, 1916. Their tiny home was close to the Meenakshi temple. Her mother Madurai Shanmukhavadivu Ammal was a Veena player. Her lawyer-father Subramania Iyer lived a few streets away. <br />
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Her first guru Madurai Srinivasa Iyengar passed away rather too soon. But she kept practicing on her own <br />
<a name='more'></a>and having a musician mother helped a lot. Her first recording was at the age of ten, when she recorded a couple of songs for HMV in Madras as an accompanist to her mother. She started giving concerts at a tender age, first by accompanying her mother and then as a solo vocalist. She was the child prodigy of Madurai. Her mother recognized MS's exceptional talent and shifted from Madurai to Chennai (then Madras) to launch MS on her own. When her mother performed at concerts, MS was the vocal accompanist - she was only 13. <br />
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She gave her first performance at the prestigious Madras Music Academy at the age of 17. She went up the dias at the festival to sing for the most elite gathering of music lovers in Madras. Till then stage classical music performing was a male dominated profession. The few ladies from the dancing girls lineage who ventured onto the stage were more intent on bewitching potential lovers with come-hither smiles and body language. But in this case it is her absolute devotion to her concert, a rich and clear voice, a very dignified presence on the stage which enticed the listeners and held them spellbound as she took them through the intricacies of Carnatic music. She essayed into serious elaborations of ragas without apparently being aware that she was breaking fresh ground as a female vocalist. And soon, the young and beautiful MS had a major cult following.<br />
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In 1936 she met Sadasivam Iyer, a well known figure in the Madras Congress circle, and a protégé of the Congress leader Rajaji. The courtship lasted for four years and had its up and downs. Friends recall that at times M.S. seemed like backing out of the relationship, because of Sadasivam's possessiveness. But such spells did not last long and she was a contented happy woman when the couple were married in Thiruneermalai, in 1940. He gave up his job as the advertising manager of 'Ananda Vikatan', a leading Tamil magazine, and concentrated on guiding MS's musical journey. With his wide connections in the journalistic and political world, he became instrumental in the continued success of her already flourishing career. He was a tall personable man with a can-do attitude. He was a widower with two children. Such was the man who was to change M.S.'s life for forever. Soon he started his own magazine "Kalki", a nationalist Tamil weekly. The part of 'Kalki' magazine in her image building was not small. Almost every other cover featured her, with a reverential little article inside about her charity performances. Kalki, in fact played a big role in projecting M.S. as a saintly musician.<br />
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In those days most concert vocalists acted in films. It was not surprising that M.S., with her lovely voice and charming personality, joined films. 'Sevasadanam', her first movie was released in 1938 where she acted as a poor young girl who married a rich old man. This was followed by 'Sakunthalai' where M.S. played the lead role, the most glamorous of all her roles teaming up with G.N.Balasubramanian, the most attractive vidwan of the time. The film contained some of the most haunting of all her movie melodies - 'Endan Idathu Tholum', 'Premayil', 'Engum Nirai Nadha Brahmam'. This was followed by 'Savithri' (directed by Y.V. Rao) which was released in 1942. M.S. played as Naradha with the North Indian star Santha Apte in Savithri. This film too did extremely well at the box office. The income from this movie was largely used to start the 'Kalki' magazine. This was the time when M.S.'s persona as a star was established, that of a quite type of a glamour queen. She dressed slightly more flamboyantly, sported some make-up and was naturally gossiped in the press. She was also imitated widely. This image remained intact until the release of 'Meera' in 1945. When 'Baktha Meera' was released in both Tamil and Hindi, it created a swelling wave of appreciation that gave M.S. an all India status as a musician. It also marked the end of her film career. It is said that Rajaji himself advised the couple against any more involvement in the films. Perhaps Sadasivam saw a greater benefit in preserving the somewhat saintly image that M.S. had acquired after the film. Whatever, M.S. gave up films once and for all and turned wholly to concert music. <br />
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M.S. become an accepted and integral part of the Madras elitist society. It became an honor to have her at a wedding or a gathering. Always a trend setter, M.S. became a kind of fashion apostle for the upper class Madras wife. Her sarees, her diamonds, the particular style in which she wore flowers in her hair, all became trademarks. In the 50s, almost every Madras housewife had at least one saree of the M.S. blue shade. For most part, M.S. had adjusted magnificiantly to her new life. Along with her public VIP image, she developed an equally strong private life image of the orthodox Hindu housewife whose husband's word was her command. <br />
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Laurels and honors came looking for MS. She was among the earliest to receive the Padma Bhushan in 1954, before many other stalwarts. She had the honor of singing at the United Nations Day celebrations in October 1966. In 1968, she was the first woman to be honored with the title of Sangita Kalanidhi by the Madras Music Academy. She was elected a Fellow of the Sangeet Natak Academy in 1974. MS has also been awarded honorary Doctorates from the Rabindra Bharati University, Sri Venkateswara University and Delhi University. The Ramon Magsaysay Award (1974), the Padma Vibhushan (1975) and the Bharat Ratna (2000) - India's highest national civilian honor - have been notable achievements in her lifetime.<br />
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MS always maintained a very low profile, content to let her husband do the talking for her. Hers has also been a life of sacrifice: she brought up Sadasivam's children as hers and did not have any of her own. But she has always come across as the committed mother and wife, happy and contented, and has seldom been involved in any controversies. She has carried fame very naturally on her dignified shoulders. A smiling figure dressed traditionally in silk Kanjeevarams, with diamond studs glittering in her ears and on her nose, she is the epitome of charm and feminine grace.<br />
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She sang in a perfectly controlled, melodious "B Flat" voice and strictly adhered to the traditional Carnatic style of the old masters without any variations and believed in following and preserving their rich heritage.<br />
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Source: Astrojyothi.comVidhya Govindanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12355044751092022635noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3578787054535123934.post-1365199096846449072010-07-26T12:41:00.000-07:002010-07-26T12:41:00.574-07:00Interview With Smt Bombay Jayashri Ramnath<em>Author: Nithya Kalyani</em><br />
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<strong>"Music should be taught in every school" </strong><br />
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One of the younger and rising stars of the Carnatic music world, Bombay Jayashri has instant name recall among the kutcheri crowd and even out of it. <br />
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Busy with her travelling and preparations for the forthcoming season - "I am working on presenting a couple of rarer ragas," - Jayashri also found time to sing for the disabled and to introduce children at a Madras children's bookstore to Carnatic music. <br />
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KutcheriBuzz caught up with her for a chat on what she thinks of music and the world! <br />
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<strong>What interesting things have you been doing lately?</strong><br />
I sang at the anniversary of Banyan, the home for mentally retarded women in Madras. The audience was so eager and listened so raptly, and all dressed up for the occasion, that I was moved. <br />
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I sang again at the end of their celebrations, and must say that it was worth remembering. <br />
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<strong>Tell us about how you started learning music, and the early days?</strong><br />
I was born and brought up in Bombay. My parents were both music teachers and I was naturally expected to sing! I then learnt from Balamani Ammal for 12 years. <br />
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It was after I finished college in 1989 that we shifted to Madras as it was apparent that one had to be here to pursue Carnatic music seriously. <br />
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I started performing in 1992 and television was a big thing. The Spirit of Unity concerts was a take off point. <br />
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It was also the boom period for commercial cassettes. I can say that this did not help any other generation of musicians as it did my batch. <br />
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Our lives and careers took off because of this. The cassettes would reach every nook and corner and many, many out of town and small town music organisers would listen to them before deciding whom to invite. It was like our biodata reached them ahead of us. <br />
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That is how we were all able to travel widely. <br />
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<strong>Did you pursue training in any other field, as an insurance against the 'uncertainties' of taking up music as a career?</strong><br />
No. I just did a B.Com. from Poddar College. And that was because my mother felt that at the end of the day I needed to have a degree. I was hardly interested in classes and was more interested in the culturals and in taking part in other activities. In fact anything to run away from college! <br />
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<strong>Was college that bad?</strong><br />
No, I was bad! And I was more interested in music. I did a Diploma in Music from the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya through distance learning. And that was it. <br />
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<strong>What trends have you been seeing in the last few years, during the travels that you mentioned. Among audiences, among the younger generation...</strong><br />
There is a lot of talent in all parts of the country. Children want to take up music full time. But parents are a bit reluctant. They want them to have an engineering or some degree in hand. <br />
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The reason is that there is opportunity to make music a profession, but there is no code of discipline or guarantee that will encourage people to take it up as a full time profession. <br />
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Not everyone can make it as performers perhaps, but there should be at least a good chance that they can get jobs as teachers or something. The system does not offer that. <br />
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<strong>How could such interest be fostered and how could the system evolve to encourage this?</strong><br />
<strong>How many schools have music as part of the curriculum? Every school should have at least one hour of music. It's like their History and Geography classes, music too should be taught to children as part of their school routine. </strong><br />
Today there is a full schedule in school and then tuitions, then there is homework from school and homework from the tuition teacher, and sports and karate and computer classes. Unless music is made part of the schoolwork, as part of curriculum, where is the time for learning it? <br />
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<strong>Why is this important for children to learn music?</strong><br />
Because if it is not, then we are losing something that's very integral to our culture. <br />
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<strong>Do you research on music...?</strong><br />
Only when I have to use it for my performances. If I need to check back on a raga rendering, or if anyone raises a doubt, I will pull out my books and read up. <br />
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<strong>For instance...?</strong><br />
Okay, I recently came across a Dikshitar Krithi in raga Veeravasantham. it sounded totally different from a Tyagaraja krithi in the same raga. <br />
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So, I went to my books, and found that each composer had used the same name coincidentally and they were two entirely different ragas! <br />
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I have done a few workshops for YACM (Youth Association for Classical Music), but they were very basic ones. <br />
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<strong>What do you do other than singing? </strong><br />
I get to stay at home so rarely, that I really like to stay at home! I read a lot - anything I come across. I get to read a lot when I travel for performances.Vidhya Govindanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12355044751092022635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3578787054535123934.post-6999869823015249452010-07-26T12:20:00.000-07:002010-07-26T12:20:37.109-07:00Sangeetha Kalanidhi Smt R Vedavalli's Interview<em>Author: K Nithya Kalyani</em><br />
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<strong>The most important thing about music is its purity.</strong><br />
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<strong>We have to preserve it, and it is our duty to pass it on to the next generations.</strong> <br />
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One word for <strong>R. Vedavalli's</strong> music and what she stands for: Tradition. It means discipline, it means purity, in fact it means everything to this soft-spoken, gentle scholar and performer of Carnatic Vocal music. <br />
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Vedavalli spoke at length about herself and music to KutcheriBuzz. <br />
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<strong>When did you start your formal career in music?</strong><br />
My first sabha kutcheri was in Bangalore in the Malleswaram Sangeetha Sabha in 1953 when I was 18. In 1959 was my first Music Academy kutcheri, on December 28. It was a 'junior' kutcheri at 2.30 pm! After that I have sung every year at the Academy progressing to the senior slot, and now to this! (The Sangeetha Kalanidhi). <br />
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<strong>Tell us a bit about your ideas on music.</strong><br />
The most important thing about music is its purity. We have to preserve it, and it is our duty to pass it on to the next generations. <br />
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<strong>What about interpretations and innovations?</strong><br />
There is no need for innovations. Our classical music is a tradition going back thousands of years. There are certain disciplines that are recommended and it would be nice if they were followed. I don't know what all this 'janaranjakam' that they speak about is for. It is not necessary and those who change the traditional do it only for their own name and fame. <br />
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<strong>The innovators say that the audience prefers lighter versions and interpretations, and not heavy traditional renderings.</strong><br />
Even our old film songs were Carnatic music based. But when M. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar sang, he sang it the traditional Carnatic way. Did people not appreciate it? Didn't people listen? Those interested listeners are enough! Don't dilute such a great art for this. <br />
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<strong>What is the most significant thing about the Carnatic music tradition according to you?</strong><br />
South Indian music is based on devotion. It has kept pure, unlike Hindustani music that suffered the effect of the invasions, and we have to pass it on as it is, we have no right to change it! <br />
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<strong>Why is Carnatic music devotional?</strong><br />
Because music grew in the temples and just like you follow some disciplines when you grow up at home, some disciplines were imposed and were followed.So Bhakthi Bhava has the upper hand, and its composers and great performers never saw it as a dry art but as a reflection of the times in which it was nurtured and grew. <br />
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<strong>If not innovation, what is the way for a system of arts to change and grow with the times?</strong><br />
Those who are doing innovations do it only for name and fame, they cannot add anything to this great art. <br />
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Take any krithi that you have learnt, sing only that for 30 days. Let me tell you the swaroopam and rasam of your own singing of the same ragam and the same krithi will be very different at the end of the 30 days. <br />
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This is yoga. It has to be done through a lifetime. Not like doing aerobic exercises for half an hour in the morning. <br />
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<strong>So, why is this happening?</strong><br />
These days parents push their children - "Can you take her to the level of performing a kutcheri next year?" What can the child do. He can memorise and sing, but manodharma sangeetham will not develop, and that is the soul of music and this musical system. And people speak of teaching music on the telephone. How can music be taught on the phone! <br />
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<strong>But isn't manodharma sangeetham a technical thing. Will the listeners spot the lack of expertise in a singer?</strong><br />
I don't believe that listeners need to be technically qualified - they just have to be able to listen. Even lay listeners will be able to spot a lack of manodharma abilities and will find out repetitive memorised passages! <br />
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<strong>What is your favourite area in music?</strong><br />
I prefer practically oriented areas. Prefer lec-dems to speeches or papers for instance. Anything that can be applied practically or demonstrated practically is more natural for me. <br />
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<strong>You have been associated with reviving some old musical forms. Could you tell us a little about that. What made you take on these projects?</strong><br />
Mallari is an ancient temple music form. All temple rituals were accompanied by distinct musical compositions which are completely unlike the kutcheri music compositions. There are distinct passages that are played at abhishekams or naivedhyams, different passages for each vahanam, in fact for each ritual for the Gods from dawn to close of day, and people would recognise these pieces of music - played by the nadhaswara vidwans and their accompanists - and know the rituals that were underway. <br />
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But this art is almost lost to us. Only one temple - Chidambaram - still has Mallari being played, and the last of the vidwans, Radhakrishnan Pillai is in his eighties. Very soon the great tradition may be completely lost to us. Similar is the fate of the singing of the Arayars - the Arayar Sevai. I have tried to bring back some of the Mallari traditions as far as the music is concerned, and also Thyagaraja's Divyanama Kirtanas. There is so much to be done. <br />
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<strong>What projects do you plan for the future? Any pet projects you are working on?</strong><br />
I don't usually plan. If something strikes me I do it in a frenzy and finish with it! But I have a longstanding desire to work on a system to teach the manodharma part of music. We have an excellent system of teaching of Carnatic music, the Sarali Varisais and the Jandai Varisais, and these actually seem simple but are very subtle and lay the very foundations for the understanding and later performance of manodharma music.Vidhya Govindanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12355044751092022635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3578787054535123934.post-41055536205563857362010-07-19T23:18:00.000-07:002010-07-19T23:18:48.092-07:00JATI in a Raga.<strong>Jati - Classification</strong><br />
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The number of notes in ascending or descending movements of a Raga is called its Jati. There are three basic Jatis: <br />
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1. Sampoorana -containing seven notes, <br />
2. Shaudava - containing six notes, and <br />
3. Audava - containing five notes. <br />
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<a name='more'></a>Since a Raga may have any combination of ascending and descending notes six more Jatis making a total of 9 Jatis are computed as follows <br />
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1. Sampoorana / Sampooran: Ragas in this classification will have all the seven notes in the ascending as well as descending movements. <br />
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2. Sampoorana / Shaudava: Ragas in this Jati will have seven notes while ascending and six notes while descending. <br />
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3. Sampoorana / Audava: Ragas in this category will have seven notes while ascending and only five notes while descending. <br />
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4. Shaudava / Sampoorana: Six note ascending and seven descending. <br />
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5. Shaudava / Shaudava: Six notes ascending six descending. <br />
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6. Shaudava / Audava: Six ascending and five descending. <br />
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7. Audava / Sampoorana: Five ascending and seven descending. <br />
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8. Audava / Audava: Five ascending and five descending. <br />
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9. Audava / Shaudava: Five ascending and six descending.Vidhya Govindanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12355044751092022635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3578787054535123934.post-60433725532376273452010-07-08T12:06:00.001-07:002010-07-08T12:06:52.005-07:00A TEACHER :-))Shri Gurobhyo namaha.... <br />
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Guru Brahma Guru Vishnu Gurudevo Maheshwaraha Guru Satchath Param Brahma Thasmai Sri Guruwaenamaha<br />
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"A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops."Vidhya Govindanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12355044751092022635noreply@blogger.com0