Selected Recording
Kriti: "Daksinamurte, vidalitadasa arthe sri . . . ," composed by Muttuswami Diksitar (1762-1827) in raga Sankarabharana and Jhampa tala. Performers: Semmangudi Srinivasa Aiyar (voice), K. S. Narayanaswami (vīna), and Kedaranathan (tambura). Source: A Musical Anthology of the Orient: India IV, Barenrieter UNESCO Collection (BM 30 L 2021).
Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer was a well-known singer, educator, composer, and music director with the national radio network (AIR) who carried on the family occupation of musician. (He died in 2003 at age 97.) He was the teacher of K. R. Kedaranathan, who sings the composed sections of this kriti with his guru and plays tambura. K. S. Narayanaswamy was a respected vīna player and teacher of a number of prominent musicians.
Muttusvami Diksitar (1775-1835), the son of a court musician, has almost 600 kritis credited to him (Catlin 2000: 225). [His brother, Balusvami Diksitar, studied the Western violin and was the first Karnatak musician to promote the this instrument (Catlin 2000: 224).] As a student of voice and vīna, Muttusvami lived in both south and north India, spending five years in the Varanasi region where he became familiar with temple dhrupads. Appropriately, his stately compositions exhibit a balance between flowing vocal lines and intricate instrumental ornaments. In this composition, he has woven his pen name (mudra), Guruguha into the last line of the caranam. The name means "teacher Guha," but guha implies "cavedweller" and has the implication of humility. Guha is also a name for the god Kartikeya. (See Pesch 1999: 199-200.)
References
Catlin, Amy. 2000. Karnatak Vocal and Instrumental Music." In The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music; South Asia: The Indian Subcontinent (Alison Arnold, editor) 5: 209-235.
Pesch, Ludwig. 1999. The Illustrated Companion to South Indian Classical Music. Delhi: Oxford University Press.
Performance Structure
Time Event
00:00 Ālāpana begins and gradually extends upwards in pitch
vina player imitates/repeats each sung line
04:01 Pallavi begins.
Each of the two lines of the pallavi repeats and each has its own melodic characteristics, both remaining in the purvānga.
When lines repeat, they are seldom appear exactly the same. The performers introduce variations during the repeats. Also, when lines repeat the end is often carefully joined to the beginning.
05:47 Anupallavi begins.
Again, each line of the anupallavi has its own particular melodic shape and repeats (with the exception of the last line), each time with minor variations.
anupallavi melodies are in the uttarānga
The pallavi appears once at the conclusion of the anupallavi.
Singer adds an improvised passage which connects the purvānga and uttarānga, summing up the pallavi and anupallavi in the way the caranam will next do in some detail.
09:02 Caranam begins.
Again, each line has its own melodic shape and each (except the last) is repeated with variations.
Caranam melodies often begin in the purvānga and end in the uttarānga, as is the case with this example.
The pallavi occurs once again at the conclusion of the caranam.
12:25 Performance Ends
Rāga Śankarabharana parallels the western major scale and the śuddha that (Bilāval thāt) of Hindustani sangit. Its arohana and avarohana are sampurna (complete), although it has characteristic phrases (prayoga or pittipu).
Jhampa tālam appears here in its most common form: |7 U O [miśra jhampa tāla consisting of a laghu of seven beats, an anudrutam, and a drutam]; that is, a clap (tattu) followed by 6 counts followed by two claps and one wave (viccu).
Pallavi
(Sri) Daksinamurte vidalitadasa arthe (3x) Daksinamurti! Afflicted by the sufferings of your devotees,
cidanandapurte sada mauna kirte! filled with blissful insight, famed as ever-silent, Glory!
Sri Daksinamurte vidalitadasa arthe Daksinamurti! Afflicted by the sufferings of your devotees,
cidanandapurte sada mauna kirte! Filled with blissful insight, famed as ever-silent, Glory!
Anupallavi
Aksayasuvarnavatavrksamulasthite (4x) Seated at the foot of the undecaying golden banyan tree, protect me!
raksa mam sanakadira Praised are you by royal sages like Sankara.
raksa mam sanakadira jayogistute (2x) You protect your true devotees
raksitasadbhakte siksitaduryukte (4x) yet are hard to comprehend even by the learned.
aksaranurakte avidyavirakte. You are attached to the Imperishable, detached from all ignorance.
[Daksinamurte vidalitadasa arthe Daksinamurti! Afflicted by the sufferings of your devotees,
cidanandapurte sada mauna kirte!] filled with blissful insight, famed as ever-silent, Glory!
Caranam
Nikhilasamsayaharananipunatarayukte (2x) Most skillful are you in dispelling all doubts.
nirvikalprasamadhinidraprasakte (2x) You adhere to the sleep-like state of unconditioned trance.
akhandaikarasapurna arudhasakte (2x) You have attained that power which expresses the complete fulfillment of the indivisible joy in the absolute.
aparoksanityabodhanandamukte (2x) You are liberated by the bliss of immediate and eternal knowledge.
sukhatarapravrtte svajñanivrtte (2x) You are turned to what is most blissful, you have turned away from self-ignorance, you in whose heart you yourself have taken birth as your own guru.
svaguruguhotpatte svabhogatrpte. Perfectly satisfied, you are the constant delight that you emanate.
 
Kriti Outline Ragam-Tanam-Pallavi
 
19-Feb-2013