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Courtesy; Nerul temple
Sri Muthuswamy Dikshitar is a well-known personality amongst the music world. Many may not know he was a great Devi Upasaka and was well versed in all aspects of Sri Vidya Upasana also. The years he spent at Tiruvavur were richly creative and highly productive for Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar, the composer. Dikshitar's creations at Tiruvavur included a set of sixteen kritis on various attributes of Ganesha; a set of kritis on Thygaraja and Nilothpalambika the presiding deities of Tiruvarur shrine; a set of Tiruvarur Panchalinga kritis; and eleven kritis of Kamalamba Navavarana group.
Interestingly, the temple complex also accommodates the shrines of Maha Ganapathi, Subrahmanya, Dakshinamurty and Balamba; all Shakthi deities. The temple complex has a Pushkarini, a lake, named kamalalaya, the abode of Kamala.This tank is reffered to by Dikshitar, in his kritis, as Kamalalaya thirtha and the Devi is Kamalalaya thirtha vaibhave. The town of Tiruvarur is mentioned as Kamala nagara (e.g. Kamalanagara viharini) and as Kamala pura (e.g.Kamalapura sadanam); referring to Devi as one who resides in and walks about the town of Kamalapura/Kamalanagara.
The most outstanding of such series of compositions is of course the magnificent Kamalamba Navavarana kritis. They are incomparable compositions and are the jewels of Carnatic music.These compositions, intellectually sublime steeped in deep devotion, are a testimony to Dikshtar's musical genius, his mastery over the Sanskrit language; and his thorough knowledge of and intense dedication to Sri Vidya, Sri Chakra and the worship of its avaranas.
The set concludes with a short and sweet mangalam (auspicious conclusion) in Sri ragam set in Khanda Ekam (5 beat talam). The entire set consists therefore of the dhyanam (invocation), the nine avaranas, and the mangalam (conclusion), a total of 11 pieces.
The 9 kritis are as follows:
Kamalamba Samrakshathu - Anandabhairavi - Misra Chapu
Kamalambaam Bhajare - Kalyani - Adi
Sri Kamalambikaya Katakshitoham - Shankarabharanam - Rupakam
Kamalambikayai - Kambhoji - (Khanda) Ata
Sri Kamalamba param - Bhairavi - Misra Jampa
Kamalambikayaastava - Punnagavarali - Rupakam
Sri Kamalambikayam - Sahana - Tisra Triputa
Sri Kamalambike - Ghanta - Adi
Sri Kamalamba Jayati - Ahiri - Rupakam
The rendering of these Kritis are considered to be extremely challenging owing to the complexity of the words and the notations.
***
even more in detail about kritis.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByHsyol17T5XcXZGVFhjSy10aXM/edit?usp=sharing
Sri Kamalamba Nava Aavarana Kritis
Out of his devotion to Sri Kamalamba, (one of the 64 Sakti Peethams in India), the celebrated deity at
the famous Tyagaraja Temple in Tiruvarur and his compassion for all bhaktas, Sri Muthuswamy
Dikshitar composed the Kamalamba Navavarana kritis, expounding in each of the nine kritis, the details
of the each avarana of the Sri Chakra, including the devatas and the yoginis. Singing these kritis with
devotion, sraddha and understanding would be the easy way to Sri Vidya Upasana.
Kamala is one of the ten maha vidyas, the principle deities of the Shaktha tradition of Tantra. But, the
Sri Kamalamba referred to by Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar in this set of kritis, is the Supreme Divine
Mother herself. The immediate inspiration to Dikshitar was, of course, Sri Kamalamba (regarded one of
the sixty-four Shakthi centers), the celebrated deity at the famous temple of Sri Tyagaraja and Sri
Nilothpalambika in Tiruvavur.
Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar follows the Smahara krama, the absorption path, of Sri Chakra puja and
proceeds from the outer avarana towards the Bindu in the ninth avarana at the center of the Sri Chakra.
At each avarana, he submits his salutation and worships the presiding deity, the yogini (secondary
deity) and the attendant siddhis of that avarana; and describes the salient features of the avarana
according to the Kadi School of the Dakshinamurthy tradition of Sri Vidya. It is in effect both worship
and elucidation.
Dikshitar had developed a fascination for composing a series of kritis on a composite theme, perhaps in
an attempt to explore the various dimensions of the subject. In some of these, he employed all the eight
Vibhaktis, the various cases that delineate a noun.He also composed a series of kritis in a set of ragas,
all ending with the same suffix (e.g.Gaula). No other composer has attempted so many group kritis in
such a planned, orderly, meticulous fashion.
The Kamalamba Navavarana Kritis by Shri Muthuswami Dikshitar (1776-1836) are some of the most
famous pieces of music in the Carnatic system of Indian classical music. They are treasures which
embody not only the technical brilliance of the composer but also offer a peep into the advaitic school of
Hindu philosophy and elements of Tantric rituals. They are very elaborate compositions which may be
well compared with major symphonies in the Western system.
These songs are set in praise of the Goddess Kamalamba who is enshrined in Tiruvarur in the Tanjore
district of Tamil Nadu in South India. The Goddess is the reference to the Divine Mother of the
universe, or the Supreme Consciousness. The lyrics and the descriptive details are loaded with the
mystical symbolism of the Vedantic (advaita) tradition and the chakras of the human system are closely
linked to the evolutionary aspects described in the compositions that reflect the scholarly reach, musical
depth and mystical significance of the composer.
Musically, they are par excellence and the majestic sweep of well known ragas (melodic forms) like
Todi, Kalyani, Kambhoji, Sankarabharanam, Sahana, Anandabhairavi and Bhairavi are offset against
haunting melodies in lesser known ragas like Punnagavarali, Ghanta and Ahiri.Dikshitar uses several talas (time measures) although Rupakam (3 beats) seems to be his favourite.
Ata talam (14 beats) and Misra Jampa (10 beats) in the Kambhoji and Bhairavi pieces are rarely used
because of the technical difficulty in executing these. The Dhyana (invocatory) kriti in Todi is in the
vocative case, followed by the Anandabhairavi in the nominative, Kalyani in the accusative,
Sankarabharanam in the instrumental, Kambhoji in the dative, Bhairavi in the ablative and so on. The
ninth avarana kriti in Ahiri has all the cases; interestingly the raga itself has all the 22 Sruti (notes) in the
octave. Indeed the Ahiri composition is very unusual musically especially the pallavi which has a
repeating and distinctive prose sections are seamlessly put together.
It is customary, as a prelude to Kamalamba Navavarana group of kritis, to invoke Maha Ganapathi and
Lord Subrahmanya by singing Shri Mahaganapathivaratu mam (Gaula) followed by
Balasubrahmanyam Bhaje (Surati). Thus the vocal tradition of the Kamalamba Navavarana has a set of
thirteen kritis. The core kritis are however the nine relating to nine avaranas of Sri Chakra.
The Dhyana kriti Kamalambike_ashrita_kalpa_lathike is composed in Raga Todi (Rupaka); while the
concluding Mangala kriti Shri_Kamalambike is in the auspicious Shri Raga. The Dhyana kriti in Todi
does not bear the customary Raga_mudra, the name of its Raga.
For the core nine kritis sang in worship of the Navavaranas of Sri Chakra, Dikshitar employed eleven
different Ragas and eight different Vibhakthis (case endings denoting the noun) of Sanskrit grammar;
and for the ninth avarana kriti he employs a garland of all the eight Vibhakthis.
As regards the Raga-mudra, a distinctive feature of Dikshitar’s compositions, the kritis in
Anandabhairavi (first avarana), and shankarabharaaam (third avarana) indicate their Ragas only
partially (the word “Ananda” for the former, and shankara for the latter). The kambhoji, Sahana, and
Ahiri compositions have their Raga mudras hidden within complex phrases. In all the other kritis, the
Raga mudra is explicit.
The more you deep dive to this concept, like one gets lost in gardens of Oxford, you would be lost in
trance. Such is its power and vast knowledge to be acquired.
One who takes proper steps, with right Guru or Teacher, would definitely enjoy this travel path.
Sri Muthuswamy Dikshitar is a well-known personality amongst the music world. Many may not know he was a great Devi Upasaka and was well versed in all aspects of Sri Vidya Upasana also. The years he spent at Tiruvavur were richly creative and highly productive for Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar, the composer. Dikshitar's creations at Tiruvavur included a set of sixteen kritis on various attributes of Ganesha; a set of kritis on Thygaraja and Nilothpalambika the presiding deities of Tiruvarur shrine; a set of Tiruvarur Panchalinga kritis; and eleven kritis of Kamalamba Navavarana group.
Interestingly, the temple complex also accommodates the shrines of Maha Ganapathi, Subrahmanya, Dakshinamurty and Balamba; all Shakthi deities. The temple complex has a Pushkarini, a lake, named kamalalaya, the abode of Kamala.This tank is reffered to by Dikshitar, in his kritis, as Kamalalaya thirtha and the Devi is Kamalalaya thirtha vaibhave. The town of Tiruvarur is mentioned as Kamala nagara (e.g. Kamalanagara viharini) and as Kamala pura (e.g.Kamalapura sadanam); referring to Devi as one who resides in and walks about the town of Kamalapura/Kamalanagara.
The most outstanding of such series of compositions is of course the magnificent Kamalamba Navavarana kritis. They are incomparable compositions and are the jewels of Carnatic music.These compositions, intellectually sublime steeped in deep devotion, are a testimony to Dikshtar's musical genius, his mastery over the Sanskrit language; and his thorough knowledge of and intense dedication to Sri Vidya, Sri Chakra and the worship of its avaranas.
The set concludes with a short and sweet mangalam (auspicious conclusion) in Sri ragam set in Khanda Ekam (5 beat talam). The entire set consists therefore of the dhyanam (invocation), the nine avaranas, and the mangalam (conclusion), a total of 11 pieces.
The 9 kritis are as follows:
Kamalamba Samrakshathu - Anandabhairavi - Misra Chapu
Kamalambaam Bhajare - Kalyani - Adi
Sri Kamalambikaya Katakshitoham - Shankarabharanam - Rupakam
Kamalambikayai - Kambhoji - (Khanda) Ata
Sri Kamalamba param - Bhairavi - Misra Jampa
Kamalambikayaastava - Punnagavarali - Rupakam
Sri Kamalambikayam - Sahana - Tisra Triputa
Sri Kamalambike - Ghanta - Adi
Sri Kamalamba Jayati - Ahiri - Rupakam
The rendering of these Kritis are considered to be extremely challenging owing to the complexity of the words and the notations.
***
even more in detail about kritis.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByHsyol17T5XcXZGVFhjSy10aXM/edit?usp=sharing
Sri Kamalamba Nava Aavarana Kritis
Out of his devotion to Sri Kamalamba, (one of the 64 Sakti Peethams in India), the celebrated deity at
the famous Tyagaraja Temple in Tiruvarur and his compassion for all bhaktas, Sri Muthuswamy
Dikshitar composed the Kamalamba Navavarana kritis, expounding in each of the nine kritis, the details
of the each avarana of the Sri Chakra, including the devatas and the yoginis. Singing these kritis with
devotion, sraddha and understanding would be the easy way to Sri Vidya Upasana.
Kamala is one of the ten maha vidyas, the principle deities of the Shaktha tradition of Tantra. But, the
Sri Kamalamba referred to by Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar in this set of kritis, is the Supreme Divine
Mother herself. The immediate inspiration to Dikshitar was, of course, Sri Kamalamba (regarded one of
the sixty-four Shakthi centers), the celebrated deity at the famous temple of Sri Tyagaraja and Sri
Nilothpalambika in Tiruvavur.
Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar follows the Smahara krama, the absorption path, of Sri Chakra puja and
proceeds from the outer avarana towards the Bindu in the ninth avarana at the center of the Sri Chakra.
At each avarana, he submits his salutation and worships the presiding deity, the yogini (secondary
deity) and the attendant siddhis of that avarana; and describes the salient features of the avarana
according to the Kadi School of the Dakshinamurthy tradition of Sri Vidya. It is in effect both worship
and elucidation.
Dikshitar had developed a fascination for composing a series of kritis on a composite theme, perhaps in
an attempt to explore the various dimensions of the subject. In some of these, he employed all the eight
Vibhaktis, the various cases that delineate a noun.He also composed a series of kritis in a set of ragas,
all ending with the same suffix (e.g.Gaula). No other composer has attempted so many group kritis in
such a planned, orderly, meticulous fashion.
The Kamalamba Navavarana Kritis by Shri Muthuswami Dikshitar (1776-1836) are some of the most
famous pieces of music in the Carnatic system of Indian classical music. They are treasures which
embody not only the technical brilliance of the composer but also offer a peep into the advaitic school of
Hindu philosophy and elements of Tantric rituals. They are very elaborate compositions which may be
well compared with major symphonies in the Western system.
These songs are set in praise of the Goddess Kamalamba who is enshrined in Tiruvarur in the Tanjore
district of Tamil Nadu in South India. The Goddess is the reference to the Divine Mother of the
universe, or the Supreme Consciousness. The lyrics and the descriptive details are loaded with the
mystical symbolism of the Vedantic (advaita) tradition and the chakras of the human system are closely
linked to the evolutionary aspects described in the compositions that reflect the scholarly reach, musical
depth and mystical significance of the composer.
Musically, they are par excellence and the majestic sweep of well known ragas (melodic forms) like
Todi, Kalyani, Kambhoji, Sankarabharanam, Sahana, Anandabhairavi and Bhairavi are offset against
haunting melodies in lesser known ragas like Punnagavarali, Ghanta and Ahiri.Dikshitar uses several talas (time measures) although Rupakam (3 beats) seems to be his favourite.
Ata talam (14 beats) and Misra Jampa (10 beats) in the Kambhoji and Bhairavi pieces are rarely used
because of the technical difficulty in executing these. The Dhyana (invocatory) kriti in Todi is in the
vocative case, followed by the Anandabhairavi in the nominative, Kalyani in the accusative,
Sankarabharanam in the instrumental, Kambhoji in the dative, Bhairavi in the ablative and so on. The
ninth avarana kriti in Ahiri has all the cases; interestingly the raga itself has all the 22 Sruti (notes) in the
octave. Indeed the Ahiri composition is very unusual musically especially the pallavi which has a
repeating and distinctive prose sections are seamlessly put together.
It is customary, as a prelude to Kamalamba Navavarana group of kritis, to invoke Maha Ganapathi and
Lord Subrahmanya by singing Shri Mahaganapathivaratu mam (Gaula) followed by
Balasubrahmanyam Bhaje (Surati). Thus the vocal tradition of the Kamalamba Navavarana has a set of
thirteen kritis. The core kritis are however the nine relating to nine avaranas of Sri Chakra.
The Dhyana kriti Kamalambike_ashrita_kalpa_lathike is composed in Raga Todi (Rupaka); while the
concluding Mangala kriti Shri_Kamalambike is in the auspicious Shri Raga. The Dhyana kriti in Todi
does not bear the customary Raga_mudra, the name of its Raga.
For the core nine kritis sang in worship of the Navavaranas of Sri Chakra, Dikshitar employed eleven
different Ragas and eight different Vibhakthis (case endings denoting the noun) of Sanskrit grammar;
and for the ninth avarana kriti he employs a garland of all the eight Vibhakthis.
As regards the Raga-mudra, a distinctive feature of Dikshitar’s compositions, the kritis in
Anandabhairavi (first avarana), and shankarabharaaam (third avarana) indicate their Ragas only
partially (the word “Ananda” for the former, and shankara for the latter). The kambhoji, Sahana, and
Ahiri compositions have their Raga mudras hidden within complex phrases. In all the other kritis, the
Raga mudra is explicit.
The more you deep dive to this concept, like one gets lost in gardens of Oxford, you would be lost in
trance. Such is its power and vast knowledge to be acquired.
One who takes proper steps, with right Guru or Teacher, would definitely enjoy this travel path.