TWO GENIUSES IN THE SERVICE OF THE ABSOLUTE!

This post celebrates the legacy of two geniuses beyond compare. The first genius was a divine composer who was also an exceptional devotee of lord Venkateshwara - Thalapakkam Annamacharya. The second genius we are referring to is none other than Smt. M.S.Subbulakshmi, a divine singer in her own right.
In this post we are going to look at how one legend brought to fore the legacy of another.
Annamacharya, the first Vaggeyakara of Carnatic Music, is adored by his devotees as an avatar of Nandaka, the sword of Vishnu.
He has to his credit 32,000 Kirtanas of which 10 to 12,000 are extant. He was, according to pious tradition, sent on a worldly mission of establishing Hari Nama on earth through sweet music, by none other than Lord Venkateshwara Himself.
The divine composer completed his mission and attained Vaikuntham. However his compositions were not known to people all over the world. Only those who knew, either the language or the system of music could appreciate them and there was no icon to popularise them in a world that was fast becoming materialistic.

M.S.Subbulakshmi, as readers of this blog will know, was a rare genius who, we maintain, was another being sent on a mission by Sriman Narayana.
She has sung so many compositions in her lifetime but her rendition of Annamacharya’s Kirtanas will forever be the best known to humanity.

In this post which is but a humble attempt at trying to convey the sublime aspects of M.S.Amma’s rendition of Annamacharya’s Kirtanas, we present some Kirtanas with a brief description and a suggestion about their evocative power when rendered by our M.S.Amma.
Annamacharya’s compositions are broadly classified into Sringaara and Aadhyaatmika Samkirtanas. M.S. Amma has rendered songs falling under both divisions with finesse and has brought immense recognition to a saint-poet who had attained immortality through his songs.

SriManNarayana, a song usually rendered in the raga bowli, has the ability to sanctify the day when listened to as rendered by M.S.Amma. Listening to this song can be a means for performing abhigamana for those who live far away from temples which house SriManNarayana. Prolonged exposure to the divine verses in this song can make one attain the state which is difficult even for yogins, and bring oneself and Narayana very close.

Nanati Baduku, a philosophical song which is acclaimed by scholars is rendered by M.S.Amma with a seriousness which brings upon the listener a desire to cultivate Vairagya. The solemn nature of this song is made sweet by her voice and its meanings strike home with clarity.

The beautiful lullaby, Jo Achyutananda, usually rendered in Navaroj, is sung by M.S.Amma in the raga Kapi. Words cannot describe the consummate beauty of this song and her rendition which complements it. The author of this post has always found that the song evokes strong emotions culminating in tears that warm.
Can anyone remain unmoved by the zestful and peppy (kindly pardon the incongruous adjectives) Dolaayaam is raga Khamas? This song can bring one out a disturbed disposition and grant him/her the feeling of movement which comes naturally when one witnesses the Dolotsavam of SriVaari’s Utsava Vigraha.
Every time I listen to M.S.Amma’s voice call out to lord KRISHNA in the song Ra Ra Chinnanna, I cannot help glancing around in the hope that Lord Balakrishna will make an entry , if not for my sake definitely for the voice of his devotee who has called out to him through Annamayya’s song.
Krishna is accessibility (saulabhyam) personified but Rama, despite his sweet nature was undeniably the personification of majesty which made people respect him greatly. This is captured in the song Namo Namo Raghukula Naayaka which is rendered by M.S.Amma in the raga Nattai clearly conveying the majestic nature of Lord Ramachandra and the respect he evokes without exerting any effort. The entire Ramayana appears in a beautifully condensed form in this strongly rendered song.

Sri Annamacharya composed several songs in which he combined the 12 names of Vishnu (Keshava, Narayana, Madhava, Govinda, Vishnu, Madhusudhana, Trivikrama, Vamana, Sridhara, Hrishikesha, Padmanabha and Damodhara), the vyuha concept of the paancharaatra system (Vasudeva, Sankarshana, Pradhyumna, Aniruddha) and some specific names of the lord like Adokshaja, Purushottma, Achyuta , thereby transforming music into a potent spiritual saadhana. One such song is Nee Naamame... in the raga Madyamavathi. Listening to M.S.Amma’s rendition of this song brings us the dual benefits of the effects of this raga (which apparently imparts a sense of poise to the listener) and the practice of Sravanam (a limb of Bhakti as emphasized by the Bhagavatha purana).
Realising the efficacy of Harinama in exterminating the Karmas of Jivathmas in the cycle of birth and death, Annamayya emphasized this in every other song he wrote. However in the song Itiye Saadhanamu … in the most soothing Ritigowlai, M.S.Amma brings out the full import of the song with matchless confidence and the listener is left immersed in the nectarine ocean called Sri Hari.
Annamayya’s liberal worldview comes to the fore in Entamatramu a song which is dear to several Bhaktas. I have been fortunate enough to see and listen to M.S.Amma perform, albeit only through a televised recording. In one such concert Entamatramu was one of the Annamayya songs rendered by her. The obvious joy and devotion with which she rendered the song and the humility and Bhakti she displayed when she sang “SriVenkatagiri...” (Annamayya’s mudra was Venkata with logical variants) with hands folded in reverential supplication to the lord of the seven hills, nay the lord of the cosmos remain etched in my memory and will be certainly indelible. Probably she was able to visualise Him as she sang, or maybe he had granted a subtle Darshan to the empress of Carnatic music. Who am I to know of such things?
Cheri Yashodakau, a song in the delectable raga Mohanam has interesting lyrics. Annamayya marvels at SriKrishna who happens to be the infant in Yashoda’s arms as well as the father of Lord Brahma (the first born according to Sanathana Dharma).
Ksheeraabdhi Kanyakaku is a song which offers mangala Neeraajanam to the Queen of the Lord of the Seven Hills (Goddess Alarmel Mangai).
Parama Purusha, in the raga Shanmukhapriya is a scintillating song which extols the greatness of Lord Venkateshwara with words chosen with care.
Brahma Kadigina is a Kirtana which speaks of the feet of Lord Venkateshwara, alluding to several accounts like the Ahalya Episode, the Trivikrama Avatar and so on. The song unequivocally declares that feet of Lord Venkateshwara are verily the spiritual summum bonum that is sought by aspirants. In fact it is the Parama Padham (referred to in the Vishnu Sooktham thus “tat Vishnor paramam padham sadaa pashyanthi sooraya”
M.S. Amma’s rendition makes one equally desirous of attaining this state as are the yogi’s alluded to in the concluding stanza.
One need not despair, for the entire universe was sportingly measured by Lord Trivikrama and it belongs to him. There is not a substance in the universe which has not touched his feet and all Jivas who listen to this song can rest assured that he will claim what is rightfully his (the Jivatma) in due course of time.
As a grand finale Marali Marali Jayamangalamu is rendered by M.S.Amma with uncompromising zest. This song forms the fitting conclusion to our post as well as it follows the tradition of invoking auspiciousness in the end.
The songs composed by Annamayya are far too numerous to be described at length in one post (let alone one hundred). The remarkable service done by Smt. M.S.Subbulakshmi to Nanda Nandhana (Lord Venkateshwara) and His Nandaka (Sri Thalapakkam Annamacharya) can never be articulated effectively by one of limited knowledge of carnatic music such as the author of this post.

I claim no special knowledge of Music and definitely have not known the great singer M.S.Amma but for recordings and the like. In particular, the source material for this post happens to be the Balaji Pancharatnamala collection and my own interpretations of the songs contained in it arrived at on a purely subjective basis. As I write the concluding lines of this post I feel that I have not done justice to the two geniuses mentioned here. Imperfections (and there are bound to be many of them) in this post are traceable to me and me alone.
After all said and done
SRIMAN NARAYANAYETHI SAMARPAYAAMI!
OM TAT SAT!
SARVAM SRIKRISHNAARPANAMASTHU!

89th Birthday Tribute

This post is our belated tribute to one of the Kaarana Piravis' (Born for a purpose) of the 21st century, Smt M.S.S Subbulakshmi on the eve of her 89th Birth Day.

Let us take a tour of her glorious past.





Born to a brilliant Veena artist(Shanmugavadivu amma) in a tiny home close to the Meenakshi Sundareswarar temple in the temple town of the daughter of King Malayadhvaja, Madurai Shanmugavadivu Subbulakshmi (a.k.a Kunjamma) grew up literally surrounded by music. Her grandmother Akkammal had been a violinist. Young Kunjamma, started growing up listening and humming along with her mom when she played the Veena. She was blessed with a mellifluous voice that would melt the strongest of the diamonds.Possessing both shruthi shuddham(immaculate tone) and the Gnana of the nuances of the complex carnatic music padhathi , no wonder she left the listener spell bound.



Though M.S.S amma had her formal schooling only till 5th grade, she was always had popular vidwans to assist and train her to become what she is now.Her first Guru happend to be the vidwan Madurai Srinivasa Iyengar who passed away not long after her first lessons. Her home was frequently visited by popular vidwans of those days like Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar.

Her first concert was made possible when someone grabbed her and took her to Sethupathi High School (the school where the great tamil poet, Subramanya Bharathi studied) to sing in a concert while she was immersed in her child hood play of mud-pie making:) . Not long after that , when she was 10, she would cut her first disc . She once sang in a marriage of a Sourashtra friend for 2 hours holding the rapture of the attendees.

Her teen life was full of conerts where great Vidwans like Tiger Varadhachariar, Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagawathar nodded their approval of finding a new talent. In those like "getting a nod" was considered to be a great achievement especially among male artists who were dominating the carnatic music scene. Karaikudi Samabasiva Iyer once praised little M.S.S , "kuzhanthey (child) , Your are carrying a Veena in your throat" :)

After the eventful teen years , she would be eventually wedded to the freedom fighter and a senior member of the magazine Ananda Vikatan , Tyagaraja Sadasivam. This would be a turning point in her life. Tyagaraja brought in popular vidwans like Semmangudi Sreenivasa iyer and Musiri Subramanya Iyer to her. They were frequent visitors to their home. Being a freedom fighter , Sadasivam also associated MSS with great freedom fighers like Gandhiji, Rajaji and Nehruji and was constantly encouraging her to sing patriotic songs of subramanya baharthi and the like.

Not too later , her fame would start spreading beyond the walls of South India when when would star her first movie , Sevasadanam in 1931. She would they pair up with the yet another great vidwans of those day , G.N.Balasubramanian in the movie Shakuntala. She would later popularize the krithi ,"Broohi Mukundethi" in the movie Savithri starring as Sage Narada.

Perhaps the best of her achievements thru the movies was when she starred as "Meera" . She got accolades from all over India. Sarojini Naidu called her the "Nightingale of India"

Her fame would not be stopped from crossing the boundaries of India. Her international tours kicked off with the programme at Edinburgh Festival in 1963. She would later be invited to perfom in the magnificient General Assembly Hall of the United Nations by the Secrtary General, U. Thant. After that, she would render in the popular Carnegie Hall in New York, United States. One wouln't be surprised by applaud given by the local audience after her rendition of krithis like "Ika Nainanaa". She would become the divine voice that would let the message of Sri Chandasekarendra Swamigal of Kanchi mutt , "shreyo bhuyat sakala jananam" (let there be grace abounding for all manind) , the concluding verses of the famed "Maithreem Bhajatha", buzz the gigantic concert halls in UN and Carnegie.



No wonder she won so many laurels .She bacame the first women artist to be conferred the prestigious title "Sangeetha Kalanidhi of the Madras Music Academy. She received the Ramon Magsaysay Award (regarded as the Asian Noble prize) in 1974. She also received Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan , Kalidasa Sanman and what not?? Perhaps all her contributions to our society can be summed up when she got Bharat Ratna, the highest civil award in India.

Despite acquiring fame and wealth , the couple resorted to direct their earnings into charitable endowments. They formed the Kasthurba Memorial trust as early as 1944. Her benefit performances raised over 30 millions Rs. The Magsaysay award that she recieved was in fact in recognition of her charitable work.

All these achievements, without any doubt, stand for a truly remarkable personality and a musician. What quality in her music that made her different from other artists? Simply put, it is her faith in god (as she recalls " I would see the beautiful and the graceful face of the Meenalochani,Paasamochani , Meenakshi( The fish-eyed godess and the godess that breaks the bondage) when the flames of the Deeparadhanai are take closer to the godess and whenever I sing the verse I would just close my eyes and think of the graceful face of the meenakshi amman). Such was her devotion to god. One would also remember that Saint Tyagaraja also used to close his eyes and go in trance for Sri Rama whenever he sang a krithi as Ekaanantha Sevai ( Serving the lord in privacy). Eventhough she was gifted with an awesome voice , she didnt stop making efforts . This is clearly evident when one gets to hear her magnificiently rendering the mela ragamaalika by Maha Vaidyanatha Sivan, a string of 72 rare raagas.

What more should I say?? She lived a life without giving single interview , letting her music to speak for itself. That would clarify some of my messed up articulations..:)


Here are some of the least known facts known about M.S.S amma

1. Her father called her Rajathippa (princess darling). Mother called her Kunjamma

2. M.S was also a trained Bharatnatyam artist

3. She had once played the violin for Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer

4. Was a competed mridangam artist . She learnt from her brother Sakthivel

5. The great Vidwan Chembai had accompanied her on the violin

6. M.S was great lover of Chukku Coffee, French Perfume and Jasmine Flower (madurai malli:)

7. Her house was named Shivam-Shubam

8. Sakaraabharanam was her favorite raga, Blue was her favorite color

9. Never ate ice- creams, avoided cold drinks to protect her voice

10. MS stopped singing after her husbands death in 1997.

(Source : http://sun.science.wayne.edu/~vhari/ms/images/MSTribute.pps..don't forget 2 check out the presentation:)

Some of her popular renditions :

Vishnu Sahasranaamam, Ventakatesa Suprabhaatham, Kaamaakshi Suprabhaatam, Bhaja Govindam , Meera Bhajans, Hanuman Chaalisa, Madhuraashtakam, Bruhi Mukundeti, Maithreem Bhajatha...the list goes on and on and on..

Some of my personal favorites : (excluding the ones above)

Sri Ranganatha Gadyam, Govindaashtakam, Sikshaashtakam, Jo Achyuthaanada, Raaraa Chinnnana, Shambo Mahadeva, Parama Purusha, Koluvaiyunnade,Sri Rangapura Vihara, songs on Kanchi Kaamakshi...............endless list ..:)

M.S.S Audio


We have uploaded some audio file in a audio blog . You can access them here

Please bear with the quality in some of the songs.Thanks




"Shreyo Bhuyaath Sakala Jananam"

SARVAM SRI KRISHNAAPANAMASTHU

Devout Renderings on Shri Kanchi Kamakshi

Kanchi Kamakshi

DISCLAIMER:
Please be informed that my intentions over here are not to challenge/support the views of fellow Advaitists/ Vishistadvaitists / Shakthists but to appreciate the bhakthi in the renderings.

Dear Friends,

I am glad to take you folks into the territory of Shri Kanchi Kamakshi with the soulful renderings of our very own M.S.S amma. Let us get started by invoking the blessings of Shri Kamakshi, one who has Saraswati and Lakshmi as her eyes.



If you google for the term "Kamakshi Suprabhatam" , the first link will take you to a site that streams M.S.S rendering the same. Such is the popularity of her priceless rendition.

How could one forget the exquisite rendering of the charanam "Kadambavana Nilaye" of the krithi "Sri Kamakoti peethasthithe" in the majestic but unpredictable raga Saveri (Kaveri Snaanam, Saveri Gaanam:) This is actually a compostion of Mysore Sadasiva Rao.

Her rendition of the brisk and mellifluous krithi , "Kanjadalaydakshi", composed by Shri Muthuswamy Dikshithar in the KamalaManohari raga could easily make the listener lose his mind and ego for the musical and lyrical beauty. In this krithi, Dikshithar implies Shri Lakshmi Devi as a friend of Shri Kamakshi (Kamalamanohari). Hence the name of the raaga:)

One could easily feel the self-effacing devoation in her when she renders the krithi "kanaka saila" in the Punngavarali raga , composed by Sri Syama Sastri. You can grab a copy of the song here

When one listens to her rendition of Palinchu Kamakshi (Syama Sastri in Kalyani raga) , regardless of one's background , one will be forced to beg for the mothers' help:) Equally beautiful is her rendition of the Tyagarja Krithi , Vinayakuni vela in the Madyamaavathi Ragam.

Finally, I would like to specifically mention that in all these renderings M.S.S amma was accompanied by her daughter Radha Viswanathan who is also gifted with a wonderful voice.

It's pretty clear now that our M.S.S amma is a rare gift to us to help us cross the boundaries of maaya. Let us make sure that we seek refuge into the Lotus feet of the divine couple by listening to the bhakti-filled renditions of our very own divyagaanaamruthavarshini.

UPDATE

I request the reader to check out the previous post and let us know what u've got to say. We are interested in knowing your thoughts, especially on the first post.:)

SARVAM SHRI KRISHNAARPANAMSTHU

A BELATED TRIBUTE to our special M.S Amma..


Dear Friends and well-wishers,

We are pleased to inform you about the inception of this blog on this most auspicious day of Jenmaashtami, as a belated tribute to India’s own Divya Gaanaamruthavarshini, Shrimati M.S.Subbulaksmi, who attained parama padham in the month of December in 2004.

In this first post, we would love to share our experiences that got us to appreciate the exemplary qualities inherent in M.S amma’s voice.

We consider M.S amma to be a person born in this world not under the influence of Karma but due to the samkalpa of Narayana!

It is with genuine grief that I write this belated tribute, for just a couple of months before her becoming critical I wanted to meet her and receive her blessings. I did not have the fortune of seeing someone who introduced me to the sublime through her divine voice. She is best regarded as a being manifested on earth for providing spiritual solace to millions through the natural medium of music.

I cannot relate anecdotes and stories as I have not been fortunate enough to know her. However I can attempt to give subjective descriptions of what her music means to me and in the process hope to pay obeisance to an almost divine figure in the history of music.

I was first introduced to M.S amma’s voice as an infant or more reasonably a toddler perhaps. My grandfather had the habit of playing those old records on an equally old player and on most days I woke up to the sounds of ‘Bhavayami Raghuramam’ or ‘SriRangapuravihara’. The latter is one of my favourites. After I moved away from Chennai I didn’t hear her voice for a couple of years. When I finally returned to Chennai it proved to be unfortunate as my grandmother passed away and I was left without any close relationships save my parents. During the days following my grandma’s demise I came to know of the fact that her favourite song was ‘Kurai Onrum Illai’ by Rajaji. I also came to know that this song had come to be associated with M.S amma and was her favourite too. Again fate intervened and I resumed my duties as a student moving into science fiction, academics and books. I neglected my initial musical inclination and was content with humming the latest melody if I felt the need for any music. I continued in this state for several years until my father got me a cassette of Sri Balaji Pancharatnamala, which had the song Kurai Onrum Illai and was rendered by M.S.Subbulakshmi.

The rest is almost magical (and I attribute it again to Narayana’s samkalpa).

From the single song I listened to out of love for my grandmother I plunged into the nectarine ocean of carnatic music. I knew (and continue to know) very little of this but I had no qualms about this as I began to appreciate the subtle things in life. M.S. Subbulakshmi became my teacher in absentia as I started listening to her songs with the fervour of a disciple. Each new song I heard renewed my interest in music and in this person who was described gloriously by one and all ( mind you that’s a distinction none can achieve easily in a world such as ours!).
I started reading about her in magazines and watched a couple of those documentaries on great musicians.

When you listen to the Bhaja Govindam in her delectable voice the truths contained in it are made infinitely sweet. They say the truth is bitter. Not if sung by M.S.AMMA.

Her renditions of SriVishnuSahasranama Stotram and Sri Venkateshwara Suprabhatam are remarkable for their clarity and the effect they have upon the listener.

When you are in a low mood listening to ‘Dolayam’ in khamas rendered zestfully by M.S can be rejuvenating experience. Her Meera Bhajans and songs in the 1945 film MEERA are so fantastic that I will refrain from trying to describe them using the limited adjectives known to language.

Apart from songs her excellent and soulful rendition of Shlokas and Stutis cannot be surpassed. Her flawless recitation of the SriRanga Gadyam is amazing. It conjures up an image of Sri Ramanuja crying out to Lord Ranganatha in patent supplication. Her ‘andha naalum vandidadho “is a moving piece which brings to us the heartfelt longing of a Rajasthani poetess in Tamil!

I cannot think of a better benedictory song than ‘Maithriim Bhajata’ composed by the most revered Paramcharya of Kanchi. It was to become M.S. amma’s concluding song in many a recital. For all those who feel a spiritual mindset is unpragmatic “naam japan quon chod diya?” is an eye-opener. Her rendition of the Ganesha Pancharatnam is the best way to celebrate Ganesha Chaturthi. No one can miss the inexhaustible sweetness of SriVallabhacharya’s Madhurashtakam when rendered by our beloved M.S.amma.

As for her popularisation of Talapakka Sri Annamacharya’s kritis I have no words to express my gratitude and admiration. It is said that Annamayya has written the songs and mentioned the Raagam but not the style in which the songs were sung by him. It is my humble opinion that if he were to come back to earth he would be more than happy with the rendition of the songs which he composed in moments of divine inspiration. Annamayya is a guiding light in the ocean of Vishnu Bhakti; his songs encapsulate the very essence of the word bhakti! M.S. amma is Bhakti in human form. When the latter sings the songs of the former what else can result except an inexhaustible fountain of devotion which can save us from the spiritual dehydration so characteristic of modern life.

I can go on and on till the keyboard breaks and my fingers hurt and still feel that my objective of paying a tribute to M.S.amma (I have refrained from using any titles because of her immense personal importance to me) remains unfinished.

I have thought of a simple way of summing up her life!

M- MUSIC
S- SELF-SACRIFICE

THAT’S MS FOR YOU!

Her compassion and service to all noble causes are so well known that I hope Narayana confers those virtues upon all those who listen to her songs including myself.

Music when sung by extremely talented musicians is BHOGA or pleasure of the highest order.
Music when sung by M.S.SUBBULAKSHMI is YOGA (a means for uniting with the absolute!).
I do not wish to conclude this but I have to by letting Krishna share his thoughts on our very own divine diva of carnatic music.

Also, I request all readers to leave comments in honour of this legend


Dear blogger-friends,

Krishna here :)

I see this as a poignant moment in time to express my thoughts on the great Naadayogi, Shrimathi M.S. amma, who reached the abode of Krishna after leading an exemplary life as a gifted carnatic musician. I’d like 2 share some of my experiences with you folks, in regard.

It was when I was a young high school boy; my ears were gifted to hear from the divyavaani when my mom used to play Vishnu Sahasranaamam, Venkatesha Suprabhataham, Bhaja Govindam, Madhuraashtakam etc. My salutes and thanks for them.

For me, carnatic music and bhakthi are inseparable or should I say that they are best when they are united, just like Sri and SriYa:Pathi, where the former is eternally comprehended in the being of the latter.

Having been exposed to carnatic music at a young age, I had the chance to listen to a number of talented musicians. But, I guess none other than M.S amma could have done justice to this form of music by projecting this divine aspect of Saptha Swaras. No wonder she was given the grandest of applauds when she performed at Carnegie hall and became the most popular ambassador of Carnatic Music to the West.

I thought of listing some of my favourite songs but I ended up stranded :) I’ll rather have some of them played in this blog :).

I would love to have u people share ur experiences here in this blog.

"Is there a sacred path than music and bhakti?” "O Mind, salute the gods of the seven notes (and Smt M.S Subbulakshmi :)". "The knowledge of music, O Mind, leads to bliss of Union with the Lord”- Shri Tyagaraja

Sarve Janaahaa sukhino bhavanthu!

Sarvam Sri Krishnaarpanamasthu!!

P.R. KRISHNA MOORTHY
R.ANAND