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Dear sri vaishNava perunthagaiyeer,

Sri K.B. gopalam [alamkbg@xxxxxxxxx] has given a beautiful krithi of sri 
annamaachaaraya and wanted a discussion on that krithi in the scholarly forum 
of yours. 

The krithi is in the raagam bauLi. Some sing this krithi in raagam 
kaamavardhani - also known as panthuvaraali. It is also rendered as a 'raaga 
maalikaa' chain with pallavi and anupallavi in brindhaavani and for charaNams 
in maayaamaalavagoula, by other artists. However we will limit ourselves to 
'bauli' for our purposes.

About the raagam selection: 'Bauli' is a early morning raga. It is sung to wake 
up the lord from bed. Like boopaala raagam this is also a morning waking up 
raagam. The composer sri annamayya also throws up the paramount of an idea and 
asks people to think universally, early in the morning.

A note on this raagam, as appearing in one of the music sites, reads - This is 
an auspicious raagam belonging to the 'audava' group and its parent raagam is 
the 15th mELa karthaa Maayaa maaLava gauLa. In this raagam the notes figuring 
are 
        *       Shadja^ 
        *       Sudha Ri^ 
        *       Antara Ga^ Pa^ 
        *       Sudha Dha and 
        *       Kakali Ni. 
This is a 'madhyama varjya' raagam and Ni is absent in aarOhaNam, a kampa 
vihina upanga raagam, which belongs to the dhvitheeya ghana panchakam. In this 
'thristhayi rakthi' raagam Pa and Ga are the amsa svaras and this is a soft, 
tender raagam. 

A "prabhaatha" raagam [early morning raagam], this is to be sung in the 4th 
yaamam of the night [between 3 am and 6 am].

S.Kasim, grandson of the naadhaswaram maestro Late Sri Sheik Chinna Moulana 
[kasim is also a naadhaswaram vidhvaan who accompanied his grand father in 
concerts] writes about this raagam in www.sangeetham.com 
<http://www.sangeetham.com> website - I want to share an experience we had in 
Mumbai when we were performing at the Godrej school. It was a fine morning and 
we were demonstrating the raagam 'bauLi' and how the doors of the South Indian 
temples were opened to this raagam emanating from the Naagaswaram. The 
gathering comprised children from K.G to 5th std. One small boy visualized the 
raagam 'bauLi' and wonderfully painted the theme in his notebook by drawing the 
temple and the Naagaswaram player playing the raagam. As soon as we finished 
our performance, he came to us and showed his notebook. My grandfather patted 
him on the back and blessed him". 

MGV: See the greatness of good music - a small child gets inspiration and uses 
his familiar form of expression - may be art, may be sculpture, may be dance - 
in this case art -  Hmm - indeed a lucky and a gifted boy, lucky to get a pat 
from a great artist of another form- music.

No we go into the krithi. Mr.gopaalam - I am sure you wont mind few corrections 
I made in the transliteration.

raagam - BauLi / [also sung as raagamaalikai, with brindhavani for pallavi and 
anupallavi and mayaamalava goula for charaNam]

pallavi: 
entha maathramunanu evvaru talachina antha maathramE neevu |
anthara antharamulenchi chooDa piNDanthE nippadyannaatloo ||

KBG writes: The poet says in this song that GOD is as per the imagination of 
the devotee. It is like people eulogizing the hot sun with hot embers. It is 
what you imagine. People since cannot see much beyond them thought that GOD 
also looks like a human and started describing him with the homo form.

MGV gives: hey lord srinivaasa, venkatapathy - who lords the hill sri vEnkatam 
- in whatever way one things about you, you are that. People conceive you in a 
form familiar to them - that is their own form [- with a little more extra 
powers]. It is like describing sun has heat, which is well known.

charaNam 1 ||
koluthuru mimu vaishNavuloo koorimithO vishNuDanee |
palukuthuroo mimu vEdhaanthulu parabrahmam anuchu |
thalathuru mimu saivulu thakina bhakthulanoo sivuDanusoo |
alar ipogatuthuru kaapaalikulu aadhi bairavuDavanusoo ||

KBG gives: Vaishnavas worship you calling you Vishnu. Vedantins call you the 
Para brahmam, The ultimate form. Saivites and other devotees call you as Siva. 
Kaapalikaas praise you as Aadhi bhairava.

MGV adds: Sri vaishNavaas worship you realizing you are that supreme vishNu or 
naaraayaNa. The vEdhanthi-s call you the Para brahmam - the supreme absolute, 
the ultimate of all forms and formless. Saivites and such other devotees call 
you as Siva. The kaapalikaas praise you as the basic or fundamental or supreme 
bhairava - or aadhi bhairava.

A point: please note the order in which the poet places the names of the 
supreme. First it is Vishnu. Next comes the nameless para brahmam. Next siva 
and next bhairava etc. perhaps that is what our srivaishnava sampradhaayins 
also puts as the order. Sri Vishnu is the supreme and all others are next in 
level to him.

charaNam 2 || 
sari nennuthuru saakthEyuloo sakthiroopu neevanusu |
dharisanamula mimu naanaavidhulanu thalapula kolathula bhajinthuroo |
sirula mamanE alpa budhDhi thalachina vaariki alpambavudhuvoo |
karimala mimunE ganamani thalachina ghanabudhDhulaku ghanuDavu ||

KBG puts the meaning as: The followers of Sakthi take you for the form of 
Sakthi. Many philosophies have seen you in many forms. If people, thinking of 
you with their limited knowledge, for them, you manifest yourself equally 
simple. For those who can imagine your grandeur you are a grand entity.

MGV places his point as: the people who worship you or follows you as energy 
form call you as sakthi personified and as such they call themselves as 
saakthaas.  In many forms you are worshipped by many people according to their 
thinking and philosophy.  When people of simple mind or less capable in 
thinking big then you appear simple to them. For people capable of grandiose in 
wisdom and enlightenment you are grandest of the grand.

Point: the poet places here lord "is" as perceived by you. If you perceive as 
your child, he is it- like yasodhaa's child krishNa. For arjuna, he is his 
friend Krishna. For dhroupadhi he is the saviour in distress. Oh what a simple 
way to put great thing?
   
charaNam 3 || 
neevalana korathE lEdhu mari neeru korathi thaamaravoo |
aavala bhaageerathi thari bhaavula aajalamE voorina yetloo |
sree vEnkatapathi neevaidhE dhanu chEkoni vunna dhaivamani
yeevalanE nee saraNa nedhunu yithiyE para thaththvamu naaku ||

KBG's meaning: the GOD is like the Lotus that rise to the level of water and 
nothing is at loss from the side of the GOD. It is like digging a well next to 
the banks of Bhagirathi. (The water therein is according to the depth to which 
you can go) You are, after all, Shri Venkatapathi looking after all of us. This 
is the ultimate truth for me [the poet as well as me],

MGV's point: You, oh vEnkatapathy - are like lotus which raises above the 
surface level of water irrespective of the depth of water, always on the 
upbeat. May be it is like digging for water on the banks of bhaagerathi - the 
river ganga. When you are there the caretaker of my welfare, which is the 
reality, I surrender unto you.  

Comments and point: as already stated the sampradhaaya point of sri 
vEnkatapathy is the supreme lord is brought out very emphatically here. Further 
the poet puts the order of preferences clearly. Also for fickle minded he 
appears small and limited is brought out nicely. 
By bringing in the lotus example the poet also brings out clearly hey - rise 
above the level of petty and controversial thoughts [called philosophies] - do 
not get caught in the web of roots of the plant and in the slushy water, turbid 
in nature - to enjoy the beauty of lotus, the vaasana -smell, as well the 
sunshine, his glory.

Compliments to sri gopalam for bringing to light a nice krithi of annamacharya.
Comments and other points of view are welcome.

Dhasan
Vasudevan m.g.

PS: Since I am not sure whether his mail was a private one to me or sent to the 
list, I add his mail also which reads as follows.
 
Dear friends! Just to initiate a discussion I am
putting some information here! Please react!

Following is the text of a Kirtanam of Annamayya with
some very exciting kind of ideas!

Pallavi:
enta mAtramuna evvaru talacina anta mAtramE nIvu 
antarAntaramulu encEcuDa endaNTe nippaTiyannaTlu 

C1: koluturu mimu vaiSNavulu kUrimitO viSNuNDani 
Palukuduru mimu vEdAntulu para brahmbanucu 
Talaturu mimu shaivulu tagina bhaktulunu civuDnucu 
alari pogaDuduru kApAli kulAdi bhairavuDanucu 

2: sari nennuduru sAktEyulu shakti rUpu nIvanucu 
darshanamula mimu nAnA vidhuulanu dalapula koladula
bhajinturu 
sirula mimu E alpa buddhi dalacina vAriki
alpambaguduvu 
Garimala ninu ghanamani dalacina ghana buddhulaku
ghanuDavu 

3: nIlavana nEmi koradE lEdu mari nIru koladi tAmaravu

Avala bhAgIrathIgani bhAvulu A kaNamE mArinayaTlu 
shrI vEnkaTapati nIvaitE mamu cEkonna deivamani 
nEvalaneyaniyeda idiye paratatvamu nAku

this is a song of annamacharya wherein he shows the
universal thinking of a Vaishnavite.

Mind you! I am no scholar. I do many things that I
wish people do1 Since nobody does, I take it upon me
to put my limited ideas before people. Please bear
with me and bring to my notice if there is any mistake
in what I say here.

The truth abiut GOD that he is Anoraneeyan Mahato
Maheeyan is well established. In almost the same style
Annamayya explains the various forms of the god as
ONE.He says in this song that 
GOD is as per the imagination of the devotee.It is
like people eulogising the hot sun with hot embers. It
is what you imagine. People since can not see much
beyond themselves thought that GOD also looks like a
human and started describing him with the homo form.

Annamayya goes a bit further and talks about the
various forms of worship.

He says " Vaishnavas worship you Calling you Vishnu"
Vedantins call you the Parabrahmam, The ultimate form.
Shaivites and other devotees call you as Shiva.
Kapalikas praise you as Adibhairava

In the second charanam he says,
The followers of Shakti take you for the form of
Shakti.
Many philophies have seen you in many forms.
If people thinking of you with their limited knowledge
you manifest yourself equally simple.
For those who can imagine your gradeur you are a grand
entity.

In the third charanam he says that the GOD is like the
Lotus that rise to the level of water and nothing is
at loss from the side of the GOD.It is like digging a
well next to the banks of Bhagirathi. ( The water
therein is according to the depth to which you can go)
You are after all Shri Venkatapathi looking after all
of us. and this is the ultimate truth for US, says
Annamayya.

I could put a little of the wordly meaning though not
not in it's entirity thinking that some learned people
will throw some light on the theme nad discuss the
broadmindedness of Vaishnavism as I could see in this
song with my limited knowledge.

May I request people to react and say something?
Please make my day!



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