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[Editor's Note: We are pleased to welcome back Dr. PPN after a long break,
with this insightful piece on Swati Tirunal, on the occasion of the
Maharaja's birth anniversary, April 16th]
The time-honored dhyAna
shlOkam in the “viSNu sahasra nAma stOtram”, reads
shAntAkAraM bhujaga shayanaM padmanAbhaM suresham
The magnificent “ananta
shayanam” pose of Lord padmanAbha in the temple situated at the heart of
Trivandrum (tiru ananta puram -- the holy village of ananta himself!). has
been an eternal source of inspiration for pilgrims for generations. This abode
of Lord padmanAbha was known as “syAnandUra” in the k.rta yugam,
“Anandapuram” in trEtA yugam, “anantapuram” in dvApara yugam, and in the
kali yugam, it is called “padmanAbhapuram”. It was to this Lord, the then
ruler of Travancore, mahArAjA svAti tirunAL dedicated most of his
soul-stirring compositions.
About svAti tirunAL's
contributions to music, the late Mysore vAsudEvAcAriAr once remarked:
“One should
see this great padmanAbha to get at the secret of the greatness of mahArAjA's
compositions, for they are verily the very voice of mahArAjA pouring out his
heart to his Maker. Unless the words and the music we compose simultaneously
breathe a feelings of oneness with the Supreme, a composition does not come to
life. svAti tirunAL's compositions are immortal because we see padmanAbha in
them''
As a ruler, svAti tirunAL had
few equals, and as a patron of arts and music, he can be compared to King
bhOja of Sanskrit mythology (who always had the so-called “nine gems“
(scholars) in his court, including the great poet kALidAsa). But above all,
what immortalized him was his brilliant compositions in several languages
which have elevated him to an eminence in par with the musical trinity
of the karNaTik music.
His Early Life
During the
beginning of the eighteenth century, the Travancore Royal court was the focal
point for various arts forms, including classical music and dance. It is no
wonder that many an artist, poet, composer and performer, was attracted to
this region, and enjoyed a generous patronage here. The ruler, kArtika tirunAL
bAlarAma varma mahArAja was a great composer and a poet. In addition to
numerous compositions and several ATTa kathas (songs suitable for
kathakaLi dance) to his credit, he was also the author of a dance
treatise, “bAlarAma bharatam”. After his death, the family had no
male members to succeed the throne. This was the time, when one of his divAns,
vElu tampi revolted against the British rulers. Consequently, the kingdom was
under constant threat of annexation by the British. As a silver lining in a
sable cloud, the throne was aptly blessed with a suitable and appropriate
heir. SvAti tirunaL was born in 1813, in the month of citra, and the birth
star was svAti . It was customary to name the royal members by the
auspicious stars on which they were born. His original name was rAma varma.
His father was rAjarAja varma kOyitampurAn. His mother, mahArANi lakSmi bAi
(daughter of bAlarAma varma) was the reigning sovereign of the state of
Travancore. Even while she was pregnant, our hero was declared to be the next
ruler. This special circumstance earned him the title of “garbha shrImAn''
(glorified even when he was in the womb). When he was barely four months old,
the mahArANi proclaimed him the mahArAjA, and dedicated him as the obedient
dAsa of Lord padmanAbha, on whose behalf, he was destined to rule the State.
The astrologers had already predicted that the reign of this new member would
be a golden period. And indeed it was so.
When he was four years old,
his mother passed away, leaving him to the care of his father, and his 13 year
old aunt, Princess pArvati bAi. Under the able guidance of his father, the
young Princess administered the State very efficiently. SvAti tirunAL was an
ardent student. By the time he was seven, he had already mastered his mother
tongue, Malayalam, and Sanskrit, and has begun to learn English, Tamil,
Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Hindusthani, and even Persian. As a linguist, he
always impressed visitors from different regions, by holding conversations in
their own tongue. The palace provided every encouragement he needed for his
intellectual pursuits. The Princess was a gifted vINa player, and she
often invited leading musicians and vaiNikas from other regions to
perform in the Travancore court, and extended her patronage to them. Thus,
svAti tirunAL grew up in the surrounding of music. The court poet was the
brilliant composer, Irayimman Tampi, whom we always remember as the author of
the song “Omanatti”nkaL kiTAvO”. He composed this soothing
lullaby piece, to be sung over the cradle of svAti tirunAL, the baby prince. A
Marathi scholar, subba rAo from Tanjore, taught him Marathi and English, and
introduced him to the musical instrument “surabat”. His mentor in Sanskrit
language was koccupiLLa vAriar. His Telugu teacher was subbarAma bhAgavatar,
and he mastered Persian and Arabic from Mohammed Ali. He grasped the
fundamentals of karNATik music from various scholars who visited the court
from Tanjore and PudukkOTTai.
The Ruler
In his book, “Military
Reminiscences'', Major Wells, a British official, who visited the Travancore
court, described the 11 year old Prince as “greatly improved in mind, though
rather diminutive in person. This promising boy is now, I conclude, the
sovereign of the finest country in India.''
Thus, in the constant company
of court musicians, poets, and scholars, svAti tirunAL grew up, and took over
the reins of the State in 1829, at the age of 16. He ruled the kingdom for
barely 18 years. During this short span of time, his achievements were
remarkable, both in quality and quantity. Although Trivandrum was the capitol,
Quilon (Kollam) was the seat of all public offices. He moved them all to
Trivandrum, to enable him to have a direct supervision of the daily
administrative activities. The judiciary was completely re-hauled, and
enlarged so as to impart quicker and more efficient justice system. A modern
code of law, the first of its kind was drawn up by a Commission. Several
English schools were started, hospitals (both Ayurvedic and Allopathic
systems) were established, and irrigation and Engineering Departments set up.
An observatory, again first of its kind in South India, a Government Printing
Press, and a zoo also came into being. SvAti tirunAL was also responsible for
the creation of a comprehensive Malayalam Grammar and Dictionary. He was a
progressive ruler, with an open mind to new ideas and suggestions, and
attracted new people to the state.
During his later days, the British Resident General Cullan started interfering
with his style of administration, which the MaharAjA could not tolerate. So,
he slowly withdrew from royal duties, and spent most of his time in the
worship of Lord padmanAbha , till his death in 1846.
His Music
When the illustrious teacher,
subba rAo, started tutoring the young prince, he had no idea that his pupil
was destined to become an immortal composer. Aptitude for poetry was a family
tradition. Among his predecessors were the great poet kulashEkhara perumAL,
and kArtika tirunAL, the composer of numerous ATTa kathA padams. When
he came into contact with the traditions of karNATik music, it became a
revelation. He acquired a burning desire to express his passionate devotion to
Lord padmanAbha through the medium of karNATik music. So, inspired by this
all-absorbing devotion, and equipped with a natural flair for poetry, svAti
tirunAL started composing a variety of compositions. The long list includes
varNams (both tAna varNam and cauka varNam),
jatIsvaram, kIrtanam, padam, tillAnA, jAvaLi, rAgamAlika, rAgamAlika shlokam,
and compositions suitable for harikatha --- and that too in many
languages -- Malayalam, Sanskrit, Telugu, Marathi, Kannada and Hindusthani.
Perhaps he was the only composer of his time who tried at so many different
forms, in so many different languages, in so many modes, making each of his
compositions distinctive in its unique way. As Mysore VasudevAcAriAr pointed
out, “the one ATa tALa varNam, “sarasijanAbha” is enough to
immortalize this royal composer. I feel this is the last word on kAmbhOji.''
Likewise each of his work is a
perfect piece of artistic creation. He was one composer, who touched the
entire range of composition forms in karNATik music. There are several
features that mark out svAti tirunAL's compositions. The sAhityam is
mostly in chaste Sanskrit, a feature that reminds us of the scholarly
muttusvAmi DIkSitar. The lyrical simplicity approximates that of Saint
tyAgarAja, and in fervor, that of SyAma shAstri. A bulk of his compositions
are “garlands woven out of the synonyms of Lord and His attributes,
exhortations to spiritual life, allegories in man's relationship to God, and
epitomes of the purANams” --- in short a musical transcript of the
heart of a great devotee and a great poet. It is no surprise that the person
who saw Lord padmanAbha in everything, appropriately chose the “paryAya
mudra” such as padmanAbha, sarOjanAbha, jalajanAbha,
vArijanAbha, pa”nkajanAbha, and so forth, as a”nkitam (signature)
for his compositions.
A majority of his compositions
are in Sanskrit, and quite a few in Malayalam; but, we also find a large
number in the style of maNipravALam (a mixture of many languages, in
this case, Sanskrit and Malayalam), a few in Telugu, one in Kannada, and
numerous in Hindusthani. The “utsava prabhandam” is completely
rendered in maNipravALam style (Sanskrit mixed with Malayalam). While there
is just one k.rti available in Kannada (“rAjIvAkSa bAro” in
sha”nkarAbharaNam), there is no composition of the mahArAja available in
Tamil,
With a happy blending of
svarAkSara passages, his compositions illustrate not only the basic modes
in all their purity, but also rise to an evocative eloquence. He refrained
from the usage of complicated gymnastic laya patterns that mutilate the
bhAva. The mastery of several languages, and the science and art of
music, enabled him to ornament his sAhityams with colorful imageries
and elegant phrases.
He was a brilliant composer of
padams, a sort of compositions, which are esoteric allegories of the
relationship between man and God. These pieces are primarily meant for dance.
Many compositions that are light pieces suitable for bhajan renditions find a
place in his contributions. Examples are: “smara sadA mAnasa” (bilahari),
“kalayE shrI” (ce~njuruTTi), and “jaya jagadIsha” (yamunA
kalyANi). His tAna varNams put him in par with Adi Appayya, and his
pada varNam s are eminently suited for abhinayam .
SvAti tirunAL has used 104
rAgams in around 391 compositions available to us. About the rAgams he has
chosen, one may very well say that he fell in line with his illustrious
contemporaries. He chose well known rakti rAgams like
sha”nkarAbharaNam, tODi, bhairavi, Arabhi, and nATTakura~nji. Rare rAgams like
saindhavi, navarOj, dvijAvanti, rEvagupti, lalitapa~ncamam, ghaNTa, shuddha
bhairavi, and gOpikAvasantam found full expression in his hands, and he
evolved new ones like mOhana kalyANi. While the trinity handled many
hindustAni rAgams and adapted them to suit the karNATik system, svAti tirunAL
employed rAgams such as hamIr kalyAn, kAfi, pUrvi, dhanAshrI, bibhas, etc., in
their originality without any modifications.
Part II - Swati Tirunal's Compositions
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