karnATik
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Song:
shree tulasammma
sree thulasammma raagam: dEvagaandhaari
29 shankaraabharaNam janya
taaLam: aadi
pallavi
shrI tulasamma mAyiNTa nelakonavamma I mahini caraNam 1
karaku suvarNapu sommulu beTTisarigE cira muddu guruyaga gaTTi caraNam 2
uramuna mutyapu saru lasiyAda sura taruNulu ninnugani koniyADa caraNam 3
maravaka pArijAta sarOja kuruvaka vakula sugandha rAja
Meaning: By Aparna from Neccheli (original article here, reproduced with permission)
Carnatic Compositions - The Essence and Embodiment
srI tulasamma - Tulasi (holy basil)
I mahini - in this world Summary: To follow on with last month’s theme, this is another krithi on tulasi (holy basil). In this krithi Tyagaraja describes tulasi (Maha Lakshmi) along with lord VishNu. He pleads with her to come and dwell in our homes. She is beautiful with a golden hue and there is nothing that is equal to her. Then he elaborates on how she should come - adorned with gold jewelry, beautifully clad in a silk saree, looking gracefully while holding on to lord VishNu’s hand possessing all the wealth. She is adorned with rows of pearls on her chest, and is praised by the divine women, the sages and the lords of eight directions, all the while lord VishNu is glancing at her with love. Tyagaraja says he will worship both of them with the most fragrant leaves maruvaka and flowers such as pArijAta, lotus, kuruvaka, vakula and sugandharajam. I picked this krithi on Tulasi again just to emphasize how much importance was given to tulasi (holy basil) in our mythology as well as other parts of the world. It was adorned dearly by lord Vishnu. Krishna is said to have joyously wandered in tulasi gardens. Goddess Lakshmi is said to reside in the tulasi bush and it is worshiped by many in Hinduism. You are sure to find every Hindu temple with one or a bunch of tulasi bushes in their garden. While there are many varieties of basil across the globe, two prominent ones that are revered as holy basil are lakshmi tulasi with green leaves and krishna tulasi with purple leaves. Both are very fragrant and used equally for similar purposes. In fact, drinking just water with basil leaves is supposed to be very healthy and is called tulasi teertham. In modern times, Basil/Tulsi tea is very widely sold as a herbal tea. It is also interesting to find that different regions across the globe have independently included basil in their cuisines. That said, this is a very unique plant/herb that its value and benefits are well recognized across the borders. This is one herb that is fragrant and flavorful that is tasty as well. Relax and enjoy a nice cup of tulsi tea while listening to this melodious song.
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