28 harikaambhOji janya
Aa: S R2 G3 M1 P D2 S
Av: S N2 D2 P M1 G3 R2 S N3. P. D2. S

taaLam: dEshaadi
Composer: Tyaagaraaja
Language: Telugu

pallavi

mA jAnaki ceTTa baTTaga maharAja vaitivi

anupallavi

rAja rAjavara rAjIvAkSa vinu rAvaNAdiyani rAjillu kIrtiyu

caraNam

kAnakEgi yAjnA mIraka mAyAkara munici shikhi centanE yuNDi dAnavuni
ventanE cani yashOkatani mUlanuNDi vAni mATalaku gOpaginci kaNTa vidhiyincakanE
yuNDi shrI nAyaka yashamu nIkE kalgajEya lEdA tyAgarAja paripAla

Meaning:

By Aparna from Neccheli (original article here, reproduced with permission)

Carnatic Compositions - The Essence and Embodiment
-Aparna Munukutla Gunupudi

This month brings Ugadi (Telugu new year), Sri RAma Navami (SrI RAma’s birthday), Vasanta (spring) navaratri festivals, Sitarama kalyanam and so forth. The question is why do they perform SItarAma kalyanam on Rama’s birthday. The legend says that SIta and RAma are known to be the ideal couple and role models for mutual love, understanding and respect. There is no RAma without SIta and no SIta without RAma. Therefore, I present a Tyagaraja krithi that portrays SIta as a strong and intelligent woman and a Deekshitar krithi that details RAma’s entire life. Also, where there is RAma there sits Anjaneya. So I am presenting a Tyagaraja krithi in praise of Anjaneya.

Though this song is directed at Rama, it is in praise of Sita (Janaki). When you think of SIta, you remember the words of her father Janaka at her wedding.

Iyam SIta mama sutA sahadharma charItava

pratIchcha chainAm bhadram te paNim gruhNishva pANinA

Pativrata mahAbhAgA chAyAnugatenassadA

Janaka says, Oh RAma, this is my daughter SIta, waiting to be your companion. Please take her hand, she will respect the words of her husband and always follow you like a shadow behind you. She is a pure, enduring and kind woman and sure is known as the “pativrata” (the one who obeys her husband).. But Tyagaraja presents a completely different angle of SIta in this krithi. He portrays her as an intelligent, confident, courageous and strong woman. In addition to that, he takes the side of SIta and implies that RAma became a king after he had taken SIta’s hand. He strongly puts forth his opinion in a very authoritative manner and says “just listen, Oh beautiful eyed RAma, you got the laurels as the enemy of RAvaNa because of SIta”. In the charanam, he elaborates as follows. After SIta followed you to the forest, she strictly adhered to your orders and kept her real body (soul) near the fire and took a false form and went with the demon RAvaNa to Asoka forest. When RAvaNa approaches her with flattery, though she could have burned him to death with her anger, she holds it back and endures all that agony to allow you (RAma) to claim the credit of slaying RAvaNa.

What is this false form of SIta? While SIta, RAma and LakshmaNa were in the forest, they camped in Panchavati by the banks of river Godavari. Suddenly, SIta spots a beautiful deer wandering around their camp. SIta, so amazed at the beauty of that animal, wishes to keep it as her pet, and requests RAma to catch that deer and bring it homeRAma agrees to fulfill her wish in spite of LakshmaNa’s caution call implying that such an animal is rare and sure to be some sly work of demons. As RAma leaves to chase the deer, he orders LakshmaNa to guard the camp and protect SIta while he is gone. Sure to LakshmaNa’s suspicion, the deer is a demon in disguise, so it runs far away and finally, unable to catch it alive, RAma shoots arrows at the animal. The animal is none other than demon MarIcha and he shouts names of SIta and LakshmaNa as he dies. Hearing those calls, SIta suspects that RAma is in danger and requests LakshmaNa to go help his brother. LakshmaNa tries to calm her saying that RAma will never be in danger, this is the work of demons and RAma shall slay them and come back safe. SIta insists and LakshmaNa succumbs to her plea and agrees to go in search of RAma. Before he leaves, he draws a safety line around the camp and orders SIta not to cross the line. As soon as he leaves, her troubles walk in. RAvaNa arrives disguised as a saint. Kind hearted SIta brings the alms to offer him but RAvaNa asks her to come closer, which means SIta would have to cross the line. SIta with her excellent presence of mind, goes back into the camp/hut, leaves her real form (soul) by the agni sikha (fire), takes up a false form and comes out and crosses the line. RAvaNa, of course, abducts her, then follows the search for SIta, the war between RAma & RAvaNa and finally SIta was asked to prove her chastity and she enters into fire/pyre. The lord of fire brings her out safely and narrates to RAma what she did in the forest and states that she is pure as a fire. Now, we need to briefly talk about this agni sikha (fire). Agni sikha is the power or energy. There is a process (kriya) practiced in Kundalini yoga to bring out that energy. It is believed that there are seven chakras starting from the head through the spinal cord to the base of vertebrae. The chakra at the base is called “mUlAdhAra” and the other six are SahasrAra, Ajna, Visuddha, AnAhata, MaNipura and SwadhishTana. Agni sikha resides in mUlAdhAra chakra. With practice, one can take the energy from mUlAdhAra chakra higher above up to sahasrAra chakra. Once the energy reaches the sahasrara chakra, the person attains a status of non materialistic world. In this context with SIta, we can attribute that when SIta went inside, she would have practiced the kriya to attain that status, then she will not be subject to materialistic desires and she can stay pure. In any case, though SIta is known as a person who obeys her husband (pativrata), she also proved to be apt, very strong and having a great presence of mind. We don’t know if SIta was real or fiction. However, our salutations to VAlmiki for creating such a character that encountered and overcame numerous unusual circumstances to become a role model for generations to come and to Tyagaraja for composing such a beautiful krithi with all her attributes. Listening to this krithi in praise of SIta is very inspiring, yet soothing!

From Compositions of Tyagaraja by T.K. Govinda Rao:

It is because you clasped the hand of our JAnaki (SIta) in wedlock that you became famous. O King of Kings, let me tell you this. You owe your fame as the Vanquisher of mighty RAvaNa to the great good fortune of having clasped the hand of JAnaki. She accompanied you to the forests, then obeying your command, entrusted her real Self to the care of the fire-god, lifting a shadow form of hers to be carried away by RAvaNa to Lanka. There, in that form, she lived under an AshOka tree, tolerating the boastful advances of RAvaNa and controlling her anger, abstaining from burning him down to ashes. Remember Lord, even in that she desisted just to give you the credit of destroying RAvaNa. O Lord of SrI, protector of TyAgarAja.

Other information:
Lyrics contributed by Lakshman Ragde. Meaning contributed by Aparna Gunupudi via Neccheli and from Compositions of Tyagaraja by T.K. Govinda Rao.