What defines a complete artiste or a complete poet?
Is it the aesthetics in their works?
Is it their knowledge and command over their
subject?
Is it the way they express themselves?
While all these are necessary and are intrinsic to
an artiste or a poet, there is something more which gives that completeness. In
fact it is this X factor which differentiates a great artiste or a poet from a
normal artiste or a poet. It is this factor which shows us the difference
between ordinary and extra ordinary.It is this factor which makes the works of
such people eternal. This factor is the Magnitude or Extent or to put it
succinctly the Dimension.
We mortals are either uni-dimensional or two-dimensional.
Some among us are three-dimensional. We do not go beyond these three dimensions
because of various reasons, reasons which would need a detailed analysis and
therefore are not relevant here. But there are few people who go beyond these 3
dimensions. Such people are complete and the more we read or listen to their
works the more we learn.
AaNdaaL was one such poet.
If her 143 verses known by the name Naachiyaar
Thirumozhi combine eroticism with Bhakti, the 30 Thiruppaavais stand out for
their esoteric value. What is common between these two works which of course
are part of Naaliyira Divya Prabandham is the beautiful and chaste Tamizh
language.
Look at this Thiruppaavai:
மாயனை மன்னு வட மதுரை மைந்தனை
தூய பெரு நீர் யமுனைத் துறைவனை
ஆயர் குலத்தினில் தோன்றும் அணி விளக்கைத்
தாயைக் குடல் விளக்கம் செய்த தாமோதரனைத்
தூயோமாய் வந்து நாம் தூ மலர்த் தூவித் தொழுது
வாயினால் பாடி, மனத்தினால் சிந்திக்க,
போய பிழையும் புகுதருவான் நின்றனவும்
தீயினில் தூசாகும்; செப்பேலோர் எம்பாவாய்.
This can be translated as- Pray with flowers with a
pure heart to the One who is an epitome of Maya, the One who ruled Mathura on
the banks of Yamuna, the One who was the radiant lamp of the cowherd clan and
the One who cleaned the womb of His mother- with your lips singing His songs
and your mind focused on Him and all your sins will disappear like cotton in
the fire.
That is if we look at it at a superficial level.
But a closer look suggests many things and I am giving just some of these here.
The very beginning is deep. ‘Maaya’ is illusion. Is
the Divine illusory? Is it not Omni present and Omni potent? AandaL gives us
the answer. Surrender yourself to that power with a focussed mind by offering
flowers. Flowers here denote pure love and thinking. What will happen then?
Your sins will be burnt. Generally we say it will all be washed away. But here
she says it will be burnt. Can you make out the difference? If not now, think
about this later.
Notice also as to how cleansing runs as the
undercurrent. Look at the contrasts too. Yamuna water and the fire. And then
the line on singing with your lips and thinking with your mind. How many of us
are focused while we sing? And see how singing precedes thinking here.
But the clincher according to me is the use of the
word Mainthan. Sometime ago, I mentioned the difference between Mainthan and
Magan in Tamizh. While the latter is just a son, the former not only protects
his parents but also the entire family and even the entire society. This is
what AruNagirinathar meant in the line Maintha varuga Maganae ini varuga in the
Thiruppugazh 'Thonthi sariya' which was quoted by me in one of my earlier posts.
AaNdaaL and AruNagirinathar- Multi Dimensional.
But this has not stopped with just the 8th
Century and the 10th Century. Our land has seen people who are multi
dimensional with that X factor because of which their works are eternal.
ILaiyaraaja is one such artiste.
Each and every composition of his has many gems
hidden inside and the more one digs, the more treasure does one find. This is
not just because of the kind of ragas he has used. This is not just because of
the kind of instruments he has handled. This is not just because of the way the
compositions are structured. No doubt it is a combination of all these but
beyond this there is that X factor which makes the compositions shimmer like
the full moon on a clear sky.
The special song of this special day is one such
composition. What makes this more special is the fact that it is based on a
raga which itself can be called Multi Dimensional because of its not following
a particular structure and yet having a unique identity. And that is why it is
loved alike by the commoner and the cognoscenti.
The name of this raga is Sindhu Bhairavi and the
composition Oru NaaLum Unai Maravaadha from Ejamaan(1993) shows the different
dimensions of this raga in a matter of 6 minutes. But most importantly it shows
us an array of emotions and feelings.
Take the beginning. It starts with the chorus
singing a kind of Viruththam in the higher octave to welcome the new bride and
the groom. If the bells backing the chorus show us the auspiciousness of the
occasion, the tune here itself sounds like the veda mantram. But it is the
akaaram towards the end which is the clincher. It sounds sa pa Sa the sequence of swaras rendered by a
classical musician before the shruti alignment.
The entire chorus section goes without percussion
but the fact that it follows ta ki ta/ ta ki ta/ ta ka cannot escape the ears
of a trained musician or even anybody who follows music with a passion.
If the prelude sans instruments has this hidden
magic, the Pallavi is no different.
The first part of the first line uses just two
swaras pa and dha and yet one feels the raga. The third line goes ascending and
the fourth line continues the ascent albeit touching the higher octave notes
of Sa Ri and Ga. This raga is defined by
the alien notes and one of the alien notes peep in like the sun amidst white
clouds in the sky when the chorus hums in the end.
This is as far as the technical details are
concerned.
But look at the emotions and feelings hidden
inside. One feels the yekkam, thaabam, the surrender and finally the
fulfillment. The percussion taking a pause in between suggests how one should
take a pause if one has to surrender himself or herself.
The conversation between the chorus and the
instruments- first the strings and then the flute- itself makes the beginning
of the first interlude intriguing. The first time the chorus sings, the strings
reply with vigour. The second time, the vivacious flute joins the strings and
we see a blend of intuition and expression.
It is veda mantram again with the strings playing
in higher octave with great discernment. In fact, this piece can be called the
leitmotif of the composition.
We see the ascent and the descent in the lines of
the CharaNams in which the higher octave notes romance with the mid octave
notes. The first part of the CharaNams shows us compassion while the second
part shows Love. The third part symbolizes complete surrender.
ILaiyaraaja- the Master of all forms of music comes
to the fore in the second interlude. The multiple sets of strings combine with
the flute and the guitar to give us a glimpse of Western Classical Music. If
this gives us serenity, the leitmotif which follows symbolising the veda
mantras soak us in spirituality.
Our thoughts are organised. Our body is in alignment with the mind. We feel cleansed.We feel the inner power. We feel the inner joy. We feel the water. We feel the fire. We feel the air. We feel the earth. We feel the infinite.
We stop feeling anything and everything.
PS: This post was written exclusively to celebrate the 6th Anniversary of the Group on FB- ILaiyaraaja- The Master and was read out to an invited audience on zoom on the 4th of October 2020 as part of Raaja Deepam -10.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1507214112852552
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