Tattva

Carnatic music is the only music in which I personally find myself lost in; it brings together the atomic soul in me and permits me to give myself up for the service of the Lord. If one wants to set out on a spiritual journey, Karnāṭaka Saṃgītaṃ is the place to start.

I would like to dedicate this article to Mrs. Meena Malladi, a Carnatic music teacher, as an appreciation to her passion and dedication in teaching this music to kids.

“Prema mupiri konu vela, Naamamunu Thalache Vaaru, Rama bhakthudaina Thyagaraja nuthuniki, Nija Dasulaina Vaaru…” beautifully described by his highness Vaggeyakari Thyagaraja as the one with love praises Lord Rama surrendering unto him as his most loyal devotee at heart. This is a line from Thyagarajas’ last Charanam of Endaro Mahanubavulu, who was a great devotee of Lord Rama, emphasizing the importance of devotion or Bhakti to God and the worship of the ultimate. The great people in this world worship God with all their hearts and in return God looks to them. Thyagaraja praises God and the devotees who look to Him. His ‘Pancharatna Keertanas’ remind us that any Bhakti or Devotion towards the Absolute Truth must be shown purely through love.

Carnatic Music also known as Karnāṭaka Saṃgītaṃ in Sanskrit is a system of music commonly associated with the southern part of South Indian especially in those states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. It is one of the two main sub-genres of Indian Classical music that has evolved from ancient Hindu traditions. All forms of Carnatic music have four origins.  First, is the Divine Origin. “A Gift from the Devas and Devis” is truly the way of saying that Carnatic Music originated from the Gods and Goddesses of ancient Hinduism similar to most art forms of Indian Culture. Part of Hinduism is the concept of nature living holistically, which exhibits the idea that we are guests in this world. The origin of “Swaras” or notes has a close connection with the sounds of animals and birds. The effort of man to simulate these sounds through a keen sense of observation and perception is the second origin of Carnatic music. The third origin of Carnatic music is its folk origin where certain folk tunes correspond to Carnatic melodies or ragas like Anandabhairavi, Punnagavarali, Yadukulakambhoji, etc, organizing the structure of a classical system like Carnatic music. Finally, Carnatic Music has its last and most original origin in the Vedas. The word “Veda” means knowledge.  Through the knowledge of the various Vedas, Carnatic music has developed into the sophisticated and renowned system it is today.  While the Sama Veda is said to have laid the foundation for Indian music, all the Vedas have contributed in the form of chants passed down by oral tradition from generation to generation. The Rig Veda mostly consists of hymns set to musical tunes which would be sung using three to seven musical notes during Vedic yajnas. Unlike other music, Carnatic music consisted primarily of a vocalist usually accompanied by various musicians. The vocalist would usually be accompanied by a violin and a mridangam or tambura, which would provide rhythm and melody.  Simple yet sophisticated in nature, other traditional instruments such as the ghatam, kanjira, morsing, veena, and flute are all used in performances.

We find more literary sources for Carnatic music in sacred scriptures following the Vedas. Many musical notes and musical instruments have their references from the Upanishads, Brahmanas and Puranas. Many musical concepts that are still prominent in Carnatic music today derived from these famous texts.  Since these texts follow Sanskrit also known as the Devanagari language, most of the Carnatic music is in Sanskrit also. One of the reasons for the existence of Carnatic music is that many saints and seers through the ages believed it to be the greatest form of art.   It was a way to perform tapasya, also known as penance, through which it is the easiest way to attain salvation and Moksha. Most of the musical compositions seem to have both philosophical references to living people and serve also as a descriptive way of explaining the beauty of various deities. Carnatic music however, mostly remains to have a divine bliss where the compositions express the love visually for a certain deity purely for the purpose of welcoming that deity in a praising manner. As we progress from understanding the essence of Carnatic music we come across its historic origin and how this origin has a great connection to what the music is today.

From the Ancient Vedic period to 4th century A.D. was the time of the development of Carnatic music, even though there was no organized form of naming it such music. As many of the Hindu scriptures are recorded as literature works, they are also mainly recited orally in the form of music in various tones and chants.  The Rig Veda (hymns) was first recited in a monotone known as archika, which later developed into the two toned chant (gatika), later replaced by a three-toned chant, samika.  This three-toned chant had a main tone and two accents, one higher and one lower. Ancient India is known to be the land of the discovery of every single subject known to man today from astronomy (Surya Siddantha) to yoga (Patanjali). From these great discoveries and understanding of the world around us, we also see the earliest references made to musical theory in the Rik Pratisakya (around 400 BC), which mentions the origin of seven notes from the three notes. In addition, as we progress through history, we come across two great epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata, which are also orally translated. Through this time period we see many musical references which then lead us to the Gandharvas (demi-gods) around the 600-500 B.C. where Bharata acknowledges in his Natyasastra saying that this music belonged to the Gandharvas. Through Bharata’s Natyasastra the fundamentals of Carnatic music are established which comprise of Swara, Tala, and Pada. This was the period of 2nd and 4th century A.D. where many Swaras and Varnas (basic musical compositions) are elaborately described in combination through classic instruments. The Jaatis and Ragas are also developed during this time period as Bharata explains it in his Natyasastra. During the Medieval period of the 5th to 16th century A.D. we see the work of Matanga (mentioned in the beautiful song of “Mathey” as ‘Mathey malayadvaja padya sanjate Matanga vadana guha…”) in his text of Brihaddesi where the word ‘Raaga’ was introduced for the first time. Many Raagas, structures, and classification system are notably mentioned in Brihaddesi. Earliest of the works, the Gita Govinda of Jayadeva, is known as one of the most important contributions to the  development of Carnatic music as the Gita Govinda consisted of twenty four songs all having a particular set of Raaga. As we get closer to the 16th century we see the works of Ramamatya who wrote the Swaramela Kalanidhi which clearly shows the beginning of Mela, Raaga and Vina techniques. This laid the path and the foundation for the establishment of Carnatic music in the present age.

From Gandharvagana forms like Dhruvagana of Bharata’s period, through the different kinds of Prabandhas, to the present day forms we see the establishment of Ashtapadis, Padams, Kritis, Geethams (simple songs), apart from the Abhyasa gana, Alankara and Swaravalis. Till now we see only the development of Carnatic music but we have not come across various Krithis also known as compositions. This is where the Great Vaggeyakari (poet) Tallapakam Annamarcharya (1425-1503 A.D.) also known as Sankeertanacharya structured ‘Krithis’.  They consisted of three parts: Pallavi, Anupallavi and Charanams. Annamacharya’s contribution was widely prominent and popularized through the trinity of Carnatic music. He composed over thirty two thousand Sankeertanas in praise of Lord Venkateshwara (an Avatara of Lord Vishnu) of which only twelve thousand have been recorded and preserved in copper plates in praise of Lord Venkateshwara (an Avatara of Lord Vishnu). The Sangeeta Pitamaha (Grandfather) of Carnatic music, Purandara Dasa (1484-1564 A.D.) laid the foundation for the basic learning principles of Carnatic music.  With high philosophical importance, he set the stage for the Swaras, exercises for practice as well as Gitams and compositions of various kritis. His famous composition, Jagadodharana, expressively describes Lord Krishna as the savior and care-taker of the whole world and as the Supreme Being complete with all of the virtues (the six opulences). His foster-mother Yashoda plays with him thinking that he was a mere boy and her son, not knowing that he is the ultimate of the entire world, and represents the beauty of this universe as a single gem. In the last verse he says “Puranadara Vittalana Adisidaleshoda” meaning Yashoda played with Krishna from Pandarapura vittala, who is best among men and beyond the realms of norms. The “Purandara Vittalana” are the words mentioned in every song composed by Purandara Dasa as his signature.

As we come to the modern age, the Trinity (Trimurti) of Carnatic music become the center point in the history of its existence. Syama Sastri (1762 - 1827) Thyagaraja (1767-1847) and Muthuswami Dikshitar (1776-1835) inspired a great sense of spiritual and religious devotion in their compositions. One of the greatest of the Trinity is Thyagaraja who composed hundreds of devotional and highly influential compositions which mostly praise Lord Rama. Among his famous compositions are five which remain very popular today called the Pancharatna Krithis also known as the five gems. One of these Krithis is the famous, Endaro Mahanubavulu (mentioned in the beginning of this article), which means “Salutations to all the great men in this world”. In this Pancharatna Keertanas, Thyagaraja describes the greatness of the devotees throughout all the ages. He pays his salutations to the great men in history. He explains that a yogi attains and enjoys paramananda by reaching the stage of Samadhi in the course of sahasra chakra the power of kundalam and maheswara are joined together, where a flood of nectar is released. Another one of his compositions is the mesmerizing Jagadananada Karaka, which praises Lord Rama as one who is the source of all bliss in the universe. Thyagaraja is known to be one of the few who composed his Krithis in Telugu. Most of his compositions have the words “Thyagaraja” in them as his signature. Another member of the Trinity is Syama Sastry who is known for his three hundred compositions.  He composed kritis, varnams and swarajatis with the ankita or mudra (signature) ‘Syama Krishna’. He was probably the first to compose in a new form of the swarajati musical genre. And the last of the Trinity, Muttuswami Dikshitar was the composer who started his musical career by mastering the musical instrument called the Veena. He composed close to five hundred Krithis which are known for their depth and inner melody. He is one of the few to introduce the Advaita philosophy through his music while maintaining a strong emphasis on Raagas, being a master of tala (clap or rhythm metre) and is the only composer to have Krithis in all the seven basic talas of the Carnatic scheme.

Carnatic music today remains vital in the world through the famous compositions of Thyagaraja and Annamacharya that are sung in concerts and major musical events everywhere. The Madras Music Season is described as the world’s largest cultural event in which famous Carnatic musicians and vocalists come together to give performances in the six-week long melodious event. Many Thyagaraja Aradhana events take place where people of all ages come together to sing the Pancharatnas in honor of Thyagaraja. Even though, I personally am not a singer myself, I find a sense of satisfaction and purification of my soul when I listen to Sankeertana and Pancharatna Krithis. It is said the one can achieve liberation and Moksha through the praise of the Supreme Being, what better way to do it than rendering oneself in complete devotion through music. Carnatic music is the only music in which I personally find myself lost in; it brings together the atomic soul in me and permits me to give myself up for the service of the Lord.  The music expresses a type of devotion that cannot simply be said through words.  As the beautiful Samskritam begins in my bosom and rises through my chest and delivers itself through my vocals, I feel a sense of relief in that it activates and purifies every organ in my body as it makes its way up purifying the soul within. It’s fascinating description of the divine nature of the Lord give the Krithis a radiant way of expressing the true Satchitananda of this Universe. If one wants to set out on a spiritual journey, Karnāṭaka Saṃgītaṃ is the place to start.

Sai is an undergraduate student at Case Western Reserve University. He is majoring in mechanical and aerospace engineering with a minor in astronomy. He is also a varsity cross country and indoor and outdoor track runner for his university. He is the founder and president of CWRU Hindu YUVA.

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