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For brother’s sake

I do not claim anything more than a superficial knowledge of Carnatic music. I did not learn, to my great dismay, even the basics of Carnatic music. Whatever I know is due to kELvi gnAnam (knowledge acquired through listening to music). However, I have a consuming desire to read, understand and enjoy the richness of Thamizh poetry and the music that goes with it. It is that desire which motivated me to undertake this effort to write about Thamizh songs in the Carnatic music mode that have been written by a myriad of composers dating from the 14th century onwards. The Thamizh poetry with music orientation is a great ocean. We will capture only a few delightful waves here. It is not intended here to cover the sangam period poetry nor even that of the dEvAram trinity. The devotional songs of Sri ANDAL or Manickavacagar also will not be covered. I shall attempt, in the following series of articles, to convey the meaning of each composition, discuss the philosophy contained, comment on the diction and style (where appropriate) and touch upon the background of the song, if any. Please feel free to correct my errors by sending your comments. I promise to do diligent research that is possible.-----SS

Composition: vAraNa mukhavA thuNai varuvAi….
Composer: kOTIswara Iyer
mudrA:
(signature): kavi kunjara dAsan
rAgam: hamsadwani (janyam of meLam 29)         ArOhaNam: S R₂G₃P N₃S
tALam: rUpakam                                             AvarOhaNam: S N₃P G₃R₂S

Pallavi: vAraNa mukhavA tuNai varuvAi
aruLvAi dayavAi (vA)

Anupallavi: AraNap poruLAna kanda gAnAmudattirkkun
karuNAmudam udaviyE aruL mata (vA)

CaraNam: innisai iyal ilakkiyam Ariyam tamizh aRivEduminRik
kannal anna ikkanda gAnAmuda nannUlai
unnum kavi kunjara dAsan nAn
unnaruL koNDE paNNat tuNindEn
munnavanE nI munninRAl muDiyAdadonRillai
AdalAl ativEgamadAgavE aruL mata (vA)

Meaning: 
Oh, elephant-faced one, please come to my assistance and please confer your grace on me.

I am writing this musical offering to Lord Murugan who is the essence of the vEdAs. For that effort please provide your grace to me.

I, kavi kunjara dAsan, am contemplating writing this book “kanda gAnAmudam” (which should be as sweet as sugarcane) without the knowledge of sweet music, prose, poetry, literature, Sanskrit, and Thamizh. I am undertaking this venture only with your benediction. Oh, the foremost among Gods, if you take the lead there is nothing which is impossible. So please hasten to help me, Oh elephant-faced one!

General comments:
This composition is the prefatory invocation song (kappup pADal) written by the composer as he started to write his “kanda gAnAmudam”, a series of 72 songs one in each of the mELakartta ragams, all of them in Thamizh. The language is simple and the flow is smooth. The ragam name is not seen in this particular song. Both his signature and the ragam name are blended smoothly into the lyrics in all his 72 songs on Lord Murugan, who was the family deity of the composer.

The brilliance of his modesty (isn’t the term an oxymoron?) is revealed in the caraNam wherein he says that he is undertaking this venture without knowing much of music, Thamizh, or Sanskrit, which is a terrible understatement. In fact, he had learnt a lot of sAstras, and music from his grandfather, and became very proficient in Thamizh and Sanskrit as well. Modesty apparently has its merit in seeking and obtaining the blessings of Lord VinAyakA. The diction and adherence to strict grammar are admirable within the short piece. It is noteworthy that the word “AraNapporuL” in the anupallavi line has been used ingeniously, the figure of speech being “Akupeyar” in Thamizh (synecdoche in English) to denote “vEdapporuL”, in order to rhyme with “vAraNa” in the pallavi line. That shows the scholar in Koteeswara Iyer.

Composer’s bio:
Koteeswara Iyer (1869-1936*) was the grandson of his namesake and raised by his grandfather (maternal) who also taught him music, Thamizh and Sanskrit. His grandfather was conferred the title of kavi kunjara bharathi by the king of Ramanathapuram. In deference to his grandfather he adopted the name of kavi kunjara dAsan and used it as his signature in his musical compositions. He has written over 200 compositions, including his magnum opus (kanda gAnAmudam). He was the first among composers to compose separate songs in Thamizh in all the 72 mELakartta ragams.

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*The date of his demise is also given variously as 1938 and 1940 by different sources.

Some of Koteesswara Iyer’s songs that are popular are: antaranga bhakti (shaDvidamArgiNI), aruL seyya vENDum (rasikapriya), ini namakkoru kavalaiyumillai (bhilahari), EdayyA gati (calanATTai), gAnAmuda pAnam (jyotiswarUpiNi), and vElavA vinai (kIravANi). Some musicians who have recorded (commercially) Koteeswara Iyer’s songs are S. Rajam, Sanjay Subrahmanyan, Gayathri Girish and Nithyasree Mahadevan, among others.

References:

1. http://www.geocities.com/promiserani2/co1025.html

Published on 10^th Dec, 2003