1800-1950 Classical music lyrics in Sanskrit

[nagarajpaturi]

Sanskrit lyrics being part of Classical music and Classical dance is old as the employment of Jayadeva's Ashtapadis for the purpose.

 

But here, I would like to bring the 1800-1950 contributions to this area into discussions as part of the attempts to show that a huge amount of Sanskrit literary creativity was not taken into account while theorizing "death of Sanskrit"

 

Let us begin with Sri Muttusvami Dikshitar (March 24, 1775 – October 21, 1835) . He is one of the musical trinity of Karnataka Sangiita.  (caranatic music)

 

There is a website providing Statistical analysis of his compositions:

 

http://carnatica.net/special/dik-stats-ppn.htm

 

According to this, 99.16% of his compositions are in Sanskrit.

 

He travelled in North India and in Varanasi during his teenage itself.

 

40 of his compositions are known to have been composed with the influence of western music that he heard from the bands at the Fort St. George. They are called noTTusvara sAhitya the word noTTu being derived from the English word 'note'

 

He definitely created history through his Sanskrit writings and through him, Sanskrit became part of household culture of Karnataka Sangita world and this added a significant flavour to the cultural spectrum of Indian culture to that extent.

[Nagaraj Paturi]

To read the lyrics:

http://sangeethapriya.org/tributes/dikshithar/downloads/lyrics.htm

sharing a pdf too.

 

 

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Prof.Nagaraj Paturi

Hyderabad-500044

[Ganesh R]

Dear Sir,

This is a very good approach. many vaaggEyakaara-s like mahaavaidyanaatha iyer, pattnam subrahmanya iyer, muttaiah bhaagavatar, vaasudEvaachaarya, GNB, paapanaashaM shivan, M.balamuralikriishna etc., have enriched with thousands of compositions in Sanskrit.  This is even to day in progress.

Here I would like to say that apart from the new compositions, the old were/are also freely employed on stage both in case of music and dance and this would certainly imply that the living tradition of Sanskrit is perpetuated intact and it is the hall mark of any living language.

regards

ganesh

On Fri, Aug 22, 2014 at 5:19 PM, nagarajpaturi <nagara...@gmail.com> wrote:

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[Nagaraj Paturi]

For Maharaja Svathi Thirunal's Sanskrit lyrics:

 

http://www.swathithirunal.in/compo_language.htm

 

Under 'Language'  , move down to Sanskrit. All the Sanskrit kritis are in a sequence only.

--

Prof.Nagaraj Paturi

Hyderabad-500044

[Nagaraj Paturi]

Maharaja Swathi Tirunal's time is 16 April 1813 – 27 December 1846.

--

Prof.Nagaraj Paturi

Hyderabad-500044

[Nagaraj Paturi]

AadaraNIya Ganeshji, with your joining the discussion acquired lot more authenticity. Any links to the remaining Vaggeyakaras?

 

On Fri, Aug 22, 2014 at 7:10 PM, Ganesh R <avadhan...@gmail.com> wrote:

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Prof.Nagaraj Paturi

Hyderabad-500044

[Sivasenani Nori]

Talking of Rama Varma (Svati Tirunal), he has a unique contribution in Sanskrit poetics - he introduced the concept of Muhanaa praasa (मुहनाप्रासः) which is at the junction of chandassastra and gaandharvaSaastra. He also wrote a Sanskrit treatise on the same subject. This was printed by in Madras around 1940. Will send details later. This particular praasa, by the way, is to be found in the works of other Vaaggeyakaaras of the period as well.

Regards

Senani

[Nagaraj Paturi]

AadaraNIya Sivasenaniji,

 

 What a significant addition to the data of  innovation in poetics in that period! If this is not creativity what else is?

 

Yes, I too found the name of the book: 'Muhanaapraasaantha praasa vyavasthaa'

 

Could not get more details.  

[V Subrahmanian]

Namaste

One could add to the list those of Ūthukkāḍu Venkatasubbaiyer's Sanskrit compositions.  He has composed enchanting songs both in Sanskrit and Tamil which are popular in the south:

http://www.raaga.com/channels/carnatic/lyricist/Oothukadu_Venkatasubbaiyer.html

So too the songs of Sri Sadashiva Brahmendra  of Nerur some of which are: mānasa sanchara re, brūhi mukundeti rasane,  sarvam brahmamayam, piba re rāmarasam rasane...These songs are a great hit during concerts.  The Swami was a Vedantin and Yogin and several miracles/legends are famous in the Tamil state.  He has authored several works like 'Brahmasūtravṛtti', 'Yogasutravṛtti' apart from many minor works, all poetical.  'Atmavidyāvilāsa' is one such.    

subrahmanian.v

On Fri, Aug 22, 2014 at 7:10 PM, Ganesh R <avadhan...@gmail.com> wrote:

[Ganesh R]

maananeeya Paturi ji,

Thanks a lot for this kind mail. Let me return to India by the first week of Sept. and come with more details and evidences.

regards


ganesh

[Nityanand Misra]

On Friday, August 22, 2014 5:19:53 PM UTC+5:30, nagarajpaturi wrote:

Sanskrit lyrics being part of Classical music and Classical dance is old as the employment of Jayadeva's Ashtapadis for the purpose.

 

While not in the period 1800 to 1950, scholars may be interested in the very recent publication Gītarāmāyaṇam (2011), one of the many magna opera of my Gurudeva, Abhinavajayadeva Jagadguru Rāmānandācārya Svāmī Rāmabhadrācārya. This work is an example of the living tradition of Jayadeva.

Gītarāmāyaṇam (The Rāmāyaṇa in songs), is a an epic (Mahākāvya) of the Gītakāvya (lyrical poetry) genre. While most songs in the epic were composed by Gurudeva in the years 2009 and 2010, some songs were composed as early as 1970s during his Pūrvāśrama days and sung in the morning Sevā of the Śrīvigraha of Bālarāghava that came into His hand while bathing in the Mandākinī during a six-month Payovarata in early 1980s (which is worshipped by Him till date). The single-act play Śrīrāghavābhyudayam of the 1980s has two songs which are in the Bālakāṇdam of the Gītarāmāyaṇam. The Gītarāmāyaṇam consists of 1,008 songs in Sanskrit which are divided into seven Kāṇḍas (books), every Kāṇḍa being sub-divided into one or more Sargas (cantos). Including the verses in between the songs, the work consists of more than 5,000 verses in all and runs into 850 pages with a Hindi translation of each verse and song by the composer Himself. There are 28 cantos in all, and each canto consists of exactly 36 songs. Some songs of the epic are based on Rāgas in the Hindustani classical music, most are based music of various regions of India from Avadha, Mithila, Rajasthan, Braja, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Punjab, Bundelkhand and many other regions. In the epic, each song in sung by one or more characters of the Rāmāyaṇa or by the poet. The songs progressively narrate the Rāmāyaṇa via monologues, dialogues and multilogues. Verses between the songs, which take the narrative forward. A unique work which blends Śāstra and Loka, as well as the traditions of Vālmīki and Jayadeva. In the foreword, Gurudeva says 

jayadevasamārambhāṁ tulasīsūramadhyamām

asmadācāryaparyantāṁ vande gītaparamparām

Gītarāmāyaṇa was released to public on January 14 2011 by none other than Triveṇīkavi Abhirāja Rājendra Miśra. A Praśasti of the work called Gītarāmāyaṇapraśastiḥ was composed by Rājendra Miśra spontaneously and recited at the function. Gītarāmāyaṇapraśastiḥ was published in the February 2011 edition of Śrītulasīpīṭha Saurabha, the monthly journal of our Āśrama. I will share Gītarāmāyaṇapraśastiḥ when my shipment of books from Hong Kong is delivered.

Gītarāmāyaṇam is very close to my heart in a special way, since Gurudeva blessed me, not worthy of such a blessing, in the Foreword -

vidheyavaryo mama miśranityānando dvijo nandatu satkuṭumbī

śrīgītarāmāyaṇamāpadasya pūtairdhanairgranthavariṣṭhavarṣma

The entire work (without the foreword) is available for free reading under -

http://jagadgururambhadracharya.org/pdfs/JR2011Gitaramayanam.pdf

 

[Nagaraj Paturi]

AadarraNIya Subrahmanianji,

 

Thanks for adding the two stalwarts. Though they do not fall under the 1800-1950 time period , those are evidences of how Sanskrit was a part of the day to day culture and as part of which tradition the 1800-1950 composers were composing.

 

Ūthukkāḍu Venkatasubbaiyer is popular as Ootukkadu Venkatakavi and with this name, there are many web links available.

 

For example, http://www.venkatakavi.org/ovk/ is  dedicated to his works.

 

Particularly Sadashiva Brahmendra Swami's compositions made Sanskrit the language of the street-singing lyrics of wandering Bairagis. Though the highly scholarly classical renditions in the stage-concerts do not bring out this feel of the lyrics, an unprejudiced  look at the texts easily helps one catch the original wandering avadhoota style tunes meant for the lyrics.

 

Thanks again for bringing such examples of persons such as Sadashiva Brahmendra Swami who even when they lost themselves and sang their inner worlds out in a trans, expressed themselves only through Sanskrit.

 

Coming back to 1800-1950 , the other two members of the trinity of Karnataka Sangita Shyama Shastri (1762-1827) and Tyagaraja(4 May 1767 – 6 January 1847) also have a significant number of Sanskrit compositions.

Prof.Nagaraj Paturi

Hyderabad-500044

[dhaval patel]

I really dont understand the reason behind such listing of lyrics. They already exist in text books.

Anyways, here it is - if you find it interesting.

१९वीं शताब्दी (पूर्वार्ध)

१. लल्ला दीक्षित - आनन्दमन्दिर स्तोत्र

२. विश्वनाथसिंह - संगीतरघुनन्दन

३. सदाशिव - सुधानन्दलहरी, श्रीपादसप्तकस्तोत्र, देवदेवेश्वराष्टकम्‌, मुररिपुस्तोत्र, त्रिपुरदहनचरितम्‌, सदाशिवप्रकरण

४. बाबू रेवाराम - नर्मदालहरी, गंगालहरी, साररामायणदीपिका, गीतमाधवकाव्य

५. रघुराज सिंह - सुधर्माविलास, नर्मदाष्टकम्‌, शम्भुशतकम्‌, रघुराजमङ्गलचन्द्रावली

६. सदाशिव शास्त्री - वसन्तशतक, दुर्गाशतक, गोपालशतक, अर्बुदाचल माहात्म्य, काश्मीरशतक

७. उमापति त्रिपाठी - जानकीस्तोत्र, रघुनन्दनषोडशक, अयोध्याविंशतिका, रघुनाथस्तोत्र, रामस्तोत्र, जानकीस्तोत्र, कालिकाष्टकम्‌, शङ्कराष्टकम्‌, श्रीविंशतिका

८. महेशचन्द्र तर्कचूडामणि - निवातकवचमहाकाव्यम्‌, दिनाजपुरराजवंशम्‌

१९वीं शताब्दी (उत्तरार्ध)

१. कमलेश मिश्र - कमलेशविलासः

२. केरल वर्मा - विक्टोरियाचरितसङ्ग्रह, यमप्रमाणाष्टक, क्षमापणसहस्रम्‌, शकुन्तलापरिणय, श्रीमूलपादपद्माष्टक, गुरुपवनपुरेशस्तव, ललितास्तव

३. गंगाधर शास्त्री - अलिविलासिसंलापः, हंसाष्टक

४. रामशास्त्री तैलंग - सूक्तिसुधा

५. परमेश्वर झा - मिथिलातत्त्वविमर्श, ऋतुदर्शन, यक्षसमागम, परमेश्वरकोष

६. शिवकुमार शास्त्री - यतीन्द्रजीवनचरित

७. यादवेश्वर तर्करत्न - अश्रुविसर्जनम्‌, शोकतरंगिणी, वाणीविजयम्‌, सुभद्राहरणम्‌, चन्द्रदूतम्‌, प्रशान्तकुसुमम्‌, अश्रुबिन्दु, राज्याभिषेककाव्यम्‌, रत्नकोषकाव्यम्‌, अन्नपूर्णास्तोत्रम्‌, शिवस्तोत्रम्‌, गंगादर्शनकाव्यम्‌, भारतगाथा

८. विधुशेखर भट्टाचार्य - दशावतारस्तोत्र, यौवनविलास

९. लक्ष्मणसूरि - विप्रसन्देश, सुभगसंदेश, मनःसंदेश, वेंकटस्तव

१०. महावीरप्रसाद द्विवेदी - कथमहं नास्तिकः, कान्यकुब्जलीलामृतम्‌, समाचारपत्रसम्पादकस्तवः, सूर्यग्रहणम्‌

 ११. अन्नदाचरण तर्कचूडामणि - ऋतुचित्रम्‌, सुमनोऽञ्जलिः

१२. रामावतार शर्मा - मारुतिशतकम्‌, शम्भुशतकम्‌, कृष्णस्तबककल्पतरुः, मुद्गरदूतम्‌, अभिनवभारतम्‌, सत्यदेव कथा, शतश्लोकीयं धर्मशास्त्रम्‌

१३. अप्पाशास्त्री राशिवडेकर - वेषमाहात्म्यम्‌, व्यसनविमोक्षः, प्राधान्यवादः, बकचापलम्‌, विमुग्धे विप्रलब्धासि, तिलकमहाशयस्य कारागृहवासः, श्रीकण्ठपदभूषणम्‌, पञ्जरबद्धः शुकः, वल्लभविलापम्‌, आक्रन्दनम्‌, ऋतुचित्रम्‌

१४. रामनाथ - विलापलहरी, आर्यालहरी

 

The source for the above listing is the same book as I had mentioned earlier.

It also has 20th century (1st half) list. I have not incorporated it due to paucity of time

Dr. Dhaval Patel, I.A.S

District Development Officer, Rajkot

www.sanskritworld.in

[Nagaraj Paturi]

You are blessed! You are really blessed!!

 

We are all able to see why such an Avatara Purusha would have picked you out for such a blessing.

 

These works such as that of Parama Pujya Jagadguru Ramabhadracharyaji are nevertheless counter -examples for the theory of 'death of Sanskrit' by which was meant the stopping of a natural, creative production of Sanskrit literature.

 

Since the author mentioned 1800 as the time when this stopping happened, 1800-1950 is brought for the sake of argument.

 

1950 because all the post-1950 works could be dubbed as post-independent artificial efforts of revival.

 

 

--

निराशीर्निर्ममो भूत्वा युध्यस्व विगतज्वरः।। (भ.गी.)
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Prof.Nagaraj Paturi

Hyderabad-500044

[Nagaraj Paturi]

AadaraNIya Dhavalji,

 

The theme of the thread is, as you would have seen, classical music. The actual musical performance of songs. The names figuring here are those of  poet-singers, vaaggeyakaras, those who sang the songs 'written' by them. Those whose songs became part of the classical music singing tradition.

 

Thanks for all the 19th century Sanskrit literature information. All this will be highly helpful in the broader argument counter to the theory of 'Death of Sanskrit'. I am in fact surprised to see that the students of MA (Sanskrit) are given so much information about the 19th century Sanskrit literature and still the theory of stopping of Sanskrit literary creativity by 1800 went unquestioned by Indian scholars. (Those who contested the theory were western scholars only.)

 

Thanks again for the info. But let us discuss this outside this particular thread. 

[Ajit Gargeshwari]

The proposer ​'Death of Sanskrit'  may not be a member of BVP. So mentioning that theory on every other thread may not be a good idea​. This is my personal opinion. If Death of Sanskrit or such theories need to be discussed a separate thread may be made.

Bibliographies of on Modern Sanskrit writings are available several works related to modern sanskrit writing has been mentioned. If we keep listing there can be no end. Every scholar will be able to list dozens of of work. Thanks for so many post and making me aware about the existence of such vast and beweldering variety of Sanskrit production from 1850's onwards

Regards
Ajit Gargeshwari
न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचिन्नायं भूत्वा भविता वा न भूयः।
अजो नित्यः शाश्वतोऽयं पुराणो न हन्यते हन्यमाने शरीरे।।2.20।।

[Nagaraj Paturi]

1. The discussion was started in the thread

 

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/bvparishat/modernity/bvparishat/d-wPUry6MQU/x1aw8HZv6cYJ

 

two new threads were opened for the subtopics within the same broad area

 

Apart from the present thread,

 

https://groups.google.com/forum/#!searchin/bvparishat/1800-1950%7Csort:relevance/bvparishat/JNms5XwtEOQ/70K-BUIK7TMJ

 

was also started as the new threads for the subtopics only.

 

2. The theory is being discussed here out of a great respect for the theorizer's scholarship. Sometimes such great scholars make such theories only to provoke thought among their academic fraternity. This one was definitely thought-provoking. Created a very good context for taking a relook at several interesting aspects of the history of Sanskrit literature. Without such a pūrvapakśa,  study of history of śanskrit literature can end up being just a listing of books, without any interesting problematizing of the same. The theory successfully problematized the issue of the impact of colonial rule on the continuity of creativity in Sanskrit literature and issues such as transregional spread of Sanskrit literature during modern times.

 

3. If some interesting aspects of Sanskrit literature are coming out through these threads, the whole credit goes to the theorizer of the pūrvapakśa and his ability to identify such a valid and worthy issue for debate.

 

4. Particularly in the present thread, I am happy to see scholars such as śatāvadhāni R Ganeshji enjoying the discussion. Again the credit goes to the original problematizer only.  

--

निराशीर्निर्ममो भूत्वा युध्यस्व विगतज्वरः।। (भ.गी.)
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Prof.Nagaraj Paturi

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[Nagaraj Paturi]

Found the book mentioned by aadaraNIya Sivasenaniji Muhanaprasaantyaprasavyavasthaa at

 

http://musicresearch.in/categorywise.php?flag=R&authid=26

 

Its a pdf of the scanned book but zipped into a .zip file. Please scroll down the alphabetical list.

--

Prof.Nagaraj Paturi

Hyderabad-500044

[Nagaraj Paturi]

Ravi Varma Thampi better known as Irayimman Thampi (1782-1856) was in the court of Maharaja Swati Thirunal.

 

Weblink for details:

 

http://www.carnatica.net/special/irayimman-ppn.htm

 

From this web page:

 

According to T. Lakshmanan Pillai, irayimman tampi has to his credit more that 500 compositions. But, only few of those compositions have survived, which include 39 kIrttanams, 5 varNams, 23 padams and a few ATTAkkatha songs. Of the 39 kIrttanams, 29 are in sanskrit, and the remaining in malayALam.  In the work, “kEraLa sa”ngItam”, the author V. Madhavan Nair has listed  60 compositions attributed to  tampi (which include 33 k.rtis among which 28 are in sanskrit).

--

Prof.Nagaraj Paturi

Hyderabad-500044