Ayodhya, Arangan and Arunachala Kavi

 

Sirkali Arunachala Kavirayar (1711-1779)

When the Ayodhya temple Bhumi Pujan activities started, the Ranganathaswamy temple in Srirangam sent prasadam, waters from Kaveri, vastrams, garlands to Ayodhya. Many in the north may not know, but those who know the sthalapurana of Srirangm, the legend of the Pranavakara Vimana and the Ranganathaswamy can make the connection between the temple in deep south and Ayodhya Raman. Arangan (Ranganatha) was the aradhya deity of the Ikshvaku dynasty and Rama had gifted it to Vibishana after his coronation. Somehow Vibishana and the Lankans had to cede Arangan to Aranganagarvasis (residents of Srirangam) and so he had made the island between the Kaveri and Kollidam rivers his abode since then. This is not just a puranic lore, the memory of Ramayana’s association with the Srirangam temple has manifested in the medieval and later times in a very interesting way. 

 Kamba Ramayanam is world famous, as a Tamil recreation of the adi kavya of Valmiki. Kamban (historians suggest dates anywhere from 9th to 12th century) wrote his epic and did the “arangetram”, that is launching the book, at the Srirangam temple. There is a very interesting story about how the Lord appeared in Kamban’s dream and asked him to compose a song in praise of his His devotee before doing the “arangetram” of his ‘Rama Kathai’. That is when Kamban is supposed to have composed ‘Satagopa Nootrandhadi’ a work in praise of Satagopan or Nammalvar. The nod of approval for Kamban’s Ramayanam is supposed to have come from Lord Narasimha himself and even today the mantapam in front of the Thayar sannidhi and next to Mettazhagiyasingar sannidhi carries a board announcing that it was where Kamba Ramayana “arangetram” happened. Let us fast forward now to the 18th century. 

Arunachala Kavirayar who followed Kamban in letter and spirit also went to Srirangam to do “arangetram” of his Rama Natakam. Kavirayar prayed to Ranganatha and that song is a mighty introduction all of us get to his beautiful poetry, composed in such mellifluous tunes. That is “en palli kondeer ayya, Sri Ranganatha” popularized early in 20^th century by singer N.C.Vasantakokilam’s record. He asks Ranganatha as to why he is lying down, if he is tired of all the walking he did during Ramavataram, killing of the demons, and then detailing the tiring activities of Krishnavataram -  “Did you get tired walking, with the pure daughter of Mithila, tired of crossing the Ganga in the boat of flawless Guhan” …

After that he had a dream too, similar to Kamban where he was asked to sing songs in praise of the Lord’s devotees. Kavirayar then composed a “thodayam” in praise of all the devotees of Vishnu and his parivar from Vishwaksenar (Senai Mudhalvar), to all the Alvars, Acharya Ramanuja, Vedanta Desikan, Manavala Mamunigal. That “thodayam” is in the beginning of the Bala Kandam of the Rama Nataka Kirtanaigal. The Rama Nataka “arangetram” happened at the same spot as the Kamba Ramayanam and also on the same month and tithi as Kamba Ramayanam, Panguni Hastam. 

 The ‘Ramanataka Kirtanai’ book published by B.Rathina Nayakar & Sons, Chennai, an old crumbling copy I have inherited where the year of publication is not mentioned, carries an introduction with a short biographical sketch of Sirkali Arunachala Kavirayar. Kavirayar had his education under the institution of Dharmapuram Adheenam and he was not inclined to take sanyasa, but also did not get married early as was the custom in those days. In a conversation with the Dharmapura Adheenam’s Guru Maha Sannidhanam at that time he apparently said that Dasaratha too took sanyasa only after grihastashrama. Kavirayar later married when he was 30, and settled in to earn a living through “kasu kadai”, a pawn shop. By that time one of his classmates had taken over as the head of Dharmapura Adheenam branch at Sirkali and he made Kavirayar settle down there and also compose many songs. Kavirayar was well versed in Thirukkural and Kamba Ramayanam. While at Sirkali he was also teaching Kamba Ramayanam to brothers Venkatrama Iyer and Kothandarama Iyer, both well versed in Carnatic music. The brothers asked Kavirayar to write a book that would be befitting his talent. Kavirayar was immersed in Ramayanam we know, and he thought he should do a work based on Ramayanam, but Kamban has already written the epic in the genre of “virutham” (form of poetry) and another author named Balabharati is supposed to rendered it another poetic form called “chanda virutham”. Therefore, he thought of doing it as “kirtanais”, compositions that can be set to music, so as to also make it accessible to all, as Kamban’s work was classical poetry that cannot be easily understood by all.

“I realized the difference this has made: Kamba Ramayanam in Tamizh is a lyrical beauty but it is not accessible to commoners. We have no Tulsi’s peer,” wrote my friend D V Sridharan in his recollection of his visit to Tulsi Ghat in Varanasi. I was reading Arunachala Kavirayar’s ‘Rama Nataka Kirtanai’ for a couple of days and was planning to write a blog when this particular line hit me. There may be no comparison in terms of the phenomenon Tulsidas was, or the times he lived in, and how his recreating Ramayana took the Ramakatha to every village, every street in the Hindi speaking areas. But, we have in Tamil, the complete Ramayana written in a musical drama format, with each song composed and tuned in a particular raga, to be sung and enacted. Kavirayar’s students Venkatraman and Kothandarama are credited with have set the kirtanais to specific ragas. Some of the songs have been popular among the Carnatic musicians and we have records from the likes of Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar to many musicians singing them in concerts today. Though many are not supposed to be in the original ragas in which they were set. 

Kavirayar starts with a prayer to Hanuman, (there is another work called Hanuman Pillai Tamil written by him, though not sure if it is in print). There is a virtuham called ‘apasarakshamai’ asking for forgiveness for any mistakes as may be in the work – Kavirayar says Valmiki rendered the work as shlokas, Kamban wrote it as poetry, and he set out to write it because of his love for the work, and what effect would it have if there are mistakes in it? “It will be similar to what happened to the hunter who was mistakenly saying “maramaramara” instead of the mantra Rama Rama and attained mukti”, he concludes. I cannot but mention this, for it shows how he looks at the original, the Tamil rendering and the inspiration from them. Alas, if only many who take a thread, an instance here and there, names of characters from the kavya and write their own imaginary masterpieces can be inspired by Kavirayar!

 I do not know if anyone has translated Rama Nataka Kirtanais in English or any other languages, and also if it was performed as a full length musical drama. But, the beauty of it is best cherished in the original and set in right tunes, ragas. I will try to provide links to some of his popular kirtanais that have been vogue, as many as I could immediately recollect. 

 “Ramanai Taruvai” - The sense of drama in these lines from the Bala Kandam when Vishwamitra goes to Dasaratha’s court to ask for Rama to accompany him to save his yagna

 “Thadagain paavi

Thavirthaal en velvi

Peedai varaamal kaathaal pizhaikkum en aavi”

 Thadagai is obstructing my yagna, I will be saved if the yagna is protected ...

Then there is a beautiful, such a romantic rendition of Rama looking at Sita for the first time: “Aaaro ivar aaro, yenna pero ariyene”, is musical and has been a tricky one to interpret as confusion exists over if it is Rama who is singing it looking at Sita or vice versa. 

A sprightly “shobanam” sung in Madhyamavati “shobanam, shobanam Ramasamikkum Seethaikkum” after the wedding ceremony is such a celebratory song. 

In the Ayodhya Kandam also many unforgettable songs are there – notable among them is the song where Kaikeyi is pleased to hear about Rama’s coronation. She bursts into a song happily: “Ramanukku mannan mudi tarithaale nanmayundoru kale, en kanmani” – “he was the one who shattered the ego of Parasurama, who saved us all, the eldest of the four, and my dear one, he deserves it Kooni”. The songs that changes her heart follows and finally there is the scene of Rama’s exit to forest. He was leaving Sita behind and she starts singing “eppadi manam thunindhadho saami vanam poi varugiren enraal idhai erkumo bhumi”, “how did you dare to leave me, break the promise that made, that you would not leave me in all the many lives, how can leave the poor me in lurch”. 

In the Aranya Kandam too there are two particular songs that are a treat to the ears of any rasika and both very interesting. There is a song where Surpanaka describes Sita to Ravana “Kaana vendum laksham kangal” and the song where Lakshma tells Sita, “aar enru raghavanai ennineero”, explaining Rama’s valour after he left chasing Maricha. 

Will skip Kishkinda Kandam to go straight to several beautiful songs in the Sundara Kandam. First, Hanuman describing Rama to Sita “andha Rama saundaryam ellam arindu sollapomo amma”. In the Choodamani padalam, Sita explaining her condition asking Hanuman to take the message back to Rama in a touching “Hanumane samikkindha adaylam”. After that the dramatic entry of Hanuman into Ravana’s darbar “Ramasamyin thoodhan naanada Ravana enraan”, “I am the messenger of Rama, oh Ravana” … After the return to Kishkinda, Hanuman breaking the news straight forward “kanden, kanden, kanden, Sitayai kanden Raghava”, (I have seen, seen, seen Sita, Raghava)”. 

Yuddha Kandam is detailed and there are two songs popular in the Carnatic circles, the most memorable on rendered by late vidwan Madurai Mani Iyer in his inimitable style “Ramanai kannara kandaane Vibishanan kai mamudimel vaithu kondaane” and then Rama granting him asylum with “Indha Vibishana Lankapuri rajyam” that late vidwan D.K.Jayaraman used to sing with such gusto. Though so far I have restricted quoting songs mainly heard in concerts and records, there is a song that I would like to quote that I haven’t heard being sung. That is the one where Agni tells Rama how he suffered when Sita did her Agnipravesam. Agni addresses Rama: “Why did you do this Rama, what mistake did I do, that you made me stung by the heat of the virtuous Sita … it is my nature to burn anything that I touch, but even I was burnt by this fire of pativrata”. 

It is very touching when Rama makes his return and Bharata awaits him “Rama appeared before Bharata, it was like how it was when Devas got their Amruta, and how people on earth feel when they get their lost things back”. He then ends with a grand coronation song “Magudabishekam kondane, Sri Ramachandran magudabishekam kondane”. 

I wanted to only give a small introduction to Arunachala Kavirayar to those who are not aware his Ramanataka Kirtanaigal. It is just sharing a drop in the ocean of his version of Ramayanam, a delectable one to read, sing and enact.