|| Sri Ranganaatha Mahimai ||
Saint ThyagarajA's pancharahtnams: Part 31.2
I will cover the meanings and annotated observations on the Sriranga pancharathna Krithis in this posting
before going for the final stretch of this kaimkaryam this week prior to concluding it on May 1 , AchArya
RaamAnuja Jayanthi day . May Lord RanganathA confer His blesings on us to to raise successfuly the
funds neeeded to complete His Temple construction at Pomona , New York . Please give generously for
this temple for all bhakthAs of Sri RanganAthA so that ALL of His bahkthAs can come together and
worship Him as at Srirangam .
The First Pancharathnam : Thodi Raaga DevathA performing SaraNAgathi
The breeze from Cauveri banks was gently fanning Sri RanganAthA seated on His golden horse as he was
being carried over the streets of Srirangam on that chitthirai day . Saint ThyagarAjA got a glimpse of the
approaching Lord from his vantage point of 86 South Chittirai Veedhi next to VadampOkki Street . The
naadhasvaram and the other MangaLa vaadhyams played . KattiyakkArars were shouting Sri
RanganAthan's progress through the streets. KarpUrAratthi was taking place as the Lord received
upachArams from each household . Saint ThyagarAja caught the beauty of the Lord illuminated by the
theevattis of the night lighting the way of the Lord. The joyous saint drank deeply the anubhavam of that
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beauty . Thodi raaga dEvathai entered into him and emerged as " Raaju vedale jutAmu rArE " krithi . The
sAhithya Vaakhyams are :
Pallavi: raaju vedalE juthAu rArE ; KasthUriranga
Anupallavi: tEjinEka samastha rAju lUDigamu jEya
tEjarillu navarathnapu divya bhUshaNamu liDiranga
CharaNam: KaavEri theeramanu paavanamagu Rangapurini
SrIvelayau CHITRA VEEDHILO vEkanga rAga
sEvanu gani surulu virulachE prEmanu pujimchaga
bhAvimchu ThyagarAju Baadaga VAIBHOGARANGA ( Raaju VedalE)
( Meaning and Comments ) : Saint ThyaarAja as a BhagavathA invites here other BhagavathAs and
BhakthAs to enjoy the beautiful darsanam of the Lord and the sight of the Lord's progressing procession
on Chitthirai veethi on horse back . He says : " Come one and All ! let us enjoy this auspicious sight ! Sri
RangarAjA is bedecked with shining divya AabharaNams and is attended by the princes on horse back .
He is travelling on Chitthira veedhi of His rAjadhAni made holy further by the flow of river KaavEri that
washes His sacred feet . This Srirangam has been made fit by the Lord as the abode for His divine
consort , Sri RanganAyaki , who is verily MahA Lakshmi . DevAs are enjoying this blessed scene and are
showering pushpa vrushti on their Lord . Come one! Come All! Please woship the KasthUri Rangan as
He celebrates His VaibhOgam during this chaitthrOtsavam .Come All ! Worship the Lord with devotion
as ThyagarAja sings in this procession ( Veethi valam ) of the Lord in His sacred city 's streets .
I recall with nostalgia , Sangeetha KalAnidhi Sri Ariyakkui RaamAnuja Iyengar render this krithi with such
bhAvam many times . I might even have his rendering in my audio archives. The Bombay sisters have
recorded all of the Sriranga Panchrathnams with anugraha vachanmas (Savsthi vaachakams) from the
Parama Padha Vaasi , His Holiness the 44th Jeeyar of Ahobila Mutt during the occasion of his Raaja
Gopura nirmANa kaimkaryam at Srirangam .
he Second Pancharathnam :DevagAndhAri Raaga Devathai's saraNAgathi
Saint ThyagarAjA had composed earlier a majestic krithi entitled " Ksheera Saagara SayanA " in
DevagAndhAri Raagam . As he stood in front of the house at Chitthirai veethi on that evening enjoying
the Lord's beauty, he wanted so very much to get closer to the Lord and have a better sEvai . The crowd
around him was making it difficult to come closer. He was sad to see the opportunity slip by. Suddenly,
the procession stopped and the bearers of the Lord's Vaahanam could not move. There was a great
concern about dhrushi dhOsham and the koil sippanthis ordered the deva daasis and raaja daasis to
perform the appropriate dances at the junction of the streets of west and south chitthira veethi to
propitaite the Lord. Even after that propitaitory act, the bearers of the Lord's vaahanam did not gain their
strength to carry the Lord further. The ArchakA became possessed by the Lord and he spoke the Lord's
words commanding the adhikhAris to bring His parama bhakthA closer to Him for a better darsanam
and koil MariyAdhai .
Saint ThyagarAja was brouhgt closer and the DevaghAndhAri raaga devathai entered him through the
krithi " vinarAdhA naa manavi " . This raagam competed with the other raaga devathAs to offer its
saraNAgathi to the Ksheera Saagara Sayanan now resting on His serpent bed on the banks of KaavEri
river. The saahithya vaakhyams are as follows :
Pallavi: VinarAdhA naa manavi
anupallavi: KanakAnga ! KaavEdi Ranga ! SrI Kaantha !
KaanthalElla kaamimchi pilachithE
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CharaNam 1: tEjinEka bhAga tEruvunarAga
rAjasathulu jUchi rammani pilachithE
CharaNam 2: BhaagadhEya! VaibhOgaranga ! Sri ThyagarAjanutha
TaruNulu pilachithE
( Meaning and comments ) : Oh Svarna RangA ! Oh , the golden-hued One resting at the banks of
KaavEri ! Oh Lord of MahA Lakshmi ! Why wont You listen to my prayerful appeal ? When the ladies
including the royal party so affectionately sing and dance for Your pleasure and call You , when You
come out in procession on horse back on the streets of Your rAjadhAni , why wont You respond to
them ? You indeed are their Sotthu
( treasure ) .
After the Saint sang this krithi in the majestic DevaghAndhAri raagam , a dheepArAdhanam was done
and the Lord was pleased and blessed the vaahanam bearers to regain their strength to carry on with their
Kaimkaryam . Thus was born the second Pancharathnam .
I have heard Sangeetha KalAnidhi Semmangudi render this moving appeal of a krithi by the bard in one
of his special recording released by oriental records few years ago .
The third pancharathanm : KaambhOji Raagam offering its saraNAgathi
The mahAthmyam of the Saint of ThruvaayAru favored by Sri RanganAthA led to the invitation by the
temple officials to the bard for an EkAntha Sevai of the Moolavar adorning Mutthamgi that evening. The
bard was thrilled and arrived at the garbahgraham , where many AchAryAs , adiyArs and AzhwArs stood
( Aranganin ThirumuRRam )over the preceding centuries and drank deeply the beauty of Sri RangasAyee .
The auspicious KaambhOji raaga Devathai performed its SaraNAgathi with many sangathis of the Pallavi
of the krithi " Oh RangasAyee ! ) :
Pallavi: Oh RangasAyee ! pilachithE -Oh yanuchu raa raadhA ?
Anupallavi: Saarangadharudu jUci KailaasAdhipudu gAlEdhA ?
CharaNam: BhUlOkha Vaikuntam idhiyani neelOna neevE yuppOnghi
SrIlOludai yuntE maachinthadheerE dhEnnaDO ?
mElOrvalEni janulalO nE
migula nOgili divyarUpamunu
mudhyAla sarula yuramunu ghAna vacchithi ;
ThyagarAja hrudhbhUshaNa ! ( Oh RangasAyee )
(Meaning and Comments ) : Oh RangasAyee ! When I implore You to come to me and beg You to bless
me , why should you not come ? Has not Lord SivA become the Lord of KailAsam with Your grace ? If
You forget other things ( Bhaktha RakshaNam , PaarArthyam reminded by ANDAL in Her ThiruppAvai ,
where She commands the Lord to wake up and go about His duties and not to slimber away in the
comforting arms of Nappinnai )and give Yourself up to the enjoyment ( Bhogam ) in the company of Sri
RanganAyaki here at Srirangam , Your Vaikuntam on this earth , What will happen to me ? When will
there be an end to my sufferings resulting from living in the middle of envy-ridden people , who can not
stomach other people making spiritual progress .
Oh Merciful Lord ! I stand before You beseeching Your blessings as You present Yourself in Your
beautiful pearl-studded coat (Mutthangi Sevai) as You engage in Your Yoga NidhrA .Oh the Divine One
decorating my heart space as a precious jewel ! Oh My chinthAmaNi rathnam ! Please respond to me !
Please do not tarry anymore ! Oh SeshasAyee of Srirangam ! Oh SaarangapANi ! Oh Kanaka RangA ! Oh
VaibhOga RangA ! Oh KasthUri RangA ! Please heed my prayerful appeal for your blessings .
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The progressively emotion-laden Sangathis of this pallavi are a delight to experience as sung by Sangeetha
KalAnidhi Srimathi M.S.Subbulaksmi. The sishyAs assembled in Thiru Arangan's muRRam took faithful
note of them all and passed on to us so that we can share the bard's great anubhavam at the
Garbhagraham of SriranganAthA .
The saint's moving prayer reminds one of the lines from' Swami Desikan's Sri Sookthis :
chinthArathnam Sulabhamiha na: Siddhi MokshAnurUpam
--Sri Bhagavadh DhyAna sOpAnam(BDS) : slOkam 1
DheenA nAtha: vysana samanam Dhaivatham DhaivathAnAm
---ibid
madhyam baahOr maNi vara ruchA ranjitham Ranga dhAmna:
---BDS: SLOKAM 6
KAANTHAM VAKTHRAM KANAKA TILAKAALANKRUTHAM RANGABHARTHU :
---- BDS : SLOKAM 8
Saint ThyagarAjA belongs to the category of rasikAs described by Swami Desikan ( Ranga AasthAnE
rasika mahithan ) . The kshEthram is Ranga AasthAnam ( Sri Rangam ) . There , the Lord delights all
those rasikaas, who are blessed with His darsana soubhAgyam . There is no exception about this. Sri
RanganAthA delights every one's mind with His beauty and soulabhyam ( Ranjitha AsEsha chitthE rasika
mahithE ) . Such a rasikA was Saint from ThiruvaiyAru , who gave us the KaambhOji krithi out of his
anubhava janitha paramAnandham .
The Fourth pancha rathnam : Invitaiton to the Ladies
In our PerumAL sannidhis , the ladies stand on one side and the males on the other side. When
dignitaries arrive at the Lord's sannidhi , rest of the people ( both male and female )are some what pushed
aside . Some thing like this might have happened at Sri RanganAthan's Thiru muRRam , when Saint
ThyagarAjA was being accorded with honors and special attention during the EkAntha sEvai . Saint
ThyagarAja , the most compassionate one ,invited every one and especially Ladies-- who get less attention
in the traditional societies--and invited them to enjoy the soubhAgyam of the sevai of the Lord of
Srirangam . This krithi is set in Raagam Aarabhi . The saahithya Vaakhyams are:
Pallavi::: chuthAmu rArE sudhatulAra ! Rangapathini
Anupallavi: SeethApathi pUjyudata srunghAra sEkarudata
CharaNam 1: Sarigamchu saaluvata chowkDla pOgulaDa
paruvampu prAyamaDa ParamAthmuData , Rangani
CharaNam 2: Mukha nirjitha chandhruData muddhumADa lADunata
sukha mOsanghi BrOchunaDa sundarAnaDuta Rangani
CharaNam 3: Aagama sanchAruData-yakhila jagathpAluData
ThyagarAja sannuthuData taruNulAra Rangapathini
(Meaning ) : Oh Ladies ! Come along and join in to see Rangapathi ! Aadhi Kavi VaalmIki says that Sri
RanganAthA was worshipped by Sri RaamachandrA . He is indeed the treasure house of all charms. He is
wearing today a shawl that is priceless. He adorns beautiful ear ornaments. He displays His saamudrikhA
LakshaNams befitting One of prime age ( paruava vAlibhan/ILankumaran ). Above all these aspects of
His matchless beauty , He is indeed the Parama-Purushan celebrated and saluted by the VedAs and
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Upanishads as the SarvAdhAran , JagadhAnandhakan and Jagath Rakshakan . His most beautiful face
defies the full moon in its beauty ; His words are spoken with such maadhuryam, which makes His
speech liltingly sweet . He confers the bliss of happiness ( Aanandham ) on His devotees. He is the most
lovable personality with whom one readily falls in deep love. He permeates all aagamAs and the
VedAs .Oh Ladies ! Please come forward and enjoy the beauty of this Lord of Srirangam .
Fifth pancharathnam : An appeal for the Mercy of Saaranghadharan
Saint ThyagarAjA was overcome with feelings of his utter helplessness and appealed for the Lord's mercy.
That appeal emerged in the form of a heart-rending krithi set in the BhaashAnga Rakthi Raagam ,
SaarangA . In another SaarangA raaga Krithi , he had asked Sri Ramachandra to understand his helpless
state and asked Him to shower mercy on him: " Yemi thova palkumA yiganu nE nenthu pOdhu Sri
RaamA "( Oh RaamA my dear One ! Where am I to go ? What am I to do ? What steps should I take ?
Please tell me what to do . Please have karuNA and cast your benovlent glances on me ! ). In a similar
mood , Saint TyagarAja stood before the Parama KaaruNeekan , Sri RanganaathA and prayed for the
boonof becoming the object of the Lord's DayA . The saahithyaVaakhyams are as follows :
Pallavi: KaruNa juDumayya ! Maayayya ! KaavEDi rangayya
Anupallavi: parama purusha ! vinu maa-paali pEnnidhAnamA !
Varaha nalugurilO-vara mOsagi karamiDi
CharaNam: chAraDEsi kanulachE jElangubhaya
naacchArulatOnu marisadhbhakthaluthO
ALwArulathO neevu vara naivEdhyamula
naaragimchu vELala HarithyAgarAjuni karamiDi
( Meaning ) : Oh Parama PurushA ! Oh Lord RanganAthA residing on the banks of KaavEri ! Oh
Grantor of choice boons , Oh VardhA ! Look at me with dayA and listen to me; Hold me by the hand ,
bless me with boons and your benovolent grace at the time when You are enjoying the company of Sri
Devi and Bhudevi as well as Your Bhaktha SironmaNis and THE AAZHWAARS at Your BhOga
Mantapam . At that pleasant time , when You are partaking your naivEdhyam , Please hold my hand and
have mercy on me !
Srirangam is revered as BhOga mantapam in our tradition ; Thirumalai is known as Pushpa Mantapam
and KaanchIpuram as the Thyaga mantapam .Saint ThyagarAjA was eager to appeal to the Lord of
BhOga mantapam , just as AchArya RaamAnuja chose the time , when the Lord was enjoying the
company of Sri RanganAyaki on the panguni Uttaram day and offered his SaraNAgathi and received the
great boon by choosing that favorable moment of union of the Lord with His divine consort on
EkAsanam .
Thus concludes the Sriranga Pancha Rathna Krithis bequeathed to us by Saint ThyagarAjA in a spirit of
SaraNAgathi at the lotus feet of the Lord of Srirangam . May we ALL be blessed by performing
SaraNAgathi to this Lord , who is going to have His home at Pomona , New York in few months .
In the remaining postings , I will cover selected paasurams of the AzhwArs saluted by Saint ThyagarAja in
his Saaranga Raaga Krithi .
Subhamasthu
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