A Masterly Trifecta – Lecture, Thematic Concert and Workshop by Dr. T.S Sathyavathi
Mastery in the world of arts is exceptional. Even rarer, a very accomplished performing musician who is also a great teacher. And exponentially rarer, also a musicologist, Sanskrit scholar and laya exponent. Dr T S Sathyavathi’s breadth of expertise is indeed dazzling. Even more wonderful is her passion to share her ocean of knowledge with all students and rasikas with such erudition, fluency and warmth.
As described in various interviews, Dr T S Sathyavathi is one of the premier students of the late Sangita Kalanidhi Shr R K Srikantan; she also learnt to play the mridangam and not only studied Sanskrit, but went on to do a Phd with the subject of her thesis being “The contributions of Abhilashitartha Chintamani (Manasollasa) to Indian music”.
A very big THANK YOU to Sruti for arranging this eclectic lecture and thematic concert and also a workshop by Dr T S Sathyavathi. This gave us this incredible opportunity to truly learn and gain so many valuable musical, laya and lyrical insights from this great vidushi and guru.
The topic for the lecture on Oct 6th 2018 was on the compositions of Shri Muthuswami Dikshithar. Smt Sathyavathi’s repertoire is so versatile and vast, we could have drawn the name of a composer from a hat and she would have been able to do the lecdem on the spot ! Search online and you will see the plethora of lecdems on the ‘Musical Excellence’ of so many composers that Dr T S Sathyavathi has given in India – Dikshithar, Shyama Sastri, Thyagaraja, Svati Tirunaal, Muthiah Bhagavathar, Mysore Vasudevacharya, Purandaradasa; not to mention the online Shaale courses on appreciating the compositions of GNB and master class on Mysore composers. Also, further drilldowns into composers such as Handling of Desiya ragas by Dikshithar, his unique phraseology .
In the workshop conducted here that included a Khamas composition of Mysore Sadashiva Rao, she sang the exquisite swarakshara patterns in his extremely rare Kalyani kriti Pamaruni brova tamasamma in Matya tala; while teaching a kriti of Mysore Vasudevacharya, sang another rare gem – the only composition of Mysore Vasudevacharya in Kannada – Karuniso taye in ragam Sarasvathimanohari. Dr T S Sathyavathi ’s phenomenal repertoire reminded me of how Richard Feynman touted Hans Bethe’s mathematical prowess : “every number was near something he knew.”
Lecture – Appreciating the compositions of Shri Muthuswami Dikshithar
As Dr T S Sathyavathi mentions in all her lecdems, our focus should be to learn about what are the unique characteristics of the composer. It is not about comparison; it is about appreciation and trying to get a better understanding of the musical vision of the composer so that we can pay better respect when we sing or listen to their compositions.
“It is about enjoying the beauty of a fully bloomed flower. We are not here to pluck the petals to see where the fragrance issues from or origin of the color pigment. It is not about analysis; it is trying to go a little closer to the composer and trying to feel what he felt. Awe inspiring is the word when we think of Dikshithar. Compositions as unalterable as the Vedic Hymns. Compositions should linger, haunt you; You keep discovering new insights which is what Dikshithar’s compositions do; most are meditative and contemplative. “
Highlights from the lecture on Oct 6th at the Delaware Mahalakshmi Temple with some additional examples from the online lecdem on Shaale Live Youtube Channel
- Meaning and explanation of Sanskrit words from Wikipedia and Sanskrit to English Dictionary
- Lyrics and meaning of Dikshithar songs from Shri T K Govinda Rao’s book and http://www.medieval.org/music/world/carnatic/dikshitar.html
Structure and form of compositions
Dikshithar is the composer who has given us Samashti charanas; many songs with no AnuPallavi, but Pallavi followed by multiple charanas. Samashti (aggregate/totality), the charanas are so complete, the totality of the kriti is still intact despite the lack of anupallavi.
The depth of meaning in the lyrics and the adroit word choice
There is so much thought that has gone into each of Dikshithar’s compositions. So many individual facets – Raga, Tala, Laya, Kalapramana, Sahitya, Mantra Tantra Sastra, Yoga, Physiology, Mythology, Astronomy, Astrology, Adhyatma, Temple Kshetra Puranas and Iconography. All these facets are amalgamated and ‘cooked’ into a masterpiece of a composition. Dikshithar’s compositions are like gourmet food that should be enjoyed with a lot of attention and care! “
In Shri Mooladhara (Sri ragam, Adi talam), vikaTa SaTsata shvAsAdhikAra
- vikaTa, you control breadth numbering 600
In Meenakshi Me Mudham (Gamakakriya ragam, Adi talam), the phrase vINAgAna dashagamakakriyE
- He employs all the dasavida gamakas in this song
- The vina is capable of producing all these gamakas
- The raga mudra is also woven into the same phrase
In Panchamatanga (Malahari ragam, talam Rupakam), the following line describes what Ganesha with 5 faces holds in each of his 10 hands
varadAbhaya pAsha sRNi kapAla danta mOdaka mudgarAkSamAlAkarENa kamalApura vihArENa
- “He whose hands hold the symbols of Abhaya and Varada, the rope Pasha, a goad Srini, a pothered Kapala, a tusk Danta, a Modaka-sweet dish, Mudgara, and Rudraksha(ya) Mala.”
- Later in the song, kalimalaharaNa tarENa (malahari raga mudra)
In shrI subrahmaNyo mAm rakShatu (ragam Thodi, talam Adi, kshetra Tiruchendur)
- reference to Patravibhutipradana(vibhuthi on a leaf) in this song on Muruga ; and to this day, they give the vibhuthi on a betel leaf at this temple in Tiruchendur; ‘Such attention to detail but it is not forced; natural to the composition, what he wanted to highlight’
In Sri Venkata Girishamaalokaye (ragam Surutti, talam Adi), a play on words in the phrase Vinayaka turagaarudham
- It is Vi+nayaka not Vinayaka !
- aruda (“gaarudham”), the king (“naayaka”) of akaasha (“Vi”)
- And so it refers to him riding on Garuda
In Sri guruna pAlitOsmi (ragam Padi, talam Rupakam), the line
AdiguruguhapareNa kAdimatam anusAreNa
- reference to the type of tantric worship – kadi (Kadi hadi sadi (sri vidya upaasana) )
In Vamsavati Siva Yuvati (ragam Vamsavati, Talam Adi), the phrase dvA-viMSat Sruti svara svarUpiNi
- references musical notes based on twenty two (dvaavimshathi) shrutis
The underlying musical notes blend so harmoniously to meaning of the lyric
In Soundararajam, the brindavana saranga notes ascend to indicate going up to vaikuntam
In Kamalamba Navavarnam (ragam Kalyani), kalpita mAyA kAryam tyajarE
- notes for karyam are zig zag, indicating that the everyday jobs are helter skelter and all over the place and need to rise above that
- Tyajaare – emphasis in the notes RSR to issue the forceful command to rise above these mundane tasks
Name of the raga woven beautifully – raga mudra
shrI pArvatI paramEshvara vande cid-bimbau leelA-vigrahau (ragam Bauli, talam Adi)
- dwivachana is a concept found only in Sanskrit, rest of languages have singular and plural. Sanskrit has singular, dual(dwivachana) and plural for nouns.
- here dikshithar uses the dwivachana to refer to bimbau, as in the dual ardhaneeswara roopam
- And the raga mudra bauli arises as a combination of the ending bimbau and the start of leela
mAmava raghuvIra (Mahuri ragam, a janya of mela 28 Harikambodhi)
tvAmAhurIshAdayas tatvamiti , profound and ingenious weaving of the raga mudra
- tvam – you, ahuru – said, isha – ramachandra
- tatvamiti refers to tatvamasi
From Wikipedia : “Tat Tvam Asi is translated as "Thou art that," is one of the Mahāvākyas(Grand Pronouncements) in Vedantic Sanatana Dharma. It originally occurs in the Chandogya Upanishad.”
Shri vishwanatham chaturdasaragamalika where name of the raga is woven in each stanza
- sanmAtRam lalita-hRdaya-viditam (most gallant/kind/empathetic hearted/that can soar high)
(example from the Shaale Live online lecdem)
In Akshyayalinga vibho (ragam Sankarabaranam, talam chapu), is this incredibly beautiful lilting Anuprasa or alliteration, with same syllables recurring
dakSa shikSaNa dakSatara sura lakSaNa vidhi vilakSaNa lakSya lakSaNa bahu vicakSaNa shudha bhakSaNa guru kaTAkSa vikSaNa (akshyaya)
Countless examples of Antya Prasa (rhyming at the end of the word)
Soundararajam, the masterpiece in ragam Brindavana saranga
Mandasmita Mukhaambujam Mandaradhara Karaambujam
Nandakara Nayanaambujam Sundaratara Padaambujam
Taking rhyming to the next level with Yatis – Samayati, Gopuccha Yati and Srotovaha Yati
Examples from online Shaale Live Lecdem
In shrI guruguha tArayAshu mam (ragam devakriya, talam rupakam) is the following example of
Samayati (like a straight line) - surapati shrIpati ratipati vAkpati kSitipati pashupati
Multiple Yatis in thyagaraja yoga bhaivam (ragam, Ananda bhairavi,talam rupakam)
Gopuccha Yati (like a cow’s tail. tapering down with syllables decreasing
Thyagaraja yoga vaibhavam
Srotovaha Yati (widens like a stream to a river)
Sakala Tatva svarupa prakasam
Siva saktyadi Sakala Tatva svarupa prakasam
Yet, another level – where the composition lends itself to creation of a Yati during kalpanaswaram !
Example from online Shaale Live Lecdem
Incredibly innovative kalpana swaram, creating the Yati below by singing swarams, samam, then one akshara later, two aksharas later; and it is so remarkable since the shortened syllables are still meaningful and the meaning aligns to the composition.
Song – Siddhi Vinayakam (ragam Chamaram, talam rupakam)
Meaning asamana – incomparable, samana – proportionate/identical, bhasamana – lustrous/radiant
Examples from online Shaale Live Lecdem
Dikshithar composed a number of songs in Rupaka talam but very few in chapu. He also composed in the suladi talas(alankara talas).
Surya Murte in ragam Saurashtra, talam Chaturasra Jati Dhruva has 14 beats but not equivalent to two rounds of Mishra Chapu.
Sri Kamalambikayam Bhaktim Karomi, ragam Sahana, Tisra Triputa has 7 beats but not equivalent to Mishra Chapu.
Sri Ganesat Param Nahire , ragam Ardra Desi, talam Misra Jhampe has 10 beats but not equivalent to two rounds of khanda chapu
Smt T S Sathyavathi emphatically said that the fidelity of the composition, its kalapramana and where the syllables of the lyrics fall to the beats of the talam are maintained only when it is sung to the original talam; it is wrong to substitute chapu talas.
Deft Handling of Vivaadi Ragas
Dikshithar composed in all 72 melas including the vivaadi ragas.
In Western Classical music,when you play the consecutive notes next to each other simultaneously, it is called dissonance. By themselves, it is just a normal note; vivaadi comes into play only when they are juxtaposed next to each other, two notes with very little gap (for example – vivaadi Ga is actually the second R, so both R are being sung right next to each other creating the dissonance).
Dikshithar employs multiple patterns to deal with the vivaadi ragas without the faintest jarring effect
- elongation of vivaadi swara
- double notes for the vivaadi swara
- langana – jump over (skip) the vivaadi swara
In srI-sugandhikuntaLAmbike (ragam kuntalam)
Dikshithar followed the Asampurna mela; Raga Kuntalam is 61
Arohana S R₂ G₃ M₂ P D₁ Ṡ (vivaadi N is skipped) and Avarohana Ṡ N₁ D₁ P M₂ G₃ R₂ S
- PD,NDP (elongates D), DSGR (skips vivaadi N), SN,DS (elongates N)
The Sangita Sampradaya Pradarshini (SSP) is the authentic reference on musical notation for Dikshithar’s compositions, and provides the guidance on how to interpret his songs, carefully aligned with the composer’s mood and musical vision.
Dr T S Sathyavathi with vocal support by her student Nandita
Violin: Sandhya Anand and Mridangam: Keerthi Venkataramani
Dr T S Sathyavathi’s unique holistic format helps us gain a complete picture of the composer; starting with her lecdem highlighting the salient features, followed by a concert featuring the songs of the same composer. It is like learning a new language by immersion.
What is also striking is her amazing clarity; clear explanation of the meaning and references in the lyrics, perfect diction, clarion musical notes and sangatis, razor sharp precision in the chittaswaras.
Dr T Sathyavathi shared how she approaches the singing of Dikshithar’s compositions in a concert. “Alapana, Kalpana svarams are a formality for Diskhithar’s compositions. This is my sincere observation; why look to elaborate when the composition is so beautiful; many times it might not be an embellishment. Compositions like Sadachaleswaram, Chetashri – just enjoy the composition. Shri Mooladhara wont take a second speed swara; need to be sensitive to that. You can elaborate with care; it is not a must always.“
Dr T S Sathyavathi‘s brilliant approach to increase our awareness and sensitivity to what is codified in the Sangira Sampradaya Pradarshini (SSP) was akin to an aural picture is worth a thousand words. She first sang Annapurne Visalakshi, a popular kriti in ragam Sama attributed to Dikshithar but not in SSP, followed by Guruguhaya which is in the SSP and reveals firsthand Dikshithar’s more meditative and soulful Sama. I finally understood why my aunt Anandhi Ramachandran gave me her personal Guruguhaya cassette; perhaps, she too was struck by these completely new colors of Dikshithar’s Sama when she heard it for the first time at a concert, persuaded that vocalist to record it for her and was determined to share that experience.
Here are the compositions featured with additional insightful highlights from Dr T S Sathyavathi.
Rupamu Juchi Varnam described in SSP as cauka varnam in Janatodi(mela 8) and Adi talam. Its unique characteristic is that it cannot be sung in two speeds since it already contains passages in 2 speeds. It is rarely sung in vocal concerts; however, it is performed in Bharatanatyam recitals especially by Kalakshetra students. Dr T S Sathyavathi drew our attention to the Ga – singing the Kampita Gamakam (softer and lower, closer to R and S,not M). This complex varnam has multiple instances where S or P are omitted in the solfa passages and it was sung beautifully with fidelity and bhavam. Keerthi cohesively complemented the varying laya patterns in the svarams, underscoring the fact that the best mridangam accompaniment happens when the mridangam artist is knowledgeable about vocal music and knows the songs well.
Next, Vallabha Nayakasya (not in SSP), including a brief kalpana swaram at opening line. Dr T S Sathyavathi pointed out that she had omitted several sangatis in popular vogue for this song since these get in the way of enunciating the lyrics clearly. This conformed to the principles she had stated at the outset that adding excessive ornamentation hinders rather than embellishes a Dikshithar composition and so, the artist must be mindful of that at every turn.
Dr T S Sathyavathi also shared some fascinating information about the swara Ni in Dikshithar’s Begada. When I first learnt Begada, there was a lot of emphasis on its Ma being unique and that it is sung, kind of in between Shudha and Prati Madyamas. This was the first time I understood a lot more about Begada’s Ni. Dr T S Sathyavathi said “Begada is a janya of Sankarabaranam, mela 29, more of kakali nishada (N3, big N) but the opening line of Sri Thyagarajaya Namaste which is in the SSP begins with kaishiki nishada(N2, small N). You can have several rules/regulations but they are not binding on him! As a student of Sanskrit, this reminds me of Kalidasa. There used to be rules that a Mahakavya must only have a single hero, but Kalidasa composed Raguvamsha (mulitiple heros); they had to reframe the rule centuries later to accommodate Kalidasa ! I was so intrigued that I went and looked up the raga lakshana for begada in the English version of the SSP and lo and behold, it includes an explanation for not only Ma but also Ni. “The kaisiki nisada in these prayogas will appear as kaisiki in some places, kakali in some places, and some other times neither as kaisiki nor as kakali.”
Then came both versions of Sama. First Annapurne Visalakshi which is very familiar to most of us. Dr T S Sathyavathi explained how the note Da is raised in Annapurne but not in Guruguhaya as stipulated by SSP. She sang the phrases to show the difference and then moved to the raga alapana. And true to the metaphor mentioned earlier in the lecdem, Dikshithar’s Sama was indeed like gourmet food! Much more rarely encountered, intricate layering of flavor and texture, more complex to create and more mindfulness needed to fully appreciate. Dr T S Sathyavathi elaborated the raga based on the prayogas stipulated in the SSP; Nandita joined in the raga alapana focusing on the upper octaves. Sandhya‘s violin alapana was faithful to the Dikshithar’s version of Sama that had just been carefully delineated. And then the pensive Guruguhaya and its chittaswaram.
Dr T S Sathyavathi sang the chittaswaram again to surface the laya dexterity in the mukthayi swara ending :
- s,dp m g ,r s d,srm, which can give the illusion of 3 Din Takita but it is not !
- The authentic version is Din thakita Din thaka din thakita , so 5 4 5, so, it is split as
Dr T S Sathyavathi said the English version of SSP does not have this, it has a slightly different chittaswara with 3 fives and emphasized, “this is Dikshithar! handle with care” !
The main for the concert was the hauntingly beautiful Shri Sathyanarayana in Raga Shivapanturali, inspired by Hindustani Miyan Ki Todi and similar to Subapantuvarali. This song is not in the SSP. “It has Dvitiyakshara Prasa (rhyming on second syllable) but misses it in some places which Dikshithar never does; It is unclear if Dikshithar composed it; it is a beautiful composition in the style of Dikshithar.” Dr T S Sathyavathi then briefly explained about the Deshiya ragas that Dikshithar has leveraged. Deshiya ragas are ragas whose interpretation varies in different regions of the country. “Dikshithar has emulated Uttaradi Music (North Indian Music) and introduced many of those ragas into Carnatic music; however, any raga he emulated, he took it so deep into the system that it got assimilated; and has a different color than the original.” He also changed their names such as Jaijaivanti to Dwijavanti (2 Jai),Brindavana Saranga to Brindavani, Yaman to Yamuna Kalyani which also refers to the confluence of Kaveri/Ganga in Jambupathe. Speaking of Dwijavanti, Akhilandeshwari which sounds more like Jaijaivanti is not in SSP. Chetasri Balakrishnam which is in the SSP has a completely different color; it has shades of Yadukulakambodhi and Sahana.”
Coming back to Shivapantuvarali, Dr T S Sathyavathi said she was not making it sound like pathos since it is celebrating Sathyanarayana. The raga alapana shared seamlessly by Guru and her sishya Nandita was melodious as was the neraval and kalpana swaram at the line satya jHnAnAnanda mayam sarvam viSNumayam including at one time highlighting it as anandamayam. It was followed by a short and sweet Tani Avartanam.
Mangalam on Dikshithar tuned in Madhyamavathi composed by Dr T S Sathyavathi herself
Veena gana vinodaaya raga ragaanga darshine
Shudhaanta ranga vedyaaya shri muthuswamine namaha
sangita sastra nipunaaya prayogaanvaya karine
dakshinorthara geetaya shri muthuswamine namaha
advaitamruta tatvaaya gnana vidyaana bhodine
guruguhankitaa dyaaya shri muthuswamine namaha
Dr T S Sathyavathi eloquently concluded, saying “Dikshithar ‘s compositions are like the ocean or Himalayas. No one can cross it or scale it. It is like purna – infinite. And since it is infinite, a part of infinity is also infinity and so when we do our best, it still has fulfillment and is complete!”
Nandita provided excellent accompaniment to her guru and clarity was her hallmark too – open throated singing, clarity in diction and musicality. Sandhya Menon’s violin accompaniment was melodious and she aced the challenge of following the raga elaboration aligned with what the SSP stipulates in the Dikshithar style of the raga. Dikshithar’s compositions and their kalapramana are equally demanding from the laya perspective and Keerthi also aced the challenge with fidelity to nadam.
I was also fortunate to attend the fantastic workshop by Dr T S Sathyavathi on the compositions of Mysore composers. Every successive day of class brought more joyful anticipation for when it would be time for the workshop; what the new composition and related gems of musical, lyrical, linguistic insight would be; the joy of singing together harmoniously. And it all happened because of Dr T S Sathyavathi’s passion for teaching and her evident joy in our sincerity and enthusiasm to learn. Dr T S Sathyavathi had meticulously planned for the 4 classes from the selection of the songs, to the allotment of time for new songs and the revision of what was taught the prior days to the punctuality of the start time each day. She gave us clear beautifully handwritten notation for each song.
Dr T S Sathyavathi’s ethos of respecting the composers and staying true to their vision was anchored in every aspect of her teaching. She first read each line of the lyric clearly and explained the meaning and mood of the song. At the outset, she pointed out where the words must be split and where they must not be split. She ensured that this would manifest in our singing, by pointing out when to take the breadth so that the words would not be split incorrectly in that line. She had the rare patience to make us repeat multiple times until we got it clearly - the variations in each sangati, the gamakas, the eduppus. And Dr T S Sathyavathi went a step further and also showed us multiple variations for the line or song endings, to spur our own creativity.
Here are the eclectic and melodic songs we learnt – 4 Devarnamas and 4 kritis, all by Mysore composers.
- Varalakshmi in ragam Gowri Manohari , talam rupakam composed by Mysore Vasudevacharya
- Ratna Kanchuka Dharini in ragam Kambodhi, talam michra chapu composed by Muthiah Bhagavathar
- Shri Rajarajeswari in ragam Lalita, talam rupakam composed by Mysore Maharaja
- Madhava Nannu Brova va javali in ragam khamas, talam Adi composed by Mysore Sadashiva Rao
- Nambadiru Ee Deha tuned by Dr T S Sathyavathi in hauntingly beautiful Tanaroopi (Vivaadi mela 6) talam Khanda Chapu composed by Purandaradasa
- Kagada bandide in ragam kaapi, tisra nadai eka , composed by Purandaradasa
- Marulu madikondeyalle in ragam neelambari, talam adi composed by Purandaradasa
- Rangana nodire, ragamalika Brindavana Saranga,Sivaranjani, Amrithavarshini tuned by Dr T S Sathyavathi, Mishra Gathi composed by Purandaradasa
As you can see in just 4 days, we covered a kaleidoscope of ragas, talas, languages and elevated our understanding and fidelity to the swara, raga, laya, kalapramana and the underlying lyrics of these compositions. Of course, we have to build on this strong foundation and assiduously practice each of these kritis hundreds of times to fully assimilate them.
Here is feedback from some of the participants in the workshop
Revathi Subramony : “It was a one of a kind experience to learn from a Guru like Dr TS Satyavathi who is not only well versed in music but also a master of sahitya. She is able to look at a composition through the eyes of the composer and make meaningful interpretations, which is no easy task. She is then able to convey that to her students in simple terms to help them appreciate the lyrical beauty in the Krithi- a very unique gift that she possesses! The most important take away for me was and I quote Dr Satyavathi-“appreciate each and every composer for their creativity without trying to compare them!”
We learnt many wonderful compositions of Karnataka composers but the icing on the cake was the haunting Purandaradasa Krithi in Tanaroopi tuned by Dr Satyavathi!”
Chitra Sundararajan :” It was an honor and privilege to attend Dr. Sathyavathi’s workshop. She made sure we understood the Ragam, Bhavam and Laya of every song she taught us. Understanding the meaning of sahityam made singing the song that much more enjoyable. It was truly a great experience. Thanks to Sruthi for arranging the workshop.”
Rajee Raman : “Dr T S Sathyavathi is a renaissance woman - a musician , musicologist, Sanskritist ! And along with that immense scholarship, the values of humility, utter immersion and laser sharp focus on the Bhava of the composer and the composition,the raga and the Laya, the sahitya and the kavya in the sahitya ! We are incredibly fortunate for this experience."
We unanimously look forward to our next workshop with Dr T S Sathyavathi!
A Big THANK YOU to Revathi for hosting the workshop, and of course to Sruti for making it all happen!
Kamakshi Mallikarjun is a classical music enthusiast, a member of Sruti and local contributor to Sruti Ranjani.
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