Jo Achyutananda Jo Jo Mukunda

Priya Sisters


M S Subbalakshmi


Lyrics by Annamacharya:

jO achyutAnanda jO jO mukundA ||
rAvE paramAnanda rAma gOvinda ||

1. nanduninTanucEri nayamu mIranga candravadanalu nIku sEva cEyanga
andamuga vArinDla aaDucunDangA mandalaku donga mA muddu ranga

jO achyutAnanda jO jO mukundA ||

2. pAla vArASi lO pavvaLincinAvu
bAlugA munulaka bhayamiccinAvu
mElugA vasudEvukudayincinAvu
bAluDai yunDi gOpAluDainAvu

jO achyutAnanda jO jO mukundA ||

3. aTTugaTTina mIgaDaTTe tinnADE
paTTi kODalu mUtipai rAsinADE
aTTe tinenavi yaTTa yaDugavinnADE
gaTTigA nidi donga koTTumannADE

jO achyutAnanda jO jO mukundA ||

4. gOllavArinDlakunu gobbunaku bOyi
kollalugA trAvi kunDalanu nEyi
cEllunAmaganAnDra jelagi ee SAyi
cillitanamulu sEya jellunaTa vOyi

jO achyutAnanda jO jO mukundA ||

5. repalle satulella gopambutOnu
gopamma mI koDuku mA inDlalOnu
mApu gAnE vacci mA mAnamulanu
nI pApaDE cer''ace - nEmandumamma!

jO achyutAnanda jO jO mukundA ||

6. oka yAlini decci - nokani kaDabeTTi
jagaDamula galipinci satipatula baTTi
pagalu nalu jAmulunu bAluDai naTTi
maganAnDra jEpaTTi madanuDainaTTi !

jO achyutAnanda jO jO mukundA ||

7. angajuniganna mAyanna iTurAra bangAruginnelO pAluposErA
donganIvani satulu bonducunnArA mungiTanADarA mOhanAkArA

jO achyutAnanda jO jO mukundA ||

8. gOvadhanambella goDugugA baTTi
kAvaramuna nunna kamsubaDagoTTi
nIvu madhurApuramu nElajEpaTTi
ThIvitO nElina dEvakI paTTi

jO achyutAnanda jO jO mukundA ||

9. angugA tALLapAkannayya cAla SRngAra racanagA ceppE nIjOla
sangatigA sakala sampadala nIvELa mangaLamu tirupaTla madanagOpAla

jO achyutAnanda jO jO mukundA ||

Here the poet transforms himself into YasOda and sings this lullaby to Baalakrishna.
He teases Baalakrishna, calling him a thief who steals butter from all the houses when he is offered milk in a golden bowl in his own house. The poet sings this romantic lullaby and also refers to the beautiful women who look after the needs of Baalakrishna.....



Sri Tallapaka Annamacharya
(శ్రీ తాళ్ళపాక అన్నమాచార్య) or Annamayya (May 9, 1408-February 23, 1503) was the official songmaster of the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple and a Telugu composer who composed thousands of keertana songs,many of which were in praise of Lord Sri Venkateswara Swami. The musical form of the keertana songs that he composed have strongly influenced the structure of Carnatic music compositions, which are still popular among Carnatic music concert artists.Sri Annamacharya is remembered for his saintly life, and is honoured as a great Bhakta/devotee of Bhagwaan Govinda by devotees and saintly singers.

He is widely regarded as the Pada-kavita Pitaamaha (grand old man of song-writing) of the Telugu language.

Annamacharya was born on Vaisakha Suddha Pournami in the year Sarwadhari (May 9, 1408) in Tallapaka, a remote village in current day Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh, India.His wife, Thimmakka, had written Subhadra Kalyanam, and is considered the first female poet in Telugu literature. Their son, Pedda Tirumalacharya, and grandson, Tallapaka Chinnayya, were also composers and poets. The Tallapaka compositions are considered to have dominated and influenced the structure of Carnatic music compositions.Annamacharya lived for 95 years until Phalguna Bahula Dwadasi (12th day after full moon) in the year Dhundhubhi (February 23, 1503).

[edit] Literary career
Annamacharya is said to have composed as many as 32,000 sankeertanas (songs) on Bhagwaan Govinda Venkateswara,of which only about 12,000 are available today. His sankeertanas are of two kinds - composed for Bhagwaan Govinda. His keertana compositions are based on the Vishishtadvaita school of thought. Annamayya was educated in this system of Ramanuja by Sri Sathagopa Yateendra of the Ahobila matham.

In his keertana, he espouses subjects such as morality, dharma and righteousness. His songs worship Bhagwaan Venkateswara by describing his amorous and romantic adventures, a tradition now known as Madhura Bhakti. Most of these songs describe the adventures of Venkateswara and Alamel Manga, while others describe the Bhakti of Krishna's devotees.

He was one of the first few who opposed the social stigma towards the untouchable castes in his era, with his sankeertanas explaining that the relationship between God and human is the same irrespective of the latters' color, caste and financial status, in beautiful yet powerful usage of words in his song "Brahmam Okkate Parabrahmam Okkate..."

His choice of words gives a mellifluous tone to his songs, charming the listener. His prodigious literary career earned him a place among the all-time greats of Telugu literature.

According to legend, Annamacharya met up with Purandara Dasa and both of them composed music and lyrics.They met when Annamacharya had invited Purandara Dasa to join him in singing priase.

While enjoying popularity in his own days, his compositions were forgotten for over three centuries for some inexplicable reason. They were later found engraved on copper plates, hidden for centuries inside the Sri Venkateswara temple at Tirumala.

Annamacharya considered his compositions as floral offerings to Bhagwaan Govinda. In the poems, he praises Venkateswara, describes his love for him, argues and quarrels with the Lord, confesses the devotee's failures and apprehensions, and surrenders himself to Venkateshwara. His songs are classified into the Adhyaatma (spiritual) and Sringaara (romantic) sankeertanas genres.

Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams, also known as TTD, has been endeavouring to preserve the rich heritage of his compositions .Garimella Balakrishna Prasad (born 9 November 1948) set the musical tune for more than 600 Annamacharya songs. He has been the Asthana Gayaka of the Tirumala temple at Tirupati since 1983. He is regarded as a pioneer in rendering devotional music in classical style, especially the Annamacharya sankirtanas. He composed tunes for famous keerthanas such as Vinaro Bhagyamu Vishnukatha, Bhramha Kadigina Padamu, Jagadapu Chanuvula and Pidikedu Thalambralu... which became popular among the devotees. All these devotional songs are predominantly in Sanskrit and Telugu.

S.M. Vijay, an ardent devotee of Lord Venkateswara and Annamacharya since 1992, has devoted his life for the propogation of Annamacharya Kirtanas. Currently residing at Tirupati, he has written 8 books and a lot of articles in the Tamil edition of Saptagiri (published by TTD), Annamacharyar Kirthanaigalum adhan Arthangalum (Vol 1-8) for the Tamil speaking people. He also has an idol of Annamacharya and performs Nama Sankeerthanam daily. He believes that in Kali Yuga, Nama Sankeerthanam is the only easy way to attain Moksha.

The sankeertanas engraved on copper plates were found in the Tirumala temple just opposite the Hundi, concealed in a very small room. It is said only 12,000 of the 32,000 sankeertanas were found. No leads have been available to trace the remaining sankeertanas. Some personnel involved in deciphering the plates say that the people of those days could have melted the copper plates for personal use.

In the programme, LakshaGala Sankirthanarchana, some 160,000 people sang seven Annamayya keertanas in Hyderabad, creating a new Guinness record on May 10, 2009

Alai Payuthey Kanna - From Priya Ramankutty

Priya and I were neighbours in Tamil Nadu, a quarter of a century ago! Thanks to her persistance she found me on Face Book despite very heavy duty security and camouflage that I took refuge in...I would ask her to chaperone me on long walks when I young and my heart was aflutter and sang songs like this one!!


Sudha Raghunathan


KS Chitra


K Jesudas

Lyrics: Oothukkadu Venkatasubbier
Raagam: Kaanada
Taalam: Adi
Janya: 22 Kharaharipriya
Aarohanam: S R2 G2 M1 D N2 S
Avarohanam: S N2 P M1 G2 M1 R2 S

Pallavi
alaipaayudhae kaNNaa en manam alaipaayudhae
aanandha moagana vaeNu gaanamadhil
alaipaayudhae kaNNaa en manam alaipaayudhae
un aanandha moagana vaeNu gaanamadhil
alaipaayudhae kaNNaa aaaa

Anupallavi
nilaipeyaRaadhu silaipoalavae ninRu (2)
naeramaavadhaRiyaamalae miga vinoadhamaana muraLeedharaa en manam
alaipaayudhae kaNNaa aaaa

Charanam
theLindha nilavu pattappagal poal eriyudhae (2)
dhikkai noakki en puruvam neRiyudhae
kanindha un vaeNugaanam kaatRil varugudhae (2)
kaNgal sorugi oru vidhamaay varugudhae (2)

Madhyama Kaalam
kadhiththa manaththil oruththi padhaththai enakku aLiththu magizhththavaa (2)
oru thaniththa manaththil aNaiththu enakku uNarchchi koduththu mugizhththavaa
thaniththa manaththil aNaiththu enakku uNarchchi koduththu mugizhththavaa
aNai kadal alaiyinil kadhiravan oLiyena iNaiyiru kazhalena kaLiththavaa
kadhaRi manamurugi naan azhaikkavoa idhara maadharudan nee kaLikkavoa (2)
idhu thagumoa idhu muRaiyoa idhu dharmam thaanoa (2)
kuzhaloodhidum pozhudhu aadigum kuzhaigaL poalavae manadhu vaedhanai migavodu
alaipaayudhae kaNNaa en manam alaipaayudhae
un aanandha moagana vaeNu gaanamadhil
alaipaayudhae kaNNaa aaaa


pallavi

My mind is all aflutter, Oh Krishna, listening to the joyous,
enchanting music of your flute, My mind is all aflutter!

anupallavi

Transfixed, I stood there like a statue, oblivious of even the passage
of time, hey, mysterious flautist!

caraNam
In this clear moonlight (that makes a day of the night), I strain my
eyebrows hard and look in your direction, the mellow tunes of your
flute come floating in the breeze... my eyes feel drowsy and a new
feeling sweeps my being

Come! Mould my tender heart, make it full and fill me with joy! Come!
take me to a lonely grove and fill me with the emotions of ecstatic
union!

You are the one who danced and made merry on the sun-bathed waves of
the ocean! Am I to go on pleading for you with melting heart, While
you are enjoying yourself with other women? Is it right? Is it proper?
Is it what dharma is? My heart dances like your eardrops do when
you blissfully play the flute! (My sad heart is all aflutter)


Ootthukkadu Venkata Kavi (Telugu: ఊట్టుక్కాడు వెంకట కవి,Tamil: ஊத்துக்காடு வேங்கட கவி, Sanskrit: वूत्तुकाडु वेंकट कवि) (c.1700 - 1765 CE) was a composer of Carnatic music. He lived in South India in the present-day state of Tamil Nadu. Also known by the name Oothukkadu Venkatasubba Iyer, he is attributed to over 400 compositions. These were handed down from generation to generation by the descendants of the composer's brother's family. Venkata Kavi's compositions reveal that he was a complete master of the science and art of music in all senses of the term – melody, rhythm or lyrics and was eloquent in Sanskrit and Tamil. He was proficient in a variety of musical forms such as the kriti, tillana and kavadichindu. He used talas and themes that not many other Carnatic composers have preferred to handle. His compositions are a blend of tremendous scholarship on a variety of subjects and inspired expression. Several pieces also reveal his humility, reverence for the great personalities before his times and the high state of bliss that he probably experienced almost ceaselessly. His works scarcely contain autobiographical notes and show that he had reached tremendous spiritual and philosophical heights. His works also reveal the proximity he felt towards God and show his deep devotion.

Venkata Kavi, named as Venkata Subramanian, was born to a Tamil couple, Kamalanarayani and Ramachandra Vathoola, in the South Indian temple town of Mannargudi (about 200 miles from Chennai) but spent a considerable part of his life in the nearby village of Oottukkadu, a small village near Kumbakonam. In his later years Venkata Kavi claimed that he received his musical insights from the god Krishna himself, in the Kalinga Nartana Temple in Ootthukkadu. In one of his Tamil compositions, Guru paadaravindam komalamu - in the raga Abhogi, he declares: "I have never studied the scriptures or yoga nor pretended to have done so. I received my whole fortune in the benevolent glance of my guru." Venkata Kavi composed at least 14 songs only on the greatness of his Guru Krishna. A few of them suggest that he may also have had another human guru.

The greatest evidence of his musical pedigree is his compositions. There are several references to good musical approach, practices and even technical terms of ornamentation like aahatam and pratyaagatam. Venkata Kavi believed that music had to be blended with religious devotion (bhakti) in order to shine. His philosophy, bhakti yoga sangeeta margame paramapavana mahume ("Devotion though music is the path to salvation") is similar to the great composer Tyagaraja’s sangeeta gnanamu bhakti vina sanmargamu galade.

Venkata Kavi had a vast knowledge of music and musical nuances. He used a wide variety of ragas ranging from the well known such as Todi, Kalyani, Kharaharapriya, Sahana, through minor ones like Kannadagowla, Jayantashri, Malavi, Umabharanam and also a few that are seldom used today like Balahamsa and Rasamanjari. In some instances, his works are the first or only ones to be available in a given raga such as Sri Shivanayike in Lalitagandharvam and Padasevanam in Deeparam.

His vision of the raga and melody as a whole is considerable and can be seen in the number of different styles in which he composed various krtis in the same raga. For instance, his krtis in Madhyamavathi – Shankari Sri Rajarajeshwari, Sundara nandakumara and Aadadu ashangadu vaa Kanna - bring out different facets of this beautiful raga. He also employed attractive swaraksharas – a technique where the lyrics match the solfa notes of the tune. He has also incorporated raga mudra (mentioning the names of ragas of the composition) in several krtis. Examples: Shuddha Saveri, Navarasakannada. Several other compositions contain names of many other ragas mentioned in some other contexts.

Venkata Kavi also had great command over rhythm. He made complex eduppus (starting or landing points of various sections of a composition) seem like child’s play and used them naturally, without ever affecting the flow of the music or the lyrics. Venkata Kavi had deep scholarship in Sanskrit and Tamil. His vocabulary and the use of words and phrases are unique in Carnatic literature.

Venkata Kavi's vivid imagination and picturisation can be seen in Taye yashoda in raga Todi, where the gopikas are complaining to Yashoda about her son Lord Krishna. This song has eight charanams (stanzas) and each one describes the pranks of Krishna very humorously. Not so well known is the reply by Krishna to every one of these charges in another piece, Illai illai in Mohanam, also with eight charanams.

Sangatis are pre-composed variations in a composition and rendered in a disciplined manner (as opposed to variations born from free improvisation). Usually, variations are melodic in nature while the lyrics remain constant. Several of Venkata Kavi’s pieces have such sangatis but he has also shown the concept of lyrical variations. For instance, in the pallavi of his Abhogi piece, Mahashaya hrdaya, he has composed three variations in the madhyamakala passage as given below:

madhukara champaka vana vihara manamohana Madhusoodana navabhooshana
madhukara champaka vana vihara nava pallava padakara madana gambheera
madhukara champaka vana vihara govardhana dhara bhujaga nartana charana
Venkata Kavi also used his innovative skills in the structures of his compositions. In some songs Venkata Kavi has varied the ratios or inserted madhyamakalams between slower passages within a given section as seen in the pallavi of Padmini vallabha in raga Dhanyasi.

Venkata Kavi was a master of finishes. In several songs, his endings are in interesting rhythmic patterns. For example, Bhuvanamoha in Dhanyasi, where he has capped off the charanam with a pattern of 6 repeated 11 times, which is a wonderful way to get to half a beat landing (which is the commencing point of the pallavi) from the beat after 2 cycles of Adi tala. The words are superbly woven in lilting Sanskrit:

atinootana kusumakara vrjamohana saraseeruha dalalochana mamamanasa patuchorasu- swarageetasu- muraleedhara suramodita bhavamochana
There are many other instances of similar endings in krtis like Alavadennalo in Paras (5th charanam) and Mummada vezhamugattu Vinayakan in Nattai.

Venkata Kavi has composed on a wide range of themes. The most popular of his songs are on Lord Krishna but he has composed on a number of other deities as well, such as Vinayaka, Tyagaraja of Tiruvarur, Kamakshi, Rama, Kartikeya, Narasimha, Anjaneya, Ranganatha, and also on Surya, Radha and other mythological characters. He has composed on great sages such as Shuka Brahma Rishi, Jayadeva and Valmiki. Besides, he has composed several songs on the greatness of Guru, and general philosophy and approach to God. His works contain references to Azhwars, Nayanmars, Ramanuja, Tulasidas and many other revealing his knowledge of their works and contributions and his reverence towards them.

That Venkata Kavi composed an entire opera narrating Krishna’s birth and childhood, beginning from Devaki-Vasudeva’s wedding and Kamsa’s curse. There are also group songs describing Krishna’s wedding with Rukmini and another group covering his marriage with Radha.

There is also a set of songs narrating the story on Lord Rama’s childhood starting from Dasharatha’s Putrakameshti yagna to Rama’s trip with Vishwamitra. It is not known whether this work was completed by the author but there is a lovely single ragamalika piece Sri Rama jayame jayam which covers the entire story of Ramayana.

Compositions on Daksha Yaga, Prahlada and Mahabharata have also been found.

Venkata Kavi has also composed several group krtis like Saptaratnas, Kamakshi Navavaranam and Anjaneya Pancharatnas. He has also composed several shlokas like Madhava panchakam, Nrsimha panchakam, Ranganatha Panchakam and so on.

His Saptaratnas (seven gems = seven songs) are similar in style to Tyagaraja’s pancharatnas (five gems) in their musical structure. The saptaratnas are:

Bhajanamrta – Nattai
Aganitamahima – Gowla
Madhava hrdi khelini' – Kalyani
Balasarasa murali – Keeravani
Jatadara – Todi
Alavandaro – Paras
Sundara Nandakumara – Madhyamavathi

Venkata Kavi also composed Navavarnams (nine varnams) on the goddess Srividya to be sung during Dasara. Apart from the main nine songs for the nine nights, he has also composed Vinayaka stuti, Dhyana stuti and a Phala stuti. There are several similarities (and differences) between his Navavaranams and that of Muthuswami Dikshitar but both reveal the composers’ scholarship in the various aspects of Devi worship. These are:

Sri Ganeshwara – Shanmukhapriya – Adi – Vinayaka stuti
Vanchayati yadi kushalam – Kalyani – Adi – Dhyana stuti
Santatam aham seve – Deshakshi – Adi - (1st avaranam)
Bhajaswa shree – Nadanamakriya – Adi - (2nd avaranam)
Sarvajeeva dayapari – Shuddha Saveri – Mishra Chapu - (3rd avaranam)
Yoga yogeshwari – Anandabhairavi – Khanda Triputa (2 kalais) - (4th avaranam)
Neelalohita ramani – Balahamsa – Khanda Dhruvam (2 kalais) - (5th avaranam)
Sadanandamayi – Hindolam – Sankeerna Matyam - (6th avaranam)
Sakalaloka nayika – Arabhi – Adi - (7th avaranam)
Shankari Shri Rajarajeshwari – Madhyamavathi – Adi - (8th avaranam)
Natajana kalpavalli – Punnagavarali – Adi - (9th avaranam)
Haladharanujam praptum - Manirangu - Adi - Phala stuti