Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

4.1 Introduction
This chapter gives an overview of the huge wealth of musical compositions by various

composers in the Vijayanagara period. By the examination of these compositions, it can be

seen that they have created a unique treasury of Lakṣya (practical music) which laid the

foundation of seminal developments in Karṇāṭaka music and inspired the succeeding

generations of composers. The study of musical compositions has been divided into three

main heads – those of the Haridāsa-s, the Tāllapāka composers and other composers.

The scope of this study is limited by the time period of 1336 to 1565 AD and also pertaining

to the Royal Court of Vijayanagara. The focus of this study is the set of musical compositions
connected directly or indirectly to the court of Vijayanagara which had a direct impact on

Karṇāṭaka music. For the sake of completeness, the work of other composers pertaining to

the time period has also been briefly touched upon.

4.1.1 Musical Compositions of the Haridāsa-s

The first few ascetics/saints of the Haridāsa tradition, who lived earlier than and during the

Vijayanagara period are:

Śrī Naraharitīrtha (1324 – 1333 AD) (in the position of the chief pontiff)

Śrī Śrīpādarāya (1404 – 1502 AD)

Śri Vyāsatīrtha (1460 – 1539 AD)

Śrī Purandara Dāsa (1484 – 1564 AD)

Śrī Vādirāja (1480 – 1600 AD)

Śrī Kanaka Dāsa (1509 – 1609 AD)

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Śrī Narahari Tīrtha (d. 1333 AD) is believed to have composed some Kṛti-s out of which only

three are extant today. No other reliable information exists of other Haridāsa composers
between Śrī Narahari Tīrtha and Śrī Śrīpādarāya.

This section examines the musical compositions of the Haridāsa saints of the Vijayanagara

period – Śrī Śrīpādarāya, Śrī Vyāsarāya, Śrī Purandara Dāsa, Śrī Kanaka Dāsa and Śrī

Bēluru Vaikuṇṭha Dāsa from various perspectives.

Similar to their counterparts spearheading the Bhakti movement in various parts of the

country, Haridāsa-s were primarily interested in communicating their message of the glory of

the Almighty and Surrender to the God-head for promoting the welfare of mankind. The use

of music as a medium of communication of their message to the common people,

irrespective of caste, creed or social status, had some unique advantages such as easy
delivery in a pleasant and acceptable form, quick distribution of the message ddue to their

frequent visits to places of Pilgrimage and temple locations and emotional participation of the

audience.

Though the main purpose of Haridāsa compositions was the propagation of spiritual/moral

and social messages, as a by-product, their body of work impacted Karṇātaka music

substantially. This is seen in many ways. The plethora of Dēśī Tāla-s eventually were

replaced by the Sulādi Sapta Tāla-s. A number of Rāga-s which were perhaps not in vogue

earlier came into the forefront. The Kṛti or Pada form used by them eventually evolved into a

very complex form of Art music.

This intense creative period in simplification, modifications in some areas, creation of new

forms as well as making music a widely popular source of enjoyable communication and a

social event was a very great significant contribution by the Haridāsa-s of Karnataka.

The musicological content of these compositions has been analysed from the following

perspective:

 Rāga-s used

 Tāla-s used

 forms used and evolved by the Haridāsa-s

 musical and musicological concepts embedded in the compositions

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An in-depth study of the Rāga and Tāla system, as well as the Forms and Thematic
classification of the compositions of the Haridāsa-s has been carried out in consultation with

several manuscripts, printed works and musicological treatises.

4.1.1.1 Rāga-s used by Haridāsa-s

The compositions of the Haridāsa-s have been transmitted over the centuries mainly by oral

tradition, with some written documents surviving only after they had been copied from earlier

ones in early 17/18 th centuries after the fall of the Vijayanagara empire. There has not been

a history of notation of these compositions. Most of the manuscripts of the compositions

contain the lyrics and just the name of the Rāga-s and Tāla-s. Only in the late 19th and early

20th century, attempts were made to collate and publish the compositions (which were

available in manuscripts and which also existed in oral tradition) by various individuals and

institutions. Since then, many publications of Haridāsa Sāhitya have been brought out.

However, in most of these publications, emphasis has been laid on the textual content of the

lyrics rather than the musical elements.

Another development that has started from the middle of the 20 th century is the proliferation

of recorded music. Since recording technology has advanced greatly and musicians have

also experimented with different tunes and Rāga-s, the Haridāsa compositions have been

recorded by several musicians in different Rāga-s. While this has increased their popularity,

this also has resulted in the original melodies and Rāga-s being obscured from public

memory. Many of the recent publications of Haridāsa compositions mention Rāga names

based more on the popular recorded versions of the Haridāsa compositions which could well

be different from the original Rāga-s in which they were sung. Oral traditions (in institutions

like Mutts and in the families of Haridāsa-s) have also been unfortunately greatly influenced

by the popular recorded versions. As a result of this, no genuine oral traditions of Haridāsa

compositions that preserve the authentic music of the Vijayanagara times have been found

even after search.

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Due to the above reasons, it is very difficult to establish the original melodies that could have

been used for the compositions. It is also quite difficult to state with certainty the Rāga-s
used for each of the compositions. However, it is possible to arrive at a total set of Rāga-s

which was most probably in use by the Haridāsa-s.

4.1.1.1.1 Arriving at a set of Rāga-s likely to have been used by Haridāsa-s

After examining several possible sources, it appears that there could only be a few which

could be considered as the most authentic for determining the Rāga-s likely to have been

used by the Haridāsa-s. The information given by them would be perhaps the most accurate;

however, it is by no means complete. The reason for that is that a huge number of Haridāsa

compositions are also apparently lost. Had these survived, there might have been more

information about the Rāga-s used by the Haridāsa-s. Therefore, the list of Rāga-s arrived at
with the help of available sources is not exhaustive, but does give some insight into some of

the pioneering attempts by Haridāsa-s in the usage of Rāga-s.

The following are the sources for information on the Rāga-s used by the Haridāsa-s:

 Rāga-s mentioned by name in the lyrics of Haridāsa compositions

 Rāga-s with examples of Sulādi-s described in the musicological works (Lakśaṇa

Grantha-s) Saṅgīta Sārāmṛta by Tulaja (1729-1735 AD) and Rāga Lakśaṇamu of

Śahaji (1684-1711 AD)

 Rāga-s and notations of Purandara Dāsa compositions in the Lakśaṇa Grantha

Saṅgīta Sampradāya Pradarśiṇi written in 1904

 Rāga-s mentioned in the first printed book of Haridāsa compositions published in

Mangalore in 1850 by Hermann Mogling (based on oral tradition)

 Rāga-s mentioned in the published books of Haridāsa compositions in the 20th

century (based on oral tradition and manuscripts)

 Rāga-s in manuscripts in Thanjavur Maharaja Sarasvati Mahal Library

 Rāga-s in a manuscript in Mysore - Kannaḍa Adhyayana Samsthe (Kuvempu

Institute of Kannada Studies)

 Rāga-s in manuscripts from Cippagiri and Gadhwal from the lineage of Śrī

Vijayadāsa and his disciples

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The lists of the Rāga-s mentioned in each of the sources above have been examined with
respect to musicological and literary sources in the subsequent sections.

4.1.1.1.1 Rāga-s mentioned in the lyrics of Haridāsa compositions

Some of the Haridāsa composition lyrics contain the names of Rāga-s. The details of these

compositions have been given in Appendix A.

The following is the list of the names of the Rāga-s mentioned in the compositions of Śrī

Purandara Dāsa:

Āhari, Bhairavi, Bhouli , Dēśī, Dēśākśi, Dhanyāsi, Goula, Gouli, Gujjari, (also mentioned as

Gurjari, Gūrjari), Guṇḍakriya (also mentioned as Guṇḍakriye), Kalyāṇi, Kāmbōji , Kurunji,

Malhāri, Mukhāri, Mālavi (also mentioned as Mālava), Māravi, Mēgha, Mēgharanjini, Nāṭi,

Nāmakriya, Pāḍi, Phalamañjari, Pūrvi, Rāmakriye, Sāraṅga, Sāvēri, Śankarābharaṇa,

Saurāśṭra, Tōḍi, Vasanta, Y(V?)arali

The following is the list of Rāga-s mentioned in the compositions of Śrī Kanaka Dāsa:

Hindōla Vasanta, Nārāyaṇi, Dēśākśi, Gurjari, Dēvagāndhāri, Guṇḍakriya, Vasanta, Ārabhi,

Sāmanta, Malahari, Bhūpāli, Mālavi, Śrī, Sālaga, Saurāśṭra, Lalita

The following is the list of Rāga-s mentioned in the compositions of Śrī Śrīpāda Rāya:

Dēvagāndhāri, Kalyāṇi, Ānanda Bhairavi

No Rāga names were found in the presently known compositions of Vyāsarāya and

Vādirājatīrtha.

If we consolidate the Rāga names mentioned by Purandara Dāsa, Kanaka Dāsa and

Srīpādarāya, we have the following set of names:

Āhari, Bhairavi, Bhouli, Dēśī, Dēśākśi, Dhanyāsi, Goula, Gouli, Gujjari, Guṇḍakriya, Kalyāṇi,

Kāmbōji , Kurunji, Malhāri, Mukhāri, Mālavi, Māravi, , Mēgha, Mēgharanjini, Nāṭi, Nāmakriya,
Pāḍi, Phalamañjari, Pūrvi, Rāmakriye, Sāraṅga, Sālaga, Sāvēri, Śankarābharaṇa,

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Saurāśṭra, Tōḍi, Vasanta, Y(V?)arali, Hindōlavasanta, Nārāyaṇi, Dēvagāndhāri, Ārabhi,

Sāmanta, Bhūpāli, Śrī, Lalita, Ānandabhairavi

The above set of names total 42 in number.

If we examine the Rāga-s with respect to a contemporary Lakśaṇa Grantha –

Svaramēlakalānidhi (SMK) written by Śri Rāmāmātya in 1550 AD, we get some information

about the status of the Rāga-s in art music. Śrī Rāmāmātya uses a classification of Uttama,

Madhyama and Adhama (Superior, Middling and Inferior) to describe various Rāga-s. Some

Rāga-s which fall in the Adhama category are merely mentioned and not even described by

him.

Of the above Rāga-s mentioned in Haridāsa compositions, some fall in the Uttama and
Madhyama category. Others fall in the Adhama category – out of these, some have been

described by Śrī Rāmāmātya, whereas some have not. The following table gives the

classification of these 42 Rāga-s according to SMK:

Category Rāga-s

‘Uttama’ Āhari, Bhairavi, Bhouli, Dēśākśi,

Dhanyāsi, Ghūrjarī, Malhāri, Mukhāri,

Nāṭi, (Śuddha) Rāmakriya, Varāli,

Mālava(gauḍa), Sāmanta, Śrī, Lalitā

‘Madhyama’ Guṇḍakriya, Kāmbhōji, (Nāda)

Nāmakriya, Pāḍi, Bhūpala(ī)

‘Adhama’ with description in SMK Sāvēri, Śaṅkarābharaṇa, Saurāśṭra,

Nārāyaṇī

‘Adhama’ with no description in SMK Goula, Gouli, Kuruñji, Tōḍi,

Phalamañjari, Dēvagāndhāra(ī)

The Rāga-s not mentioned in SMK are the following:

Dēśi, Kalyāṇ(a)ī, Mālava, Māravi, Mēgha, Mēgharañjini, Pūrvi, Sāraṅga, Sālaga, Vasanta,
Hindōlavasanta, Ārabhi, Ānandabhairavi

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The above Rāga-s are found in some Musicological and literary works belonging to a period

just before or after the Vijayanagara period. Some of the Rāga-s have also been used by the
Tāllapākam composers as per the copper plate inscriptions152.

A brief look at the musicological and literary works (which have the Rāga references), time-

period wise is as below:

 Just before the Vijayanagara period (between 1200 and 1300 AD): Basava Purāṇa

(BP)

 During the Vijayanagara period (1336 to 1565 AD): Saṅgīta Śirōmaṇī (SSir), Nāṭya

Cūḍāmaṇi (NC), Sadrāgacandrōdaya (SRC), Rāgamañjari (RM), Rāgamāla (RMala),

Siṅgirāja Purāṇa (SinP), Pampāsthāna Varṇanam (PV), Jaimini Bhārata (JB)

 Just after the Vijayanagara period (early 17th century): Rāgatālacintāmaṇi (RTC),
Rāga Vibōdha (RV), Rasa Kaumudi (RKau), Abhinava BharataSāra Saṅgraha

(ABSS), Saṅgīta Sudha (SSudha_, Saṅgīta Pārijāta (SP), Caturdaṇḍī Prakāśika

(CDP), Cikka Dēvarāja Saptapadi (CDS)

Rāga Mentioned in Mentioned in Used by Tāllapākam

Musicological /Literary Musicological/ Composers

Work Before and Literary Work

During Vijayanagara just after

Period Vijayanagara

period

Dēśī SSir, NC, SRC, RM, RV, ABSS Yes

RMala, SinP, BP

Māravi SRC, RM, RMala, RV, ABSS

Mēgha SSir ABSS

Mēgharañjini SSir, NC, SinP, PV, RTC, ABSS Yes

See Section 3.1 for more details about the copper plate inscriptions of the Tāllapākam composers
152

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BP

Pūrvi SRC, RM RV, ABSS Yes

Sāraṅga SSir, SRC, RM, RKau, RV,

RMala, NC, BP ABSS

Vasanta SSir, RTC, NC, SRC, RKau, RV, Yes

RM, RMala ABSS

Kalyāṇi(a) SRC, RM, RMala RKau, RV,

CDP, CDS

Hindōlavasanta SSudha, CDP Yes

Ārabhi SSudha, CDP Yes

Ānanda Bhairavi SP, CDP

Sālaga PV, BP

Sālaṅga BV, JB, BP SP

The mention of Ānandabhairavi and Sālaga/Sālaṅga above is noteworthy. Ānanda Bhairavi

has been mentioned in a lullaby composed by Śrīpādarāya. This Rāga is said to have a folk

origin and is said to be ideal for marriage songs, lullabies etc. It has been referred to in the

Anubandha (annexure) of CDP by Veṅkaṭamakhi. 153 ‘Sālaga’ occurs in one of

Kanakadāsa’s compositions. It could perhaps be ‘Salaṅga’ which has been corrupted due to

scribal error into ‘Sālaga’. Both have literary references in the Vijayanagara period, as seen

above and Sālaṅga has been mentioned in the musicological work Saṅgīta Pārijāta of the

mid-17th century. The earliest reference to Sālaga, however, is in Saṅgraha Cūḍāmaṇi of

Gōvinda in the 18th century.

See http://www.carnatica.net/newsletter/anandabhairavinewsletter.htm for history of Ānanda

153

Bhairavi by Dr. S. Seetha, last accessed on 24th September 2013

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Based on the above, we can come to the following conclusions:

 The Haridāsa-s have used Rāga-s which were not only considered superior and
middling, but also those which were ‘inferior’ (not fit for composition) as per Śrī

Rāmāmatya’s classification.

 Some of the Rāga-s which have been ignored by Śrī Rāmāmatya have been used by

the Haridāsa-s. These were probably not prominent in Southern art music. Some of

them like Māravi, Pūrvi and Kalyāṇi appear in Pan-Indian musicological works such

of the Vijayanagara period such as SRC, RM and RMala but not in southern works.

 Other Rāga-s not mentioned by Śrī Rāmāmātya which were used by Haridāsa-s

gained prominence in the 17th century such as Hindōlavasantha, Ārabhi,

Ānandabhairavi, Sālaṅga etc.

 It is also interesting to see that quite a few Rāga-s used by the Haridāsa-s have also

been used by the Tāllapākam, irrespective of their status in contemporary Lakśana.

We thus see that Haridāsa-s have had a pioneering approach in the usage of Rāga-s. Many

Rāga-s that were not considered important by contemporary theorists were used by them. It

seems likely that the Rāga-s were enriched by their usage in Haridāsa compositions and

thus gained popularity, paving the way for the next generation of musicians/musicologists

building complex structures of the Rāga-s.

4.1.1.1.2 Rāga-s in the musicological works (Lakśaṇa Grantha-s) Saṅgīta Sārāmṛta by Tulaja and

Rāga Lakśaṇamu by Śahaji

Tulaja, the Marāṭha king of Tañjōre has mentioned Purandara Dāsa as a great saint in the

introductory part of his work, the Saṅgīta Sārāmṛta (SSA). He has described the Rāga

lakśaṇa-s of several Rāga-s in which several examples of Gīta, Ṭhāya, Prabandha and

Sulādi are given. He quotes several of Purandara Dāsa’s Sulādi-s as examples for some of

the Rāga-s.

His brother Śahaji, in his work Rāga Lakśanamu (RL-S) has also given examples of Sulādi-

s. Most of the examples are identical, except for Hindōla being mentioned only by Tulaja and

Māruva and Dēvagāndhārī being mentioned only by Śahaji.

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It must be noted that Tulaja and Śahaji have quoted examples from various Sulādi-s to

describe Rāga features. They have not given the complete notation of the Sulādi-s, but only
one or two lines from each of them where apparently the distinctive features of the Rāga-s

are seen. It appears from their works that the melodies associated with the Sulādi-s were

well known during the time they were written. Since the time of the writing of these two works

was late 17th/early 18th century, which was about a hundred and twenty years after

Purandara Dāsa’s demise, it is highly likely that the original tunes of the composer were in

vogue during Tulaja and Śahaji’s time. Their documentation gives us important information,

however meager, about the Rāga-s employed by Purandara Dāsa.

The following is the total list of Rāga-s which has been mentioned by Tulaja and Śahaji

together:

Nāṭa, Ārdradēśī, Nādarāmakriyā, Goulipantu, Goula, Malaharī, Varāli, Rāmakriyā,

Śaṅkarābharaṇa, Ārabhi, Pūrvagaula, Nārāyaṇī, Nārāyaṇadēśākśi, Kēdāra, Bhairavi,

Rītigaula, Hindōlavasanta, Hindōla, Bhūpāla, Kannaḍagaula, Chāyāgaula, Mukhāri,

Dēvagāndhāri, Māruva

Of the above, the Rāga-s mentioned in Haridāsa lyrics have already been dealt with in the

earlier section. The Rāga-s mentioned by Tulaja & Śahaji which have not been mentioned in

Haridāsa lyrics are:

Ārdradēśi, Gaulipantu, Pūrvagaula, Nārāyaṇadēśākśī, Kēdāra, Rītigaula, Hindōla,

Kannaḍagaula and Chāyāgaula

Examining them against Śrī Rāmāmātya’s classification of Uttama, Madhyama and Adhama

as before, we have:

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Category Rāga-s

‘Uttama’ Hindōla, Kannaḍagaula

‘Madhyama’ Rītigaula

‘Adhama’ with description in SMK

‘Adhama’ with no description in SMK Ārdradēśi, Pūrvagaula

Not mentioned in SMK Gaulipantu, Nārāyaṇa Dēśākśi, Kēdāra,

Chāyāgaula

For the Rāga-s not mentioned in SMK, we have references in the following

musicological/literary works:

 During the Vijayanagara period (1336 to 1565 AD): Sadrāgacandrōdaya (SRC),

Rāgamañjari (RM), Rāgamāla (RMala), Siṅgirāja Purāṇa (SinP)

 Just after the Vijayanagara period (early 17th century): Rāgatālacintāmaṇi (RTC),

Rāga Vibōdha (RV), Rasa Kaumudi (RKau), Saṅgīta Sudha (SSudha_, Saṅgīta

Pārijāta (SP), Caturdaṇḍī Prakāśika (CDP), Cikka Dēvarāja Saptapadi (CDS)

Rāga Musicological/Litera- Musicological/Literary Used by

ry Work before or Work just after Tāllapākam

during Vijayanagara Vijayanagara period composers

period

Nārāyaṇadēśākśī SSudha, CDP Yes

Kēdāra SRC, RM, RMala RKau, RV

Chāyāgaula SinP RTC, SSudha, CDP

Gaulipantu CDS

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As can be seen above, all the Rāga-s have some musicological/literary reference during or

just after the Vijayanagara period. So, it is likely that they existed in Purandara Dāsa’s time.

Goulipantu has been mentioned in Śrī Vijayadāsa’s Pada ‘Śrīśa Kolalanūduta Banda’. Śrī

Vijayadāsa (1682-1755) was a contemporary of Śahaji and was the Haridāsa who carried

forward Purandara Dāsa’s tradition. His Pada indicates that Gaulipantu was a well-known

Rāga in his time.

4.1.1.1.3 Rāga-s and notations of Purandara Dāsa compositions in the Lakśaṇa Grantha Saṅgīta

Sampradāya Pradarśiṇi written in 1904

The following Rāga-s with notations have been given by Śrī Subbarāma Dīkśitar for
Purandara Dāsa compositions in his work, Saṅgītasampradāyapradarśinī (SSP) which is a

documentation of the tradition of the Dīkśitar school, as of 1904 AD:

Bhūpāla, Nādarāmakriya, Dēvagāndhāri, Malahari, Śuddha Sāvēri, Kuruñji, Kēdāra,

Kāśirāmakriya

Kāśirāmakriya and Śuddha Sāvērī are the new names given in Rāgalakśaṇa of Muddu

Veṅkaṭamakhi (RL-MV) written in the early 18th century AD for Śuddha Rāmakriya and

Sāvērī respectively mentioned in SMK. The same names have been followed in the SSP.

All the above Rāga-s described in the SSP for Purandara Dāsa compositions have been

dealt with in the earlier sections.

4.1.1.1.4 Rāga-s mentioned in the first printed book of Haridāsa compositions published in

Mangalore in 1850 by Hermann Mogling (based on oral tradition)

In 1850, Reverend Hermann Mogling published for the first time Dāsara Pada-s, which

included those by Purandara Dāsa. Following Rāga names appear in the edition by

Hermann Mogling:

Mukhāri, Kāmbōdhi, Madhyamāvati, Śaṅkarābharaṇa, Kalyāṇi, Pantavarāli, Kētāra Gaula,

Dhanyāsi, Pūrvi, Rēgupti, Māravi, Sāvēri, Nīlāmbari, Bhairavi, Āhari, Saurāśṭra, Bilhāri, Toḍi

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Of the above, the only Rāga-s which have not been dealt with in earlier sections are:

Madhyamāvati, Pantavarāli, Kēt(d)āra Gaula, Rēgupti, Nīlāmbari and Bilahari.

Examining these Rāga-s against SMK and other sources, we find:

 Madhyamāvati, Kēdāragaula, Rēgupti belong to the ‘Madhyama’ category and are

described in the SMK. These obviously existed in the Vijayanagara period.

 Panta(u)varāli exists as Śuddhavarāṭi in RV and as Pantuvarāli in CDP. If we

consider the twentieth century shape of this Rāga, it corresponds to the 51st Mēla

which has been called Rāmakriya by Śrī Purandaradāsa as mentioned earlier. This

Rāga surely existed in the Vijayanagara period.

 Bilahari has been mentioned in NC, RTC and RV (as Vēlāvali) and Nīlāmbari in NC.
Both Rāga-s have been used by Annamācārya. This shows that they existed in the

Vijayanagara period.

In Rev. Mogling’s publication, the Dāsara Pada-s (Haridāsa Pada compositions) were

collated from oral tradition, so it is a faithful reproduction of the oral tradition prevalent in his

time. The source of this tradition is not known – whether musicians or lay persons were

made to sing to in order to capture the compositions. It is also certain that there was more

emphasis on the lyrics than the Rāga-s. However, it is likely that the Rāga-s as mentioned

above were those which were originally used for the compositions, since they did exist in the

Vijayanagara period.

4.1.1.1.5 Rāga-s mentioned in the published books of Haridāsa compositions in the twentieth

century (based on oral tradition and manuscripts)

In the twentieth century, many books containing Haridāsa compositions were brought out by

institutions and individuals who sourced them from existing manuscripts and oral traditions.

Enormous efforts were made to collate, edit and publish these compositions, notably by

Varadēndra Sāhitya Maṇḍali, Śrīman Madhwa Siddhānta Granthālaya, Institute of Kannada

Studies at University of Mysore.

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Apart from Rāga-s which have already been taken up in the previous sections, there were

some Rāga-s mentioned in the above publications which appear to be of a relatively recent
origin such as Jhenjūṭī, Aṭhāṇa, Bēhag, Māñji, Malaya Māruta which could not have possibly

existed in the Vijayanagara period. It is possible that some of the above printed editions

contain some compositions with the original Rāga-s such as Mukhāri, Rēgupti, Kāṁbōji etc.

However, it is very likely that many of the Rāga-s printed here are not the original ones for

the compositions.

4.1.1.1.6 Rāga-s mentioned in Thanjavur Manuscripts

Some palm-leaf manuscripts of Haridāsa compositions have been preserved in the

Thanjavur Maharaja Serfoji’s Saraswathi Mahal Library. The following manuscripts were
examined for the assignment of Rāga-s to the Haridāsa compositions:

D10906, D10907, D10908, D10909, D10910

In the above manuscripts, the following Rāga-s were mentioned:

Nāṭa, Varāli, Sāraṅga Nāṭa, Rāmakriyā, Śrī, Kannaḍa Nāta, Lalitā, Śuddha Dhanyāsi, Gaula,

Saurāṣtra, Āhirī, Guṇḍakriyā, Mālavasrī, Bilahari/Velāhuri, Bhairavi, Gujjari, Kēt(d)ara Gaula,

Nārāyaṇi (a)Gaula

The paper manuscripts B11575 and B 11577 (copies of Palm Leaf manuscripts entitled

‘Gītādi’ was also examined. There were some Sulādi-s of Haridāsa-s present in these

manuscripts along with other compositions. The Rāga-s for these Sulādi-s were

Manohari, Ārdradēśī, Śrī, Guṇḍakriyā, Bhūpālam, Sāraṅga Nāṭa, Gaula, Varāli, Śuddha

Sāvēri, Dēvagāndhāri, Hindōlavasanta, Bhūpāla, Kāmbōdhi, Bhairavi, Kannaḍagaula,

Rēvagupti

It may be noted that all the Rāga-s except Manohari and Śuddha Sāvēri have been analysed

in the preceding sections. It will be seen later that Manohari has also been used by

Tāllapāka composers, though it has not been described in musicological treatises. Śuddha

Sāveri is first seen in the Rāga Lakṣaṇa of Śahaji as a Janya of Mālavagaula. However, the

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Thanjavur manuscript B11575 mentions that this is a Janya of Śaṅkarābharaṇa. Perhaps the

copy of the composition in the manuscript is a more recent version.

The TMSSML Manuscript no. D10906

4.1.1.1.7 Rāga-s mentioned in the Mysore Manuscript

In the Mysore Kuvempu Kannada Adhyayana Samsthe or Kuvempu Institute of Kannada

Studies, there is a palm leaf manuscript K570 which has many Sulādi-s. It is interesting to

note that the Sulādi-s have been preceded by ‘Āyita’-s which are basically Rāga Sañcāra-s.

This is followed by the text of the Sulādi-s for which some Rāga names are assigned.

Following are the Rāga names in the manuscript:

Nāṭi, Kēdāra Gaula, Śrī, Madhumadhavi, Saurāṣṭra, Mēcabauli, Āhari/Āhiri,

Śaṅkarābharaṇa, Rāmakriyā, Chāyāgaula, Vasanta Bhairavi, Bhairavi, Kannaḍa Baṅgāla,

Kannaḍa Gaula, Suddha Vasanta, Nādarāmakriyā, Lalitā, Maṅgala Kaiśiki, Sāmanta, Gujjari,

Hindōla, Vēlāvari, Kāmbōji, Guṇḍakriyā, Dēśākṣi, Nārāyaṇi, Nārāyaṇa Dēśākṣi, Hejjujji,

Mālavaśri, Bhūpāli, Sālaga Bhairavi, Kēdāra Gaula, Śuddha Dēśi, Nārāyaṇa Gaula,

Jayantasēna, Sāma, Bhinna Śaḍja.

Of these, Chāyāgaula has already been examined.

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The Rāga-s Vasanta Bhairavi, Kannaḍa Bāṅgāla, Kannaḍa Gaula, Lalitā, Nārāyaṇi,

Nārāyaṇa Dēśākṣi , Śuddha Vasanta, Vēlāvari, Śuddha Dēśī has been used by Tāllapākam
composers (as per the copper plate inscriptions), as shall be described later in this chapter.

Bhinna Śaḍja and Sālaga Bhairavi (Sāraṅga Bhairavi) occurs in SMK, and Madhumādhavi

occurs as Madhyamādi in SRC, both of which belong to the Vijayanagara period.

A few leaves from The Mysore Manuscript K570

The Rāga-s Jayantasēna and Nārāyaṇa Gaula occur in Saṅgīta Sudhā. Sāma is first seen in

the CDP. Thus, they occur in treatises just after the Vijayanagara period. Hence it is highly

likely that they were present in the Vijayanagara times.

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4.1.1.1.8 Rāga-s mentioned in Cippagiri and Gadhwāl Manuscripts

There are some manuscripts in the possession of the family of Haridāsaratnam Gōpāladāsa

in Kogilu, near Yelahanka, Bangalore. These have been written by Śrī Vijaya Dāsa’s

adopted son, Śrī Mohana Dāsa’s grandson, Śrī Veṅkōba Dāsa. There are seven

manuscripts in all, out of which three pertaining to Śrī Vyāsarāya, Śrī Svādirāya (Śri Vādirāja

of Svādi or Sōde) and Śrī Vaikuṇṭha Dāsa were consulted.

The Rāga-s found in these manuscripts were Pāḍi, Āhari, Pantuvarāli, Saurāṣṭra, Tōḍi,

Kalyāṇi, Bhairavi, Sāvēri, Kāmbōdi, Pūrvi, Rēgupti, Māyāmālava(gaula), Kēdāra Gaula,

Śaṅkarābharaṇa, Madhyamāvati, Kalyāṇi, Rudrābharaṇa, Nāṭa. All these Rāga-s with the

exception of Saurāṣṭra have been examined in earlier sections. It will be seen in subsequent
sections that Saurāṣṭra is also present in the list of Rāga-s used by Tāllapākam composers,

so it is likely to have been used by the Haridāsa-s as well.

Some manuscripts from Gadhwāl, written by disciples of Śrī Vijaya Dāsa (the disciple of Śrī

Purandara Dāsa) which are now in the possession of Śrī M.T. Prahlad in RT Nagar,

Bangalore were examined by this author. These too contain compositions of Śrī Vyāsarāya,

Śrī Svādirāya (Śri Vādirāja of Svādi or Sōde), Śrī Purandara Dāsa and Śrī Vaikuṇṭha Dāsa

among other Haridāsa-s. These were consulted.

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Pages from a Gadhwāl Manuscript

The compositions in these manuscripts along with the Cippagiri manuscripts have also been

published by Śrī M.T. Prahlad in his book, ‘Prācīna Hastapratigalallina Haridāsa Kṛtigalu’154.

According to this book, the Rāga-s of the compositions by the above mentioned saints are

as follows:

Pādi, Sāvēri, Madhyamāvati, Āhari, Bhairavi, Kalyā ṇi, Śaṅkarābhara ṇa, Āhari, Kāmbōdi,

Mukhāri, Pūrvi, Saurāṣṭra, Kēdāragaula, Kāmbōdi, Pantuvarāli, Varāli. All these Rāga-s have

been examined in earlier sections

Prācīna Hastapratigalallina Haridāsara Kṛtigalu Ed. M.T. Prahlad, Vyomakesha Prakashana, 2007
154

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A Page of a scanned copy of the Chippagiri Manuscript

4.1.2 Employment of Battīsa Rāga-s by Haridāsa-s

Scholars have opined that Purandara Dāsa used ‘Battīsa Rāga-s’ (a group of 32 Rāga-s) in

his compositions. Indeed, one of Purandara Dāsa’s Pada-s starts with the words ‘Tutturu

Tūrendu Battīsa Rāgagalanu’ which illustrates that the composer was well aware of the

system of Battīsa Rāga-s. The lyrics of this composition give only the names of 9 Rāga-s.

The other names of the Rāga-s have been collated from other Pada-s of Purandara Dāsa

(ref. Appendix A). The total number of Rāga-s thus obtained is 32.

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However, it must be noted that apart from the composition ‘Tutturu Tūrendu..’ Purandara
Dāsa does not use the term ‘Battīsa Rāga’ in the other compositions. He has not declared in

these other compositions that the Rāga-s being named by him belong to the Battīsa Rāga

group. Even in the composition ‘Tutturu Tūrendu..’ he refers to Battīsa Rāga-s being sung,

but does not say that he has used the Rāga-s for his singing or composition. So, it is

possible that some Rāga-s mentioned in these are not part of the Battīsa Rāga group. Since

many of his compositions are said to be lost, it is not possible to determine whether he has

listed out only ‘Battīsa Rāga-s’ specifically in any compositions other than in ‘Tutturu

Tūrendu’. It would be incorrect to assume that Purandara Dāsa used only ‘Battīsa Rāga-s’

and none else. It is more likely that Purandara Dāsa used some or all of the Battīsa Rāga-s,
and some other Rāga-s as well.

Kanaka Dāsa has also mentioned the phrase ‘Trayadaśadvaya Rāgadim’ in his Pada

‘Pūsarana Janakanē’. Taking his composition ‘Taṅgadirananimiṣa Tārakegalu’ and in his

epic ‘Mōhana Taraṅgiṇi (chapter 22, verse 32) in which he has mentioned names of Rāga-s,

we get a total of 16. However, not all the names of the Rāga-s mentioned by him coincide

with those mentioned by Purandara Dāsa. Again, Kanaka Dāsa, like Purandara Dāsa, talks

about 32 Rāga-s being sung, but does not state that he is using them for his compositions.

Śripādarāya has mentioned 3 Rāga names in only one composition – Lāli Gōvinda Lāli. The

names mentioned by him again do not fully overlap with the names mentioned by the other

Haridāsa-s. He does not mention 32 Rāga-s, neither do Vādirāja or Vyāsatīrtha.

Collating the Rāga names from the lyrics of all the 3 Haridāsa-s who have mentioned them,

we get a total of 42 Rāga-s. Adding to this is the number of Rāga-s obtained from other

sources (such as Tulaja’s and Śahaji’s works and Hermann Mogling’s publication), which is

14, we get totally 56 Rāga-s.

It indicates that the Haridāsa-s used more than 32 Rāga-s. They were aware of the system

of using 32 Rāga-s, but did not restrict themselves to that number.

Exploring the system of Battīsa Rāga-s, we find that the system of Battīsa Rāga-s has been

in vogue in South India even prior to the Vijayanagara period. It has been apparently used

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by Vīraśaiva composers. We find a mention of the phrase ‘Battīsa Rāga’ in one of

Basavēśwara Vacana-s written in the 12th century. There are references to these in some
musicological works as well. However, it has been found that the Rāga names defined as

belonging to the 32 Rāga group vary from one musicological/literary work to another. It is

probably likely that the number 32 was sacrosanct, but the Rāga-s belonging to the group

changed from time to time based on popular taste.

A comparison of the Rāga names collated from the lyrics of Haridāsa-s was done with the

set of 32 Rāga-s mentioned in the following Lakśaṇa Grantha-s (musicological works) and

literary works:

 Basavapurāṇa (BP) by Pālkurki Sōmanātha

 Nāṭyacūḍāmaṇi (NC) by Sōmanārya

 Rāgatālcintāmaṇi (RTC) by Pōlūri Gōvinda Kavi

 Abhinava Bharata Sāra Saṅgraha (ABSS) by Mummaḍi Cikka Bhūpāla

 Vivēkacintāmaṇi (VC) by Nijagu ṇa Śivayōgi

Basava Purāṇa and Vivēkacintāmaṇi give information of the 32 Rāga-s in the Vīraśaiva

tradition. In the other three of the Lakshana Granthas mentioned above, the 32 Rāga-s are

divided into 8 Puruśa(male) and 24 Strī(female) Rāga-s.

It was found that some Rāga-s mentioned by the Haridāsa-s have not been mentioned in

these works as belonging to the 32 Rāga group. At the same time, some Rāga-s from the

works were missing in the list collated from Haridāsa lyrics. Though many Rāga names are

common in the four works – BP, NC, RTC, VC and ABSS, they are also not in complete

mutual agreement over the list of the 32 Rāga-s. (Ref. Appendix B).

4.1.3 Tāla-s used by Haridāsa-s

The Haridāsa-s brought about revolutionary changes in the Tāla system which was prevelant

during their times. They replaced hundreds of Dēśī Tāla-s with about 10 Tāla-s which were

simpler and more appealing. They used a system of 7 Tāla-s which later came to be known

as ‘Sulādi Sapta Tāla-s’. These were perhaps employed in their Cāpu form (i.e. by just using

beats and no finger-counting) by the Haridāsa-s as they used their ‘Cippalī’ instruments to

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reckon the Tāla-s while singing their devotional songs. These Sulādi Tāla-s were used not

only in Sulādi-s but also in the Pada-s and other compositions of Haridāsa-s. The Haridāsa-s
thus brought in a seminal change in the Tāla system by replacing all the Dēsī Tāla-s with

only the 9 or 10 Tāla-s that were used by them.

Looking at the notation of the songs of the Haridāsa-s from the printed sources mentioned in

the Rāga section, we have the following set of Tāla-s:

Dhruva, Maṭṭhya (Maṇṭha), Tripuṭa (Triviḍe), Aṭṭa, Rūpaka, Jhampe, Ēka, Ādi, Miśra Cāpu,

Khaṇda Cāpu, Ragaṇa Maṭṭhya, Jhōmbaḍa.

Of these, the first seven are Sulādi Sapta Tāla-s. Miśra Cāpu and Khaṇda Cāpu have the

total counts of 7 and 5 per Āvarta (cycle), which are exactly half of the total counts of Dhruva
and Maṭṭhya (14 and 10) respectively, so these are probably their Cāpu forms. Ādi Tāla in its

present form is a variety of Tripuṭa Tāla. In its earlier form, it resembled the single Laghu

form of the Ēka Tāla of today. So, it is possible that the Ādi Tāla mentioned in Mānuscripts

actually refers to the present-day Ēka Tāla, which is one of the Sulādi Sapta Tāla-s.

Jhombaḍa is the inverted version of the Ādi Tāla of present times. Ragaṇa Maṭṭhya was a

version of Maṭṭhya Tāla which had the structure of sls i.e. a Guru, a Laghu and a Druta.

The evolution of the Sulādi Sapta Tāla-s is covered in detail later in this chapter.

4.1.4 Musical concepts mentioned in Haridāsa Sāhitya

In the Haridāsa Sāhitya, apart from mention of Rāga names, there are references to musical

concepts, Jatī-s related to dance and musical instruments.

It can be seen from the compositions of Purandara Dāsa that he was well-versed in music,

as he has mentioned many technical musical terms such as Tāla, Mēla, Dhvani, Svara,

Gāna, Rāga Bhāva, Svara Gnāna, Manōdharma, Jāti, Saṅgīta, Prabandha, Gīta (types of

forms), Susvaravo, Sujātiyo (the Jāti-s which were associated with melody, Mandara,

Madhyama, Tāraka (the 3 sthāyi-s), Ghana Rāga, Bharata Nāṭya, Gāna, Gāndharva Gāna,

Sāma Gāyana, Panca Nāṭaka Bhēda, etc. The Kannada term ‘Pāḍu/Hāḍu is used frequently

to indicate singing. His favourite diety is referred to as Gānalōla (well-versed in singing),

Vēṇugānalōla (well-versed in/easily pleased by playing the flute) etc. The term ‘Kīrtanē’ is
frequently used to indicate devotional songs. In addition to these, there is a plethora of Jati-s

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which are used in dance such as Tathai Tathai Thā, Jhamtuṭa Takadhimi Tadhiṅgiṇatōm,

Takadhimi Tadhike. The most outstanding example of this is the Pada Kuṇidāḍō Kṛṣṇa
Kuṇidāḍō which has the following passages of Jati –

Dhigidhiditāṅgiṇa tāṅgiṇa thaka thakkadhimi, Jhem Jhem Jhem, Jhuṇām Jhuṇām Jhum Ki

ṭatākiṭakiṭa Tōṅgiṇatō Dhimi Tōṅgiṇatō Dhimi Tōṅgiṇa, Tōṅkiṇi Tōmhiri Tōṁtari Tarigiṭa

Takkiṭa Tarigiṭa Takkiṭa, Dhimikiṭa Dhimikiṭa Tadhikuta Dhikutam taddāthai

Vyāsarāya too has incorporated Jati-s in a composition of his - Kṛṣṇa Sarpana Heḍeyalli.

All the Haridāsa-s mention many musical instruments such as Tāla, Danḍige, Bhēri,

Maddale, Vīṇē, Kinnari, ‘Ṣaḍa Panca’ Ghanṭe, Jhāgaṭeya, Kombu, Kolalu, Jekke, Ḍhakke,

Bhobhali, Mṛdaṅga, Daṇḍige, Nāgaswara, Noubattu, Nagāri, Dundubhi, Tambūri, Tittiri

Mauri. It must be mentioned that the Tambūri has been mentioned by both Vyāsarāya and

Purandara Dāsa in their compositions. This is probably the first time that this instrument has

been mentioned in musical compositions.

4.1.5 Forms Used by Haridāsa-s

4.1.5.1 Abhyāsa Gāna

Śrī Purandara Dāsa is credited with the authorship of the initial learner’s lessons in

Karṇāṭaka music – Sarali Varase, Jaṇṭi Varase and Alankāra. Dr. R. Sathyanārāyaṇa has

discussed the matter of his authorship155. Taking the evidence of the Lakṣaṇa Grantha-s

Caturdaṇḍī Prakāṣika and Saṅgīta Sārāmṛta, he has demonstrated that these forms of

beginners exercises (Abhyāsa Gāna) were probably present during Purandara Dāsa’s time.

Dr. Veturi Ananda Murthy in his Ph.D. Thesis on Tāllapāka composers156 has also

mentioned the existence of Abhyāsa Gāna during the times of Tāllapāka Cinnanna, the

grandson of Śrī Annamācārya who was a contemporary of Śrī Purandara Dāsa. Śrī

Cinnanna, in his work ‘Uśā Pariṇayam’ gives examples of Sarale Varase-s taught to the

vide Dr. R. Sathyanārayaṇa’s analysis of Sarali Varase, Jaṇṭi Varase and Alaṅkāra in ‘Karnataka
155

Sangitadalli Haridasa Pantha’, Ganakala Manjari, Volume – 2, Page 11-17

vide Dr. Veturi Ananda Murthy’s Ph.D. Thesis entitled ‘Tallapaka Kavulu Kṛtulu – Vividha Sāhiti
156

Prakriyalu’ for Ph.D. awareded by Osmania University in 1965, Page 210

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heroine Uśā as an introduction to music. It is likely that the traditional belief of Śrī Purandara

Dāsa being the author of the Abhyāsa Gāna forms is well founded.

4.1.5.2 Pillāri Gīta

ŚrI Purandara Dāsa has composed a few ‘Pillāri Gīta’-s which are traditionally the first Gīta-s

to be taught to students of Karṇātaka music. ‘Pillāri’ probably stands for ‘small’ since the first

Gīta is in praise of ‘Gaṇapati’ who is referred to as ‘Pillāri’157. These Gīta-s can be

considered ‘Yathākṣara Prabandha’-s as the syllabic length corresponds to the length of the

musical notes with one or two exceptions in them.

These Gīta-s will be taken up individually to highlight their structural features:

Śrī Gaṇanātha Sindhūravarṇa

This Gīta is in Malahari Rāga set to Rūpaka Tāla and has three stanzas. The first stanza of

this Gīta is as follows:

Śrī Gaṇanātha Sindhūravarṇa

Karuṇa Sāgara Karivadana

Lambōdara Lakumikara

Ambāsuta Amaravinuta

It is seen that the lines ‘Lambōdara Lakumikara Ambāsuta Amaravinuta’ are repeated in all

the three stanzas as the third and fourth lines.

It is also seen that the second line above ‘Karuṇa Sāgara Karivadana’ and ‘Ambāsuta

Amaravinuta’ have the same Dhātu i.e. melody. The notation for this Gīta given below:

vide Dr. R. Sathyanārayaṇa’s analysis of Pillāri Gīta-s in ‘Karnataka Sangitadalli Haridasa Pantha’,
157

Ganakala Manjari, Volume – 2, Page 6-11

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Rāga – Malahari Tāla Rūpaka

d2 l4 d2 l4

ma pa da sa sa ri ri sa da pa ma pa

śri - ga ṇa na tha si ndhu ra - va rna

ri ma pa da ma pa da pa ma ga ri sa

ka ru na sa ga ra ka ri va da na -

sa ri ma , ga ri sa ri ga ri sa ,

la ṁ bo - da ra la ku mi ka ra -

ri ma pa da ma pa da pa ma ga ri sa

aṁ - ba - su ta a ma ra vi nu ta

sa ri ma , ga ri sa ri ga ri sa ,

la ṁ bo - da ra la ku mi ka ra -

ma pa da sa sa ri ri sa da pa ma pa

si ddha ca - ra ṇa ga ṇa se - vi ta

ri ma pa da ma pa da pa ma ga ri sa

si ddhi vi na ya ka te - na mo na mo

sa ri ma , ga ri sa ri ga ri sa ,

la ṁ bo - da ra la ku mi ka ra -

ma pa da sa sa ri ri sa da pa ma pa

sa ka la vi dya - a di pu - ji ta

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ri ma pa da ma pa da pa ma ga ri sa

sa - rvo - tta ma te - na mo na mo

sa ri ma , ga ri sa ri ga ri sa ,

la ṁ bo - da ra la ku mi ka ra -

In the above Gīta, the line ‘Lambōdara Lakumikara’ can be considered akin to a Pallavi.

Then, ‘Ambāsuta Amaravinuta’ is like an Anupallavi. The first and second lines of each of the

stanzas can together be considered a Carana i.e. we have three Caraṇa-s. We find that the

Dhātu of the Anupallavi is repeated in each of the second lines of the stanzas. This is a
feature which has been copied by later composers of Kṛti-s such as Śrī Tyāgarāja.

Kundagoura Gourīvara

This Gīta too is in Malahari Rāga and set to Rūpaka Tāla. It has three stanza-s each of

which has two Dhātu-s. The same two Dhātu-s repeat across all the three stanzas. The

lyrics ‘Mandāra Kusumākara Makarandam Vāsiturē’ have the second Dhātu and these lyrics

along with their Dhātu are repeated in each of the stanzas. This Gīta has been quoted by

Tulaja in his Saṅgīta Sārāmṛta as an example for Malahari Rāga158.

Kereya Nīranu Kerege Calli

This Gīta is also in Malahari Rāga but is set to Tripuṭa Tāla. It has two stanzas. Like

Kundagaura, it too has two Dhātu-s in every stanza which repeat in both the stanzas. It also

has the lyrics ‘Hariya Karuṇadolāda Bhāgyava Hari Samarpaṇe Māḍi Badukiro’ which are

repeated in both stanzas along with the second Dhātu.

Vide Saṅgīta Sārāmṛta, Rāgavivēka Prakaraṇam, Page 87

158

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According to Dr. R. Sathyanārāyaṇa, this Gīta has been written as part of a Sulādi in the

manuscript K570 in the possession of the Kuvempu Institute of Kannada Studies, Mysore 159.
Hence, this was probably not a Gīta but part of a Sulādi in its original form.

Padumanābha Parama Puruṣa

It is set to Malahari Rāga and Tripuṭa Tāla. There are two stanzas each of which has two

Dhātu-s. The second Dhātu of both the stanzas is the same but the Mātu (lyrics) are

different. The first Dhātu of the first stanza is different from the first Dhātu of the second

stanza. The signature of the composer in this song is ‘Abhinava Purandara Viṭṭhala’ which

indicates that this song was probably not composed by Śrī Purandara Dāsa but by his son,
known by that name.

Ānalēkara Unnibōlati

The Gīta ‘Ānalēkara Unnibōlati’ appears in manuscripts160 immediately after the other Pillāri

Gīta-s and also in some books published in the late 19th and early 20th century such as the

Saṅgīta Sarvārtha Sāra Saṅgrahamu by Vīṇā Rāmānuja161 and Gāyana Gāyanījana

Pārijātamu162. It is possible that this too is a composition by Śrī Purandara Dāsa but it

cannot be stated with certainity that it is so as this does not contain his signature. This Gīta

contains Tenna and Pāṭa Akṣara-s and thus resembles a Dīpanī Jāti Prabandha. This Gīta

has two Dhātu-s, the second of which is traditionally sung twice.

Vide Dr. R. Sathynarayana, Karnataka Sangitadalli Haridasa Pantha, Ganakala Manjari, Page 13
159

ibid, Page 14
160

Saṅgīta Sarvārtha Sāra Saṅgrahamu by Vīṇā Rāmānuja, Published in 1873, Page 38

161

Gāyana Gāyanījana Pārijātamu Published between 1878-1904, authored by various scholars, page
162

21

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

Bhayasamaya

Apart from the Pillāri Gīta-s mentioned above, there is another Gīta which bears Purandara
Dāsa’s signature. This Gīta is set to Dēśākṣi Rāga and Tripuṭa Tāla. This Gīta is found

notated in two books - Gāyana Gāyanījana Pārijātamu163 and Saṅgīta Sarvārtha Sāra

Saṅgarahamu164. In the second book, the number of stanzas is not clear. In the first book,

there are two stanzas. Each stanza has two Dhātu-s which repeat in both the stanzas. In

the two stanza-s, the lyrics ‘Śrī Veṅkaṭācaladēvanelare Keralamaṇidaṇisuvare’ repeat.

The notation for this Gīta as per Saṅgīta Sarvārtha Sāra Saṅgarahamu is given below:

Rāga: Dēśākṣi Tāla: Tripuṭa

l3 d2 d2 l3 d2 d2

ma ga ri ma ga ri sa sa ni da sa , ri ri

bha ya sa ma ya de va u ni de va śri -

ma ga ri sa ni da pa da da pa ma ga ri ga

veṅ ka - ṭa - ca la de - va na la re -

ga pa da pa da pa da sa ni da sa , sa ,

ke ra li ma ṇi da ṇi su - va re - re -

ma ga ri ma ga ri sa sa ni da sa , ri ri

śri - pu ran - da ra vi ṭṭha la ra - ya śri

ma ga ri sa ni da pa da da pa ma ga ri ga

veṅ ka - ṭa - ca la de - va na la re -

ibid, page 22
163

Saṅgīta Sarvārtha Sāra Saṅgrahamu by Vīṇā Rāmānuja, Published in 1873, Page 39

164

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

4.1.5.3 Kṛti
One of the foremost contributions of the Haridāsa-s to Indian music was the Kṛti165 form. It is
generally believed that Śrī Annamācārya was the first composer to come up with

compositions in the Kṛti format which had Pallavi-Anupallavi-caraṇa-s. However, Śrī

Śrīpādarāya was his contemporary (Śrī Annamācārya lived from 1408 to 1503 A.D. and Śri

Śrīpādarāya between 1404 to 1502 A.D.) and also composed Kṛti-s in the same format, so it

is difficult to establish who was the first to do so. Moreover, Śrī Narahari Tīrtha who was a

direct disciple of Śrī Madhvācārya and lived in the 13th century A.D. is said to have

composed Kṛti-s, three of which are available now166. These too have the Pallavi-Anupallavi-

Caraṇa format.

Among the Haridāsa-s, Śrī Śrīpādarāya was the first prolific composer of Kṛti-s – as many as
80 of his compositions of this type are available today. The Kṛti form was further propagated

with the abundant output of Śrī Vyāsarāya, Śrī Purandara Dāsa, Śrī Kanaka Dāsa and Śrī

Vādirāja. The thematic variations in the Kṛti shall be taken up later in this chapter. This

section discusses the structural features of this form.

The Kṛti, as mentioned earlier, consists of the opening section Pallavi. This is sometimes

followed by Anupallavi and then by several Caraṇa-s. The structure of a Prabandha as

given in Śārṅgadēva’s Saṅgītaratnākara has the sections – Udgrāha (the opening section),

Dhruva (the main mandatory section which is also a refrain), Mēlāpaka (the section joining

the Udgrāha and Dhruva) and Ābhōga (the concluding section which contains the

composer/deity/patron’s name). Comparing this structure with that of the Kṛti, we see that

the Pallavi is both the Udgrāha and the Dhruva, in the sense of the refrain. If the Dhruva is

The Kṛti is sometimes differentiated into Kīrtana – having themes related to praise of God and Kṛti
165

which has other themes. Dr. R. Sathyanarayana has called this differentitation ‘artificial’ in his ‘Music
of the Madhva Monks’, page 19. In this dissertation, Kṛti stands for the form with the Pallavi-
Anupallavi-Caraṇa structure.
Vide Haridasara Pada Suladigalu, Edited by Gorabalu Hanumantha Rao, Page 1. Manuscripts at
166

Chippagiri, ‘Vijayadasara Katte’ which are said to be at least 250 years old at the time of publication of
this book in 1957 A.D. (i.e. written around 1700 A.D. ) by the family and disciples of Śrī Vijayadāsa
have been referred to as the source.

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

taken as the main body of the song, it is the Caraṇa-s which Take the place of Dhruva. The

Anupallavi is the Mēlāpaka which joins the Udgrāha to the Dhruva.

In the compositions of the Haridāsa-s of the Vijayanagara period, we see many varieties of

usage of Pallavi, Anupallavi and Caraṇa-s. These are as below:

4.1.5.3.1 Kṛti-s with Pallavi and Caraṇa-s but no Anupallavi

In this variety of Kṛti-s, we see the following types:

1. The length of the Pallavi is half the length of the Caraṇa

Examples for this are:

 Ellāḍi Bandyō Nī Hēlayyā (by Śrī Śrīpādarāya), Rāga: Rēvagupti, Tāla: Cāpu167

 Śivadaruśana Namagāyitu Kēle (by Śrī Purandara Dāsa), Rāga: Madhyamāvati, Tāla:

Ādi168

 Indu Sairisari Śrī Kṛṣṇana Tappa (by Śrī Kanaka Dāsa) Rāga: Śaṅkarābharaṇa, Tāla:

Ēka169

 Annavanuṇisidarati Haruṣadinda (by Śrī Vādirāja), Rāga:

The Pallavi and first Carana of the composition ‘Ēllāḍi Bandyō Nī Hēlayyā’ mentioned above

are as follows:

Pallavi

Ēllāḍi Bandyō Nī Hēlayyā

Nillu Nillu Gōpālakṛṣṇayya

First Carana

Nosalalli Kirubevariṭṭide Alli

Hosapari Suddiyu Huṭṭide

Vide Śrīpādarājara Kṛtigalu (Paṇḍita Āvṛtti), Kuvempu Kannada Adhyayana Samsthe, 1987, p 27
167

Vide Purandara Dāsara Kīrtaṇegalu (combined volume), Śrīmanmadhvasiddhāntha Granthālaya,

168

Udupi, 2001, p 7
Vide Śrī Kanakadāsara Hāḍugalu, Samāja Pustakālaya, Dharwad, 1972, p 131
169

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

Pusiyalla Ī Mātu Muṭṭide Ninna

Nasunage Kīrti Heccide

2. The length of the Pallavi is equal to the length of the Caraṇa

Examples for this are:

 Kombu Kolalanūdutta Nambisi Pōdaneyavva (by Śrī Śrīpādarāya), Rāga:

Māyāmālavagaula, Tāla: Aṭṭa170

 Neredu Gōpiyarellaru Kṛṣṇayyana (by Śrī Kanaka Dāsa), Rāga: Śaṅkarābharaṇa, Tāla:

Aṭṭa 171

 Giṇiyē Ninagēnu Bēkadanīve Hayavadana (by Śrī Vādirāja), Rāga:

The Pallavi and first carana of the composition Neredu Gōpiyarellaru Kṛṣṇayyana are as

follows:

Pallavi

Neredu Gōpiyarellaru - Kṛṣṇayyana

Karavanu Piḍidukoṇḍu

Bharadinda Bandu Yaśōdege Cāḍiya

Aruhidarativēgadi

First Caraṇa

Balu Kalla Ninna Maga - Tāṭakaniva

Balu Kadda Navanītava

Tolege Niccaṇikeya Hākade Kuḍivanu

Neluvina Pālmosara

Vide Śrīpādarājara Kṛtigalu (Paṇḍita Āvṛtti), Kuvempu Kannada Adhyayana Samsthe, 1987, p 43
170

Vide Śrī Kanakadāsara Hāḍugalu, Samāja Pustakālaya, Dharwad, 1972, p 127

171

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

4.1.5.3.2 Kṛti-s with Pallavi, Anupallavi and Caraṇa-s

Examples for these types of Kṛti-s are:

 Iṭṭhāṅge Iruveno Hariyē (by Śrī Śrīpādarāya) Rāga: Sāvēri, Tāla: Ādi172

 Enthāddo Hariya Karuṇa (by Śrī Vyāsarāya)

 Ētara Celuva Raṅgayya (by Śrī Purandara Dāsa) Rāga: Kēdāragaula, Tāla: Cāpu173

 Hēge Nī Dāsanāde Hē Prāṇi (by Śrī Kanaka Dāsa)

 Īgalo Innyāvāgalo Ī Tanavu Pōgadiradu (by Śrī Vādirāja)

4.1.5.4 Vṛttanāma
The Vṛttanāma was a unique composition which was pioneered by the Haridāsa-s. The first

known Vṛttanāma was composed by Śrī Śrīpādarāya, which starts with the words ‘Mānanidhi

Śrīkṛṣṇa’. This was followed by Vṛttanāma-s of Śrī Vyāsarāya and Śrī Vādirāja. The

following are the known Vṛttanāma-s composed by Haridāsa-s in the Vijayanagara period:

 Mānanidhi Śrīkṛṣṇa by Śri Śrīpādarāya, Rāga: Rēgupti, Tāla: Jhampe174

 Kēlayya Enna Prārthanē by Śrī Vyāsarāya

 Śrī Kṛṣṇarāyana Tōrisē by Śrī Purandara Dāsa

 Bhagavadgītāsāra by Śrī Purandara Dāsa

The Vṛttanāma consists of an optional Pallavi, an optional Anupallavi with one or more

Caraṇa-s followed by a pattern of a Śloka (Vṛtta) followed by a Nāṁa (Pada) repeating

several times. The Pallavi, if present, is repeated at the end of each Nāma. In the above

Vṛttanāma-s, the following features with respect to Pallavi, Anupallavi and Caraṇa are seen

i) The first Vṛttanāma Mānanidhi Śrīkṛṣṇa has a Pallavi, Anupallavi and three

Caraṇa-s followed by several Ślōka-Pada combinations.

ii) The second and third Vṛttanāma-s (Kēlayya Enna Prārthanē and Śrī Kṛṣṇarāyana

Tōrisē) have a Pallavi but no Anupallavi and Caraṇa.

Vide Śrīpādarājara Kṛtigalu (Paṇḍita Āvṛtti), Kuvempu Kannada Adhyayana Samsthe, 1987, p 8
172

Vide Purandara Dāsara Kīrtaṇegalu (combined volume), Śrīmanmadhvasiddhāntha Granthālaya,

173

Udupi, 2001, p 127

Vide Śrīpādarājara Kṛtigalu (Paṇḍita Āvṛtti), Kuvempu Kannada Adhyayana Samsthe, 1987, p 113
174

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

iii) The fourth Vṛttanāṁa, Bhagvadgītāsāra does not have a Pallavi, Anupallavi or

Caraṇa but directly starts from a Ślōka.

The Vṛtta-s are sung without Tāla and the Nāma-s are set to Tāla. The syllabic quantity

varies in the lines of the composition. Each of the Vṛtta and Nāma has four lines. The Vṛtta is

not set to Tāla. It is thus possible that either it was sung or not sung but recited as a Ślōka.

The fourth Vṛttanāma, Bhagvadgītāsāra has Ślōka-s in Saṅskrit and not in Kannada. It does

not talk about Bhagvadgitā but about the Nāḍicakra-s in the human body as per the science

of Yōga, hence its name does not seem to be appropriate. It is also possible, that the Ślōka-

s are not original compositions by Śrī Purandara Dāsa but transmissional interpolations in

which case this song does not qualify as a Vṛttanāma and the Pallavi cannot be considered

as an optional feature.

Summarising from the descriptions175 in the Saṅgītaratnākara, Mānasōllāsa,

Saṅgītacūḍāmaṇi and Saṅgītasudhākara of the Vṛtta, the Vṛtta is any four-foot metre with a

definite prosodical structure. There is a Vṛtta Prabandha based on the Vṛtta metre. The

Prabandha is rendered in the following way: The first two feet constituted the Udgrāha, the

last two constituted the Dhruva and additional words constituted the Ābhōga. There were

two opinions about Svara in this Prabandha – one was that svara (solfa) passages were

sung at the conclusion of each foot or the end of song, the other was that no such svara

passages were sung. There were other Prabandha-s such as Vṛttagandhi, Vṛttadaṇḍaka,

Vṛttabandhini and Vṛttamāla which have Vṛtta metre. Rāgakadamba is another ancient

Prabandha which can have multiple Rāga-s, Tāla-s and Vṛtta-s. The creation of Vṛttanāma

was probably due to the influence of the Vṛtta and Rāgakadamba Prabandha-s.

However, though it is quite valid to say that the Vṛtta Prabandha may have been an

inspiration to the Haridāsa-s to create the Vṛttanāma, there is no indication that it was sung

in different Rāga-s. In all available sources of each of the Vṛttanāṁa-s, only a single Rāga is

indicated. The composition also may be antiphonal in nature, i.e. structured in such a way so

as to have two singers singing alternately e.g. Mānanidhi Śrīkṛṣṇa in which the lyrics are a

conversation between Gōpī-s and Kṛṣṇa. Each of them alternately recite/sing a Ślōka and a

Pada.

175 vide ‘Music of the Madhva Monks’ by Dr. R. Sathyanarayana, Page 13.

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4.1.5.5 Daṇḍaka
The Daṇḍaka form is a special type of form which was inaugurated by Śrī Śrīpādarāya.

This form is said to be in between prose and poetry176. It is not divided into Pallavi,

Anupallavi, Caraṇa etc. and there is no refrain which occurs repeatedly.

Among Haridāsa compositions, there are only two known Daṇḍaka-s

 Lakṣmī Narasimha Prādurbhāva Daṇḍakam by Śrī Śrīpādarāya

 Śanīśwara Daṇḍaka by Bēlūru Vaikuṇṭha Dāsa

Lakṣmī Narasimha Prādurbhāva Daṇḍakam – The theme of this composition is the

Narasimha incarnation as described in the Bhāgavata Purāṇa. The language resembles old

Kannaḍa (Halē Kannaḍa)177 and is full of beautiful alliteration and onamotopoeic syllables. It
is a long composition with 546 lines composed in 22 sections (Kaḍavaka), each of which is

thematically self-sufficient. Its prosodical structure is that of Lalita Ragalē in Kannaḍa178.

There is no Tāla prescription for this composition. However, it has an inherent rhythm which

fits and can be sung in Tiṣra Gati Ādi Tāla.

Its features of onomoteopia and alliteration are beautifully brought out in the following lines –

Katti Kaihetti Putranna Tā Citrahim-

-sittu Kollūvenendāgrahōgragraha-

-grastanāgēnu Maitiliyadē Kūḍi Ō-

-ḍyāḍi Bāhō Hiraṇyākhyagāvēle Kā-

-lāḍadhāgē Sabhāstambhadal Tanmahā-

-rāva Tānaḍḍakaṭṭippadantā Mahā-

-dhvāna Kēluttalē Nintanā Hetuvam

Kāṇadē Āga Ayāsurī Hiṇḍugal

176 Vide Dr. T.N. Nagaratna, Haridasara Bhakti Svarupa, Page 397
ibid
177

178 Vide Dr. R. Sathyanarayana, Music of the Mādhva Monks, Page 9

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Bhūta Bhēṭalikā Taṇḍagal Śakinī-

-Ḍākinī Daṇḍugal Añji Benḍādavā-

-Stambhavā Vēle Phaṭ Phaṭ Phaṭārāvadim

Sīliyā Lēlihānōjvala Jvālegal

Mālegal Tumbi Kālgiccugal Cendadim

Jantu Saṅghakke Santāpagaise Chiṭā-

-Chiṭ Chiṭāṅgāragal Bīse Idēvudō

Śanīśwara Daṇḍaka – The theme of this composition is the praise of Śanīśwara, who is the

mythological representative of the planet Saturn. It has 57 lines and describes in detail the

effects of Śanīśwara’s influence according to Hindu Astrology. The concluding lines state

that the recitation of this Daṇḍaka eleven times on five Saturdays will counter the ill effects of

Śanīśwara with the grace of Vēlāpura Vaikuṇṭha Viṭṭhala. This composition too is full of

alliteration.

4.1.5.6 Gadya
This type of composition has been christened ‘Gadya’ by Dr. R. Sathyanārayaṇa179. There

are two examples of this found in Haridāsa Sāhitya

 Maruga Molle Mallige Jāji Sampige by Śrī Vyāsarāya

 Nāmāvali by Śrī Purandara Dāsa

The first example Maruga Molle Mallige Jāji Sampige is a unique composition by Śrī

Vyāsarāya. This song contains a vivid description of the deity of Uḍupi – Śrī Kṛṣṇa. This is an

unsegmented song. The IKS edition of Śrī Vyāsarāya’s songs contains 60 lines divided into

groups of 10. However, Dr. Sathyanārāyaṇa mentions 59 lines to the song, grouped on the

basis of rhyming into 17 segments. The rhyming is on the second syllable as follows:

179 ibid, page 69

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

Muruga Molle Mallige Jāji Sampige

Turubaloppuva Cūḍārutana Māṇikada

Mereva Candrasūriya Muḍiyaloppuva

Kurulugūdalu Baitaleyā Oppugalu

This does not conform to any of the features of a Gadya Prabandha in textual tradition. Its

lines possess approximately equal syllabic content. The song contains the composer’s

‘Aṅkita’ or signature in the end, but the Prabandha name is not mentioned.

The other Gadya Prabandha is the Nāmāvali by Śrī Purandara Dāsa which is a string of 180

names of Lord Viṣṇu. This goes as follows:

“Anantakōṭi Brahmāṇḍanāyaka, Ramābrahmarudrēndrādivandya, Bhaktavastala,……” This

is found in the edition of Purandara Dāsa songs by ŚrīmanMadhvasiddhānta Granthālaya,

Uḍupi. The editor has added a note that the tradition of singing this is not known. This

conforms to the Cūrṇikā variety of Gadya Prabandha180.

4.1.5.7 Long Poems

There are several long poems composed by the Haridāsa-s of the Vijayanagara period

which are unique. They provide evidence of the pioneering brilliance of these composers in

creating new forms .

4.1.5.7.1 Antiphonical song of Śrī Śrīpādarāya

The song ‘Kañjanētre Śubha Mañjulagātre’ is a unique antiphonal composition by Śrī

Śrīpādarāya. The lyrics depict a conversation between the two wives of Śrī Kṛṣṇa –

Satyabhāma and Rukmiṇi. The song starts with a Pallavi (which is the refrain) followed by

17 stanzas. Every odd stanza represents Rukmiṇi’s statement and every even stanza

represents Satyabhāma’s statement. Each of Rukmiṇi’s stanzas ends with ‘Bhāmini Suguṇe

Kāmini’ and each of Satyabhāma’s stanzas ends with ‘Rugmiṇi Supadmagandhini’.

Vide Dr. R. Sathyanarayana, Music of the Madhva Monks, Page 70

180

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

The available version of this song mentions only one Tāla and Rāga181. However, based on

its structure of dialogue between two parties, Dr. R. Sathyanārāyaṇa likens it to the ancient
Śukasārika Prabandha. Drawing upon musicological treatises such as those of Mataṅga,

Sōmēśwara, Jagadēkamalla, Pārśvadēva etc. He says that the Caraṇa-s pertaining to

Rukmiṇi and Satyabhāma should be tuned to two separate Rāga-s and Tāla-s, and each

Caraṇa should be followed by ‘Pāṭa’ or Jati-s on Mṛdaṅga/Solkaṭṭu in vocal music182.

4.1.5.7.2 Vaikuṇṭha Varṇane

This is a poem by Śrī Vādirāja which is composed in four chapters – Mukti, Laya, Śṛṣṭi and

Sthiti totaling 387 stanzas. The first introductory verse has been composed in the Bhāminī

Śaṭpadi metre. The composition has Samskṛta verses which are called by two names –

‘Ślōka’ and ‘Śṛti’. The latter apparently are extracts from Vēdic scriptures and the former are

from other sources. The Sāṅgatya meter can also be seen in this composition183. The entire

poem is an elaboration of the Śloka-s in Kannada. It is a description of Vaikuṇṭha based on

Śrīman Madhvācārya’s school of Dvaita Vedanta. It has been classified as a Vṛttanāma by

Dr. T.N. Nāgaratna, perhaps because of the Ślōka and Kannada verse format. However,

unlike in other Vṛttanāma-s, each Ślōka is not followed by a single Kannada verse but by

multiple verses whose number is variable. It is also much longer than other Vṛttanāma-s of

Haridāsa-s. The Samskṛta Ślōka-s are not of a uniform number of lines and syllables per

line. As mentioned earlier, these have also been collated from different sources and not

composed by Śrī Vādirāja himself. Probably due to these reasons, Dr. R. Sathyanārāyaṇa

has not classified this composition as a Vṛttanāma.

4.1.5.7.3 Suvvāli of Śrī Vādirāja

The thematic significance of the Suvvāli shall be taken up later in this chapter. There are

three Suvvāli-s composed by Śrī Vādirāja which are long poems. Each has been taken up

individually to highlight its structural features:

Vide Śrīpādarājara Kṛtigalu, Ed. G. Varadaraja Rao

181

Vide Dr. R. Sathyanarayana, Music of the Madhva Monks, Page 21

182

vide Dr. T.N. Nagaratna, Haridasara Bhakti Svaroopa, Page 398

183

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Avatāratraya Suvvāli – This Suvvāli has been composed to describe the three incarnations

of Śrī Madhvācārya as Hanuman, Bhīma and Madhva. It has a Pallavi followed by 230
stanzas of two lines each. It is interesting to note that the following stanza containing the

words ‘Suvvi’ and ‘Suvvi Lāli’ occurs at the very end of the composition, though it is sung as

the refrain throughout the song:

Suvvi Hanumanta Suvvi Suvvi Bhīmasēna Suvvi

Suvvi Madhvarāyarige Suvvi Lāli

Jagabirudina Suvvāli – This Suvvāli talks about the glories of Viśṇu in various Avatara-s and

the refutation of Advaita. After the Pallavi occur 37 stanzas. Its stanzas are composed in the

Tripadi metre. The second line of every stanza is repeated in the third line which contains an
additional phrase which continues into the fourth line, making the meaning and music of the

stanza complete. An example can be seen in the following stanza:

Harige Śaraṇembe Sirige Śaraṇembe

Vara Vāṇiramaṇage Śaraṇembe Suvvi

Vara Vāṇiramaṇage Śaraṇendu Pēlida

Guru Vādirājēndrana Kṛtiyendu Suvvi

In this song, the word Suvvi occurs at the end of every Stanza and the following refrain

occurs as the Pallavi:

Suvvi Suvvi Namma Śrīramaṇage Suvvi

Suvvi Suvvi Namma Bhūramaṇage Suvvi

Suvvi Endu Pāḍi Sajjanarella Kēli

Tattvasuvvāli184 – This Suvvāli too starts with the same first line as that of the Jagabirudina

Suvvāli -

Suvvi Suvvi Namma Śrīramaṇage Suvvi

This is not to be confused with the famous Tattvasuvvāli of Śrī Jagannātha Dāsa
184

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The Suvvāli also structurally conforms to the Tripadi singing, having the second line of every

stanza repeated in the third line. The third line has an additional phrase and continues into
the fourth line, making the meaning and music of the stanza complete. Thus, it is very similar

to the Jagabirudina Suvvāli in structure.

This Suvvāli talks about the glories of Viśṇu in various Avatara-s and the refutation of

Advaita. After the Pallavi follow 35 stanzas.

4.1.5.7.4 Lakṣmī Śōbhana/Śōbhāne of Śrī Vādirāja

Śōbhāne is a type of song that is performed at weddings as a benediction to the bride and

groom. Several Śōbhāne-s have been composed by different Haridāsa-s. However, Śrī

Vādirāja’s Lakṣmī Śōbhāne is distinct in the sense that it is quite long as compared to the

rest of such songs. It has as its theme the story of Lakṣmī’s wedding to Hari. At the
beginning of the song, there is a Pallavi which is as follows

Śōbhanavennire Surarolu Subhaganige

Śōbhanavenni Suguṇanige

Śōbhanavenni Trivikramarāyage

Śōbhanavenni Surapriyage

The Pallavi is followed by of 112 stanza-s which are of four lines each. Throughout the song,

Dvitīyākṣara Prāsa (alliteration on the second syllable) is seen. Interestingly, in some

stanzas, the convention of Tripadi singing is seen i.e. the second line is repeated in the third

line, which has an additional phrase and continues into the fourth line to make the meaning

and music of the stana complete. However, this feature is not present in all stanzas. An

example of this is

Poleva Navaratnada Rāsiya Tegetegedu

Ulida Amararige Sallisida

Ulida Amararige Sallisida Samudra

Kaluhidanavara Manegalige

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4.1.5.7.5 Svapnapada of Śrī Vādirāja

The Svapnapada of Śrī Vādirāja is a long continuous poem composed in the Bhāmini

Śatpadi meter. It does not have a Pallavi, Anupallavi and Caranas but has 45 stanzas. Its

theme is Hari’s commandments revealed to Śrī Vādirāja in a dream. Alliteration on the

second syllable (Dvitīyākṣara Prāsa) can be seen in the stanzas of this composition.

4.1.5.7.6 Gajēndra Mōkṣa of Śrī Vādirāja

The Gajēndra Mōkṣa of Śrī Vādirāja is a long poem without a Pallavi or Anupallavi. It has 50

stanzas of four lines each which run in a continuous narrative describing a story from the

Bhāgavata Purāṇa of King Indradyuma who has taken the form of an elephant being

rescued from the clutches of a crocodile by Lord Viśṇu. The words Nārāyaṇa-Kṛṣṇa are
repeated at the end of each couplet half or each stanza185.

4.1.5.7.7 Gajēndra Mōkṣa of Śrī Bēlūru Vaikuṇṭha Dāsa

This composition is a long poem of Śrī Bēlūru Vaikuṇṭha Dāsa which has a Pallavi followed

by 11 stanzas. The stanzas are in Vārdhika Ṣaṭpadi and consist of 6 lines each. The story of

Indradyumna as Gajēndra from the Bhāgavata Purāṇa is the theme of this composition186.

4.1.5.7.8 Guṇḍakriya of Śrī Vādirāja

The Guṇḍakriya of Śrī Vādirāja is unique and the only one of its kind which is known. This

composition has as its theme the refutation of rival religious or metaphysical systems such

as Cārvāka, Buddhism, Jainism, Advaita and exposition of Dvaita philosophy. It has 40

stanzas which have alliteration on the second syllable (Dvitīyākṣara Prāsa) and the

composer’s ‘Aṅkita’ or signature. According to Dr. Sathyanarayana, a source of this

composition lists the first two lines of the first stanza as Pallavi which may be repeated as

refrain after every stanza187.

Dr. Sathyanarana offers two possible explanations for the name of this song – one is based

on the Rāga assigned (Guṇḍakriya) and the other is based on the theme of the song which

Vide Dr. R. Sathyanarayana, Music of the Madhva Monks, Page 95

185

186 Vide Bēlūru Vaikuṇṭhadāsara Kīrtanegalu, Ed. N. Gitacharya. The editor mentions that the same
song is sometimes ascribed to Purandara Dāsa, Kanaka Dāsa and Lakṣmīśa.
187 Vide Dr. R. Sathyanarayana, Music of the Madhva Monks, page 97

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warns devotees of pitfalls of following rival religious systems, since ‘Guṇḍa’ stands for ‘pit’ in

Kannada. However, neither explanation can be proved or disproved due to lack of data.

4.1.5.7.9 Dance Drama

4.1.5.7.9.1 Nārada Koravañji of Śrī Vādirāja

The Nārada Koravañji of Śrī Vādirāja is a musico-literary composition which is the earliest

vernacular dance-drama in South India which can be included within the perimeter of

classical music and dance and also incorporates folk elements188. ‘Koravañji’ stands for a

fortune teller from a wandering gypsy tribe. In this dance-drama, Śrī Vādirāja describes the

celestial bard Nārada taking on the form of a Koravañji and approaching the princess

Rukmiṇī who wishes to marry Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Nārada as the Koravañji who is already aware of

RukmiṇI’s wish, predicts that it will come true. Kṛṣṇa then arrives and carries RukmiṇI away

and Koravañji is richly rewarded.

Dr. R. Sathyanarayana traces the evolution of the Koravañji dance-drama right from the time

of the Tamil epic Śilappadikāram in his book ‘Music of the Madhva Monks’ in Kannada,

Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam and elaborates on its folk origin and affiliation to classical

music and dance. Writing about the Nārada Koravñji, he says, “It is not simply a song or

dance set to a literary theme performed by a single Koravañji as it did in its early phase but

has a well defined dramatic element and clearcut dramatis personae. It has several features

which are common to later Koravañji plays and therefore may be regarded as the archetype

or exemplar for this literary musico-dance”.

This composition has several remarkable features. The Koravañji arrives on stage in the

beginning of the composition and remains there till the end. This composition has both

prose passages (apparently to be sung by a ‘Sūtradhāra’ or narrator) and poetry. It has

stanzas and prose in both Kannada and Telugu. An example of a Kannada stanza is as

follows:

Nāḍinoladhikanāda Nārāyaṇana

Īḍillada Pati Nīnu Māḍi-

ibid, Page 98
188

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Koṇḍenendu Manadalli

Nenaside Kaṇḍyā Namma Kṛṣṇa Kutūhaladi

Below is the example of a Telugu stanza:

Celuvā Nā Māṭā Nīku Puccā

Celuvā Nā Māṭa

Kallagādu Nā Kaṇṇūlānū

Pilla Vinuvamma Pallavapāṇī Celuvā Nā Māṭa

The stanzas are of 2 lines, 3 lines and 4 lines. Alliteration on the second syllable

(Dvitīyākṣara Prāsa) is seen in the stanzas. The prose passages have alliteration and

euphony.

4.1.5.7.9.2 Bhramara Gīta of Śrī Vādirāja

‘Bhramara Gīta’ stands for Bee-song. The thematic description of this type of song has been

given later in this chapter189. Compared to such songs by other Haridāsa-s, Śrī Vādirāja’s

composition is unique in structure as it is a dance-drama consisting of both prose and verse.

After invocation to Lord Gaṇapati, the composition starts off with a Samskṛta Ślōka. The

stanzas in the composition are found in two varieties – either as part of a Kīrtana format with

a Pallavi and Caraṇa-s (the Pallavi being the refrain repeated at the end of each Caraṇa) or

as separate stanzas. The stanzas are 2-line or 4-line. Alliteration on the second syllable

(Dvitīyākṣara Prāsa) is seen throughout the composition. The IKS edition lists several Rāga-

s and Tāla-s in its footnotes ascribed to various parts of the composition. The composer

himself has mentioned that he has used the ‘Sulādi Tāla-s’ in the beginning of the

composition. According to Dr. Sathyanarayana, another source for this composition also has

the original Bhāgavata passages in Samskṛta from which the composition is derived, which

were apparently part of the text190. Thus, this is a bi-lingual Rāga-Tālamālika dance-drama.

See Section 3.5.1

189

See Music of the Madhva Monks, Page 144

190

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4.1.5.7.10 Long Poems of Śrī Kanakadāsa

Śrī Kanakadāsa has composed several long poems (Kāvya in Kannada) which are unique in
structure. They are briefly described as follows

Mōhana Taraṅgini

This work employs the Sāṅgatya meter. It is based on stories from the Skānda Purāṇa,

Viṣṇu Purāṇa and Bhāgavata Purāṇa and describes the story of Kṛṣṇa’s grandson

Aniruddha’s marriage to Uṣā191. It has 42 chapters and 2659 verses. It does not have a

Pallavi. Alliteration on the second syllable is seen in its stanzas.

Nalacaritre

This work has been composed in the Bhāminī Ṣaṭpadi meter. It has as its theme the story of
Nala and Damayanti as depicted in the Padma, Liṅga, Matsya and other Purāṇa-s192. There

are 481 verses in this work, which does not have a Pallavi. This work has alliteration on the

second syllable in its stanzas.

Rāmadhānya Caritre

The Bhāminī Ṣaṭpadi meter has been used in this work, which has 100 verses and no

Pallavi. It has as its theme the story of an argument between Rāgi (millet) and Paddy grains,

set against the backdrop of the Rāmāyaṇa193. As with Kanakadāsa’s other long poems, this

work too has alliteration on the second syllable in its stanzas.

Haribhaktisāra

This work too employs the Bhāminī Ṣaṭpadi meter. It has been considered a ‘Śataka Kṛti’. It

seems to capture the essence of Kanakadāsa’s personal beliefs and philosophy. True to its

name, it is a composition dedicated to the devotion of Hari. The refrain ‘Rakṣisu

Vide Dr. T.N. Nagaratna, Haridasara Bhakti Svarupa, Page 400

191

ibid, Page 400

192

193 ibid, Page 400

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Nammananavarata’ is seen at the end of each verse. Like other works of its composer, it

does not have a Pallavi and is a continuous poem. It consists of 108 verses 194.

4.1.5.7.11 Long Kṛti-s of Haridāsa-s

There are several long compositions of Haridāsa-s which are in the Kṛti format, i.e. they have

either only a Pallavi followed by several stanzas or both a Pallavi and Anupallavi followed by

several stanzas. In terms of structure, they are no different from a standard Kṛti except for

their length. Some examples of these types of compositions are as below:

By Śrī Śrīpādarāya

 Jaya Jaya Jagatrāṇa Jagadolage Sutrāṇa (Madhvanāma), Rāga: Saurāṣṭra, Tāla:

Ādi 195
 Lāli Gōvinda Lāli, Rāga: Ānandabhairavi, Tāla: Jhampe196

By Śrī Vyāsarāya

 Aṅgajanayyanu Gōkula Pōguvāga

 Rāmanāḍidanuyyāle Rājīvanētranāḍidanuyyāle

By Śrī Purandara Dāsa

 Acyutānanta Gōvinda Hari, Rāga: Madhyamāvati, Tāla: Aṭa197

 Elli Virāṭapūje Hṛdayakamala, Rāga: Bhairavi, Tāla: Jhampe198

 Baṇṇisalalave Ninna Vēṅkaṭaranna, Rāga: Tōḍī, Tāla: Ādi199

 Yākenna Ebbiside Śrīhariya Sēve Dhyānada Olagiddēne, Rāga: Bhūpāli, Tāla:

Jhampe200

Vide Kanaka Kāvya Sampuṭa Ed. Prof. A.V. Navada, Page 97

194

Vide Śrīpādarājara Kṛtigalu (Paṇḍita Āvṛtti), Kuvempu Kannada Adhyayana Samsthe, 1987, p 49
195

Vide Śrīpādarājara Kṛtigalu (Paṇḍita Āvṛtti), Kuvempu Kannada Adhyayana Samsthe, 1987, p 142
196

Vide Purandara Dāsara Kīrtaṇegalu (combined volume), Śrīmanmadhvasiddhāntha Granthālaya,

197

Udupi, 2001, p 21
ibid, p 113
198

ibid, p 391
199

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 Raṅganolidā Namma Kṛṣṇanolidā Aṅgane Draupadi, Rāga: Saurāṣtra Tāla: Ādi201

By Śrī Kanakadāsa

 Hēge Nī Dāsanāde – Hē Prāṇi

 Īśa Ninna Caraṇa Bhajane

 Vāsudēvāya Namo Vāsukiśayanāya Namo

By Śrī Vādirāja

 Ammamma Gōpiyane Ēnembe Para

 Kutsitarollada Matsaravillada Satsabha Kēlalī Kṛtiya

 Jaya Madhvavallabha Jayaśuddha Sullabha

There are a few compositions by Śrī Purandara Dāsa which do not have a Pallavi but consist

of several stanzas. These are:

 Gōkuladolōrva Rākēndumukhi Tānu

 Candragāviyanuṭṭu Duṇḍamuttane Kaṭṭi

 Śrīrājita Kurugurulina Madhyadi

4.1.5.8 Ugābhōga
The Ugābhōga is a short composition which is packed with content which is usually

devotional/philosophical. It is one of the very distinct forms of Haridāsa compositions. Some

scholars have the opinion that the name Ugābhōga is the abbreviation of Udgrāha and

Ābhōga. There is also a view that this form is similar to the Vacana of the Vīraśaiva saints

and has been influenced by it. However, another view is that the Ugābhōga is a derivative of

ibid, p 476
200

ibid, p 492
201

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the Sālaga Sūḍa Prabandha, just like the Sulādi. Among the Sālaga Sūḍa was a Rāsaka

Prabandha set to the Rāsaka Tāla and this has evolved into the Ugābhōga202.

Ugābhōga does not have the prescription of number of lines or number of syllables per line.

It is not divided into Pallavi, Anupallavi and Caraṇa.

In many of the available sources of Ugābhōga-s, there is no prescription of Tāla and Rāga.

However, some Ugābhōga-s do have a Tāla prescription. These are usually sung to a single

Rāga and do not have any specific rules of Prosody though some may be poetic. These are

similar to Ślōka-s in their brevity and pithy nature. The content which is spread over Pallavi,

Anupallavi and Caraṇa in Kīrtane is packed together in a few lines in this composition,

thereby conveying a message in a very effective way203.

4.1.5.9 Sulādi
The Sulādi form was perhaps the greatest contribution of the Haridāsa-s to the music of

Karṇāṭaka. The Sulādi is a composition which has several stanzas, each set to a different

Tāla. The last stanza called ‘Jate’ is the smallest and usully states a summary of the

message of the entire work. A set of Nine Tāla-s was typically used in the Sulādi-s, Seven of

which came to be known as the ‘Sulādi Sapta Tāla-s’. The Sulādi evolved from the Sālaga

Sūḍa Prabandha-s.

The evolution of the Sulādi from the Sālagasūḍa is studied under the following heads:

 Structural Evolution of the Sulādi-s

 The evolution of the Sulādi Sapta Tāla-s

 Laya and Jāti in Sulādi Sapta Tāla-s

 Sulādi Rendering

 The significance of the philosophical content of the Sulādi-s

 Sulādi Nṛtta

Following is the notation of a Sulādi from a manuscript from Thañjāvūr Maharaja Serfoji’s

Sarasvati Mahal Library, TMSSML Ms No. B11575:

202 Vide Dr. R. Sathyanarayana, Suladis and Ugabhogas, Page 68-74

203 Vide Dr. T.N. Nagaratna, Haridasara Bhakti Svarupa, Page 393-394

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The notation of a Sulādi from a manuscript- TMSSML Ms No. B11575, page 168

135
Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

The notation of a Sulādi from a manuscript- TMSSML Ms No. B11575, pages 169, 170

136
Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

The notation of a Sulādi from a manuscript- TMSSML Ms No. B11575, page 171

137
Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

The notation of a Sulādi from a manuscript- TMSSML Ms No. B11575, pages 172, 173

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

4.1.5.9.1 Structural Evolution of the Sulādi

The structural Evolution of the Sulādi is examined under the following heads

 The Pre-Vijayanagara structure of Sālaga Sūḍa-s

 Changes in the structure of the Sālaga Sūḍa-s in the 14th Century A.D.

 The coalescing of Sālaga Sūḍa-s into the Sulādi by the Haridāsa-s

4.1.5.9.1.1 Pre-Vijayanagara Structure of the Sālaga Sūḍa-s

In Dēśī music, all compositions were known by the generic name of ‘Prabandha’. A brief

description of the standard features of Prabandha as seen in Śārṅgadēva’s

Saṅgītaratnākara (SR) is as follows204:

A Prabandha had the following mandatory sections known as ‘Dhātu-s’ :

Udgrāha – the section with which the Prabandha commences

Mēlāpaka – the section which links the Udgrāha with the next section called Dhruva

Dhruva – this is the section which is mandatory in a Prabandha and is rendered several

times. The Prabandha terminates on it even though this is not the last section.

Ābhōga – this is the last section of the Prabandha which contains the name of the

composer/deity/patron.

The following six were Aṅga-s or parts of a Prabandha:

Svara – the musical notes expressed as solfa syllables in a Prabandha.

Biruda – the eulogistic descriptions in a Prabandha.

Pada – the meaningful text (apart from Biruda) of the Prabandha

Tēna – the musical phrases in a Prabandha which are expressed with the syllables ‘Tēna’ or

‘Tenna’

vide Musical Forms in Saṅgītaratnākara by Dr. N. Ramanathan, page 515-526

204

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Pāṭa – the syllables used to depict the sounds produced on percussion instruments

(Avanddha Vādya-s)

Tāla – the rhythmic component of a Prabandha.

In a Prabandha, it was possible that a minimum of two and a maximum of six Aṅga-s were

present. According to the number of Aṅga-s, the ‘Jāti’ of a Prabandha was determined –

Tāravali, Bhāvanī, Dīpanī, ĀnandinI and Mēdinī have two, three, four, five and six Aṅga-s

respectively.

Prabandha-s are of two varieties – Niryukta and Aniryukta. The former is one where there is

prescription of Chanda, Tāla etc. and the latter is one where there is no such prescription.

In the classification of Prabandha-s, the SR describes Sūḍa-s, Āli-s, Viprakīrṇa-s and then
the Sālaga Sūḍa-s. The Śuddha Sūḍa-s conformed to strict theoretical prescriptions. The

Sālaga Sūḍa-s belonged to a distinct group of special compositions that were confined to

local usage205. Sālaga is the Apabhramśa (colloquial) version of Chāyālaga, meaning

similar.

Another Dhātu which was seen only in Sālaga Sūḍa Prabandha-s was the Antara. It served

as a bridge between the Dhruva and the Ābhōga.

The Sālaga Sūḍa Prabandha-s were prevalent for many centuries in Dēśī music prior to the

advent of the Vijayanagara period. These were a set of seven prabandha-s which were sung

in a particular order206 called Sūḍa-krama207. These were Niryukta Prabandha-s of Tārāvaī

Jāti since they had two Aṅga-s - Pada and Tāla. It is thus opined that Sālaga Sūḍa-s which

have evolved into the Sulādi-s.

A point to be mentioned here is that Venkaṭamakhi, the author of the Caturdaṇḍīprakāśika

(CDP) written in 1650 A.D. calls the Sālaga Sūḍa-s Gīta-s and makes the distinction

between them and Prabandha-s. His ‘Caturdaṇḍī’ – the four pillars of music constitute Gīta,

As per the introduction, Suladis and Ugabhogas by Dr. R Sathyanarayana, Page 1

205

206 ibid, Etymology, Page 5

207 Both Sōmeśwara III and Jagadēkamalla in their respective works Mānasōllāsa and Saṅgīta
Cūḍāmaṇi mention Sūdakrama but do not describe the songs Dhruva, Maṇṭha etc. – vide page 399 of
Caturdaṇḍīprakāśikā, Volume II, Makhihṛdaya: A critical study by Dr. R. Sathyanārāyaṇa

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Prabandha, Ālāpa and Ṭhāya and he attributes this concept to one Gōpāla Nāyaka who

probably lived in the 14th century A.D208.

The following description for the seven Sālaga Sūḍa-s can be seen in the Saṅgītaratnākara

(SR) of Śārṅgadēva209:

1) Dhruva or Dhruvaka

This Prabandha had only the Dhātu-s Udgrāha and Ābhōga. The Udgrāha is divided into 2

sections. The first of them is further sub-divided into two sub-sections, each of which has the

same Dhātu210 but different lyrics. The second section is in higher notes than the first. The

entire Udgrāha is sung twice. Ābhōga has a structure similar to Udgrāha i.e. two sections,

the first divided into two sub-sections with the same Dhātu (melody) but different lyrics and
the second section in higher notes. The Ābhōga contains the name of the deity or person

being eulogized. The Prabandha ends on the first section of the Udgrāha. The first section of

the Udgrāha functions as the Dhruva. According to Simhabhūpāla, the commentator of SR,

the third section of the Udgrāha is the Antara 211.

The Dhruvaka Prabandha is of 16 types. These types are based on the number of Akśara-s

or syllables in each section. The types are – Jayanta, Śēkhara, Utsāha, Madhura, Nirmala,

Kuntala, Kāmala, Cāra, Nandana, Candraśēkhara, Kāmōda, Vijaya, Kandarpa,

Jayamaṅgala, Tilaka and Lalita which have respectively 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19,

20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 and 26 Akśara-s.

Each of the above types of the Dhruvaka Prabandha uses different Tāla-s. The attribution of

Tāla-s to each of the types of Dhruvaka Prabandha is as follows:

Jayanta – Ādi

Śēkhara – Nihsāru

208 vide (CDP, 9, 5). This could probably refer to the Gōpāla Nāyaka referred in Kallinātha’s
commentary on (SR, 4, 253-256, 305) or to another Gōpāla Nāyaka
209 vide Dr. Subhadra Chaudhary’s commentary and translation of (SR, 4, 314-359)
210 here, Dhātu refers to melody and not section
211 vide Simhabhūpāla’s commentary on (SR, 4, 317)

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Utsāha – Pratimaṇṭha

Madhura – Hayalīla

Nirmala - Krīḍā

Kuntala – Laghuśēkhara

Kāmala – Jhampa

Cāra – Nihsāru

Nandana – Ēka

Candraśēkhara - Pratimaṇṭha

Kāmōda - Pratimaṇṭha

Vijaya – Dvitīya

Kandarpa – Ādi

Jayamaṅgala - Krīḍā

Tilaka – Ēka

Lalita - Pratimaṇṭha

Removing repetitions, we have the following Tāla-s used in the Dhruvaka Prabandha - Ādi,

Nihsāru, Pratimaṇṭha, Hayalīla, Krīḍā, Laghuśēkhara, Jhampa, Ēka, Dvitīya which have the

following structures

(here ‘l’ represents Laghu, ‘o’ represents Druta, ‘s’ represents Guru and ‘‘’ represents

Virāma)

Ādi – l

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Nihsāru – Vaikunda ooll, Ānanda – o’o’ 212, Kāntāra-ls, Samara – ll’, Vañcita – llloo,

Viśāla – lool

Pratimaṇṭha – s, oo’, lll’, ll’l l

Hayalīla – o’o’oo

Krīḍā – o’o’213

Laghuśēkhara – l’

Jhampa – o’o’l

Ēka - o

Dvitīya - ool

For the other Prabandha-s, we have the following descriptions as per the SR:

hv

2) Maṇṭha

In Maṇṭha Prabandha, the Udgrāha can have one or two ceasuras (pauses). After this, the

Dhruva is sung twice. If the optional Antara214 is present, after singing it, the Dhruva is sung.

Then the Ābhōga is sung and again the Dhruva is sung, on which the Prabandha ends.

It is to be noted here that in the case of the Maṇṭha Prabandha, the Dhruva comes after the
Udgrāha. This is different from the Dhruvaka Prabandha where the first section of the

Udgrāha also functions as the Dhruva. The character of the Dhātu-s in all other subsequent

The colloquial name for Ānanda is Rūpaka and Samara is Jambunāla according to Simhabhūpāla’s
212

commentary on (SR, 5, 280)

Krīḍā is the same as Caṇḍa Nihsāruka according to (SR, 5, 283)
213

Kallinātha has said that this Antara is colloquially known as ‘Upāntara’ and is the same as the
214

Dhruva Dhātu and not the Antara between Dhruva and Ābhōga as per commentary on (SR, 4, 333)

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Sālaga Sūḍa Prabandha-s Pratimaṇṭha, Nihsāruka, Aḍḍatāla, Rāsaka and Ēkatālī is similar

to those of the Maṇṭha Prabandha215.

There are six types of Maṇṭha. The structures of these in terms of Guru, Laghu and Druta

are as follows - Jagaṇa lsl, Bhagaṇa sll, Sagaṇa lls, Ragaṇa sls, Virāmānta Nagaṇa lll’,

Virāmānta Drutadvandva and laghu oo’l. The Maṇtha Prabandha has six varieties Jayapriya,

Maṅgala, Sundara, Vallabha, Kalāpa and Kamala are based on the six types of Maṇṭha

Tāla-s respectively.

3) Pratimaṇṭha

There are four types of the Pratimaṇtha Prabandha – Amara, Tāra, Vicāra and Kunda based

on the four varieties of Pratimaṇtha Tāla-s. In terms of Laghu, Guru, Druta etc. these have
the structures s, oo’ll, lll’ and ll’l.

4) Nihsāruka

This Prabandha has six varieties based on the six varieties of Nihsāruka216 - Maṅgala,

Ānanda, Kāntāra, Samara, Vānchita and Viśāla. In terms of Laghu, Guru, Druta etc. these

have the structures ooll, oo’, ls, ll’, llloo and lool respectively.

5) Aḍḍatāla

This Prabandha has six varieties based on the six Aḍḍatāla-s - Nihśaṅka, Śaṅka, Śīla, Cāra,
Makaranda and Vijaya. The structures of these in terms of Laghu, Guru, Druta are lsoo, loo,

oo’l, ools, oos, ool respectively. It has also been mentioned that Aḍḍatāla is called ‘Tripuṭa’

by some217 218.

6) Rāsaka

This Prabandha is different from the others in the sense that its different varieties are

characterized by the occurrence of Ālāpa in its sections. This Prabandha is based on

vide (SR, 4, 338 cd)

215

See 10 for colloquial names of Ānanda and Samara

216

217 vide (SR, 5, 307)

ibid, Simhabhūpāla, as per the original Ślōka of SR gives the structure oll but Kallinātha says that it
218

is ooll

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

Rāsaka or Rāsa Tāla, which is the colloquial name of Ādi Tāla which has a single Laghu. In

all varieties of this Prabandha, the Udgrāha consists of two sections. The different varieties
are

Vinōda – here, the Dhruva section ends with an Ālāpa

Varada – here, the Ālāpa is in the middle of Dhruva section

Nanda – In the Udgrāha, there are two sections of which the first is made of Ālāpa

Kambuja – The Dhruvapada starts with an Ālāpa in the beginning

7) Ēkatālī

This Prabandha is set to Ēkatāli Tāla which has just one Druta. It is of 3 varieties

Ramā – It has an Udgrāha of 2 sections which are sung once, Antara is made of Akśara-s219.

Candrikā – It has an Udgrāha of 2 sections, Antara is made of Ālāpa, and is in extremely fast

speed (Druta Laya), and has several Yati-s (caesuras or pause).

Vipulā – It has an Udgrāha which has Ālāpa in the beginning.

Thus, it is clear that as per the SR, there were seven Sālagasūḍa-s called Dhruvaka,

Maṅṭha, Pratimaṇṭha, Nihsāruka, Aḍḍatāla, Rāsaka and Ēkatāli which were prescribed to be

sung in this precise order.

However, looking at Kannada literary sources, and also the authority of Haripāladēva, the

author of the Saṅgītasudhākara, it appears that there was a tradition of calling the seven
Sālagasūḍa-s by the names Dhruva, Maṭhya, Rūpaka, Jhampa, Tripuṭa, Aṭha and Ēka and

there were seven namesake ‘Sūḍa/Sūtra/Suddha’ Tāla-s associated with them right from the

12th Century A.D. The following Kannada literary sources can be considered:

 Aggala – 1189 A.D. in his Candraprabhapurāṇam Eka, Dhruva, Trivuḍe, Maṭṭheya,

Jhampe, Aṭa, Rūpaka have been called ‘Sūtra Tāla-s’.

Kallinātha’s commentary on (SR, 4, 357) equates Antara to Dhruva.

219

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

 Janna – 1209 A.D. in his Anantanāthapurāṇam there is mention of ‘Dhruvādi Gīta’

and ‘Sūlakrama’

Haripāladēva gives a description of the Sālaga Sūḍa Prabandha-s220 and also uses the

synonyms ‘Dēśī’ Prabandha-s and Sūḍādi Prabandha-s for them. He describes Dhruvā,

Maṇṭha, Pratimaṇṭha, Rūpaka, Tivilā, Śampā and Aḍḍatāla. Their features are briefly given

as follows:

1) Dhruvā: is of three kinds – Uttama (having five Pada-s), Madhyama (having four Pada-s)

and Adhama – (having three Pada-s) in Udgrāha and Ābhōga. The Dhruva Dhātu is not

mentioned here. This Sūḍa maybe set to any Tāla.

2) Maṇṭha: is of three kinds – Druta, Vilambita and Ativilambita

3) Pratimaṇṭha: is not set to Tāla

4) Rūpaka: is set to the Rūpaka Tāla

5) Tivilā: is set to the Tivilā Tāla

6) Śampā: is set to the Śampā Tāla

7) Aḍḍatāla: is set to the Aḍḍatāla

Saṅgītasamayasāra of Pārśvadēva (composed between 1165 and 1330 A.D.) mentions

different types of Dhruva Prabandha-s221.

Thus, we can see that there were two nomenclatures in vogue for Sālaga Sūḍa Prabandha-s

prior to the Vijayanagara period –

i) Dhruva, Maṅṭha, Pratimaṇṭha, Nihsāruka, Aḍḍatāla, Rāsaka and Ēkatāli

ii) Dhruvā, Maṇṭha, Pratimaṇṭha, Rūpaka, Tivilā, Śampā and Aḍḍatāla

vide page 400-401 of Caturdaṇḍīprakāśikā, Volume II, Makhihṛdaya: A critical study by Dr. R.
220

Sathyanārāyaṇa
ibid, page 402
221

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

It is the view of Dr. R. Sathyanarayaṇa that the former seems to have a textual recognition

while the latter seems purely provincial 222.

There are some interesting points regarding the second nomenclature of the Sālaga Sūḍa-s

mentioned above in the pre-Vijayanagara texts:

 In the SR, Tripuṭa is said to be equivalent to Aḍḍatāla (SR, 5, 307). In later texts

during and after the Vijayanagara period (as shall be seen subsequently), Tripuṭa is

equated to the Triviḍa Tāla which in Haripāladēva’s time is referred to as ‘Tivila’.

 In Saṅgītaśirōmaṇi (SS), we find a mention of the Rūpaka Prabandha223 which is set

to Krīḍa Tāla (SS, 12, 797-799). This Tāla has the structure oo’ and is thereby

identical to the Ānanda Tāla, which is one of the Tāla-s used typically in one of the

six varieties of Nihsāru (SS, 12, 777-780).

 Jhampa (Śampa) in the SS is regarded as identical to one of the varieties of Aḍḍatāla

oo’l which is used in the Śīla type of Aḍḍatāla Prabandha (SS, 783-784).

Thus, we see that there is a textual tradition for the Tāla-s used in the second nomenclature.

These Tāla-s Jhampa and Tripuṭa seem to be particular variations of the Āḍḍatāla and the

Rūpaka a variation of Nihsāruka in this period. It is also possible that the namesake

Prabandha-s were particular variations of the Aḍḍatāla and Nihsāruka Prabandha-s. Hence,

the first nomenclature perhaps bears a general to particular relationship to the second. It

may thus be difficult to establish that the second nomenclature was ‘provincial’ and restricted

only to Karṇātaka since the SS also has mention of the Tāla-s used in this nomenclature and

also the Rūpaka Prabandha.224

This is the view of Dr. R. Sathyanarayana, vide page 402, of Caturdaṇḍīprakāśikā, Volume II,
222

Makhihṛdaya: A critical study by Dr. R. Sathyanārāyaṇa. This is perhaps based on references in

Kannada literature which give the latter nomenclature.
223 The Editor of the SS, Dr. Emmie te Nijenjuis has clarified that this is not to be confused with
Rūpaka Ālapti which is in fact discussed next in the work. See also 10 for Simhabhūpāla’s view on the
tāla Ānanda being colloquially referred to as Rūpaka.
It may be mentioned that the SS was the outcome of a musical conference in 1428 organized by
224

the Sultan of Kaḍa which had a representation from the different parts of the country.

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

4.1.5.9.1.2 Changes in the Sālaga Sūḍa in the 14th Century A.D.

It seems that in the 14th century A.D., changes started taking place in the Sālaga Sūḍa. This

is evidenced from the following references in Lakṣaṇa Grantha-s:

 Saṅgītōpaniṣadsārōddhāra by Sudhākalasa –

The Sālaga Sūḍa is the best (‘Uttamōttama) type of Sūḍa. (SUS, 1, 49). A song

without Dhruva is like a pond without water. (SUS, 1, 51). A Dhruva with six lines is

best (Uttama), with five lines is middle (Madhyama), and the least good is one with

four (Kaniṣhṭha) (SUS, 1, 55).

 Kallinātha’s commentary on the Saṅgītaratnākara (SR, 4, 318-320) –

In the Dhruva-s (Dhruva Prabandha-s) prevalent currently, the rule about

Akṣarasaṅkhya (no. of syllables) is not followed. How are they then reckoned to be

Dhruva Prabandha-s? He then answers this by saying that Akṣara-s also stand for

Pada-s or words. If the number of words is as per the rule, then it is acceptable.

 Rāgārṇava – In this work, cited by Śāraṅgadhāra, the classification of the Dhruvaka

into Uttama, Madhyama and Kaniṣṭha is similar to that of the SUS225.

The above references indicate that the structure of the Dhruvaka Prabandha was changing,

not only in terms of the number of sections but also the number of syllables per section. The

views of SUS and Rāgārṇava are a departure from a similar classification of Uttama,

Madhyama and Kaniṣṭha by Haripāla, which is based on Pada-s and not lines. This state of

fluidity was present in the Sālaga Sūḍa-s before their transformation into Sulādi-s.

4.1.5.9.1.3 The coalescing of Sālaga Sūḍa-s into the Sulādi

The first known Sulādi-s are those by the Mādhva saint Śrī Śrīpādarāja (1404-1502 A.D.),

who was the Guru of Śrī Vyāsarāya. It is most likely that he was the originator of the Sulādi

form. In his Sulādi compositions, we find for the first time stringing together of the individual

Sālaga Sūḍa Gīta-s into one single composition. The Sulādi form further flourished under Śrī

Vyāsarāya and his disciples Śrī Purandara Dāsa and Śrī Vādirāja in the 16th century A.D. Śri

Purandara Dāsa mentions the term ‘Sulādi’ for the first time in his composition ‘Vāsudēvana

Nāmāvaliya’ as follows:

Sulādi Aravattanālakku Sāsira Bahu Vratavu Nāmā

225 Vide Suladis and Ugabhogas by Dr. R. Sathyanarayana, Page 17

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

It is thus quite apparent that the Haridāsa-s of the Vijayanagara period were responsible for

the major transformation of the multiple Sālaga Sūḍa-s into one Sulādi. The term ‘Sūḍādi’ is
mentioned for the first time by Padmaṇānka in Padmarājapurāṇa, a Kannada literary work

composed approximately in 1400 AD226.

The important changes which characterized the Sulādi were:

i) The theme of the Sulādi was now devotional, social or moral as against the earlier themes

which ranged from erotic love to devotion.

ii) The Tāla-s used for the Sulādi were modified/simplified versions of Tāla-s used in the

Sālaga Sūḍa-s. This shall be dealt with in the next section.

iii) The form evolved from plural Gīta-s to a single form.

iv) The Sulādi had the last stanza ‘Jate’ which was the smallest.

v) The Ālāpa segments in the Rāsaka prabandha were removed and became independent

musical entities entitled Ugābhōga227.

The Sulādi form has been mentioned for the first time in Nāṭyacūḍāmaṇi of Sōmanārya

written in 1540 A.D. (NC, 2, 377- 378). The author says that the Sulādi form is composed in

‘Dhruvādi Sapta Tāla-s’ i.e. seven Tāla-s starting from Dhruva and is sung in Sarvabhāṣa (all

languages). Nartananirṇaya of Paṇḍarīka Viṭṭhala written in the late 16th century A.D. does
not use the term Sulādi. However, after describing the Sālaga Sūḍa Prabandha-s in a way

similar to the SR, the author gives an alternate Sūḍakrama propounded by experts in

musical practice which consists of Dhruva, Maṇṭha, Rūpaka, Jhampa, Triviḍa, Aḍḍatāla and

Ēkatālī. (NN, 3, 305-306ab).

After the Nāṭyacūḍāmaṇi, the next mention of the Sulādi form is only in Tulaja’s

Saṅgītasārāmṛta written between 1729 and 1735 A.D.228. Though the author describes the

Sālaga Sūḍa as per the SR, quoting Paṇḍarīka Viṭṭhala also a few times, he gives a

vide Padmarājapurāṇa of Padmaṇānka, chapter V, verse 62

226

vide page 420-421 of Caturdaṇḍīprakāśikā, Volume II, Makhihṛdaya: A critical study by Dr. R.
227

Sathyanārāyaṇa.
ibid, page 407
228

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

practical example of a Sulādi by Śrī Purandara Dāsa: ‘Hasugala Kareva Dhvani’ and

reconciles theory and practice. Some important points mentioned by Tulaja about the
structure of the Sulādi-s are:

 The sequence of the Dhruva, Maṭṭha etc. Gīta-s could be changed at will by the

composer or performer.

 The first of the Gīta-s is always set to Dhruva Tāla229.

4.1.5.9.1.4 Evolution of the Sulādi Sapta Tāla-s

An important part of the development of the Sulādi form was the development of the Sulādi

Sapta Tāla-s. It has already been seen that the Tāla-s Dhruva, Maṭṭhya, Rūpaka, Jhampe,

Triviḍe, Aḍdatāla and Ēkatāli existed from the 12th century A.D. and were used in their

namesake Sālaga Sūḍa Gīta-s. However, their structure changed in some ways over the

next few centuries along with the evolution of the Sulādi form. Below is an examination of

each of the Sulādi Tāla-s:

Dhruva Tāla:

Dhruva Tāla was derived from the Pratimaṇṭha Tāla, as it has been defined as a type of

Pratimaṇṭha Tāla in Tāladīpikā230 . Its path of evolution can be seen as follows:

i) In the Pre-Vijayanagara texts:

 In the Saṅgitaratnākara (13th Century A.D.), the types of Pratimaṇṭha seen in

Prabandha-s are defined to be s, oo’, lll’ and ll’ll (SR, 4, 340-342).

 The SUS (1350 A.D.) defines the versions of the Pratimaṇṭha – s (equivalent to ll), ll’,

ss while describing the Sālaga Sūḍa-s (SUS, 1, 73-76).

ii) In the texts contemporaneous with the early Vijayanagara period:

 In the Saṅgītaśirōmaṇi (1428 A.D.), the four types of Pratimaṇṭha mentioned are

Amara – s, Tāra – o o’ l l , Vicāra – l l l’, Kuṇḍa – l l’ l which are present in songs (SS,

13, 772-774).

However, we note an exception to this in the example of Acyuta Ananta Govinda given in the SSP
229

which starts with Jhampe Tāla. This will be taken up later in the chapter.
vide Ślōka ‘Dhruvassamaśca Tārāṅga Pratimaṭṭhaya Maṭṭḥakē …’ in TD, Page 20
230

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

 The Tāladīpika (1474 A.D.) mentions Dhruva as a Tāla and states it to be a variety of

Pratimaṇṭha231. Its structure is given as equivalent s to the Amara form of

Pratimaṇṭha.

Thus, we see that just before the arrival of the Haridāsa-s, Dhruva is mentioned as a variety

of Pratimaṇṭha. It is described as a Tāla with just one Guru (equivalent to the Amara form of

Pratimaṇṭha described in other texts like SR and SS).

iii) Position in the texts pertaining to the later and post Vijayanagara period:

 Saṅgītasūryōdaya (1509-1529 A.D.) does not mention the Dhruva Tāla. It gives the

structure of the four varieties of Pratimaṇṭha (Amara, Tāra etc.) as in the

Saṅgītaśirōmaṇi (SSU, 5, 560-565).

 Nāṭyacūḍāmaṇi (1540 A.D.) mentions the Sapta Tāla-s starting with Dhruva, but
does not describe it (NC, 2, 377- 378).

 Nartananirṇaya (Between 1562 and 1576 A.D.) mentions that Dhruvaka Tāla is of the

structure lll’ (NN, 1, 85cd). This view is supported by Rasakaumudi (1575 A.D.) (RK,

4, 150) and Caturdaṇḍi Prakāśikā (1650 A.D.) (CDP, 3, 89)232.

 The Rāgatālacintāmaṇi (around 1630 A.D.) gives the structure of lso (RTC, 5, 144)

Thus, we see that the Dhruva Tāla, a variety of Pratimaṇṭha evolved from a structure of S to

a structure of lll’ or lso

Maṭṭhya Tāla:

Maṭṭhya Tāla was derived from the Maṇṭha Tāla. Its path of evolution can be seen as

follows:

i) In the Pre-Vijayanagara texts:

ibid
231

The CDP calls this the Vīṇāvādya Dhruva and also mentions another type of Dhruva - Nāṭyadaṇḍī
232

which has the structure ls. The l is of 4 syllables here.

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

 In the Saṅgitaratnākara (13th Century A.D.), the types of Maṇṭha seen in Prabandha-

s are defined to be lsl, sll, lls, sls, lll’, oo’l (SR, 4, 336-337).
 The SUS (1350 A.D.) defines the versions of the Maṇṭha – lsl, lll, lls, lss, sll, while

describing the Sālaga Sūḍa-s (SUS, 1, 69-72)233.

ii) In the texts contemporaneous with the early Vijayanagara period:

 In the Saṅgītaśirōmaṇi (1428 A.D.), the six types of Maṇṭha mentioned are lsl, sll, lls,

sls, lll’, oo’l which are present in songs (SS, 13, 765-767).

 The Tāladīpika (1474 A.D.) mentions Matthikā as a Tāla. Its structure is given as ll’oo

or oo’ll234.

iii) In the texts pertaining to the later and post Vijayanagara period:

 Saṅgītasūryōdaya (1509-1529 A.D.) gives the structure of the six varieties of Maṇṭha
as in the Saṅgītaśirōmaṇi (SSU, 5, 556-559).

 Nartananirṇaya (Between 1562 and 1576 A.D.) mentions that Maṇṭha Tāla is of the

structure lsl (NN, 1, 180a). In Rasakaumudi (1575 A.D.) (RK, 4, 149), the structures

of this Tāla are given as lll, lsl or sss, lss, sls, lls, ssl, sll. The Caturdaṇḍi Prakāśikā

(1650 A.D.) gives the structure as oll (CDP, 3, 94ab)235.

 The Rāgatālacintāmaṇi (around 1630 A.D.) gives the structure of lol (RTC, 5, 144).

Thus, the structure of oll or lol seems to be the final stabilized structure of the Maṭṭhya Tāla.

Rūpaka Tāla:

Rūpaka Tāla was derived from the Nihsāru Tāla. However, it was later equated to the

Yatilagna Tāla. Its path of evolution can be seen as follows:

i) In the Pre-Vijayanagara texts:

 In the commentary to the Saṅgitaratnākara by Simhabhūpāla (14th Century A.D.), Rūpaka is

the colloquial equivalent to Ānanda oo’ (commentary on SR, 5, 280)

233 Another variation of the Maṇṭha Tāla, used in the Kamala type of Maṇṭha Prabandha is missing in
the description.
234 Vide the Ślōka ‘Maṭṭḥikāyām Laghu Dvandvā….. Drutadvayam’, Page 28 of TD
In this structure, the l is of 4 syllables.
235

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

 The SUS (1350 A.D.) does not mention Rūpaka Tāla. However, Caṇdanihsāruka and

Krīdatāla both are mentioned to have the structure oo’. (SUS, 2, 46)236.
ii) In the texts contemporaneous with the early Vijayanagara period:

 In the Saṅgītaśirōmaṇi (1428 A.D.), the Tāla of the Rūpaka Prabandha is Krīḍā or

Ānanda (SS, 13, 797-799) and has the structure oo’.

 The Tāladīpika (1474 A.D.) mentions Rūpaka as equivalent to Ānandabaddha, Krīḍa

and Nihsāru and gives its structure as oo’237.

iii) In the texts pertaining to the later and post Vijayanagara period:

 Saṅgītasūryōdaya (1509-1529 A.D.) does not mention Rūpaka as a Tāla. It gives the

Tāla-s assigned for Nihsāru Prabandha in a way identical to the SR. In this

description, the Tāla Ānanda has the structure oo’. (SSU, 5, 568). In the Tāla
chapter, Caṇḍanihsāruka is equated to Krīḍā and described as having the structure

of oo’. (SSU, 1, 467).

 Nartananirṇaya (Between 1562 and 1576 A.D.) does not describe the Rūpaka Tāla

though it mentions the Rūpaka Prabandha. It mentions that the Ānanda Prabandha is

sung in Krīḍā Tāla (NN, 3, 289). The Krīḍā Tāla is of the structure oo’ (NN, 1, 145a).

 In Rasakaumudi (1575 A.D.), the Rūpaka Tāla is mentioned by name and its

structure given as ol (RK, 4, 150). The Caturdaṇḍi Prakāśikā (1650 A.D.) also gives

the structure as ol (CDP, 3, 95-96ab)238. The Rāgatālacintāmaṇi (around 1630 A.D.)

also gives the structure of ol for Rūpaka Tāla (RTC, 5, 144).

It must be mentioned here that the structure of ol is given for the Yatilagna Tāla in the

Saṅgītaratnākara (SR, 5, 238). Thus, we see that the Rūpaka Tāla initially had a structure of

oo’ and was equated to the Krīḍā, Ānanda and Caṇḍa Nihsāru Tāla-s prior to the advent of

the Haridāsa-s. It later evolved into the structure of ol which was that of Yatilagna as

described in earlier texts.

236 Caṇḍanihsāruka is equated to Rūpaka in TD (see 34) and Krīda is said to be the tāla of the
Rūpaka Prabandha in the Saṅgītaśirōmaṇi (SS, 12, 797-799). This in turn is also equated to the
Ānanda Tāla in SS.
237 Vide the Ślōka ‘Ānandabaddha Krīḍa….Vipañcī ca’, Page 25 of TD
Here, the Laghu is of 4 syllables.
238

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Jhampa Tāla:

The path of evolution of this Tāla can be seen as follows:

i) In the Pre-Vijayanagara texts:

 In the Saṅgitaratnākara by Kallinātha (13th Century A.D.), Jhampa is said to have the

structure o’o’l (SR, 5, 295).

 The SUS (1350 A.D.) gives the structure lo’o’. (SUS, 2, 50).

ii) In the texts contemporaneous with the early Vijayanagara period:

 In the Saṅgītaśirōmaṇi (1428 A.D.), the Jhampa Tāla has the structure oo’l (SS, 12,

95).

 The Tāladīpika (1474 A.D.) seems to give the description of Jhampa similar to SS
equating it to the Śīla variety of Aḍḍatāla239.

iii) In the texts pertaining to the later and post Vijayanagara period:

 Saṅgītasūryōdaya (1509-1529 A.D.) describes the structure of Jhampa Tāla as

having the structure of oo’l. (SSU, 1, 484).

 Nartananirṇaya (Between 1562 and 1576 A.D.) describes the structure of Jhampa

Tāla to be oo’l (NN, 1, 155). The Rasakaumudi (1575 A.D.), too gives the same

structure of oo’l (RK, 4, 150). The Caturdaṇḍi Prakāśikā (1650 A.D.) gives two

structures as uol’ and o’l’240 (CDP, 3, 96-102).

 The Rāgatālacintāmaṇi (around 1630 A.D.) gives the structure of l’o for Jhampa Tāla

(RTC, 5, 144).

We see that the Jhampa Tāla initially had a structure of o’o’l or oo’l (two drutavirāmas and a

laghu or druta, drutavirāma and a laghu). It eventually changed to the structure with an

Anudruta or a virāma along with a druta and a laghu or a laghuśēkhara.

Tripuṭa Tāla:

The path of evolution of this Tāla can be seen as follows:

239 The ms of TD is not very clear about the structure. See the Ślōka ‘Iti vā Hamsa
ḍōmbalyou….Jhampāsvantavirāmakah’, Page 26 of TD
240 In both the structures, the Laghu is of 7 syllables, therefore, the Laghuśēkhara is of 8 syllables.

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i) In the Pre-Vijayanagara texts:

 In the Saṅgitaratnākara (13th Century A.D.), Tripuṭa is equated to the Aḍḍatāla (SR,
5, 307) having the structure ooll in the Tāla chapter.

 The SUS (1350 A.D.) does not mention the Tripuṭa or Trivaḍi Tāla. However, it gives

the structure of Tritīya as o’o’(SUS, 2, 47)241.

ii) In the texts contemporaneous with the early Vijayanagara period:

 In the Saṅgītaśirōmaṇi (1428 A.D.), the Tripuṭa Tāla is equated with Tritīya and

Antarkrīḍā. The structure given for this Tāla is ooo’ (SS, 12, 59-60).

 The Tāladīpika (1474 A.D.) gives the description of Triviṭa as ooo’242.

iii) In the texts pertaining to the later and post Vijayanagara period:

 Saṅgītasūryōdaya (1509-1529 A.D.) describes the structure of Tritīya Tāla as having

the structure of ooo’. (SSU, 1, 444).

 Nartananirṇaya (Between 1562 and 1576 A.D.) describes the structure of Tripuṭa

Tāla to be oll (NN, 1, 67). But it also describes the Tritīya, a different Tāla (equated to

Antarkrīḍā) which has the structure ooo’ (NN, 1, 152bcd), identical to that of SSU, SS

and TD. The Rasakaumudi (1575 A.D.), too gives the same structure of ooo’ for

Tritīya (RK, 4, 149). The Caturdaṇḍi Prakāśikā (1650 A.D.) gives the structure of the

Tripuṭa Tāla as ooo (CDP, 3, 104-105ab). The Rāgatālacintāmaṇi (around 1630 A.D.)

too gives the structure of ooo’ for Tripuṭa Tāla (RTC, 5, 144).

We see that the Tripuṭa Tāla initially had a structure of ooll and was identical to Aḍḍatāla. It

eventually came to be equated with Tritīya Tāla and was also called Trivaḍi Tāla. Its

structure finally appears to stabilize at ooo’ just after the Vijayanagara period.

Aṭṭa Tāla:

The path of evolution of this Tāla can be seen as follows:

i) In the Pre-Vijayanagara texts:

241 The SS equates the Tripuṭa with Tritīya (SS, 12, 59-60). Using this equation, perhaps it could be
inferred that the SUS might be referring to the same Tāla. However, the structures of the Tritīya in SS
and SUS are different.
242 Vide the Ślōka ‘Triviṭēca Virāmāntam….vyañjanatrayam’, Page 25 of TD

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 In the Saṅgitaratnākara (13th Century A.D.), Tripuṭa is equated to the Aḍḍatāla (SR,

5, 307) having the structure ooll. However, in the Prabandha chapter, several types
of Aḍḍatāla-s are mentioned – lsoo, loo, oo’l, ools, oos, ool.

 The SUS (1350 A.D.) mentions Aṭṭatāla. The structures of the Tāla-s are – ls, ools,

lsoo, ols, ool, ssll (SUS, 1, 81-85).

ii) In the texts contemporaneous with the early Vijayanagara period:

 In the Saṅgītaśirōmaṇi (1428 A.D.), in the Prabandha chapter, the Aḍḍatāla has been

given the following structures – lsoo, loo, oo’l, ools, oos, ool which are identical to

those given in the SR (SS, 13, 781-786). In the Tāla chapter, this Tāla has been

given the structures oll or loo (SS, 12, 117).

 The Tāladīpika (1474 A.D.) gives the description of Aḍḍa as oll’243.

iii) In the texts pertaining to the later and post Vijayanagara period:

 Saṅgītasūryōdaya (1509-1529 A.D.) describes the structure of Aḍḍa Tāla as having

the structure of oll. (SSU, 1, 497) in the Tāla Adhyāya . In the Prabandha Adhyāya,

the structures described are identical to those in the SR and SS - lsoo, loo, oo’l, ools,

oos, ool (SSU, 5, 571-575).

 Nartananirṇaya (Between 1562 and 1576 A.D.) describes the structure of Aṭṭa Tāla to

be ooll (NN, 1, 141d-142ab) in the Tāla chapter. But it also describes the six varieties

of Aḍḍa in the Prabandha Adhyāya (NN, 3, 292-295), identical to that of SR, SS and

SSU.

 The Rasakaumudi (1575 A.D.), too gives the structure of ooll for Aḍḍa (RK, 4, 151).

The Caturdaṇḍi Prakāśikā (1650 A.D.) gives the structure of the Aṭha Tāla as ooll244

(CDP, 3, 105cd-107). The Rāgatālacintāmaṇi (around 1630 A.D.) too gives the

structure of lool for Aṭa Tāla (RTC, 5, 144).

243 Vide the Ślōka ‘Caturthētu ….Iti Aḍḍatālī’, Page 27 of TD. The other forms of Aḍḍatāla given are
not clear in the ms.
Here, laghu has five syllables
244

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We see that the Aṭa/Aṭha/Aṭṭa Tāla initially had several variations in structure and was

identical to Aḍḍatāla. Its structure finally appears to stabilize at ooll or lool just after the
Vijayanagara period.

Ēka Tāla and Ādi Tāla:

In all the texts listed above, Ēka Tāla spanned a Druta and Ādi Tāla spanned a laghu. In

CDP, we find the first Alaṅkāra listed to be Jhōmpaṭa Alaṅkāra which uses the Jhōmpaṭa

Tāla ooll. Instead of taking the Ēka Tāla, the namesake Alakāra uses the Ādi Tāla spanning

a laghu. The Jhōmpaṭa eventually was renamed Ādi Tāla and the earlier Ādi Tāla became

the new Ēka Tāla. 245

We can summarize the developments of the Sapta Tāla-s as follows:

 Dhruva Tāla, a variety of Pratimaṇṭha evolved from a structure of S to a structure of

lll’ or lso

 Maṭṭhya Tāla, which had many varieties stabilized to the structure oll or lol

 Rūpaka Tāla initially had a structure of oo’ and was equated to the Krīḍā, Ānanda

and Caṇḍa Nihsāru Tāla-s. It was associated with the Rūpaka Prabandha. It later

evolved into the structure of ol which was that of Yatilagna.

 Jhampa Tāla initially had a structure of o’o’l or oo’l It eventually changed to the

structure of uol’ or o’l .

 Tripuṭa Tāla initially had a structure of ooll and was identical to Aḍḍatāla. It eventually

came to be equated with Tritīya/Trivaḍi Tāla stabilized at ooo’.

 Aṭa/Aṭha/Aṭṭa Tāla initially had several variations and finally stabilized at ooll or lool.

 Ēka Tāla changed from a structure of o to l and Ādi from a structure of l to ool.

In contemporary literature too, there is some evidence of the concept of Sapta Tāla-s being

in vogue. In Pampasthāna Varṇanam (PV) which was written in 1430 AD, we find a mention

of the Sālaga Sūḍa Prabandha-s being associated with the Sapta Tāla-s Dhruva, Maṭṭhya,

Rūpaka, Tripuṭa, Aṭṭa, Jhampe and Ēka. In contrast, Prabhuga’s Vaibhōga Rājāsthāna (1520

vide The Evolution of the Suladi Talas, Suladis and Ugabhogas, by Dr. R. Sathyanarayana, page
245

52

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AD) talks about the Tāla-s Maṭheya (Maṭṭḥya) Paḍimaṭheya (Parimaṭṭhya), Aṭṭa, Ēka etc. It

appears that the association of the Tāla-s Dhruva, Maṭṭa etc. with Sālaga Sūḍa-s was
coming into vogue from the 15th century AD, though some traditional authors still associated

these prabandha-s with the older set of Tāla-s Maṇṭha, Pratimaṇṭha etc.

4.1.5.9.2 Jāti and Laya in the Sulādi Sapta Tāla-s

The following developments regarding Jāti and Laya in Tāla can be seen:

 In his commentary on the SR, Kallinātha also raises the question of Tāla-s with

different names such as the ‘Kalāpa’ variety of Maṇṭha and ‘Vicāra’ variety of

Pratimaṇṭha were identical in structure (SR, 4, 339). He then refers to the

Tālādhyāya where he has resolved this issue. The gist of his resolution is that the

span of the Laghu in these Tāla-s is different. This shows that the span of Laghu
was undergoing change in the 15th century. Simultaneously, the musicological work

Tāla Dīpikā defined the Ten Prāṇa-s or vital elements of Tāla. A few of them such as

Kāla, Mārga and Laya were related to the speed of the Tāla.

 By the 16th Century, in Lakṣaṇa Grantha-s such as Saṅgīta Sūryōdaya and Tāla

Kalābdhi, the Laghu span of 3, 4, 5, 7 and 9 Laghu Varṇa-s or Akṣara-s had become

standard. The Jāti concept was also defined with Traṣra, Caturaṣra, Khaṇḍa, Miṣra

and Saṅkīrṇa. Anudruta (defined as equivalent to a span of one Akṣara) is seen in

these Grantha-s. It evolved from the Virāma, which earlier had a variable structure

equivalent to half of the Aṅga that preceded it. Tāla Daśa Prāṇa-s (including Jāti)

were refined and elaborated upon. (TK, Page 47-52, 39a-42a and SSU, 1, 149-153).

The Druta was also fixed at 2 Akṣara-s. This is reflected in the Grantha-s RTC and

CDP. The standard Jāti was defined for each of the 7 Sulādi Tāla-s. At the same

time, other possible Jāti-s for each of the Tāla-s were also mentioned.

 In Subbarāma Dīkṣitar’s SSP, for the Sulādi ‘Tandeyāgi Tāyiyāgi’ in the Rāga

Bhūpālam, the Jāti Tiṣra for the Ragaṇa Maṭṭhya Tāla has been mentioned. Also,

the Kāla – Vilamba, Madhya, Druta which denotes the Laya has been mentioned.

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In contemporary literature too, there is evidence of the 5 types of Jāti-s being in vogue. The

Siṅgirāja Purāṇa (written in the beginning of the 16th century) mentions the five Jāti-s
Caturaṣra, Tryaṣra, Khaṇḍa, Miśra and Saṅkīrṇa in Dēśī Tāla-s.

The above points show that there was an evolution of the Jāti concept during the

Vijayanagara period. The Haridāsa-s played a big role in stabilizing the Jāti-s in the Sulādi

Sapta Tāla-s and also in prescribing various Laya-s for it, as is reflected in the Lakṣaṇa

Grantha-s CDP, RTC and the SSP which belong to the post-Vijayanagara period.

4.1.5.10 Rendering of Sulādi

The Saṅgīta Sampradāya Pradarśiṇi (SSP) of Subbarāma Dīkṣitar which was published in

1904 A.D. gives the notation of the following Sulādi-s:

 Tandeyāgi Tāyiyāgi in Rāga Bhūpālam

 Hasugala Kareva Dhvani in Rāga Dēvagāndhāri

 Acyuta Ananta in Rāga Kāsirāmakriya

Of these, the example of the Sulādi Acyuta Ananta Gōvinda was taken up as an example to

examine the practice of rendering the Sulādi. Since this is a documentation of an oral

tradition, it is likely that the tradition has been handed down from the Vijayanagara times.

Since it was found that the Sāhitya (lyrics) had errors in the SSP, it was compared with the

Sāhitya given for the same Sulādi by the Varadēndra Sāhitya Maṇḍali edition (referred to

below as VSM)246 and the Sāhitya given in the latter was mostly followed for the

documentation given below.

Here, for each Tāla, the Udgrāha, Ābhōga and Dhruva are given. The former two are

indicated by headings. Dhruva is indicated at the end of the line.

Rāga: Bhairavi in VSM, Rāmakriya in SSP

Tāla: Dhruva – VSM, Jhampa - SSP:

Udgrāha:

This refers to ‘Purandara Dāsara Sulādigalu’ Ed. Gōrābal Hanumantarao, Varadendra Sahitya
246

Mandali

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Acyutānanta Gōvinda Śrī Mukunda - Dhātu 1 Dhruva

Saccidānanda Svarūpa Bhaktavatsala Purusōttama Parandhāma – Dhātu 1

Matsya Kūrma Varāha Nārasimha Vāmana Bhārgava Rāghava Kṛṣṇa Buddhāvatāra Kalki

Nārāyaṇa – Dhātu 2

(Acyutānanta…..)

Ābhōga:

Appāra Mahima Nārāyaṇa – Dhātu 3

Sarpaśayannane Nārāyaṇa – Dhātu 3

Siripurandaraviṭṭhala Vibhuve Tiruveṅgalappa Yennappa - Dhātu 4

(Acyutānanta ….)

Maṭṭa Tāla – VSM, Maṭhya Tāla – SSP

Udgrāha

Maṅgala Vakṣadalli Saṅga Sukha Ippalavve

Aṅgane Lakumevve Ṣṛngaravādalavve - Dhruva

Bhaṅgaravādalavve Lingalauvādalavve (?)

(Aṅgane Lakumevve….)

Ābhōga

Raṅga Purandara Viṭṭhala Tiruveṅga ṭappanennappane

(Aṅgane Lakumevve…)

Trivaḍi – VSM, Dhruva – SSP

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Udgrāha

Uṭṭida Daṭṭiya Kaṭṭida Kaṭhāri

Toṭṭambu Tōlātma

Meṭṭida Meṭṭu - Dhruva

Kaṭṭālu Khalara Konduṭṭuva Kaḍu Dhiṭṭa

Ābhōga

Sṛṣṭipā Purandara Viṭṭhalarēyā

Tiruveṅgalappane Yennapanallō

(Meṭṭida Meṭṭu….)

Aṭṭa Tāla – VSM, Aṭa – SSP

Udgrāha

Idē Danuja Mardana Cakrahasta

Idē Vēdamaya Śaṅkha Hasta

Idē Ī Vaikuṇṭhavendu Tōruva Hasta - Dhruva

Idē Jaganadhārīpamīrida Hasta

(Idē Ī Vaikuṇṭha…)

Ābhōga

Idē Ī Purandara Viṭhalana Iravu

Idē Ī Tiruveṅgalappana Mūruti

(Idē Ī Vaikuṇṭha…)

Ādi Tāla – VSM Ēka Tāla – SSP

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Udgrāha

Kirīṭa Kuṇḍaladharana Kaṇḍenu

Saramaṇigala Bhūṣananna Kaṇḍenu

Śirīśa Vakṣasthalanna Kaṇḍenu - Dhruva

Varapradana Kaṇḍe Varadēśana Kaṇḍenu

Ābhōga

Tirumala Giriyali Purandara Viṭṭhala Celuva Nārēyaṅa

Tiruveṅgalappana Caraṇava Kaṇde

(Śirīśa Vakśasthalanna…)

In the SSP, the Jate for this Sulādi is missing whereas it is there in VSM.

The following points were noted in this study:

 The ascription of Tāla is different for the various stanzas in VSM and SSP. For

example, the first stanza had the Tāla ‘Dhruva’ in VSM and Jhampe in SSP.

 The rule about the beginning of the Udgrāha being the same as Dhruva in the first

stanza, and the Dhruva being identical to the second segment of the Udgrāha in the
other stanzas is being followed. This rule has been stated in the SR for the

Sālagasūḍa Prabandha-s.

 The ascription of Rāga for the composition is also different in VSM and SSP.

However, it must be noted that a single Rāga has been prescribed for the

composition.

 SSP gives detailed notation for the composition. However, it is not reliable for the

Sāhitya (lyrics) as there are many errors. The Jate section is also completely missing

in the SSP.

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Thus, we can conclude that the Sulādi-s followed the practice of rendering the Sālagasūḍa-s
in terms of beginning, ending, refrain and repetition of various sections.

4.1.5.10.1 Thematic distribution of the Sulādi into various stanzas

In the Haridāsa tradition, the seven stanzas typically present in a Sulādi have a thematic

significance. This has been clearly documented by Śrī Gorabal Hanumantha Rao247 as

follows:

 Dhruva: Statement of the main theme

 Maṭṭhya: Description of the merits of the main theme

 Rūpaka: Description of the causative factors of the main theme

 Jhampa: Description of the cause-effect relationship of the causative factors and

their resultant thoughts

 Tripuṭa: The prayer for achievement of the goal which is caused by the causative

factors

 Aṭṭa : Prayer, Music and Dancing accompanied by Tāla which is at the speed of the

mind.

 Ādi: Due to the happiness caused by prayer, dancing in a slightly faster pace.

The above shows that apart from musical considerations, the Haridāsa-s had very deep

seated and esoteric spiritual reasons to structure the Sulādi-s in the way they did.

4.1.5.10.2 Sulādi Nṛtta

In the Vijayanagara period, the Lakṣaṇa Grantha-s Nartananirṇaya and Saṅgītamuktāvali

give refereces to ‘Sapta Sūḍādi (a Vādya Prabandha identical to Sulādi) and Sūḍādi Nṛtya

respectively248. In the post-Vijayanagara period of the 17th and 18th centuries, the Lakṣaṇa

vide Śrī Vijayadāsaru Ed. And Published by Śrī Gorabal Hanumantharao, Varadendra Sahitya
247

Mandali, Lingasuguru, Page 202

(NN, 1, 58-105) and the manuscript (RBfm203) of Saṅgīta Muktāvali (Page 113-116)
248

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Grantha the Saṅgīta Darpaṇa by Catura Dāmōdara speaks of a particular form of dance

called the ‘Sulādi Nṛtta’ being performed for Sulādi-s249.

4.1.5.11 Ṭhāya
According to a composition by Śrī Prasanna Veṅkaṭadāsa who lived in the 17th century, Śrī

Purandara Dāsa composed many Gīta-s, Prabandha-s and Ṭhāya-s250. However, the

Prabandha-s and Ṭhāya-s attributed to Śrī Purandara Dāsa are not found.

In the Thanjāvūr TMSSML manuscripts D10906 – D10910, B11575 and B11577, and The

Mysore IKS manuscript K570, along with Haridāsa Sulādi notations, the notations for Ṭhāya-

s in those Rāga-s are given. It appears that just before Sulādi rendering, Ṭhāya-s were
rendered. It is clear from Śrī Rāmāmātya’s Svaramēlakalānidhi that Ṭhāya-s were in

existence in the Vijayanagara period, since it is mentioned that ‘Uttama Rāga’-s are suitable

for Gīta, Prabandha, Ālāpa and Ṭhāya singing (SMK, 5, 6). It is not known if the practice of

singing Ṭhāya before Sulādi was there in the Vijayanagara period or whether it developed

later.

Ṭhāya-s consist of melodic phrases pertaining to a Rāga. There are two types of Ṭhāya-s

seen in the Thañjāvūr manuscripts – those with ‘nom’ ‘tom’ syllables and those with just the

svara phrases. The former are Gātra Daṇḍi and the latter are Jantra Daṇḍi – those meant for

vocal music and Vīṇa respectively251.

In the Ṭhāya notations, the first section is Āyittam (the introductory) which is followed by

Yeḍupu. Based on the Rāga, the development of the Ṭhāya is done in different stages

wherein its prominent svara-s are taken one by one and phrases are centred around it.

For example, in the case of Gaula Ṭhāya, In this Ṭhāya, the Yeḍupu section is followed by

two Muktāyi sections.

Vide Dr. R. Sathyanarayana, Suladis and Ugabhogas in Karnataka Music, Page 62

249

Vide Dr. R. Sathyanarayana, Haridasas and Karṇāṭaka music, Page 3

250

Vide ‘Thaya’ by Dr. S. Seetha, NCPA Quarterly Journal, Volume IX, Number 3, September 1980, p
251

27.

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After this follow the sections Ṣaḍja sthāyi, Rṣabhasthāya and Pañcamasthāya were found

wherein the phrases are woven around Ṣaḍja, Rṣabha and Pañcama respectively.

In Ṣaḍja Sthāyi , the following phrases terminating in sa are seen:

sa sa, sa sa, | ni. sa ri sa sa sa sa ni. pa.,| rri, sa, | ri ri sa ni, ssa , ssa| sa sa ,|

ssa , ||

pa ni. sa ri sa ni. sa ri| sa sa sa ni. pa. | ni. sa ni., ssa , ssa ||

Some phrases for Ṣaḍja Sthāyi are marked ‘Avarōham’ as they start from a higher note (for

example Tāra Sthāyi sa or Madhya Sthāyi ni) and terminate in Ṣaḍja.

In Pañcama Sthāyi , the following phrases terminating in pa are seen:

ma. pa. sa, ni.| pa., ni. sa ri |ri, pa, ma, ri |ga ma, ri, sa| ri ri ma ri sa| ma ri sa| ri sa ni. sa ri| ri

sa, |sa, sa, sa, |ni. pa.||

ma pa pa, ppa ma, ri pa ma ma pa ma ri| ga ma ri sa| ni. sa ri| s asa sa ni| pa. ri ri ri sa| ni,

ssa, sa, sa, sa, ni pa||

The last section seen is Makaraṇi on which the Ṭhāya concludes.

4.1.5.12 Prabandha
The Prabandha-s composed by Haridāsa-s are not well-known. However, there is evidence
that they have composed some Prabandha-s. Prasanna Veṅkaṭa Dāsa who lived in the 17th

century states that Śrī Purandara Dāsa composed among other songs, Ṭhāya and

Prabandha. These are unfortunately not available now. Tulaja in his Lakṣaṇa Grantha

Saṅgīta Sārāmṛta quotes a Śrīvardhana Prabandha of Śrī Vyāsarāya. The other known

composition in Telugu which is attributed to Śrī Vyāsarāya by Tulaja in Saṅgīta Sārmṛta252 is

a Śrīvardhana Prabandha ‘Jaya Karṅāṭa Dhāra’. It is a Prabandha in the Rāga Nāṭa and set

252 Vide Saṅgīta Sārāmṛta, Prabandhā Prakaraṇam, Page 158

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to the Tāla Rūpaka. According to the Saṅgītaratnākara (which is also quoted by Tulaja), a

Śrīvardhana Prabandha has five elements of a Prabandha- Pada, Biruda, Pāṭa, Svara and
Tāla i.e. lyrics, eulogistic words, syllables related to percussion, musical notes in solfa

syllables and Tāla respectively. The notation of this song is found in Saṅgīta Sarvārtha Sāra

Saṅgrahamu by Vīṇā Rāmānuja253. However, in this notation, the Svara part is missing.

4.1.6 Thematic Variety in Haridāsa compositions of the Vijayanagara period

The Haridāsa compositions of the Vijayanagara period are mainly moralistic, devotional and

spiritual in nature. The themes of these compositions can be studied under the following

heads:

 Folk forms and Ritualistic music

 Propagation of Dvaita Philosophy

 The different stages of Sākāra Bhakti Mārga: Ātma Nivēdane, Mūrti Kalpane,

Darśana, Sandarśana, Dēvatāsākṣātkāra

 Expression of Nine types (Nava Vidha) of Bhakti: Śravaṇa, Kīrtana, Smaraṇa,

Pādasēvana, Arcana, Vandana, Dāsya, Sakhya, Ātma Nivēdane

 In praise of a chosen deity with different types of Bhāva-s: Dāsya, Sakhya, Madhura,

Vātsalya, Śānta

 Related to Hindu Scriptures such as the Rāmāyaṇa, Mahābhārata , Purāṇa-s ,

Upaniṣad-s and Vēda-s

 In praise of a Kśētra (place of pilgrimage)

 Social Reform

These categories of themes are taken up as follows.

4.1.6.1 Folk Forms and Ritualistic music

One of the pioneering contributions of the Haridāsa-s is incorporating popular folk forms into

devotional music. Songs such as Suvvāli, Pakśī Śakuna, Koravañjī Nāṭaka, Bhramara Gīta

and Gōpi Gita are of folk origin which have been composed by the Haridāsa-s. Other songs

Saṅgīta Sarvārtha Sāra Saṅgrahamu by Vīṇā Rāmānuja, Published in 1873, Page 69

253

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

which are also of folk origin are associated with rituals and auspicious occasions. These are

Śōbhāne, Lāli, Jōgula, Maṅgala, Uruṭaṇe, Eccarike, Uppavaḍa, Pavaḍa, Uyyāle, Ārati. A
brief description of these is as follows:

Suvvāli: This type of composition gets its name due to the words Suvvi, Suvvi-Suvvāle sung

at the end of each line or stanza of the song. It is sung solo or in duet while pounding or

grinding corn and in chorus in auspicious occasions like marriage. It is usually a narrative or

benediction, and is widely prevalent in Andhra Pradesh, Tamilnadu and Karnataka.

A few examples of Suvvāli-s composed by the Haridāsa-s are:

Avatāratraya Suvvāli, Jagabirudina Suvvāli and Tattva Suvvāli of Śrī Vādirāja. These have
been described earlier in this chapter.

Pakṣī Śakuna: These types of songs are typically sung by mendicants who carry a bird and

recite prophecies with its help. Purandara Dāsa has composed two songs starting with the

words ‘Jayavade Jayavade Ī Manetanake’ which imitate the style of the Pakṣi Sakuna.

Koravañjī Nāṭaka: ‘Koravañji Nāṭaka’ is a dance-drama depicting a Koravañji, fortune teller

from a wandering gypsy tribe. Śrī Vādirāja has composed a song called ‘Nārada Koravañji’

which is a dance drama of this type. This song has been described in detail earlier in this

chapter.

Bhramara Gīta: This type of song stands for ‘Bee Song’ and was composed by many a

composer in both North and South India and was a product of the Kṛṣṇa Bhakti movement. A

typical Bhramara Gīta has as its theme the pangs of separation experienced by Gōpi-s in the

absence of their beloved Śrī Kṛṣṇa and their venting out their feelings to a passing bee

(Bhramara). An allegorical meaning for the Bhramara Gīta is that the Gōpi is representative

of the soul who is caught in the transactional world (symbolized by Gōkula) and yearns to be

re-united with the supreme Lord (symbolized by Śrī Kṛṣṇa).

Two Bhramara Gīta-s are seen among Haridāsa compositions:

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

 A Bhramara Gīta has been composed by Śrī Śrīpadarāya entitled ‘Bhrṅgā Ninnaṭṭidanē

Śrīraṅga
 Śrī Vādirāja has composed the Bhramara Gīta as a dance-drama which has been dealt

with earlier in this chapter254. In his composition, the Gōpi-s compare the bee which flits

from flower to flower to Śrī Kṛṣṇa who switches loyalty from one maiden to another.

Their complaints are heard by Kṛṣṇa’s messenger Uddhava who promises to convey the

message to Śrī Kṛṣṇa. This composition has expressions pertaining to all the Nine ‘Rasa-

s’.

Gōpi Gīta

Songs with themes dealing with the Gōpi-s yearning for Śrī Kṛṣṇa have been composed by
Śrī Vyāsarāya and Śrī Purandara Dāsa. Some examples are:

 Yāke Vṛndāvana Yāke Gōkula (by Śrī Vyāsarāya)

 Hariyanagali Hyāgirabēka Strī Janmavu Sāka (by Śrī Vyāsarāya)

 Akka Yettaṇa Billahabba Bantemage (by Śrī Purandara Dāsa), Rāga

Anandabhairavi, Tāla: Aṭṭa255

 Yāke Gōkula Namagyāke Vṛndāvana (by Śrī Purandara Dāsa) Rāga: Kalyāṇi, Tāla

Cāpu256

Apart from the above, songs which are sung on auspicious occasions like weddings are also

sung during various rituals of worship of deities. These are given below:

Śōbhānē or Śōbhana: This type of song is typically recited by women as benediction to the

newly wed bride and groom.

See section 3.4.7.9.2

254

Vide Purandara Dāsara Kīrtaṇegalu (combined volume), Śrīmanmadhvasiddhāntha Granthālaya,

255

Udupi, 2001, p 18

Vide Purandara Dāsara Kīrtaṇegalu (combined volume), Śrīmanmadhvasiddhāntha Granthālaya,

256

Udupi, 2001, p 475

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

A few examples of Śōbhānē-s composed by Haridāsa-s are:

 Śōbhānavē Idu (by Śrī Purandara Dāsa) Rāga: Saurāṣṭra, Tāla: Ādi257
 Śōbhāna Śōbhānave (by Śrī Purandara Dāsa), Rāga: Saurāṣṭra, Tāla: Aṭa258

 Lakṣmī Śōbhāne (by Śrī Vādirāja)

Lāli: This type of song is a lullaby usually sung to a chosen deity. Some examples are as

below:

 Lāli Gōvinda Lāli – by Śrī Śrīpādarāya, Rāga: Ānandabhairavi, Tāla: Jhampe259

o This song describes the ten Avatāra-s of Lord Viṣṇu

 Āladeleya Myāle Malagidandu Ninna Lāli – by Śrī Vyāsarāya

o The interesting feature of this song is that this is a Sulādi which is also a

lullaby

 Lāli Ādida Raṅga Lāli – by ŚrīVādirāja, Rāga: Ānandabhairavi, Tāla: Cāpu260

 Lāli Lāli Raṅgayyage – by Śrī Purandara Dāsa Rāga: Kēdāragaula, Tāla: Aṭṭa261

 Lālisidalu Magana Yaśōde – by Śrī Purandara Dāsa, Rāga: Ārabhi, Tāla: Ādi262

Jōgula: This type of song is a lullaby which is sung while rocking a baby (the chosen deity) to

sleep. Some examples are :

Jō Jō Jō Jō Jō Sādhuvanta – by Śrī Purandara Dāsa Rāga: Śaṅkarābharaṇa, Tāla: Aṭa263

Vide Purandara Dāsara Kīrtaṇegalu (combined volume), Śrīmanmadhvasiddhāntha Granthālaya,

257

Udupi, 2001, p 531

Vide Purandara Dāsara Kīrtaṇegalu (combined volume), Śrīmanmadhvasiddhāntha Granthālaya,
258

Udupi, 2001, p 533

Vide Śrīpādarājara Kṛtigalu (Paṇḍita Āvṛtti), Kuvempu Kannada Adhyayana Samsthe, 1987, p 142
259

Vide Śrī Vādirājara Kṛtigalu (Pa ṇ ḍita Āv ṛtii), Kuvempu Kannada Adhyayana Samsthe, 1980, p
260

142
Vide Purandara Dāsara Kīrtaṇegalu (combined volume), Śrīmanmadhvasiddhāntha Granthālaya,
261

Udupi, 2001, p 507

ibid, p 507
262

Vide Purandara Dāsara Kīrtaṇegalu (combined volume), Śrīmanmadhvasiddhāntha Granthālaya,

263

Udupi, 2001, p 251

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

Jō Jō Yaśōdeya– by Śrī Purandara Dāsa, Rāga: Ānandabhairavi, Tāla: Tripuṭa264

Jō Jō Śrī Kṛṣṇa Paramānanda – by Śrī Purandara Dāsa Rāga: Śaṅkarābharaṇa, Tāla:

Tripuṭa265

Maṅgala : This is a benediction song sung during auspicious occasions.

Some examples are:

 Maṅgalam Jaya Maṅgalam Maṅgalam Śubha Maṅgalam – by Śrī Purandara Dāsa,

Rāga: Saurāṣṭra, Tāla: Ādi266

 Jaya Maṅgalam Nitya Śubha Maṅgalam – by Śrī Purandara Dāsa, Rāga: Mukhāri,

Tāla: Aṭa267

 Jayamaṅgalavenni Śrī Mādhavage – by Śrī Vyāsarāya

 Maṅgala Mukhya Prāṇēśage – by Śrī Vyāsarāya

 Ambujadalākṣage Maṅgala – by Śrī Kanakadāsa

Uruṭāṇe : This song is sung during the ceremony of rolling a coconut or a ball made of

flowers by the bride and groom during a wedding. An example of this is the song Lakṣmī

Ramaṇage Māḍidalu Uruṭāṇi by Śrī Vādirāja

Eccarikē: This song is typically sung in wedding ceremonies just before the arrival of the

bride and groom at the venue. ‘Eccarike’ means being careful – the bride and groom are

asked to step carefully and come to the venue. Examples of this are:

 Eccarikē Bhuvana Pāvana Kīruti Pāda – by Śrī Bēlūru Vaikuṇṭha Dāsa

 Eccarikeccarike – by Śrī Vādirāja

Uppavaḍa: This song is sung to wake up the chosen deity. Some examples of this are:

ibid, p 251
264

ibid, p 252
265

ibid, p 636
266

ibid, p 634
267

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

 Ēlayya Belagāyitu Ajasuranāyakaru – by Śrī Vyāsarāya

 Siṅgarada Siridharane Sitikaṇṭhasannutane – by Śrī Kanaka Dāsa

 Jayatu Jagadīśa Indirēśa – by Śrī Bēlūru Vaikuṇṭha Dāsa

Pavaḍa: This song is sung to put the chosen deity to sleep. An example of this is the song

Pavaḍisu Paramātmane by Śrī Purandara Dāsa (Rāga: Śaṅkarābharaṇa, Tāla: Aṭa)268.

Uyyāle: This song is sung when the chosen deity is on a swing and being gently pushed by

the devotee. An example for this is the song Rāmanā ḍidanuyyāle Rājīvanētranā

ḍidanuyyāle by Śrī Vyāsarāya.

Ārati: This song is sung when a light is waved before the chosen deity to ward off evil
omens.

Some examples of this are:

 Karpūradāratiya Tandettire Celva by Śrī Vyāsarāya

 Ēkāratiya Nō ḍūva Banni by Śrī Vyāsarāya

Naivēdya: This song is sung when food is offered to the Lord. An example of this is Śrī

Purandara Dāsa’s song ‘Naivēdyava Kollo Nārayaṇaswāmy’ in Rāga Ānandabhairavi, Tāla:

Ādi269.

Tāmbūla: This song is sung when betel leaves with betel nuts are offered to the chosen

deity. An example of this is ‘Tāmbūlava Kollo Tamana Mardanane’ by Śrī Purandara Dāsa.

4.1.6.2 Propogation of Dvaita Philosophy

The Haridāsa-s of the Vijayanagara period who belonged to the Mādhwa sect – Śrī

Śrīpādarāya, Śrī Vyāsarāya, Śrī Purandara Dāsa, Śrī Kanaka Dāsa and Śrī Vādirāja were

staunch believers in Mādhva (Dvaita) philosophy and propogated it through their

compositions. Many of these songs explain key Mādhva (Dvaita) tenets such as Hari

Vide Purandara Dāsara Kīrtaṇegalu (combined volume), Śrīmanmadhvasiddhāntha Granthālaya,

268

Udupi, 2001, p 372

Vide Purandara Dāsara Kīrtaṇegalu (combined volume), Śrīmanmadhvasiddhāntha Granthālaya,
269

Udupi, 2001, p 355

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

Sarvōttamatva (Hari being the Supreme Lord), Mukhya Prāṇa Jīvōttamatva (Mukhya Prāṇa

being the Supreme Jīva or soul), Hari being ‘Saguṇa’ or replete with good qualities, Jīva and
Brahma (the Supreme Lord) being different, observance of Ekādaśi etc. in a clear and

simple manner.

Some examples of these can be seen below:

 Marudaṅśara Mata Piḍiyade Iha – by Śrī Śrīpādarāya, Rāga: Nādanāmakriyā, Tāla:

Aṭṭa270

 Tōrirai Nīvellaru Tōrirai – by Śrī Vyāsarāya

 Haridina Pātaka Parihāra – by Śrī Vyāsarāya

 Ukkuva Tuppakke Kaiyikkuve Nānu – by Śrī Vyāsarāya

 Kālu Toledavanobba Tolesikoṇḍavanobba – by Śrī Vādirāja

 Andhantamasu Innārige – Gōvindana Nindisuvarige – by Śrī Kanaka Dāsa

4.1.6.3 The different stages of Sākāra Bhakti Mārga

The Sākāra Bhakti Mārga in Hinduism stands for the path of devotion which visualizes a

deity as having a tangible form. There are different stages in this path which are Ātma

Nivēdane, Mūrti Kalpane, Darśana, Sandarśana, Dēvatāsākṣātkāra.

The Haridāsa-s who were at the forefront of the Bhakti movement in South India composed

many songs in which the different stages of the Sākara Bhakti Mārga are evident. A brief

description of these is dealt with in this section.

Ātma Nivēdane: this involves self-criticism, correction and a strong desire to seek refuge in

the Lord. This can be seen in the following songs:

 Cittajanayyana Cintisu Manave – Śrī Śrīpādarāya, Rāga: Kāmbōdhi, Tāla: Ādi271

 Toṇḍanu Kaṇḍuda Binnaisuvenu – Śrī Vyāsarāya

Vide Śrīpādarājara Kṛtigalu (Paṇḍita Āvṛtti), Kuvempu Kannada Adhyayana Samsthe, 1987, p 111
270

Vide Śrīpādarājara Kṛtigalu (Paṇḍita Āvṛtti), Kuvempu Kannada Adhyayana Samsthe, 1987, p 47
271

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

 Sāku Sākinnu Samsāra Sukhavu – Śrī Purandara Dāsa, Rāga: Mukhāri, Tāla:

Jhampe272
 Ninnane Nambide Nīraja Nayana – Śrī Purandara Dāsa, Rāga: Ānandabhairavi,

Ēkatāla273

Mūrti Kalpane: this stage is when the devotee visualizes the form of the Lord in his mind and

pleads with the Lord to bless him.

Examples of this are

 Ōḍi Bāraiyya Vaikuṇṭha Pati – Śrī Purandara Dāsa, Rāga: Bhairavi, Tala: Ādi274

 Bārayya Enna Manamandirake – Śrī Vyāsarāya

Darśana: In this stage, the devotee sees the form that he visualized in his dream. An

example of this is Kaṇḍe Nā Kanasinali Gōvindana – by Śrī Purandara Dāsa (Rāga:

Śaṅkarābharaṇa, Tāla: Āṭa)275

Sandarśana: This involves experiencing one’s chosen deity’s actual presence.

Some examples of this are:

 Kaṇṇige Kaṭṭidantide – by Śrī Vyāsarāya

 Kaṇḍe Kaṇḍenu Kṛṣṇa Ninnaya Divya Maṅgala – by Śrī Vādirāja

Dēvatāsākṣātkāra: This stage is the attainment of happiness on interacting with one’s

chosen deity.

Some examples of this are:

 Ninna Nōḍi Dhanyanādenō Hē Śrīnivāsa – by Śrī Purandara Dāsa, Rāga: Tōḍi, Tāla:

Rūpaka276

Vide Purandara Dāsara Kīrtaṇegalu (combined volume), Śrīmanmadhvasiddhāntha Granthālaya,

272

Udupi, 2001, p 554

ibid, p 338
273

ibid, p 156
274

ibid, p 162
275

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

 Badukidenu Badukidenu Bhavavenage Hiṅgitu – by Śrī Purandara Dāsa, Rāga:

Kāmbhōji, Tāla: Jhampe277

 Janma Saphalavāyitu – by Śrī Vādirāja

4.1.6.4 Expression of Nine types (Nava Vidha) of Bhakti

Traditionally, there are nine types of Bhakti (devotion) to the chosen Lord which are

practiced in the Sākāra Bhakti Mārga. These are: Śravaṇa, Kīrtana, Smaraṇa, Pādasēvana,

Arcana, Vandana, Dāsya, Sakhya, Ātmanivēdana. These types of Bhakti can be seen in the

compostions of the Haridāsa-s of the VIjayanagara period.

Śravaṇa : In this type of Bhakti, the devotee listens to the glories of the Lord - descriptions of

his good qualities, his form etc. An examples of a song depicting this is: Harikathe Kēluva
Parijanaru – by Śrī Purandara Dāsa (Rāga: Pahaḍī), Tāla: Aṭa

Kīrtana: In this type of Bhakti, the devotee sings the glories of his chosen Lord.

An example of a song depicting this is Dhyānavu Kṛtayugadalli – by Śrī Purandara Dāsa

Smaraṇa: This involves constantly remembering and reciting the name of one’s chosen

deity.

This can be seen in the following songs:

 Smarisidavaranu Kāyva Namma Sūryanēka Prabhāva – Śrī Śrīpādarāya, Rāga:

Bhairavi, Tāla: Ādi278

 Smaraṇe Onde Sālade Gōvindana Nāma – by Śrī Purandara Dāsa

Pādasēvana: In this type of Bhakti, the devotee worships the feet of his chosen deity in an

expression of complete surrender

Vide Purandara Dāsara Kīrtaṇegalu (combined volume), Śrīmanmadhvasiddhāntha Granthālaya,

276

Udupi, 2001, p 338

Vide Purandara Dāsara Kīrtaṇegalu (combined volume), Śrīmanmadhvasiddhāntha Granthālaya,
277

Udupi, 2001, p 394

Vide Śrīpādarājara Kṛtigalu (Paṇḍita Āvṛtti), Kuvempu Kannada Adhyayana Samsthe, 1987, p 168
278

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

Some examples for this type of Bhakti are seen in the following songs:

 Ikkō Nōḍe Raṅganāthana Cikka Pādava – Śrī Śrīpādarāya, Rāga: Madhyamāvati,

Tāla: Ēka279

 Biḍe Ninna Pādava Biṅkavinnēko – Śrī Purandara Dāsa

Arcana: This involves ritual worshipping the chosen deity in various ways. Several Sēva-s

are offered to the Lord such as Arghya, Pādya, Abhiśēka, Vastra Samarpaṇe, Puṣpa Pūje,

Nāma Pūje, Dhūpa, Dīpa, Naivēdya etc. Examples pertaining to some of the rituals such as

Uyyāle Sēve, Ārati etc. have been mentioned earlier280. An example of a song depicting

various forms of worship is ‘Tappugalella Nīnoppikollo Nammappa Kāybeku Timmappa Nīne’

by Śrī Purandara Dāsa in the Rāga Nādanāmakriyā, Tāla: Aṭa281.

Vandane: This type of Bhakti involves bowing before the Lord in reverence. There are

several songs by the Haridāsa-s which depict this, some examples being:

Nārāyaṇa Tē Namo Namo by Śrī Purandara Dāsa, Rāga: Madhyamāvati, Tāla: Ādi282

Nārāyaṇā Namo Nārāyaṇā by Śrī Kanaka Dāsa

Dāsya: This type of Bhakti entails surrendering completely to one’s chosen Lord and
becoming his servant. This is depicted in the following compositions:

 Dāsana Māḍiko Enna Swāmi – by Śrī Purandara Dāsa, Rāga: Nādanāmakriyā, Tāla:

Aṭa283

 Daya Māḍo Daya Māḍo Raṅga – by Śrī Purandara Dāsa, Rāga: Kalyāṇi, Tāla: Ādi284

Vide Śrīpādarājara Kṛtigalu (Paṇḍita Āvṛtti), Kuvempu Kannada Adhyayana Samsthe, 1987, p 7
279

See Section 3.5.1

280

Vide Śrīpādarājara Kṛtigalu (Paṇḍita Āvṛtti), Kuvempu Kannada Adhyayana Samsthe, 1987, p 258
281

Vide Purandara Dāsara Kīrtaṇegalu (combined volume), Śrīmanmadhvasiddhāntha Granthālaya,

282

Udupi, 2001, p 323

Vide Purandara Dāsara Kīrtaṇegalu (combined volume), Śrīmanmadhvasiddhāntha Granthālaya,
283

Udupi, 2001, p 283

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

 Kṣamisuvudenna Tappugala Swāmi – by Śrī Kanaka Dāsa

 Mannisenna Manmathajanaka – by Śrī Vyāsarāya

The Haridāsa-s have also sung the glories of being a ‘Hari Dāsa’ – the servant of Hari or

Viṣṇu in several of their compositions. Some examples are:

 Haridāsara Saṅgakke Sariyuṇṭe – by Śrī Vyāsarāya

 Hariya Dāsariginnu Sariyuṇṭe – by Śrī Purandara Dāsa

Sakhya: In this type of Bhakti, the devotee considers his favourite deity as a friend. Just as a

friend is made fun of and criticized in a light-hearted manner without any malice, the

Haridāsa-s have composed many ‘Nindā Stuti’-s or songs which apparently criticize or make

fun of their chosen deity. Though the superficial intent of the song is of criticism, the real
intent is of praise. Some examples are giving below:

 Olide Yātakamma Lakṣumī – by Śrī Śrīpādarāya, Rāga: Śaṅkarābharaṇa, Tāla: Ādi285

 Ivana Hiḍikoṇḍu Hōgelō Jōgi – by Śrī Purandara Dāsa, Rāga: Nādanāmakriyā, Tāla:

Ādi286

 Enthā Celuvage Magalanu Koṭṭanu – by Śrī Purandara Dāsa

 Ēke Nīnilli Pavaḍiside – by Śrī Kanaka Dāsa

Ātma Nivēdane: This has been described earlier in this chapter287.

4.1.6.5 In Praise of a chosen deity

Many of the Haridāsa compositions of the Vijayanagara period focus on a chosen deity.

Apart from Viṣṇu who is hailed as the Supreme Lord, many other deities such as Lakṣmī,

Vide Purandara Dāsara Kīrtaṇegalu (combined volume), Śrīmanmadhvasiddhāntha Granthālaya,

284

Udupi, 2001, p 280

Vide Śrīpādarājara Kṛtigalu (Paṇḍita Āvṛtti), Kuvempu Kannada Adhyayana Samsthe, 1987, p 202
285

Vide Purandara Dāsara Kīrtaṇegalu (combined volume), Śrīmanmadhvasiddhāntha Granthālaya,

286

Udupi, 2001, p 77
See Section 3.5.3
287

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

Mukhya Prāṇa, Saraswathi, Bhārati, Rudra and Ganēśa have been worshipped by the

Haridāsa-s. Some examples of compositions in praise of deities other than Viṣṇu are:

 Bhāgyada Lakṣmī Bāramma – Śrī Purandara Dāsa

 Enthā Balavantanō Kuntiya Sañjātanō - Śrī Purandara Dāsa

 Ītanē Lōkaguru Vēdavikhyāta – Śrī Vādirāja

 Śaraṇembe Vāṇi– Śrī Purandara Dāsa

 Sēvisuvenu Sarasvati Tāyē – Śrī Purandara Dāsa

 Sakala Sādhanakella Siddhigolisuvudu – Śrī Purandara Dāsa

 Bhārati Majjanani Bhārati – Śrī Vyāsarāya

 Gajamukhane Siddhidāyakane Śaraṇu – Śrī Vyāsarāya

There are different ‘Bhāva-s’ or emotions that are evoked in the mind of the devotee with

respect to his deity, which are:

Dāsya: This has been described earlier in this chapter288.

Sakhya: This has been described earlier in this chapter289.

Madhura: This is the feeling of considering one’s chosen Lord as one’s beloved. This is

depicted in the songs of the Haridāsa-s which speak of Gōpis’ love for Śrī Kṛṣṇa. Bhramara

Gita and Gōpi Gīta which have already been discussed earlier290 are typical examples of this
type of devotion. Some other examples of Gōpi Gīta are as below:

 Hiṅgiralārene Hariya Saṅga Biṭṭamyāle – by Śrī Vyāsarāya

 Pōgabēḍa Nigamanuta Madhurege Pōgabēḍa Hariye

 Pōguvuducitave Mādhava Madhurege – by Śrī Purandara Dāsa

See Section 3.5.4

288

ibid
289

See Section 3.5.1

290

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Vātsalya: This is the feeling of considering one’s chosen deity as a child and the devotee

showing motherly love towards him. Haridāsa-s have composed many songs where they
demonstrate this beautifully. Some examples of this are as below:

 Ēke Dūruvirē Raṅgayyana – by Śrī Śrīpādarāya

 Kandā Bēḍavō Maṇṇu Tinnabēḍavō - by Śrī Purandara Dāsa

 Kaḍagōla Tārenna Cinnavē – Śrī Purandara Dāsa

 Kandanige Kālillavammā – by Śrī Vyāsarāya

Śānta: This is the feeling of complete peace and happiness with which a devotee worships

his chosen Lord. Examples of this are seen in the following songs:

 Antaraṅgadi Brahmānandanāgi Nīniralu – by Śrī Vyāsarāya

 Ī Pariya Sobagāvadēvarali Kāṇe – by Śrī Purandara Dāsa

4.1.6.6 Related to Hindu Scriptures

The Haridāsa-s compositions are replete with references to the holy scriptures of the Hindu-

s such as the Upaniṣad-s, Purāṇa-s, Rāmāyaṇa and the Mahabhārata. The incarnations of

Lord Viṣṇu as described in Hindu Mythology are described beautifully in their songs. The

stories of Hari’s kindness and love for his devotees as described in the scriptures are

captured in these songs and the message of complete surrender to Hari as the only refuge is

reiterated. Following are some examples of such songs.

Daśāvatāra references:

 Lāli Gōvinda Lāli – by Śrī Śrīpādarāya, Rāga: Ānandabhairavi, Tāla: Jhampe291

 Ēnaṇṇa Ninagēnaṇṇa – by Śrī Purandara Dāsa

 Rāmanāma Ratnahāra Dorakitu Enage – by Śrī Purandara Dāsa

 Rāma Gōvinda Sīta – by Śrī Kanaka Dāsa

 Lakśmi Ramaṇage Māḍidalu Uruṭāṇi – by Śrī Vādirāja

 Jaya Matsya Kūrma Varāha Nārasimha Jaya – by Śrī Vādirāja

Vide Śrīpādarājara Kṛtigalu (Paṇḍita Āvṛtti), Kuvempu Kannada Adhyayana Samsthe, 1987, p 142
291

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References to Rāmāyaṇa:

 Ikkō Nōḍe Raṅganāthana Cikkapādava – by Śrī Śrīpādarāya, Rāga: Madhyamāvati,

Tāla: Ēka292

 Rāmāvarante Rakṣisō Endare – by Śrī Śrīpādarāya, Rāga: Tōḍi, Tāla: Ādi

 Hanumantadēva Namō – by Śrī Purandara Dāsa

 Jaya Jayā Jaya Jānakīkānta – by Śrī Purandara Dāsa

 Nōḍirayya Hanumantana Mahimeya – by Śrī Purandara Dāsa

 Jayavāyu Hanumanta – by Śrī Vyāsarāya

 Bhajisi Badukelo Manuja – by Śrī Kanaka Dāsa

References to Mahābhārata:

 Jaya Jaya Jagatrāṇa – Śrī Śrīpādarāya, Rāga: Ānandabhairavi, Tāla: Ādi293

 Nīne Varaguru Mukhyaprāṇa Nirantara – Śrī Vyāsarāya

 Parāku Bhīmanendu Stutiside Pālisabēkenna – Śrī Purandara Dāsa

 Bandaddella Barali Gōvindana Daya Namagirali – Śrī Purandara Dāsa

References to Purāṇa-s :

 Śrīpati Salahendu Nenevantha Manujara – by Śrī Vyāsarāya (References to stories

of Ambarīṣa, Kamsa, Ajamila, Dhruva, Prahlāda etc.)

 Bagebage Āṭagalelli Kalitayya - by Śrī Purandara Dāsa (References to stories of

Ahalyā, Bhasmāsura, Prahlāda, Ambarīṣa etc.)

 Ballavareniparu Balladavariyaru – by Śrī Kanakadāsa (References to stories of Śiva,

Śuka, Garuḍa, Prahlāda, Vasiṣṭha etc.)

References to Vēda-s and Upaniṣad-s:

 Ukkuva Tuppakke Kaiyikkuve Nānu – by Śrī Vyāsarāya (Reference to Śruti (Vēda)

Vākya or statement )

Vide Śrīpādarājara Kṛtigalu (Paṇḍita Āvṛtti), Kuvempu Kannada Adhyayana Samsthe, 1987, p 7
292

Vide Śrīpādarājara Kṛtigalu (Paṇḍita Āvṛtti), Kuvempu Kannada Adhyayana Samsthe, 1987, p 49
293

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 Nīne Mukhya Kāraṇa Akāra ṇarō Bommādigalu – by Śrī Purandara Dāsa (Reference

to Puruṣa Sūkta in Vēda-s and Updaniṣad-s)

 Kinnara Kimpuruṣaru Nabhadali – by Śrī Purandara Dāsa (Reference to Vēda-s and

Upaniśad-s)

 Bomma Nimma Hemmegimma Summane – by Śrī Vādirāja (Reference to Śruti and

Smṛti Vākya-s or statements)

 Ambikāpati Umāpatiyendu – by Śrī Vādirāja (Reference to Śruti Vākya)

4.1.6.7 In praise of a Kṣētra (place of pilgrimage)

The Haridāsa-s went on pilgrimage to many holy places and composed songs in praise of

the presiding deities there. These songs give a wealth of information about various Kṣētra-s
or places of pilgrimage and their deities.

Some examples of such songs can be seen below:

 Kaṅgalidyātako Kāvēri Raṅgana Nōḍada – Śrī Śrīpādarāya, Rāga: Tōḍi, Tāla:

Rūpaka

 Maruga Molle Mallige Jāji Sampige – Śrī Vyāsarāya

 Nīnē Dayāsampannanō Kāvēri Ranga – Śrī Purandara Dāsa

 Nōḍi Daṇiyavu Kaṅgalu – Śrī Purandara Dāsa

 Enthā Pāvana Pādavō Kṛṣṇayya – Śrī Vādirāja

4.1.6.8 Social Reform

The Haridāsa-s composed many songs which criticized the ills in society, gave advice on

social behaviour and brought about social reform. Śrī Purandara Dāsa and Śrī Kanaka Dāsa

were pioneers in these kinds of songs. Some examples of songs which deal with this theme

are given below:

 Abhimānavyāke Striyaralli – by Śrī Purandara Dāsa

This song criticizes arrogant and ill-behaved women.

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 Ēnu Vratavēnu Sādhanagalēnu – by Śrī Purandara Dāsa

This song criticizes people who only follow rituals and practices superficially, but do
not give up their evil thoughts and desires.

 Kula Kula Kula Vennutiharo - by Śrī Kanaka Dāsa

This song criticizes people who blindly condemn others born in particular lineages.

 Dāna Dharmava Māḍī Sukhiyāgu Manave – by Śrī Kanaka Dāsa

This song warns against meaningless rituals and praises Dāna (giving gifts to

people) and other good deeds as a means to gain happiness.

 Rāma Dhānya Carite – by Śrī Kanaka Dāsa

In this long poem, Śrī Kanaka Dāsa describes an argument between Rāgi
(millet) and Paddy grains. They go to Śrī Rāma for justice. In the end, Rāgi is

the winner. Here, Rāgi is the representative of the working class and Paddy of the

so-called upper class. Through this story, it is established that the working class is in

no way inferior to the ‘upper’ class.

 Baduku Baduku Nañjuṇḍa – by Śrī Bēlūru Vaikuṇṭha Dāsa

In this song, the composer gives advice to the common man on how to live a good

life by just doing good deeds and avoiding all evil thoughts and actions.

4.1.7 Special Features pertaining to Language in the compositions

Languages used

Use of Alliteration and Onomatopoeia

Usage of Similies

Usage of Sarcastic language

Riddles in compositions

Usage of colloquial and other language words

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4.1.7.1 Languages used

The Haridāsa-s mainly composed in Kannada. However, there are a few instances of
compositions in other languages. These can be seen below:

4.1.7.1.1 Compositions in Samskṛta

By Śrī Śrīpādarāya:

 Nandanandana Pāhi

 Rakṣamām Raṅgēśa

The following verses from the above compositions are noteworthy:

From Nandanandana Pāhi:

Pavanaja Parivāra Yavanavidāra

Navaratna Hāra Navanītacōra

From Rakṣamām Raṅgēśa:

Kamalaja Nutipātra Karirājayātra

Kamaladhara Karakamala Samapada

Kamala Sannibhavinuta Kandhara

Kamala Sannibha Sugātra Kamalākalatra

Animiṣa Suprītākhila Dōṣa Nirdhūta

Sanakādi Śrutigīta Arjunasūta

Dinamaṇi Kulajāta Dēvakī Pōta

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The above reminds one of the lines of the song Sīta Kalyāṇa Vaibhōgame of Śrī Tyāgarāja

given below:

Pavanaja Stuti Pātra Pāvana Carītra

Ravi Sōma Vara Nētra Ramaṇīya Gātra

Paramēśa Nuta Gīta Bhava Jaladhi Pōta

By Srī Purandara Dāsa:

 Jaya Jayā Jaya Jānakīkānta

 Nārāyaṇa Tē Namo Namo

 Śrī Gaṇanātha Sindhūravarṇa (Pillāri Gīte)

The following lines of the composition Jaya Jayā Jaya Jānakīkānta are noteworthy:

Jaya Jayā Jaya Jānakīkānta

Jaya Sādhu Jana Vinuta Jayatu Mahimānanda Jaya Bhāgyavanta

Daśaratha Maha Vīra Daśa Kaṇṭha Samhāra

Paśupatīśvara Mitra Pāvana Carītra

These remind one of the following Pancaratna Kṛti by Śrī Tyāgarāja

Jagadānanda Kāraka Jaya Jānakī Prāṇa Nāyaka

Gaganādhipa Satkulaja Rāja Rājeśwara

Suguṇākara Sura Sēvya Bhavya Dāyaka Sadā Sakala

It may be recalled that traditionally, the composition of Śrī Purandara Dāsa mentioned above
is sung in the Rāga Nāṭa. It has Pallavi, Anupallavi and multiple Caraṇa-s which are sung in

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the second speed. The Kṛti of Śrī Tyāgarāja too has similar structural features and is in the

same Rāga.

4.1.7.1.2 Compositions in Bhāṇḍīra Bhāśa

Śrī Purandara Dāsa appears to have composed Gīta-s in Bhāṇḍīra Bhāṣā294. Among the

Pillāri Gīta-s, the following appear to be in Bhāṇḍīra Bhāṣa:

Kundagoura

Kundagoura Gourīvara Mandirāya Mānamakuṭa

Mandāra Kusumākara Makarandam Vāsitu Rē

Hēmakūṭa Simhāsana Virupākṣa Karuṇakara

Mandāra Kusumākara Makarandam Vāsitu Rē

Candamāma Mandākini Mandirāya Mānamakuṭa

Mandāra Kusumākara Makarandam Vāsitu Rē

Padumanābha

Padumanābha Paramapuruṣa Parañjōti Svarūpa

Vidura Vandya Vimala Carita Vihaṅgāvarōhaṇa

Udadhi Nivāsa Uraga Śayana Unnatōnnata Mahima

Yadukulōttama Yagnya Rakṣaka Ādya Śikṣaka Rāmanāma

Vide Karnataka Sangitadalli Haridasa Pantha by Dr. R. Sathyanarayana, Gana Kala Manjari, Page
294

15

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Vibhīṣaṇa Pālaka Namo Namo Vibhou Vara Dāyaka Namo Namo

Śubhaprada Sumanoradaya Surēndra Manorañjana

Abhinava Purandara Viṭṭhala Ballare Rāmanāma

It must be mentioned that the other Pillāri Gīta-s starting with Kereya Nīranu is in Kannada.

Apart from these, the Gīta ‘Ānalēkara Unnibōlati’ appears to be in Bhāṇḍīra Bhāṣa. However,

as mentioned earlier, its authorship has not been established clearly295.

Apart from these, there is another Gīta which bears Purandara Dāsa’s signature. The lyrics

of this Gīta in the Saṅgīta Sarvārtha Sāra Saṅgrahamu296 are as follows:

Bhayasamaya Dēva Unidēva Śrī Veṅkaṭācaladēvanelare

Śrī Purandara Viṭṭhalarāya Śrī Veṅkaṭācaladēvanelare

Kēralamaṇidaṇisuvare

He has said that this Gīta is in Bhāṇḍīra Bhāṣa. However, in a manuscript in the possession

of the Cintalapalli Trust297, the words are as below:

Bhayasamayadol Yennadēva Śrī Veṅkaṭācaladēvanallade

Śrī Purandara Viṭṭhalarāya Śrī Veṅkaṭācaladēvanallade

Keralida Mana Taṇisuvare

See Section 3.4.2

295

296

vide Information given by Dr . S. Nagendra Sastri

297

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The above words are clearly in Kannada, so it is possible that the other version has been

created due to scribal error.

It may be noted that this song is also present in Gāyana Gāyanījana Pārijātamu298 and has

the words ‘Guru Purandara Viṭṭhala’ indicating that the song was probably composed not by

Śrī Purandara Dāsa but by one of his sons. The lyrics are also closer to the Cintalapalli

version.

4.1.7.1.3 Compositions in Telugu

Śrī Vādirāja has composed the ‘Nārada Koravañji ‘dance-drama in both Kannada and

Telugu. This has been mentioned earlier in this chapter299.

The other known composition in Telugu which is attributed to Śrī Vyāsarāya by Tulaja in
Saṅgīta Sārmṛta300 is a Śrīvardhana Prabandha ‘Jaya Karṅāṭa Dhāra’.

4.1.8 Use of Alliteration and Onomatapoeia

The Haridāsa-s compositions abound in alliteration, especially on the second syllable.

Some samples from various Haridāsa compositions are given below:

By Śrī Śrīpādarāya:

Nīla Ghana Līla Jō Jō Karuṇāla

Vāla Śrī Kṛṣṇa Jō Jō

Līlāvatāra Jō Jō Paramātma

Bāla Gōpāla Jō Jō

By Śrī Purandara Dāsa

Narara Stutisi Nālige Baridu Māḍi U-

-dara Pōṣaṇegāgi Ivaravarennade

Gāyana Gāyanījana Pārijātamu Published between 1878-1904, authored by various scholars, page
298

22
See Section 3.4.7.9.1
299

300 Vide Saṅgīta Sārāmṛta, Prabandhā Prakaraṇam, Page 158

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

Dhareyolu Lajje Nācikegalanī ḍā ḍi

Parara Pīḍisi Timba Pāpi Jīvanava

An unusual example of repetition of syllables is found in Śrī Vyāsarāya’s composition

‘Hēlalalave Ninna Mahimeya Śrī Raṅgadhāma’ which can be seen below:

Viṣadamoleya Pūtaniya Asuva Hīri Yasanadi

Usiralalave Ninna Mahime Ninna

Mma Mma Mma Mma Mma Mma

Kesara Tinnabyāḍenutta Tāyi Śiśuvinvadanava Tereye Catu-

rdaśada Bhuvanavatōriṭṭi Bāyola-

Lla Lla Lla Lla Lla Lla

Alliteration on the last word or syllable of a line is not commonly seen. However, there are

some instances of this, as demonstrated in the example of a Kṛti by Śrī Vyāsarāya below:

Kaṇakālandige Oppuva Sara Kaṇṭhamaṇiya Vajrada Khaṇiya

Maṇiyada Bahala Kaṭhiṇa Ditijaranella Haṇiyabēkembō Dhaṇiya

Praṇatiśi Nārāyaṇapadabhaktāgraṇiya Cintāmaṇiya

Tṛṇakṛtamarapati Yaśōmādhava Phaṇiya

Kapiśirōmaṇiya

Onomatopoeic usage of words is seen in Śrī Śrīpādarāya’s - Lakṣmī Narasimha

Prādurbhāva Daṇḍaka as mentioned earlier301. This usage is also seen in many places in

Haridāsa compositions where the sound of instruments or dancing is mentioned. An

example is seen in the lines of the Kṛti Kāliṅgana Meṭṭi Nāṭyavāḍida by Śrī Vyāsarāya as

given below:

Kālalli Gejje Ghalu Ghalu Ghalukendu

See Section 3.4.5

301

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

Karṇa Kuṇḍalavu Thala Thala Thalakendu

Phāla Tilakavu Hole Hole Holevuta

Jvalita Maṇimaya Lalita Padakahāra

Calita Kānti Belagutali Dikkugalanella

4.1.8.1 Use of Similies

The language of the Haridāsa-s is replete with similies used to describe various concepts. A

beautiful example is seen in the following lyrics of the composition ‘Ambiga Nā Ninna

Nambide’ by Śrī Purandara Dāsa.

Tumbida Harigōlu Ambiga

Adakkombhattu Chidravu Ambiga

Sambhramadinda Nōḍambiga Ada-

-rimbu Nōḍī Naḍesambiga

Here, the human body has been compared to a ‘Harigōlu’ (circular raft) with ‘Ombattu

Chidra’ (nine openings). Ambiga here stands for the boatman, who symbolizes the

Supreme Being.

Another song by Śri Purandara Dāsa has an example of a lovely comparison of ‘Kallu

Sakkare’ (Sugar Candy) with Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa-s name:

Kallu Sakkare Kollirō Nīvellaru

Kallu Sakkare Kollirō

Kallu Sakkare Savi Ballavare Ballaru

Phulla Lōcana Śrī Kṛṣṇa Nāmavemba

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4.1.8.2 Usage of Sarcastic Language

The Haridāsa-s have used language very effectively to convey their message. Sometimes,
they treat their chosen deity as a friend and use friendly sarcasm while addressing him/her.

This usually is seen in Nindā Stuti-s which have been mentioned earlier302.

An example is the following Kṛti by Śrī Purandara Dāsa

Enthā Celuvage Magalanu Koṭṭanu Girirājanu Nōḍamma

Here, Lord Śiva is being referred to sarcastically as ‘Celuva’ or handsome. Girirāja refers to

his father-in-law, Himāvan. The song describes Lord Śiva’s appearance of three eyes,

garland of skulls etc. and wonders how Himāvan could give his daughter in marriage to such

a ‘handsome’ man. In the end, the song concludes with how Lord Śiva is one of the most
ardent devotees of Śrī Purandara Viṭṭhala i.e. Hari indirectly mentioning his greatness.

Thus, though ostensibly the song criticizes Lord Śiva in a sarcastic manner, its real intent is

to describe his form and to demonstrate his greatness.

4.1.8.3 Riddles in Compositions

Many of Haridāsa compositions use simple and direct language. However, some have

complex riddles which infact encase complex philosophical questions. The solution to the

riddles has deep theological and spiritual meanings.

Śrī Kanaka Dāsa was known for his ‘Muṇḍige-s’ or songs with complex riddles which would

give exercise to the brain!

An example of his Muṇḍige-s is as below:

Halavu Jīvanava Ondele Nuṅgitu – Kāgi-

-NeleyādiKēśava Ballanī Beḍaga

Where he describes a leaf (Ondele) swallowing several lives (Halavu Jīvanava)

See Section 6.4

302

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Another example is a Kṛti by Śrī Purandara Dāsa which has the following lyrics:

Ī grāmadali Vāsa Iruvōde Prayāsa

The description here is of a village (Grāma) where it is difficult to live (Iruvōde Prayāsa).

4.1.8.4 Usage of Colloquial and common words

In some of Haridāsa compositions, colloquial language and words are seen. This indicates

their intention to convey their message to the common man. This is particularly seen in Śrī

Purandara Dāsa’s compositions.

An example of this is the Pakṣī Śakuna composition of his:

Jayavade Jayavade Ī Manetanake Bahala Jayavade

Where the word ‘Jayavade i.e. Jayavu ade’ is in colloquial Kannada303.

Another example is seen in the phrase ‘Wāhwāre Meṇasinakāyi’ where the Urdu word ‘Wāh’

is used. Yet another instance is of the Marāṭhi phrase ‘Mā Majha Bhāpurē Bhalire’ being

used as the starting words of the Kṛti.

4.2 Musical Compositions of the Tāllapākam Composers

This section examines the musical compositions of the Tāllapākam saints of the

Vijayanagara period – Śrī Annamācārya, Śrī Pedda Tirumalācārya, Śrī Cinna Tirumalācārya

and Śrī Cinnanna from various perspectives – the Rāga-s used, the Tāla-s used, the forms

used and evolved by the saints, Thematic classification of the musical compositions and the

literary beauties in the compositions. An in-depth study of the Tāllapāka compositions has

been carried out in consultation with published works, musicological treatises and inputs

from scholars .

4.2.1 Rāga-s used by Tāllapākam Composers

Copper plates on which the musical compositions of the Tāllapāka composers were

engraved on the instance of Cinna Tirumalācarya were hidden in a vault in Tirumala for

centuries. These were discovered only in 1922 A.D and subsequently published by Tirumala

The classical equivalent of this would be ‘Jayavu Ide’

303

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Tirupathi Dēvasthānams. These have the Rāga-s of the compositions inscribed on them.

These are perhaps the most authentic source today of the original Rāga-s used by the
Tāllapākam composers. The set of Rāga-s mentioned are304:

Abali, Āhiri, Āhirināṭa, Amarasindhu, Āndōli/Āndōla, Ārabhi, Bauli, Baulirāmakriya, Bilahari,

Bala Hamsa, Bhallaṭi, Bhūpāla, Chāyanāṭa, Dēśākṣi, Dēśālam/Disālam,

Dēvagāndhāra/Dēvagāndhāri, Dēvakriyā, Dhanyāsi, Draviḍabhairavi, Bhairavi, Gaula,

Gurjari, Gītanaṭa, Gambhīra Nāṭa, Gummakāmbhōji, Guṇḍakriya, Hejjuji/Hijjuji, Hindōla,

Hindōla Vasantha, Kāmbhōji, Kannaḍabaṅgāla, Kannaḍagaula, Kēdāragaula,

Kōkilapañcama, Koṇḍamalahari, Kuntalavarāli, Lalitā, Madhyamādi, Malahari, Mālavaśrī,

Mālavi, Mālavagaula, Maṅgalakauśika, Maṅgalabauli, Mēcabauli, Mēgharañji, Mukhāri,

Mukhāripantu, Nādarāmakriyā/Nāmakriyā, Nāgavarāli, Nāgagāñdhāri, Nārāyaṇi/Nāraṇi,

Naṭṭanārāyaṇa, Nārāyaṇadēśākṣi, Nilāmbari, Pāḍi, Pūrvi, Pūrva Gaula, Phalamañjari/Phala

Vañjaram, Pratāpanāṭa, Nāṭa, Rāmakriyā, Śuddharāmakriyā, Rāyagaula305, Rēvagupti,

Sālaṅga and Sālaṅganāṭa, Sāmanta, Samasindhukriyā, Sindhurāmakriyā, Śrī, Śuddhadēśī,

Śuddhavasanta, Telugukambhōji, Tōdi and Toṇḍi, Varāli, Vasantavarāli, Vasanta, Vēlāvali,

Manōhari, Kurañji, Bangālam, Śaṅkarābharaṇam, Piśālam.

It may be noted that many of the Rāga-s mentioned above are also used by the Haridāsa-s.

This has been discussed in detail earlier in this chapter.

Of these Rāga-s, the Rāga-s Āhiri, Āhirināṭa, Āndōli/Āndōla, Bauli, Bhūpāla, Cāyanāṭa,

Dēśākṣi, Dēvagāndhāra/Dēvagāndhāri, Dēvakriyā, Dhanyāsi, Bhairavi, Gaula, Gurjari,

Guṇḍakriya, Hejjuji/Hijjuji, Hindōla, Kāmbhōji, Kannaḍabaṅgāla, Kannaḍagaula,

Kēdāragaula, Lalitā, Madhyamādi, Malahari, Mālavaśrī, Mālavi, Mālavagaula,

Maṅgalakauśika, Mēgharañji, Mukhāri, Nādarāmakriyā/Nāmakriyā, Nārāyaṇi/Nāraṇi,

Naṭṭanārāyaṇa, Pāḍi, Pūrvi, Pūrvagaula, Phalamañjari/Phala Vañjaram, Nāṭa, Rāmakriyā,

Śuddharāmakriyā, Rēvagupti, Sālaṅga and Sālaṅganāṭa, Sāmanta, Śrī, Śuddhavasanta,

Tōdi and Toṇḍi, Varāli, Vasanta, Vēlāvali, Kurañji, Bangālam, Śaṅkarābharaṇam are

The source for this is Vijayanagara Visions by William J. Jackson, page 196, quoting Śrī S.R.
304

Janakiraman’s article ‘Ragas adopted by Annamacharya’, Shanmukha Quarterly, Vol V, No. 2, April
1979, page 15-21
This is probably a scribal error, for the name ‘Nārāyaṇa Gaula’.
305

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

mentioned in contemporary musicological works like SMK and SRC, as discussed earlier in

this chapter.

Out of the Rāga-s mentioned above, Ārabhi, Bilahari, Bala Hamsa, Gambhīranāṭa,

Hindōlavasantha, Kōkilapañcama, Kuntalavarāli, Mēcabauli, Nāgavarāli, Nāgagāñdhāri,

Nārāyaṇadēśākṣi, Nilāmbari, Sālaṅganāṭa, Sindhurāmakriyā, Śuddhadēśī, Vasantavarāli

occur in later treatises. This shows that the Tāllapāka composers too used Rāga-s which

were not already defined in musicological treatises and enriched them with their

compositions. Musicologists who came subsequently included the descriptions of these

Rāga-s in their works.

The Rāga-s Abali, Amarasindhu, Baulirāmakriya, Bhallaṭi, Dēśālam/Disālam,

Draviḍabhairavi, Gītanaṭa, Gummakāmbhōji, Koṇḍamalahari, Maṅgalabauli, Mukhāripantu,

Pratāpanāṭa, Rāyagaula, Samasindhukriyā, Sindhurāmakriyā, Teluguāmbhōji, Manōhari,

Piśālam have not been mentioned in musicological works at all. Scribal errors in the names

of these Rāga-s are possible. Another possibility is that these are colloquial names of

‘classical’ Rāga-s. However, it is more likely that these are of local origin. The usage of these

Rāga-s is a most innovative effort by the Tāllapāka composers.

Another source for Rāga-s used by the Tāllapākam composers are palm leaf manuscripts

called the ‘Śēśācāryula Vrātaprati’ which were preserved by the descendants of Śrī

Annamācārya for several centuries. These were handed over to the Śrī Veṅkaṭēśwara

Oriental Research Institue (SVORI), Tirupati in the early twentieth century. The additional

Rāga-s found in these manuscripts are Kalyāṇi, Gaulīpantu/Gaurīpantu, Ghaṇṭārava,

Pantuvarāli, Śuddhakāmbōji, Kēdāra, Vasantabhairavi, Māruvadhanyāsi, Yamunakalyāṇi,

Saurāṣṭra306.

Of these, some Rāga-s are also ascribed to Haridāsa compositions, as mentioned earlier in

the chapter. It may also be noted that the Rāga-s Gaulīpantu/Gaurīpantu, Pantuvarāli,

Śuddhakāmbōji, Kēdāra, Vasantabhairavi, Māruvadhanyāsi, Yamunakalyāṇi, Saurāṣṭra do

not appear in contemporary musicological works but only in later treatises.

vide ‘Akṣara’, a commemorative Felicitation Volume published in November 2005 by Viśvōdaya,

306

having the article ‘Amudritamulaina Tālapāka Saṅkīrtanālu – Oka Pariśodhanātmaka Pariśilanamu’ by

Dr. Vētūri Ānanda Murthy, Page 889-913

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

4.2.2 Tāla-s used by Tāllapākam Composers

In the copper plate inscriptions, there are no Tāla-s explicitly mentioned. However, in the

Śēśācāryula Vrātaprati manuscripts, Tāla-s are assigned for some manuscripts. These are

Jhampe, Aṭṭa, Maṭhya and Ēka, which belong to the Sulādi Sapta Tāla-s. In the Dēśi Sulādi

of Annamācārya, the Sulādi Sapta Tāla-s have been used. In the Sulādi-s of the Tirumala

musical inscriptions, the Sulādi Sapta Tāla-s and the Racam Tāla have been used. It

appears that the Sulādi Sapta Tāla-s were extensively used by the Tāllapākam composers.

These have been dealt with in great detail in the earlier sections.

4.2.3 Forms Used by Tāllapākam Composers

4.2.3.1 Gītam
There is a Gītam by Pedda Tirumalācārya which has been given with notation in Saṅgīta

Sarvārtha Sāra Saṅgrahamu by Vīṇā Rāmānuja307. It is set to Kāmbōji Rāga and Rūpaka

Tāla. It has many Jati syllables like ‘Jhem Jhem Dgu Dgu etc.’. The notation for this is given

below:

Rāga: Kāmbōji Tāla: Rūpaka

ma ga pa da pa , r s r g s r g , r s n d d p m g p d

jhe k nn jg jg jhe jhe to to

ja ga ja ga ta ta ka dhi ta ri ki ņa ga
m a a a a m m m m

s , p , n n d , n d p , m g m p d p d n d p p ,

jhe jhe to t
ta kku ku na m kkī ka ta ka ta ka ta ka ta ka
m m m a

p , ss , s , m , m , g p d s s r m m g g r s s n

Saṅgīta Sarvārtha Sāra Saṅgrahamu by Vīṇā Rāmānuja, Published in 1873, Page 69

307

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

to ga m nn dh dh dh du du dug du du du du
di dhi di m m
m m mī ā a a a gu gu u gu gu gu gu

d * g p d p n d p s s g r r g p d s s r r m g s

du du ta dd dd k dd r
ra ta ta ta a re gu ha ka a ā ā sa a a ra
gu gu hi hi a hi e

r m g g r , s r p m m g g r s s n n d d p d s r

m
ti i ro o rdi śŗ ń ga a ra a ra a ki i ḍa a pa ra vi i nyu
a

g s r g , rr s n d p , m g p d s n n d d , g , rr

nna nn
ya vi i ḍā jja su ja a ņu te e e e na n tai n tai
m a

s s n d p , p d s , pp p m g p , p , n n d m p n

na n te nn
te na te m nā te e te na te te e e e na m
m a m ā

s
d p m g g p d n d s r g , s r g , r s- n d s r
-

te na jag
ti kŗ ti bŗ ti a ti ca tu rā ca tu rā na na mu kha mu ra
m m a*

g
p m g r s , s , p , d p m p , p , d p m g r s
-

vē
ti i re e re ē ka ţa ni i vā sā śri i a la mē e
ń

s r p m m g r s n d d , p , p d s , p , m g r s

lma n ga a na a dh n da a na dā jñ a nā na tta a ja ya

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

a a m a m

4.2.3.2 Padam
Śrī Tāllapākam Annamācārya was the first composer of Telugu Saṅkīrtanam-s with the

Pallavi-Caraṇa format. It has been seen earlier in the chapter that he was a contemporary of

Śrī Śrīpādarāya who was composing Pada-s in Kannada at the same time. Together, Śrī

Śrīpādarāya and Śrī Annamācārya popularized the Pallavi-Anupallavi-Caraṇa format of

Pada-s/Padams and heralded a new era in Karṇāṭaka musical forms. Śri Annamācārya is

said to have composed about 32,000 Saṅkīrtana-s. His son Pedda Tirumalācārya and

grandson Cinna Tirumalācārya too have composed Saṅkīrtana-s. Of these, 14,523

compositions of Tāllapākam poets are available308 .

Before proceeding to a description of the Padam composition of Tāllapāka poets, it is

necessary to define the words Padam and Saṅkīrtanam. Śrī Annamācārya has classified the

Padam-s into various categories in his musicological treatise, ‘Saṅkīrtanalakṣaṇam’. This

treatise is not extant, however, its Telugu translation ‘Saṅkīrtanalakṣaṇamu’ by Cinna

Tirumalācārya, Śrī Annamācārya’s grandson is available309.

Saṅkīrtanam is a devotional composition. The Saṅkirtanam-s of the Tāllapāka poets are so

called as they are devotional in nature. ‘Pada’ or ‘Padam’ is a generic name for musical

composition. However, Haridāsa compositions are referred to as ‘Pada’. Similarly, the

Saṅkīrtanam-s of Tāllapāka poets are referred to as ‘Padam-s’. Padam is the same as

‘Pada-Niryuktam’ defined in the Saṅgīta Ratnākara as a song in praise of God. Since the

compositions of the Tāllapāka poets are devotional in nature, they can be called Padam-s. In

the Saṅkīrtana Lakṣaṇamu of Śrī Cinna Tirumalācārya, Padam and Saṅkīrtanam are used

synonymously 310. In Saṅkīrtanalakṣaṇamu (Verse 18), Cinna Tirumalācārya, quoting his

Vide Dr. Salva Krishnamurthy, translation and Commentary, The Tunes of Divinity, Volume I, Page
308

xiii
309 This work has been described in the Chapter 5 of this Dissertation
310 The copper plate inscriptions have the title legend as: ‘ It is clear Saṅkīrtana Lakṣaṇamu is
synonymous with Padacchandamu’ vide Dr. Salva Krishnamurthy, Saṅkīrtana Lakṣaṇamu:
Correlation of Lakṣya with Lakṣaṇa, The Tirumala Music Inscriptions, Page 42

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

grandfather, establishes the hoariness of the Padam by linking it to the descriptions of the

Dēśaila Prabandha in treatises such as Saṅgītaratnākara, Saṅgītacūḍāmaṇi and

Saṅgītasudhākara. In the same verse, he also equates Saṅkīrtanam to Padam.

For the various categories of Padams described in this work, we can find several examples

of compositions by Śrī Annamācārya311:

Aṣṭapāda Padam: This is a padam with Pallavi similar to the famous Aṣṭapadi by Jayadēva.

An example of a song by Śrī Annamācārya is:

Ahō Suratavihārōyam

Sahaja Parājaya Śaṅkā Nāsti

Padamālikā: This is the same as Śīśamālika which should have 12 or 18 lines. An example

of a song of this type in Rāga Mukhāri is:

Enta VēgiraKāḍavēmōyi Pantagā ḍavinralōna Vadarakumōyi

Śarabhapādapadam: This is distinct from Aṣṭapādapadam. An example of this in Śrī Rāga is:

Nityāmuḍaiuṇḍi Nityuḍai Velugondu

Daruvu: This can be either in two lines or four lines. These should be sung in Madhya or
Druta Laya with Tāla. An Annamācārya Kṛti of this type is:

Kūrimerigi Kaikōvu Ni

Bīramulē Nerapēvu

311 Vide Dr. Salva Krishnamurthy, Saṅkīrtana Lakṣaṇamu: Correlation of Lakṣya with Lakṣaṇa, The
Tirumala Music Inscriptions, Page 46

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

Jakkula Rēkulu: These are compositions which employ the Ragaḍa meter and are sung with

Tāla. They are named with the prefix of Tāla or Rāga. Examples are Tripuṭarēku,
Jamparēku, Baulirēku and Mukhārirēku.

Ardhacandrikā Padam: In these compositions, only half of the Udgrāha, Dhruva and Ābhōga

are sung and then the Pallavam is inserted. It also has many Tānam-s. An example of this

is:

Atiśōbhitēyam Rādhā Satata Vilāsavaśārādhā

Gobbipadam: The word appears to have originated from the Tamil word Kumbiḍu which

means to make obeisance or to worship. This composition is also said to be similar to Garha

Nṛtya. An example of this is:

Koṇḍa Goḍugugā Gōvulagācina Koṇḍuka śīśuvuku Gōbbillō

Vākyam: This composition was sung without Tāla but with much Tāna and involvement with

the meaning. An example of Śrī Annamācārya’s composition of this type in Rāga Nāṭa is:

Ēdaivamu Śrīpādanakhamunabuṭṭina Gangātrilōkapāvanamucēyanu

Apart from this, there is a plethora of folk and ritualistic compositions composed by the

Tāllapāka composers. Their classification is more thematic and less structural. These shall

be taken up later in the chapter.

4.2.3.3 Sulādi-s
The structure of the Sulādi form and the Sulādi Sapta Tāla-s have been described in great

detail in the earlier sections.

There are few known Sulādi-s of Tāllapāka composers. However, the available Sulādi-s of

these composers are quite distinct from the Sulādi-s of Haridāsa composers thematically

and structurally. These are described below:

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

Dēśī Sulādi of Śrī Annamācārya312

This Sulādi has the prescription of Tala-s for different stanzas Dhruva, Maṭṭḥya, Rūpaka,
Jhampe, Tripuṭa, Aṭa, Ēka. This Sulādi has several special features:

 It has been set in several Rāga-s Mālavagoula, Rāmakriya, Varāli, Bouli, Pāḍi, Nāṭa

and Śrī Rāga. Thus, this is a Rāgamālika. In the manuscripts and printed sources of

Sulādi-s of Haridasa-s considered by this author, there have not been any where

multiple Rāga prescriptions are seen.

 The ‘Jatē’ stanza which is seen in Sulādi-s of Haridāsa-s is absent here.

 In the Dēśī Sulādi, there are two new sections in the first stanza (to which Dhruva

Tāla is prescribed). These are ‘Pallavi’ and ‘Vākyam’. None of Haridāsa Sulādi-s

have these two components. Vākyam is used in Prabandha-s. It has been seen
above that Vākyam was also a type of composition of Śrī Annamācārya, which was

sung without Tāla. If the same structure is implied here, then it means that the

Vākyam represents a segment without Tāla which is very unusual in a Sulādi.

 In the Haridāsa Sulādi-s, the first stanza has Udgrāha and Ābhōga. The Udgrāha is

divided into three segments, the first two being sung in the same melody (Dhātu).

The first segment is the Dhruva and after singing the Ābhōga, the Dhruva is sung.

Thus, Dhruva is the refrain. If Pallavi has been used in the sense of refrain in the

Dēśī Sulādi, this is structurally different from Haridāsa Sulādi-s because it is the first

segment of Udgrāha and not the second which is the refrain in Haridāsa Sulādi-s.

 The stanzas starting from the second one are generally shorter (with two lines each)

as compared to Haridāsa Sulādi-s.

 This Sulādi has a theme in Śṛṅgāra Rasa. None of the Haridāsa Sulādi-s examined

by this author have been composed in this Rasa.

Thus, we can see that this Sulādi is a unique composition which represents a different style

from that of the Haridāsa-s.

The text of this Sulādi has been taken from the article ‘Dēśī Sulādi of Annamācārya’ by Śrī S.R.
312

Janakiraman, The Journal of The Madras Music Academy, 1979, Vol L, Page 126. According to the
author, the source is copper plate inscriptions preserved in the TTD.

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Sulādi-s found in stone inscriptions in Tirumala313

In Tirumala, notated musical inscriptions were found on stone slabs by late Śrī Vēṭuri
Prabhākara Śāstri in 1949 A.D. After many efforts by individual scholars to study and

publish the inscriptions, these were examined by a team of eminent scholars in 1999, who

participated in a joint seminar. The outcome of their study was published by Tirmala

Tirupathi Devasthanams in 1999. It was clearly established that these inscriptions pertain to

Sulādi-s composed in the 15-16th centuries most likely by the Tāllapākam composers. Below

is a brief description of the inscription:

It was inferred by the above-mentioned scholars that the original inscription spanned at least

five stone slabs, on which five Sulādi-s were notated. Of these, only the second and fourth

are now available. The notations appeared to be spread over the slabs in the following
manner:

Slab 1: Sulādi 1, 1st part of Sulādi 2

Slab 2: 2nd Part of Sulādi 2, 1st part of Sulādi 3

Slab 3: 2nd Part of Sulādi 3, 1st part of Sulādi 4

Slab 4: 2nd Part of Sulādi 4, 1st part of Sulādi 5

Slab 5: 2nd Part of Sulādi 5

Here, Sulādi 1, Sulādi 2 etc. denote the first Sulādi, second Sulādi etc.

It may be noted that most of the Sulādi-s are spread over two slabs. This is the reason that

the notations of none of Sulādi-s are available completely.

The available Sulādi notations are as below:

Slab 2: 2nd Part of Sulādi 2, 1st part of Sulādi 3

Slab 4: 2nd Part of Sulādi 4, 1st part of Sulādi 5

Vide The Tirumala Music Inscriptions published by TTD in 1999

313

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

Thus, the first part of Sulādi 2 is missing, thus the Rāga ascription is not known. However,
based on the notation, the scholars have assigned Mālavagoula as the Rāga. This Sulādi

has been named ‘Daśāvatāra Sulādi’ based on the lyrics in the inscription.

Sulādi 3 has the Rāga Vārāli(a) assigned to it in the inscription. The scholars are in

agreement that the same Rāga should be assigned to all the stanzas of this Sulādi.

Again, as the first part of Sulādi 4 is missing, the Rāga assigned to it is not known. The

scholars have assigned the Rāga Goula based on the notation.

Sulādi 5 has the assignment of the Rāga Nāṭa. However, the scholars are of the view that

this is probably a Rāgamālika. The stanzas after the first one have been assigned Pāḍi and
Mālavagoula Rāga-s.

In the known portions of the Sulādi-s, the following stanzas were found. Here, it is to be

noted that the stanzas have been named after the Tāla-s used in them, except

Caupadadōlam, which according to the scholars, signifies that the stanza is a quatrain, i.e.

has four lines.

Sulādi 2 (2nd Part)

Rūpakam

Jhampa

Ragaṇam

Tivuḍa

Aṭa

Racam

Caupadadōlam

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

Ēkatāli

Sulādi 3 (1st Part)

Dhruva

Rūpakam

Sulādi 4 (2nd part)

Jhampa

Ragaṇam

Tivuḍa

Aṭa

Racam

Caupadadōlam

Ēkatāli

Sulādi 5 (1st part)

Dhruva

Maṭhya

Rūpakam

Following is the notation of the Dhruva of the 3rd Sulādi:

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Rāga: Varāli Tāla: Dhruva

Udgrāham

l4 d2 l4 l4

ni ni sa. sa. ri. sa. sa. , ni da da pa ma ga

bhu va na ra ca na pō - ṣa la ya ca tu ra

sa da da da ni ni sa. , ri. ga. ri. sa. ni sa.

ku va la ya da la kō - ma la ru ci bha ra

ni sa. ri. ga. ri. ga. ma. pa. pa. ga. ga. , ri. ga.

na va sa ra si ja na ya na! ni ran - ta ra

ma. ga. ri. ga. sa. ni sa. ri. sa. ga. ri. pa ni sa.

bha va du ru da ya! pa - la ya ma ma gi ra

sa. ni da ni da pa da da pa ma ga ga ri sa

|| bhuvanacaraṇa ||

Jyāvala

l4 d2 l4 l4

da. ga ga , ri ga sa , ga ri ga , ri sa

vi ra tō - pa ma! vi - śva ma nō - ha ra

ni. sa ri ga ri sa ni ni ni , da , pa ma

pa ri ṇa ta ra sa! pa śu pān - tah - pu ra

ga ri ga ma ma pa da , pa ma sa ri ga ma

pa ri vṛ ta! gṛ ha pa - dmā - ka ra va ra

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

ma pa ma ga ga ri da. sa ma ma ga , ri sa

vi ra ci ta ba hu vi hṛ ti hṛ tām - bar a

sa ga ri ga ma pa da da ni da da ni da ni

ma ra vi ka da - rpa! ba li - kṣa ṇa dha ra

ni sa. ga. , pa. ri. ga. da. ma. ga. ri. sa. ni. sa.

bha ri tā - ri ni pa ti tā - sa ma sa ra

ni sa. ga. ri ri. , pa. , ni da ni da da ni

sa ri da dhi pā - san - na ta! bha ya ha ra

|| bhuvanacaraṇa ||

Prayōgam

l4 d2 l4 d2

pa ni da pa ni da pa da ni sa. ri. ga. ri. sa.

i ya i ya i ya i ya i ya i ya i ya

ni sa. ri. ga. ga. ga. ma. ga. ga.ma. ga. ri. ni ni

i ya i ya i ya i ya i ya i ya i ya

sa. ni ni sa. ni da ni ga. da ni da pa ma pa

i ya i ya i ya i ya i ya i ya i ya

da pa ga ma ma ni pa da da sa. sa. ni ni sa.

i ya i ya i ya i ya i ya i ya i ya

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

ma. ga. ri. ga. ri. sa. sa. ni da ma ma ga ri sa

i ya i ya i ya i ya i ya i ya i ya

|| bhuvanacaraṇa ||

Ābhōgam

l4 d2 l4 d2

pa pa ni pa ma ga ma ga ga ma sa ga ga sa

gha na ku ca gha ṭa gha ṭa nā - pa ṭu pu na

sa ri ga ma pa da ni sa. ri. ga. ri. sa. ni ni

ra nu di ta dhṛ ti ra ti ra sa ma – jja na!

sa. ni da ga. ri. sa. sa. ni da pa ma ga ri sa

ma na da li ta ra ma ya ti ya śo - dha na

|| ghanakucaghaṭa ||

Jyāvala

l4 d2 l4 l4

sa ni. sa ga ri ga ma ga ga ma ga ri ri ga

hu ta ta nu ma gha hṛ ṣi ta ta nu - ra ha

pa ma ga pa ma ga ga ri ga ma ga ga ri sa

a ti ja ḍa ma ti ma khi la su khā - va ha!

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

ni sa ri ga ri pa sa. , ni da pa da ni sa.

su ta nu ri ya m śu - ṣya ti dṛ dha mi ha

ga. ri. ri. sa. ni da da , pa ma ga ga ri sa

vi ta nu kṛ pā m Veṅ - ka ṭa gi ri gṛ ha

|| bhuvanaracana ||

Some remarkable new features were found in the Sulādi-s of these inscriptions:

 These Sulādi-s have been notated with solfa syllables and symbols to mark the Tāla

Āvarta-s. This establishes beyond doubt that Sulādi-s were musical compositions which

had a well-developed component of melody.

 Each Caraṇa in the Sulādi has Udgrāha, Jyavala and Ābhōga. Some Cara ṇa-s have

Prayōga also. The Caupada Dōlam has Pallavam followed by Pada-s.

 In these Sulādi-s, some new terms Caupada Dōlam, Racam, Ragaṇam, Uga, Jyāvala,

Prayōga and Pallavam are found. They are:

o Caupada Dōlam has been explained above. This is a very unusual structure

which has not been seen anywhere in Haridāsa Sulādi-s.

o Ragaṇam: Stands for Ragaṇa Maṭṭhya Tāla which has the guru-laghu-guru
structure.

o Racam is the Dēśi Tāla Raccha which had the structure laghu-druta-virāma. The

usge of this in Sulādi-s other than this inscription is unknown.

o Uga is an abbreviation of Udgrāha. This probably is used in the same sense in

the term ‘Ugābhōga’.

o Jyāvala has been used for Dhruva.

o Prayōga is an Alāpa segment with the syllables ‘tiya iya iya ā etc. ’ used both for

Mēlāpaka and Antara, i.e. to join udgrāham to Jyāvala and Jyāvala to Ābhōgam.

o Pallava is the first segment of Caupada Dōlam which is followed by three stanzas

or Pada-s which share the same Dhātu which is different from the Dhātu of the

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Pallava. This is comparable to the Pallavi of Kṛti. Usage of Pallava in Haridāsa

Sulādi-s is not seen.

We see from the above that these Sulādi-s represents a new trend and is very distinct from

the style seen among Haridāsa Sulādi.

4.2.4 Long Poems

In addition to Saṅkīrtana-s, the Tāllapākam poets composed several long poems of the types

like Ragaḍa, Śatakam, Udāharaṇam, Daṇdakam etc. There are several examples of such

compositions which are given below.

Śatakam

Śatakam is a literary piece of art. The name derives from Śata, which means a hundred in

Sanskrit. Śatakam comprises a hundred poems. These are usually devotional, philosophical

or convey morals. Annamācārya himself is said to have composed 12 Śatakams of which

Narasimha Śatakam, Cennakēśava Śatakam, Sudarśanakṛṣṇa Śatakam, Cinnikṛṣṇa

Śatakam and Veṅkaṭēśwara Śatakam are available314.

The Veṅkaṭēśwara Śatakam was his first Śatakam and starts with the following verse:

Śrīsati Nīlajāmbavati Śrīyamunāsati Satyabhāma Dhā

Trīsati Rukmiṇīramaṇi Daeviyilāsati Vīralamda-ruṇ

Jēsinasēva Cēsedanu Jēkonu Śrīyalamēlumaṅga Nī

Mūsina Mutyamai Yuramu Mumgiṭa (Jeṅgaṭa Vēṅkaṭēśvarā!)315

314 Vide Dr. Pappu Venugopala Rao, Flowers at his Feet, Chapter 1, Page 6
This poem has been taken from http://annamayyapadyaalu.blogspot.in/2009/02/english-
315

annamayya-alamelumanga.html

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This is a Śatakam which has four-line verses, each ending with the word Vēṅkaṭēśvarā.

Another Tāllapākam composer who has composed Śatakam-s is Pedda Tirumalācārya who
has composed Śṛṅgāra Vṛtta Śatakam and Nīti-Śisa Śatakam.316

Daṇḍakam

This is a literary style of poetry seen in the Samskṛta and Telugu languages. Śrī Pedda

Tirumalācārya has composed a ‘Śṛṅgāra Daṇdakam’. Śrī Cinna Tirumalācārya has

composed an ‘Aṣṭabhāṣā Daṇḍakam’ in eight languages - Samskṛta, Prākṛt, Śaurasēni,

Māgadhi, Paiśāci or Apabhramśa bhāṣa, Prāci, Āvanti and Sārva Dēśībhāṣā.

Ragaḍa

This is a type of composition which uses the Ragaḍa meter. The Ragaḍa meter is similar to

the ‘Ragale’ of Kannada, which is usually equated with the blank verse in English. The

Ragale Meter is one without any restriction on the number of lines. It has perhaps evolved

from the ‘Rāhaḍī’ Prabandha which has been defined in the Saṅgīta Ratnākara as having

many Caraṇa-s (bahubhih caraṇaih) (SR, 4, 296). Śrī Tāllapākam Pedda Tirumalācārya has

composed the Sudarśaṇa Ragaḍa.

Other Long poems

Śrī Pedda Tirumalācārya has composed Udāharaṇakāvya-s, Cakravālamañjari , Rēpha-

Rakāramlu, a commentary on the Bhagvad-Gīta and Harivamśa (in the Dvipada meter). Śrī

Cinna Tirumalācārya has composed the musicological work in Telugu - Saṅkīrtana

Lakṣaṇamu which is a translation of the work Saṅkīrtana Lakṣanam by his grandfather Śrī

Annamācārya in Samskṛtam. Śrī Cinna Tiruveṅgalanātha, who was an expert in Dvipada

meter, has composed Aṣṭamahiśī Kalyāṇa, Paramayōgivilāsa, Uṣāpariṇaya and

Annamācārya Caritra in this meter.

Vide Dr. Salva Krishnamurthy, translation and Commentary, The Tunes of Divinity, Volume I, Page
316

xiii

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4.2.5 Prabandha-s

There are two known Prabandha-s of Pedda Tirumalācārya:

Agha Ane – This is a Jhōmbaḍa Prabandha starting with the words ‘Agha Ane’. 317 A

Jhōmbaḍa Prabandha in Saṅgīta Ratnākara is defined as one where the Udgrāha has two

segments, the first being sung twice and the second once. The Mēlāpaka has a Prayōga

segment (as described in the earlier section) which is optional. The Dhruva is sung twice,

followed by Ābhōga and then the song terminates on the Dhruva.

Jalacaradhara - This too is a Jhōmbaḍa Prabandha starting with the words ‘Jalacaradhara’

set to Rūpaka Tāla. Following is the notation of this Prabandha from the TMSSML

manuscript no. B11575

317
Vide the information given by Dr. Veturi Ananda Murthy. It was discovered in a palm leaf manuscript of the
TMSSML library.

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4.2.6 Thematic Classification of Musical Compositions by Tāllapākam Composers

The compositions of the Tāllapāka poets can be thematically classified under various heads

as below:

 Folk forms and Ritualistic music

 Spiritual Compositions
 Madhura Bhakti

 Social Compositions

4.2.6.1 Folk Forms and Ritualistic Music

Just as the Haridāsa-s incorporated folk forms and composed ritualistic music in Kannada,

the Tāllapākam composers led the pioneering efforts to incorporate folk music and ritualistic

music through their brilliant compositions in Telugu.

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Some of the folk songs which have been composed by them are:

Gobbipadam: This has been described earlier. Gobbi or Gobbillu is given as salutations and

some kind of sport.

Jājara: This is the derivative of the word Carcarī in Samskṛta. An example of this is in Rāga

Hindōlavasantam :

Jagadapu Januvula Jājara

Saginala Mañcapu Jājara

Kūgugu: This is a type of folk song where a person is called. An example of this type of a
song is

Guru Therigina Ḍoṅga Kūgugu

Tummeda: This is a type of song where the word ‘Tummeda’ is repeated. Tummeda

meaning ‘bee’ is a metaphor for the individual soul. An example in Śrī Rāgam is

Tolliṇṭivalegāvu Tummeda Iṅka

Vollavugāmammu Nō Tummedā

Candamāma Padam: These Padams use the moon to depict Madhura Bhakti or Vātsalya.

An example of this type of a song is:

Sande Kāda Puttinatti Sāyala Panta

Suvvi Pāṭālu: These are songs sung by married women while pounding paddy used in

marriage. An example of this type of a song in Rāga Bhūpālam is:

Suvvi Suvvi Suvālamma, Navvucu Dēvaki Nandanuganiyē

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Allōnērēllu: are the songs sung during moonlight nights while pounding ‘Cimmili’ during the

celebration of a girl attaining puberty. A song of this type in Rāga Dēśālam is

‘Neyyamulallōnērello Voyyanavūreḍi’

Sōdepāṭalu: These songs are sung by gypsy fortune-tellers ‘Erukata-s’ which are usually

part of Kuravañji Yakṣagāna-s. An example of this type of a song in Rāga Telugu Kāmbōdi is

‘Erukaceppē Niyiccayellā Nerugudu Merugaina’

Cilukapadālu: these songs have the refrain ‘Ciluka’ which means parrot, and is a metaphor

for the individual soul. An example of this type of a song in Rāga Āhiri is

Jīvātumuḍaiyuṇḍu Cilukāni Vāvaliki

There are some other compositions which are also sung during rituals and auspicious
occasions. Some examples of each of these type of songs are as below:

Veṅkaṭēśa Kalyāṇam: This is the marriage of Lord Veṅkaṭēśwara with Padmāvathi. A song

describing this is:

Pasidi Akṣintal ive Paṭṭa Ro Vēgame Rā Ro

Brahmōtsavam: This is a special festival in Tirupati. This is depicted in the following

composition:

Nānu Dikkula Narulella Vānalalone Vaṭṭuru Gadali

Abhiśēkam: This is the ceremonial bath given to the deity. This has been described in the

following composition:

Kānti Śukra Varamu Gadiyal Eḍiṇṭa

Maṅgalam: This is benediction sung at an auspicious occasion. An example of this is:

Chittaja Guruda Nīku Śrī Maṅgalam

Jōlapāṭālu: This is a lullaby which is sung to put children to sleep. A song of this type is:

Jo Acyutānanda Jo Jo Mukunda

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Śōbhānamu: This is a benediction song, similar to Śōbhāne in Kannaḍa. An example of this

in Rāga Mālavi is

Piluvakavaccitimi Pēratāṇḍlamu

Hārati: This is waving of light before the deity. An example of this in Śrī Rāgam is

Ettare Āratu Lintulāla

Dhavalam: This is a benedictory song. An example in Rāga Guṇḍakriyā is

Jayamaṅgalamu Nīku Sarvēṣwara

4.2.6.2 Spiritual compositions

Śrī Annamācārya and his descendants were followers of the Viśiśṭādvaita school of
philosophy. Though Śrī Annamācārya was born as a Smārtha Brahmin, he converted to Śrī

Vaiśṇavism and became a disciple of Adivan Śaṭakōpayati. He studied the hymns of the Śrī

Vaiśṇava saints, the Alwars, known as the Divya Prabandham, the Bhāgavata and several

other Purāṇa-s, Upaniṣad-s and other religious texts. His philosophical approach is reflected

in the following examples

 Antaraṅgamuna Tānu Hari Dalacina Cālu

 Sahaja Vaiṣṇavācāra Vartanula

 Munula Tapamu Naḍe – Mūla Bhūti Yade

Śrī Annamācārya’s compositions on his chosen deity – Śrī Veṅkaṭēśwara are unparalleled in

their beauty. Some examples of these are given below:

 Kaṇṭi Nakhilaṇḍa Karta Nadhikuni ganti

 Ippuḍiṭu Kalaganti Nellalokalamulaku

There are also other compositions on deities other than Lord Veṅka ṭēśwara. Some

examples are given below:

 Āsamudra Kṣitīśānam

 Phalanītranala Prabhala Vidullatha

 Okkaḍe Yekṅga Veruḍu Urviki Daivamaunā

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4.2.6.3 Compositions pertaining to Madhura Bhakti

Out of the compositions of the Tāllapāka composers now available, only about 2139 are
‘Ādhyātma Saṅkīrtana-s’ i.e. spiritual compositions. The rest are portrayals of Madhura

Bhakti. In this form of Bhakti, there is only one man in the universe, the Supreme Lord

(Puruṣōttama) and the rest of the universe is feminine. In the Vaiṣṇava Bhakti tradition, the

devotion of Gōpi-s to Lord Kṛṣṇa is spoken of. The Tāllapākam composers consider Lord

Veṅkaṭēśwara as their hero and have composed many songs about the love that his consort

Alamēlumaṅga has for him. The composer in fact takes on the role of Alamēlumaṅga himself

and the song is composed to express the devotion of the devotee (the composer) to his

Lord.

Some examples of this type of Bhakti are

 Pidikita Talambrāla Peṇḍli Kuthuru, Koṇṭa

 Alukalu Cellavu Hari Puruṣōttama

4.2.6.4 Social Compositions

Śrī Annamācārya believed in social equity. He propounded justice and spiritual richness

rather than material wealth. There are several songs which convey this viewpoint. Some

examples are as follows:

 Brahmamokaṭe Parabrahmamokaṭe
In this he describes that the Supreme Being is only one.

This song is also called a Tandanana Padam because this has the refrain ‘Tandanana’.

 Ye Kulajuda Naina Nemi

In this song he says if a person believes in Hari, his caste is unimportant

 Kulajini Yintanuṇḍi Kulahīnuni

In this song, he decries condemning people because of their caste.

4.2.7 Language of Tāllapākam Composers

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4.2.7.1 Languages used in Compositions

The Tāllapākam composers composed many songs in Telugu. However, there are some
songs also in Samskṛta. The Sulādi-s found in the stone inscriptions in Tirumala mentioned

earlier in this chapter are an example of this. Some other examples of Samskṛta

compositions can be seen below:

 Sakalam Hey Sakhi Jānāmi

 Śaraṇu Śaraṇu Surēndra Sannuta

 Mādhava Kēśava Madhusūdana Viṣṇu

 Namo Nārāyaṇāya Samadhikānanda Sarvēśvarāya

As mentioned earlier, Śrī Pedda Tirumalācārya has composed an Aṣṭabhāṣa Daṇḍakam

in eight languages.

4.2.7.2 Language of the compositions

Though the compositions of Tāllapāka poets are based on the Hindu mythological and

philosophical works, their language is simple, direct and clear. Their descriptions are very

vivid and bring forth beautiful images to the listeners mind. Their words are those of the

common folk, but the meaning conveyed through them is esoteric.

Śrī Annamācārya was a trend-setter in the sense that he used existing Telugu meters in oral

tradition rather than use available meters in Telugu literature. He wrote a musicological

treatise Saṅkīrtanalakṣaṇam which dealt with the concept of a lyric, its varieties, structure

and language.

4.2.7.3 Usage of Alliteration in the compositions

The compositions of the Tāllapāka composers abound in alliteration on the second syllable

(Dvitīyākṣara Prāsa). Some typical examples can be seen below:

Māyala Samsāramu Marigi Nī Karmamu

Ea Yeḍa Ninu Maruga Detiko Hari

Manuju ḍai Putti Manujuni Sēviñci

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Anudinamu Dukha Maṇḍa Nela

Another example is from the Sudarśana Ragaḍa:

Sarvaphalapradasahajamu Cakramu

Pūrvakōṇasampūrṇamu Cakramu

4.3 Other Compositions of the Vijayanagara period

4.3.1 Vacana-s of Vīraśaiva-s

4.3.1.1 Introduction
The Vacana form had flourished from the 12th Century due to the plethora of compositions

from the Śivaśaraṇa (Vīraśaiva) saints. In the early Vīraśaiva compositions (1150-1200 CE),
the pithy poems called Vacana-s had as their theme devotion to Lord Śiva. However, during

the Vijayanagara period, many Vacana-s were written which sang the glories of the earlier

Vīraśaiva saints. These employed native metres such as ‘Ragale’ and ‘Ṣaṭpadi’ which were

also used by the Haridāsa and Tāllapākam composers. Toṇṭada Siddhēśvara (1470) guru of

Virupākṣa Rāya II authored 700 Vacana-s called ‘Śaṭsthalajnānamrita’. Toṇṭada

Siddhaliṅgayati (1540), Svatantra Siddhaliṅgeśwara (1565), Ganaliṅgidēva (1560) were

some of the prominent Vacana poets who lived in the Vijayanagara period. Maggeya

Mayideva was a composer of ‘Śataka’ ( a poem with hundred verses), Virūparāja wrote a

Sāṅgatya (literary composition to be sung with a musical instrument) on the life of

Ceramāṅka in the 16th century. Gurubasava, Karasthalada Nāgidēva, Nirvāṇi Bhōlēśa were

musical composers who were the contemporaries of Prauḍhadēvarāya (1419-1446 AD).

However, the most prominent composer among the Vīraśaiva-s was Nijaguṇa Śivayōgi, who

authored many songs in his work – Kaivalya Paddhati.

4.3.1.2 Musicality of the Vacana-s

There have been differing views among scholars about Vacana-s being musical

compositions. However, there appears to be a tradition of musical recitation of the Vacana-s,

right from the 12th century as can be seen in some of the lyrics of Śrī Basavaṇṇa:

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Kiñcitu Gīta Ondanantakōṭi Japa Japavembudēka Manavē

Kūḍala Saṅgana Śaraṇara Kaṇḍu Āḍi Hāḍi Baduku Manave

Here, the word ‘Hāḍi’ means ‘to sing’, indicating that the Vacana-s were sung.

Apart from this, the compositions of early Vacanakāra-s (composers of Vacana-s) contain

many references to musical concepts, examples of which can be seen in Allama Prabhu’s

Vacana-s:

 Mātembudu Jyōtirliṅga Svaravembudu Paratatva,

Tāluōṣṭha Sampuṭavembudu Nādabindu Kalātīta

 Dhātumātu Pallaṭisida ḍe Gamanavinelliyadō?

Songs from Nijaguṇa Śivayōgi’s Kaivalya Paddhati In the 15th century have Rāga-Tāla

attribution and are musical compositions. It is the opinion of some scholars that many of the

Vacana-s of other composers too got formal Rāga-Tāla attribution around the 15th century or

a little before that318. In the fifteenth century, the first occurrence of the word ‘Svara Vacana’

is seen in a manuscript319. The usage of this term implies that the composition has a definite

Rāga and Tāla ascription. Other scholars opine that the fixing of melody accompanying the

lyrics (and thereby, the Rāga and Tāla) was done by the original composers, and therefore

Svara Vacana-s can be dated back to the earliest Vacanakāra-s320. Irrespective of the

validity of either of the views, it is a fact that Vacana-s have a tradition of musical rendering.

The Svaravacana-s have the assignment of the following Rāga-s: Madhumādhavi,

Śāntamalahari, Dēśī, Bhairavi, Maṅgalakauśi, Vasanta, Mālagagaula, Guṇḍakrī, Bavulī

(Bhauli), Rāmakrī, Bhairavi, Bhūpāli, Varali, Gujjari, Nāṭi, Lalita, Dēśākṣi, Nādanāmakrī,

Ḍavalāra, Śōkavarāli, Dēvagupti, Kannaḍagaula, Ārabhi, Śrī, Sindhurāmakrī,

Vide Kannaḍa Sāhitya, Śāsanagalalli Saṅgīta Vicāra by M Chidananda Murthy, p 64

318

319 Vide Article by Dr. Sarvamaṅgalā Śaṅkar – ‘Svaravacanagalu – Ondu Saṅgītātmaka Adhyayana –
Part 17’, Ananya Kalā Siñcana Vol 1, Issue 3, Oct 2010, p 2
Vide Article by Dr. Sarvamaṅgalā Śaṅkar – ‘Svaravacanagalu – Ondu Saṅgītātmaka Adhyayana –
320

Part 6’, Ananya Kalā Siñcana Vol 12, Issue 6, Sep 2009, p 3

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Śaṅkarābharaṇa, Śuddhakāmbōji, Āharipattu, Kāmbōji, Oḍḍīyadhanyāsi, Teluga Kāmbōdi,

Pattuvarāli, Saurāṣṭra, Nārāyaṇagaula, Āhari, Sālaṅga, Pāḍī. It can be seen that many of the
Rāga-s are those used by the Haridāsa-s and Tāllapāka composers. However, since the

time period of attribution of Rāga-s to the Svara Vacana-s cannot be fixed with certainity, it is

difficult to determine whether these Rāga-s existed prior to or in the Vijayanagara period.

The Tāla-s assigned to the Svara Vacana-s are Rūpaka, Jhampe, Aṭṭa and Racci which are

the Sulādi Tāla-s. As in the case of Rāga-s, the time period of assignment of Tāla-s to the

compositions cannot be fixed with certainity.

The Svara Vacana-s have Pallavi and Caraṇa-s. Some of them have an Anupallavi also.

It is clear that development of music to Vīraśaiva compositions as in the case of Haridāsa

and Tāllapākam compositions had proceeded uniformly and the belief that Vacana Sāhitya

did not have a high degree of associated music content does not appear to be valid. This

stands to reason considering that even before the Vijayanagara period, in the period of the

founder Śrī Basavaṇṇa and some of the leading exponents like Akkamahādēvi etc., there

are clear indications of the Sāhitya being rendered in a musical form. Perhaps the emphasis

which might have been earlier on the message contained rather than on music might have

slowly been modified into an all-round significance to both the message as well as musical

rendering which was followed by the contemporary Haridāsa Sāhitya321.

4.3.1.3 Nijaguṇa Śivayōgi’s Kaivalya Paddhati

The songs in Nijaguṇa Śivayōgi’s Kaivalya Paddhati have clear assignment of Rāga and

Tāla. The Rāga-s are Nādanāmakriyā, Dhanyāsi, Śaṅkarābharaṇa, Lalitā, Dēśī, Sāraṅga,

Bhairavi, Tōḍī, Kāmbōdhi, Bhauli, Kurañji, Madhumādhavi, Saurāṣṭra, Sālaga, Vasanta,

Pahaḍī, Śrī, Mālava, Bhūpāli, Madhyamāvati, Sāvēri, Nāṭi, Sāmanta, Kalyāṇi, Pūrvi,

Sālaṅganāṭa, Śāntamalahari, Rēvagupti, Pantuvarāli, Gauri, Pharaz, Nāṭi, Telugu Kāmbōdhi,

Vaḍḍīdhanyāsi322.

Vide Karṇāṭaka Samskṛti Samīkṣe by Dr. H. Tipperudraswamy, Page 679

321

322 Vide Royal Patronage to Indian Music, Dr. Gowri Kuppuswamy, M. Hariharan, Sundeep
Prakashan, 1984, p 69

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The songs which are 174 in number, have Pallavi and Caraṇa-s but no Anupallavi and are in

Tripadi metre. The Aṅkita or Mudra (nom de plume) used is Śambhuliṅga.

Thematically Kaivalya Paddhati is divided in to five parts namely ‘Śivakāruṇya Sthala’, ‘Jīva

Sambōdhana Sthala’, Nīthikriyācāryasthala, Yogapratipādanāsthala’ and

Jnānapratipadanāsthala’, which pertain to the ‘Ṣaṭsthala’ of Vīraśaiva theology. These songs

are philosophical songs which talk about ‘Bhakti’, ‘Jnana’ and ‘Anubhāva’. Many of the songs

contain beautiful descriptions and various figures of speech.

Some of the songs from this work are:

 Paramēśvariya Puṇyanāmavanu

 Agaṇita Gu ṇamaṇi Mahimeya

 Śaraṇa Satiya Maduveya

4.3.2 Prabandha-s

4.3.2.1 Composition by Veṅkaṭa Mantri

There is a Harṣavardhana Prabandha composition by Veṅkaṭa Mantri available today.

According to the colophon at the end of the composition, he was the son of Bhaṇḍāru

Lakṣmīnārāyaṇa, the court musician under Kṛṣṇadēvarāya. This song is in praise of Śrī

Vyāsarāya, who is hailed as ‘Saṅgītāgama Abhinava Bharata Muni’. Given below is the

notation of the song323:

Vide Saṅgitasarvārthasārasaṅgrahamu by Vīṅā Rāmānuja, p 67

323

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Rāga: Nāṭa Tāla: Rūpaka

d2 l4 d2 l4 d2 l4 d2 l4

pa sa Sa sa sa ni pa ni pa ma ga ma pa pa sa ni pa sa sa sa sa ri sa ,-

ja ya Ja ya sa ń gi - tā - ga ma a bhi na va bha ra ta m mu ni rē

ma , Ma ma ma ga ma pa ma ma ma ri sa sa ma ma ma ri sa ri sa sa ri sa

vī I i i ra vi ta ra ņa gu ņa ci n ta ā ma ņi ka ā ma dhe e nu

sa ri Sa sa ni sa sa ni pa pa ma ma- ri ga ma pa sa sa- ni pa ma ma ri sa

Bha ā Ā nu su ta sa m ma ā ā na va i i i i i i i bha vu re e

ma , Ma , papa pa sa ni pa sa sa sa- pa ma pa ri sa ,- ma ma pa , pa ,

vi Śvam bha ra ā ā bha ra a ņa dugu dugu dugu dugu jhem ta ri tōm tōm

ma pa Ma ma ma ri sa sa ma ma ma ri sa sa ma ri sa ri sa ni sa ni pa ma

to m To m gi ņa ņa m ṇa m gi ṇa dha tta dugu dugu dha dugu dugu dugu dugu dugu dugu dugu

ri ga Ma pa sa sa ni pa ma ma ri sa ma , ma pa , pa ni pa sa sa ri

taka taka Taka taka dhā m dhā m dhi mi ki ţa dā ham dhi mi dhi mi tom to m

sa ma ma ri sa ri sa sa ni pa pa ni pa ni sa ,

tom - gi ņa ņam ṇam - gi ṇa tu ma a ci re -

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 Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

Javaḍa

d2 l4 d2 l4 d2 l4 d2 l4

ni pa sa sa ma ma ri sa ma ma pa , , , sa mma , ma ma ri

na kha mu kha mu kha ri ta vi - ṇā - - - ni i kva a a ņa

ma pa ma ma ma ri sa ni sa ri ga - ma pa ma ma ri sa ma ri sa ri sa sa

dai - yu ye - nna bu dha ja - nna - bo - lla ti re - tu m - bu - ru

da ni sa sa ni pa pa ni pa pa ma ma ri ga ma pa sa sa ni pa ma ma ri sa

na - - - ra da da n tu ri ki n na hi to - - yi sa - ma ṇa u ni

ma ma pa pa ni , ni pa ma pa , ma ga ma pa ssa , sa sa , pa sa sa sa

a - i pa re e re e ō - ō - i - re - re - ka ra - -

ma ga ma ppa , , pa ni pa pa ma ri sa ma ma ma ma ri sa ni sa ri ga ,

a - ṇi - kka - śi - ro - ma ṇi bai - kā - ru la ku mmi - - -

ma pa ma ma ri sa sa sa ma ma ma ri pa , sa sa sa sa sa ri sa sa ni pa

na - rā - ya ṇa pu - - - - tra vi - dyā - sim - ha - sa na - -

pa sa sa ni pa ma pa ni pa pa ma ga ma pa ma ma ri sa pa , pa ma ga ma

dhī - sa du re - vyā - - - - sa ra - - - - ya A - vyā - da ra

pa , sa sa sa ni pa sa sa ma ri sa ni sa ma ma ri - ga ma pa pa sa sa

ya - tu ma - ca ku ma - ru ve ṅ ka ṭa ma an tri i ra ci na ve śri -

pa pa pa ni pa sa ma ma ri ga ma pa ni pa ma ma ri sa sa sa sa ni sa sa

- - - - - - va ra dha - nna - pra ba n - - dham ti ya i ya i ya

ni pa ma ma ri sa

a i ya - i ya

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

This Harṣavardhana Prabandha has been quoted by Tulaja in his Saṅgītasarāmṛta324 and is

available in notated form in Saṅgīta Sarvārtha Sāra Saṅgrahamu by Vīṇā Rāmānuja325. In

this book, the Rāga Nāṭa and Rūpaka Tāla have been assigned to it. It has several Jati

syllables - Tōṅgiṇa, Dgu, Dgu etc.

According to the Saṅgītaratnākara (SR, 4, 288), the Harṣavardhana Prabandha has an

Udgrāha with Pada and Biruda and Dhruva with Svara and Pāta. The Ābhōga again has

Pada. These features are seen in this Prabandha.

4.3.2.2 Compositions by Ōbayāmātya

In his introduction to the critical edition of Rāgatālacintāmani by Pōlūri Gōvinda Kavi by Dr.

N. Krishnaveni, Dr. Veturi Ananda Murthy mentions compositions by one Ōbayāmātya, who

is perhaps the father of Pōlluri Gōvinda Kavi who lived in the early 17th century. The identity
of this composer has not been fully established. It is possible that he lived towards the end of

the 16th century, just at the end of the Vijayanagara period. He is said to have composed

some Prabandha-s as given by Dr. Murthy –

 Rāsa Prabandha in Mukhāri, Ēka Tāla starting with the words ‘Samaradhanañjaya’

 Śrīvardhana Prabandha in Jhampa Tāla starting with the words ‘Samarabhīma

Bhujabalare’

 Harśavardhana Prabandha in Ēka Tāla starting with the words ‘Śrīkaruṇāsāra’

 Jhōmbaḍa Prabandha – ‘Kāntārānte Durante’

 Trikhaṇḍika Prabandha(?) in Śaṅkarābhara ṇa starting with the words ‘Jagati Bharata

Tantra Sammata’

 Dhanada Prabandha (appearing to be a variety of Kanda Prabandha)

 Mātṛkā Prabandha in Śrī, Jhampe Tāla starting with the words Acyuta ‘Durgambhōja

Madhivasatirē’

Vide Saṅgīta Sārāmṛta, Prabandhā Prakaraṇam, Page 159

324

Saṅgīta Sarvārtha Sāra Saṅgrahamu by Vīṇā Rāmānuja, Published in 1873, Page 69

325

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

The usage of Sapta Tāla in the Prabandha-s mentioned above indicates their proliferation

towards the end of the Vijayanagara period.

4.3.3 Tiruppugazh

Saint Aruṇagirināthar was a musical genius who lived in the early Vijayanagara period during

the times of Prauḍḥa Dēvarāya whom he mentions in one of his compositions. It is said that

the king met him and honoured him during his reign326.

The Tiruppugazh compositions of Śrī Aruṇagirināthar which are dripping with devotion are

based on the Candam meter and have very complex rhythmic structures. The Candam

meter is very appropriate for setting to music and was first used in Tamiz music by Śrī

Tirujnāna Sambandhar. The rhythmic patterns used in the Tiruppugazh cannot be classified

under the 35 Tāla system or the more ancient 108 Tāla system. The rythms can only be
reckoned by a conjunction of Tāla-s in the present-day 35 Tāla scheme and present a

challenge to percussionists.

Unfortunately, the original music of the Tiruppugazh is lost. However, in one of his

compositions, there are references to Rāga-s which give a clue as to which Rāga-s might

have been used by the composer. These are Varāli, Śikhaṇḍi, Sikamaram (equivalent of

Nādanāmariyā in Tamiz music), Vipancikai, Gouḍ, Gouḍi, Bhairavi, Lalita(ai), Kaiśikai,

Gauli(a), Malahari, Bauli, Varāḍi, Paṭa(Phala)mañjari, Dhanāsi (Dhanyāsi), Pañcami

(equivalent of Āhiri), Dēśi, Rañji (equivalent of Kuruñji)327. Śrī Aruṇagirināthar also lists the

five Mārga Tāla-s Catcatpuṭa, Cācapuṭa, Śaṭpitāputraka, Sampakvēśṭāka and Udghaṭṭa in

his composition328.

vide the article ‘The Greatness of Arunagirinatha’ by P.K. Rajagopala Aiyar, Journal of the Music
326

Academy of Madras, Vol LIX, 1989, page 147

327 vide the article ‘Music of the Tiruppugazh’ by T.S. Parthasarathy, Journal of the Music Academy of
Madras, Vol LVI, 1985, page 150
328 ibid

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

4.3.4 Kṛti-s

4.3.4.1 Ratnākara Varṇi’s compositions

The author of Bharatēśa Vaibhava, the famous literary work in Kannada, Śrī Ratnākara Varṇi

was not only a great author but also a composer of musical Kṛti-s. His compositions are in

the Pallavi and multiple Caraṇa format. The original Rāga and Tāla ascriptions for these

compositions are not known. These appear to be moral and spiritual in nature329.

Some examples of Śrī Ratnākara Varṇi’s compositions are:

 Buddhi Sadarave? Yellake Buddhi Sadarave?

 Guruve! Ninna Nā Marediruvene

4.3.4.2 Lakṣmīṣa Kavi’s compositions

Śrī Lakśīmīśa Kavi, the author of the famous literary work in Kannada, Jaimini Bhārata, has

composed some Kṛti-s in Kannada330. These have the Pallavi-Anupallavi-Caraṇa format.

Some of them are spiritual and devotional in nature – in praise of the deities Viśṇu and

Lakṣmi whereas there are some songs which describe Vasanta (spring season). The Raga-s

assigned to these compositions are Dhanyāsi, Bhūpāli, Ānanda Bhairavi, Nā ṭa,

Madhyamāvati, Ārabhi, Śaṅkarābharaṇa, Mukhāri, Nādanāmakriyā, Kēdāragaula, Kalyāṇi ,

Pantuvarāli, Vasanta Bhairavi and Pañcaratna Kāmbōdhi (?). The authenticity of the Rāga-s

assigned cannot be established.

Some examples of Śrī Lakṣmīśa Kavi’s compositions are:

 Apariyindarādarū Rāmanāmavanu (Rāga: Mukhāri)

 Dēva Nīnahudō Dēvaradēva Nīnahudō (Rāga: Śaṅkarābharaṇa)

4.3.4.3 Celivendala Gaviraṅga Dāsa’s Compositions

The source of these compositions is ‘Ratnākarana Kīrtanegalu’ Ed. by Śri D. Sripathi, Published by
329

Śrīpāla Śeṭṭy, 1966

The source of these compositions is ‘Lakṣmīśakaviya Kīrtanegalu’ Ed. By N. Gītācārya, Published
330

by Lakṣmīśa Sāmskṛtika Vēdike, 2002

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

Celivendala Gaviraṅga Dāsa was a contemporary of Prauḍha Deva Rāya, as mentioned by

the lyrics of one of his compositions. Several of his compositions have been preserved by
his descendants belonging to the Cintalapalli family 331. These are in the Pallavi-Anupallavi-

Caraṇa format. These compositions are devotional in nature and are in praise of deities like

Rāma, Kṛṣṇa, Śiva etc. However, the Rāga, Tāla ascriptions seem to be of a comparatively

recent origin as Rāga-s like Kamāc, Hindustāni Kāpi etc. have been mentioned.

4.4 Summary
This chapter examines the musical compositions of the Haridāsa-s and Tāllapāka

composers of the Vijayanagara period from the following perspectives:

1) The Rāga-s used: In the absence of a living oral tradition or accurate musical

notation of the compositions dating back to the Vijayanagara times, different sources

were examined to come up with a plausible set of Rāga-s that could be used:

 Manuscripts from the Haridāsa tradition

 Published sources quoting oral tradition and manuscripts

 Manuscripts in the libraries in Thanjavur and Mysore

 Names of Rāga-s in the lyrics of the compositions

 Rāga names quoted for the Haridāsa compositions by Tulaja in Saṅgītasārāmṛta

and Subbarāma Dīkṣitar in Saṅgītasampradāyapradarśiṇi

 Rāga-s assigned for compositions of Tāllapākam composers in copper plate

inscriptions

 Manuscripts for Tāllapākam compositions found in Tirupati

All of the Rāga-s collated from the above sources were cross-verified with musicological

treatises of the Vijayanagara period such as Svaramēlakalānidhi and Nāṭyacūḍāmaṇi

and also with references in Kannada literature pertaining to that period. After this cross-

verification, a set of Rāga-s that could be assigned to these composers was arrived at.

The source of these compositions is Celivendala Gavira ṅga Dāsara Samagra Kṛti Mālikā Ed. Dr.
331

Srikantam Nagendra Sastri, Published by Cintalapalli Parampara Trust, 2009

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

2) The Tāla-s used: It was found that most of the compositions of the above composers
(where the Tāla assignment was from an authentic source) used the so-called ‘Sulādi

Sapta Tāla-s’. The evolution of Sulādi Sapta Tāla-s has been examined in detail with

the help of musicological works such as Saṅgītaśirōmaṇi, Tāladīpikā and

Saṅgītasūryōdaya and references in Kannada literature.

3) Musical forms: The evolution of new forms like the Sulādi, Ugābhōga, Kṛti and long

poems have been taken up in this thesis An analysis of the work of Śrī Śrīpādarāya,

Śrī Vyāsarāya, Śrī Vādirāja, Śrī Purandara Dāsa, Śrī Kanaka Dāsa and Śrī Bēlūru

Vaikuṇṭha Dāsa has been done. Some special structural features of Kṛti-s of

Haridāsa-s were found and have been highlighted. Regarding the Sulādi form,
comparison of some typical Sulādi-s from different sources – Śrī Subbarāma

Dīkṣitar’s notations in his musicological work with the published sources from the

Haridāsa tradition were examined. The structure and rendering of the Sulādi was

compared with the structure and rendering of the Sālaga Sūḍa-s from Musicological

works such as the Saṅgītaratnākara. Long poems of Śrī Vādirāja and other Haridāsa-

s have been examined for structural specialties. The Sulādi-s of the Tāllapākam

composers have been compared with the Sulādi-s of the Haridāsa tradition. Among

the other compositions of the Tāllapākam composers, the different types of Kṛti-s

(Pada-s) have been identified in comparison with the musicological treatise -

Saṅkīrtana Lakṣaṇam. Different long poems of these composers have been taken up

for analysis. Various Prabandha-s composed by the Haridāsa and Tāllapākam

composers have been taken up for analysis in comparison with features defined in

musicological treatises such as the Saṅgītratnākara. Compositions of other

composers, most of which were Kṛti-s have been analysed structurally.

4) Themes of compositions: The compositions have been thematically classified as far

as possible. The Haridāsa compositions, the Tāllapākam compositions and those of

the other composers are mainly devotional in nature, espousing complete surrender

to the chosen deity, along with high moral and spiritual values. Some of the

compositions also advocate social reform and social equity. Various forms of Bhakti
(devotion) have been presented in the compositions – Dāsya, Sakhya Vātsalya etc.

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

This thesis examines the thematic orientation of the compositions in order to bring

out their high lyrical content.

5) Language, prosody and other literary features: The literary beauties of the

compositions have been presented as far as possible, especially for compositions in

Kannada.

Musical compositions of other composers: An overview of the musical compositions of other

composers such as Śrī Nijagu ṇa Śivayōgi and other Vīraśaiva saints, Saint Aru ṇagirināthar,

Ratnākara Var ṇi, Kumāra Vyāsa and Lak ṣmīśa have been touched upon briefly.

4.5 References to Rāga names in Haridāsa composition lyrics:

Composer Composition Rāga-s

Purandara Anganeyarella Neredu Pāḍi, Malhāri, Bhairavi, Sāraṅga, Dēśī, Guṇḍakriya,

Dāsa Gujjari, Kalyāṇi

Purandara Tutturu Tūrendu Battīsa Goula, Nāṭi, Āhari, Gūrjari, Mālavi, Sāraṅga,

Dāsa Rāgagalanu Phalamañjari, Gouli, Dēśākśi

Purandara Nalinajāṇḍa Taleyadūgi Māravi, Dēśī, Gurjari, Bhairavi, Gouli, Nāṭi, Sāvēri,

Dāsa Āhēri, Kalyāṇi, Tōḍi, Mukhāri, Y(V?)arāli, Vasanta,

Bhouli, Dhanyāsi, Pūrvi, Kāmbōji, Pāḍi, Dēśākśi,

Śankarābharaṇa, Mālava, Sourāśṭra, Guṇḍakriye,

Rāmakriye, Mēgha, Kurunji

Purandara Ranga Kolalanūdalāgi Nāmakriya, Mēgharanjini

Dāsa

Kanaka Dāsa Taṅgadirananimiṣa Bhūpāli, Dēśākśi, Nārāyaṇi, Gujjari, Mālavi, Śrī,

Tārakegalu Dēvagāndhāri, Malahari, Sālaga, Saurāśṭra,

Guṇdakriya, Lalita

Kanaka Dāsa Mōhana Taraṅgiṇi Nārāyaṇi, Dēśākśi, Gurjari, Dēvagāndhāri,

(Chapter 22, Verse 32) Guṇḍakriya, Vasanta, Ārabhi, Sāmanta, Malahari

Śrīpādarāya Lāli Gōvinda Lāli Kalyāṇi, Ānanda Bhairavi, Dēvagāndhāri

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 Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

4.6 32 Rāga-s from various sources:

BP NC RTC ABSS Vivēkacintāma Purandara Kanaka Śrīpādarāya

ṇi Dāsa Dāsa

Dēśākśi Dēśākśarī Dēśākśarī Dēśākśarī Dēśākśi Dēśākśi Dēśākśi

Dhannāsi Dhanyāsī Dhanyāsī Dhanyāsī Dhanyāsī Dhanyāsi

Dēśī Dēśī Dēśī Dēśī Dēśī

Naṭa Nāṭa Nāṭa Nāṭa Nāṭī Naṭi

Malahari Mallarī Malaharī Malaharī Malaharī Malhāri Malahari

Sakala Rāmakriyā Śuddha Rāmakriyā Rāmakrī Rāmakriye

Rāmakriya Rāmakriyā

Lalitā Lalitā Lalitā Lalitā Lalitā Lalita

Sālaṅganāṭa

Varāli Varāli Śuddha Varāli Varāli Varāli Varāli

Kāmbhōji Kāmbōdī Kāmbhōji Kāmbhōji Kāmbhōji

Gaula Gaula Gaula

Pañcaka

Bhaṅgāla Baṅgāla Baṅgāla Baṅgāla Baṅgāli

Gurija

Bhairavi - 2 Bhairavi Bhairava Bhairava Bhairavi Bhairavi

Ā(Sā?)raṅga Sāraṅga Sāraṅga Sālaga

Gujjari Ghūrjarī Ghūrjarī Ghūrjarī Gujjarī Gujjari Gujjari

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 Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

Mēgharañji Mēgharañji Mēgharañji Mēgharañj Mēgharañji Mēgharañjini

Vēlāvali Vēlāhurī Vēlāhuri Vēlāvulī

Citravēlāvali

Mālavi Mālava Mālava Mālava Mālavi Mālavi

Śrī Śri Śri Śri Śrī Śrī

Guṇḍakriya Guṇḍakriya Guṇḍakriy Guṇḍakrī Guṇḍakriya Guṇḍakriya

Kauśika Kauśikā Kauśī

Dēvakriya Dēvakriya Dēvakriya Dēvakriya

Madhyamāva

ti

Tōḍi Tōḍi Tōṇḍi Tōḍi Tōḍi

Āvanata

Āharī Āharī Āharī Āhari Āhari

Baulī Baulī Baulī Bhouli

Gaulī Gaulī Gaulī Gauli

Kalyāṇi Kalyāṇi

Kuruñji Kuruñji Kuruñji Kuruñji Kuruñji

Mukhāri Mukhāri

Māravi

Nāmakriya

Pahaḍī Pāḍi

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 Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

Badapañcara Paḍamañjara Phaḍamañjari Rāgapañja Phalamañjari Phalamañjari

? ra

Pūrvi

Sāvēri Sāvēri

Śaṅkarābhar

aṇa

Saurāśṭra Saurāśṭra

Vasanta Vasanta Vata? Vasanta Vasanta

Mēgha

Bhūpāli Bhūpāla Bhūpāla Bhūpāli Bhūpāli

Dēvagāndhāri Dēvagāndhā Dēvagāndhāri

ri

Maṅgala Maṅgala

Kaiśiki Kauśika

Nārāyaṇī Nārāyaṇī Nāraṇī Nārāyaṇi

Hindōlī

Bhallātī Bhallātī Bhullatī

Māhuri Māhuri

Rītigauli

Chāyāgauli

Bilahari

Mālavaśrī

Karṇāṭaga

ula

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

Āndhāli

Årabhi Årabhi

Hindōla

Vasanta

Vasanta

Sāmanta

Ānanda

Bhairavi

Sālagabhauli

Dēvagāndhari

Śaṅkarābhara

ṇa

Sindhurāmakrī

Dēvagupti

4.7 List of musical references in Śrī Purandara Dāsa’s Compositions

Instrument:

Sl Composition Type Detail

No

1 Anganeyarella Neredu Pada Tittiri, Mouri, Tāla,

Daṇḍige, Maddale,

Śaṅkha,

2 Āḍidanō Ranga Pada Maddale

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

Adbhutadindali

3 Ādaddella Olitē Pada Danḍige

4 Ollitī Śakuna Pada Bhēri, Śaṅkha, Ghanṭa

Phalavindemage

5 Kanakadāsana Mēle Pada Kinnari, Vēṇu

Daya

6 Karuṇābdhi Nīnante Pada Kolalu

7 Kuṇidāḍō Kṛṣṇa Poṅgolalali

Kuṇidāḍō

8 Kēlaṇo Hari Tālaṇo Tambūri, Kombu, Kolalu

7 Koḍabahudē Magala Pada Kolalu

8 Kolalanūduttā Banda Pada Kolalu

9 Gōkuladolagōrva Pada Kolalu

Rākēndumukhi Tānu

10 Candracūda Śiva Pada Vīṇeya Gānava

Śaṅkara

11 Jaya Jaya Śrī Rāma Pada Tuttri, Poṅgolalu

Namo

12 Ḍangurava Sāri Hariya Pada Ḍangura, Jāgaṭe

13 Tirupati Veṅkaṭa Pada Kolalu

Ramaṇa

14 Tutturu Tūrendu Battīsa Pada Kolalu

Rāgagalanu

15 Dhūpāratiya Nōḍuva Pada Maddale, Jhāgaṭe, Tāla,

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

Banni Dundubhi, Bhēri, Śaṅkha

16 Dhūpāratiya Nōḍuva Pada Tāla, Danḍige, Bhēri,

Banni332 Maddale, Vīṇē, Kinnari,

‘Ṣaḍa Panca’ Ghanṭe,

Jhāgaṭeya

17 Nandanandana Bāro Pada Kolalu, Mṛdaṅga, Tāla

18 Nambi Bhajisiro Janaru Pada Kombu, Kolalu, Jekke,

Ḍhakke, Bhobhali

19 Nalinajāṇḍa Taleyadūgi Pada Kolalu, Bhēri, Dundubhi,

Vēṇu

20 Ninnadu Ninage Bārisi Pada Daṇḍige

21 Nōḍu Nōḍu Veṅkatēśa Pada Ḍaṅgura

22 Brāhmaṇanendare Pada Nāgasvara

Brahmana Tilidava

23 Mandaradharanu Pada Kombu, Kolalu

Gōvinda

24 Māḍida Yenna Pada Tamburi

Phakīranu

25 Yākenna Yebbiside Pada Noubattu, Nagāri, Bhēri,

Tāla, Maddala, Dundubhi

26 Yāre Bandavaru Manege Pada Kombu Kolalu

27 Ranga Kolalanūdalāgi Pada Kolalu

There are two Pada-s with the same Sāhitya for Pallavi – ‘Dhūpāratiya Nōḍuva Banni Namma
332

Gōpālakṛṣṇa Dēvara Pūjeya’

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

28 Vēṇunāda Bāro Pada Vēṇu

29 SIkkidanele Jāṇa Śrī Pada Kolalu

Vēṇugōpāla

30 Sundara Mūruti Mukhya Pada Vīṇe

Prāṇa

31 Sullu Nammallillavayya Pada Maddale

32 Hoḍi Nagāri Mele Kayya Pada Nagāri

33 Huyyo Ḍangura Jaga Pada Ḍangura

34 Tambūri Meeṭidava Ugābhōga Tambūri, Tāla

35 Mūḍha Ballane Gnāna Ugābhōga Vīṇe

Dṛḍhabhaktiya

36 Aṅguṭa Māturavemba Sulādi Kolalu

37 Acyuta Sulida Yenna Sulādi Kombu, Kolalu, Tittiri,

Kaṇṇamundeyavva Mavuri

38 Kaḍaga Kaṅkaṇa Kaṭṭiya Sulādi Kombu, Kolalu,Tuttūri ,

Mauri

39 Kinnara Kiṁpuruṣaru Sulādi Kombu, Kolalu, Kinnari,

Tutturi, Mauri

40 Kelavaru Kendāvariya Sulādi Kombu, Kolalu, Tittiri,

Håsi Mauri

41 Galabhe Idēno Sulādi Maddale, Tāla

Bommadigala

42 Maṇi Mouli Molle Sulādi Kombu Kolalu Tutturi

Malligeya Daṇḍe Mauri

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

43 Jagadutpattī Sthiti Laya Sulādi Tittiri Mauri Kambu Kolalu

44 Kombu Kolalugala Sulādi Kombu, Kolalu, Tittiri,

Maddale

Jati:

Sl Composition Type Detail

No

Anganeyarella Neredu Pada Tathai Tathai Thā

Āḍidanō Ranga Pada Jhamtuṭa Takadhimi

Adbhutadindali Tadhiṅgiṇatōm,

Takadhimi Tadhike

7 Ōḍi Bārayya Vaikunṭha Pada Dhimi Dhimi Dhimike

Pati

10 Kaṇḍe Nā Kanasinali Pada Dhim Dhimi Dhimike

11 Kaṇḍe Nā Uḍupia Pada Dhim Dhimi Dhimike

Kṛṣṇarāyanna

12 Kadava Muccidalidako Pada Dhim Dhimi Dhimike

Kuṇidāḍō Kṛṣṇa Pada Dhigidhiditāṅgiṇa

Kuṇidāḍō tāṅgiṇa thaka

thakkadhimi, Jhem

Jhem Jhem, Jhuṇām

Jhuṇām Jhum Ki

ṭatākiṭakiṭa

Tōṅgiṇatō Dhimi

Tōṅgiṇatō Dhimi

Tōṅgiṇa, Tōṅkiṇi

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

Tōmhiri Tōṁtari

Tarigiṭa Takkiṭa

Tarigiṭa Takkiṭa,

Dhimikiṭa Dhimikiṭa

Tadhikuta Dhikutam

taddāthai

8 Candava Nōdire Pada Dhim Dhimi Dhimike

9 Tāttata Dhimita Dhimike Pada Tāttata Dhimita

Yenuta Dhimike

Dhūpāratiya Nōḍuva Pada Taddhimi Dhimike

Banni

Dhūpāratiya Nōḍuva Pada Jhuṇuku Dhimiku

Banni333

Nandanandana Bāro Pada Dhimi Dhimi Dhimi

Dhimi Dhim Dhim

19 Bāro Brahmādivandya Pada Dhigi Dhigi

Rangayya Ninna Pada Taka Kiṭa Kiṭa Taka

Yārēnendarō Dhimike

29 Śrīnivāsanaṅghri Sēve Pada Dhimi Dhimi Dhimike

Kelavaru Kendāvariya Sulādi Dhim Dhim Dhim

Håsi Dhimike

Galabhe Idēno Sulādi Dhim Dhim Dhim,

Bommadigala Tanda Tānna, Ta

thai, Dhim Dhim

There are two Pada-s with the same Sāhitya for Pallavi – ‘Dhūpāratiya Nōḍuva Banni Namma
333

Gōpālakṛṣṇa Dēvara Pūjeya’

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

Dhimike, Dhim Dhim

Dhimike

General Musical references:

Sl Composition Type Detail

No

2 Āḍidanō Ranga Pada Pāḍidavarige,

Adbhutadindali Bharata Nāṭyava

Naṭise, Gāna, Nāṭya

3 Ātana Pāḍuve Anavarata Pada Pāḍuve

4 Ādi varāhana Celuva Pada Gandharvara Gāna

Ōḍi Bārayya Vaikunṭha Saṅgīta Lōla

Pati

8 Etta Pōdanamma Pada Kīrtane

9 Ēnēnu Māḍidarēnu Pada Gānalōlanali

Kuṇidāḍō Kṛṣṇa Pada Panca Nāṭaka

Kuṇidāḍō Bhēda

Kēlaṇo Hari Tālaṇo Tāla, Mēla, Dhvani,

Svara, Gāna, Rāga

Bhāva, Svara

Gnāna,

Manōdharma, Jāti,

Saṅgīta

Guṇavāyitenna Pada Kīrtane

Bhavarōga

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

Jaya Jaya Śrī Rāma Otti Svaradi

Namo

Ḍangurava Sāri Hariya Hāḍi

11 Dānavana Kondaddalla Pada Gānavinōdi

Kāṇiro

12 Dvārakāpurada Pada Saṅgīta

Candrānaneyaru

13 Dharmaha Ekaha Pada Kīrtane

Sahāyaha

Nalinajāṇḍa Taleyadūgi Pada Susvaravu

Ninna Bhakutiyanu Bīro Pada Gānavilōla

Nillabēkayya Kṛṣṇayya Pāḍuve

Nī

Nōḍuvudē Kaṇṇu Pada Pāḍuvudē

18 Pantha Bēḍi Prāṇigalira Pada Kīrtane

Pālisemma Muddu Pada Saṅgīta Gnāna

Śārade Vilāsini

Pillaṅgōviya Celva Pada Pāḍuva

Kṛṣṇana Rāgarāgadali

Mandaradharanu Kombina Svaradali

Gōvinda Āḍuta Pāḍuta

22 Manmatha Janakana Pada Pāḍada

Mareta

23 Maddu Māḍalariye Pada Hāḍi Pāḍo

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

Muddu Ramādēvi

Ranga Kolalanūdalāgi Saṅgīta

28 Rangayya Ninna Pada Gati, Tāla, Mēla

Yārēnendarō

Vidurana Bhāgyavidu Pada Hāḍuva

30 Śrīnivāsanu Banda Pada Vēṇugāna Lōla

Kōnēri Timmappa

Śrīnivāsa Nīne Pāliso Pada Gāna Lōla

31 Saddu Māḍalu Bēḍavo Pada Saṅgītavu Pāḍuva

Pālisemma Muddu Pada Saṅgīta Gāna

Śārade Vilāsini

Harināma Kīrtane Pada Kīrtane

Hēge Meccisali Arcisali Pada Saṅgīta Kīrtane

Ninna Pāḍuvenendare

Tumburu Nāradaru

Pāḍutiharō Dēva

Hoḍi Nagāri Mele Kayya Pada Gānalōla

Tambūri Meeṭidava Ugābhōga Gāyana Pāḍidava

36 Dhyānavu Kṛtayugadalli Ugābhōga Kīrtane

Ninnane Pāḍuve Ugābhōga Pāḍuve

Madhukaravṛtti Yennadu Ugābhōga Ālāpisutta, Ōlaga

Māḍuvantha,

Pāḍutta

Tāla Bēku Takka Ugābhōga Tāla, Mēla, Gāna,

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

Mēlabēku Yati, Prāsa, Gati

37 Hāḍidare Yennoḍeyana Ugābhōga Hāḍidare

Aṅguṭa Māturavemba Sulādi Prabandha, Gīta,

Pāḍidalu,

Susvaravo, Sujātiyo

Pralayōdakadali Sulādi ‘Tutisuvalu’ followed

by ‘Akāra’

Kinnara Kiṁpuruṣaru Sulādi Āḍi Pāḍutire

Hoḍe Marala Kalitā Sulādi Pāḍuvā

Kelavaru Kendāvariya Sulādi Mandara,

Håsi Madhyama, Tāraka,

Anēka Rāgagala

Galabhe Idēno Sulādi Pāḍe

Bommadigala

Tāyi Lakumi Tande Sulādi Ninnane Pāḍuve

Viṭhala

Ālugala Pariya Alidane Sulādi ‘Kubajeya Mane

Balla Etta’ followed by

‘Akāra’

Vyāsarāyara Caraṇa Sulādi Gānava Māḍuta

Kamala Āḍuta Pāḍuta

Ondaparādhave Hari Sulādi Pāḍutire

Hari

Mukuti Sukhadolu Sulādi Tamma Jātigalalli

(?)

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Chapter 4 Musical Compositions of the Vijayanagara Period

Sāmagāyanavannu

Śrī Vibhuve Ninna Sulādi ‘Aṇuvinalli

Ghana Mahattanaḍagisi A

ṇuvāde’ followed by

‘Akāra’

240