‘Sivapadam’, a compilation of devotional songs composed by Samavedam Shanmukha Sarma, was presented under the joint auspices of Sarvani Sangeetha Sabha Trust and Pappi Chetty Raghavaiah Chetty’s Charities at the PRCC Hall.
An eminent Telugu and Sanskrit scholar and lyricist based in Hyderabad, Shanmukha Sarma is well-known in Andhra Pradesh for his discourses and lectures on Vedic values, Hindu scriptures and Indian heritage. His knowledge of the Itihasas, Puranas and Upanishads powers his interpretations. Tuned by eminent vidwans such as Malladi Suri Babu and Balakrishna Prasad, the kirtanas were prefaced by the composer’s commentary, with vocals provided by Nihal and B. Lalitha Madhav accompanied by Kalyan Kumar and his orchestra.
The recital began with a reference to the Ganesa Puranam. The invocatory ‘Varadamurthy Padadam’ (Arabhi) rendered with azhutham by Nihal, shone with swarakshara features. ‘Panchamrutaalato Abhishekamu’ (Saraswathy) was a vivid description of the abhisheka performed for Lord Siva.
‘Antharanga Peedikapai’ (Janasammohini) a lovely rendition by Lalitha Madhav, dwelt on the beauty of the feet of the goddess. Illustrated by references to the Soundarya Lahari, the poetic verses spoke of her feet being embellished by the vermilion-coloured marks of the two sandhyas, sunrise and sunset, with the crescent moon as her toenails, the Vedas as her anklets and the Jyotish chakras as her toe rings. While deva kanyas and bhaktas find her feet to be petal soft, rakshasas could expect to feel their formidable hardness. An appealingly tuned ‘Sharavanabhava Janani’ (Ranjani) detailed the Devi’s attributes. Lalitha also handled the ragamalika ‘Nee Kaali Konakoti’ with finesse.
Significance of five
Nihal rendered ‘Aidhu Momula Thoda’ which highlighted the significance of the number 5 in Siva worship, such as panchakshara, pancha mukha, pancha bhoota and pancha tanmatra. The charanam of ‘Amruteswara Haraya’ (Bilahari) elucidating the greatness of the Mrityunjaya mantra, interestingly juxtaposed tisra and chatusra nadais. The subtleties of sashtanga namaskara were conveyed in ‘Mrokkulaya Shambha Deva’ with the composer urging the devotee to pay obeisance to each anga of Siva. For instance, the bhakta should meditate on the Lord’s hands, one holding the trishul and the other in abhaya hasta, when worshipping him with folded hands.
In Sarma’s expositions, his scholarship and erudition came to the fore, communicating even complex concepts to the layman with ease. The clarity of enunciation and melodious voices of both the vocalists was complemented by their focus on projecting bhava to the fullest.
