These meditative compositions are designed to draw one into the spirit of the pooja or worship. 'Para' means beyond and 'Shakti', energy. That energy which is the mother of everything is Parashakti. There is no place where she is not. Wisdom, wickedness, penury, plenty, poetry, a blade of grass or brilliant galaxies, she is in everything. Everything is She.
Our forebears conceived of many ways to awaken this energy within us and distilled them into various methodologies. There is no sweeter way than music to do this. In the Navavarana pooja, an avarana may be understood as a covering, a veil that must be removed in order to reach Parahakti, residing at the centre of the Shri Chakra.
Song 1
muttusvAmi dIkShitar
kamalAmbikE
rAgaM: toDi (8)
tALaM: rUpakam
pallavi
kamalAmbike Ashritakalpalatike caNDike
kamanIyAruNAMshuke karavidh.rtashuke mAmava
anupallavi
kamalAsanAdipUjitakamalapade bahuvarade
kamalAlayatIrthavaibhave shive karuNArNave
caraNam
sakalalokanAyike saN^gItarasike
sukavitvapradAyike sundari gatamAyike
vikaLebaramuktidAnanipuNe aghaharaNe
viyadAdibhUtakiraNe vinodacaraNe aruNe
sakaLe guruguhakaraNe sadAshivAntaHkaraNe
akacaTatapAdivarNe akhaNDaikarasapUrNe
Notes:
In Kamalambike, set in Todi, Dikshitar invokes the mother thus – Protect me! Thou, who art the giver of everything like the Kalpa-creeper to those who take refuge in Thee, Thou Kamalambika, shelter me! Save me!
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Click here for >PDFs in English ; click here for >PDFs in Sanskrit
Courtesy: >www.carnatica.net
Song 2
UttukkADu veN^kaTasubbaiyyar
vA~nchasi yadi kushalam
rAgam: kalyANi (65)
tALam: Adi
pallavi
vA~nchasi yadi kushalaM mAnasa
paramAnandarasasindhumadhyamaNi-
binducakranilayAM nirantaraM
dhyAyeta shrI kAmAkShIm
anupallavi
kA~ncInagaravihArAM shiva-
kalyANaguNagaNasArAm
madhyamakAla sAhityam
kamanIyakalpitanija mAyayA
kAraNakAryavidhAyakadhIrAm
caraNam
nijamodasadAramaNIyashivA-
m.rtanAmajapAM subhagAm
gajamukhaguruguhavinutAM sumukhAM
karuNAM puShpitakalpalatAm
madhyamakAla sAhityam
gAnakalAM kushalAM avabodhana-
gandharvasamArAdhitasusvara-
mANikyamanoharavINAdharaNAM
suranutasarasIruhacaraNAm
Notes:
While Dikshitar cajoles his consciousness into a state of bhakti, Venkata Kavi tells his mind to turn its attention towards the goddess.
Oh mind, he says, for your own welfare, meditate constantly upon Goddess Kamakshi, the essence of all auspicious and excellent attributes, who sets into motion the chain of causality by the force of Maya, is worshipped by Ganesha and Guruguha, who is compassionate and who grants all our desires, who is herself the art of music, whose lotus feet are worshipped by all the gods.
Click >here to view the video
Click here for >PDFs in English ; click here for >PDFs in Sanskrit
Courtesy: >www.carnatica.net
