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Bhavayami Raghuramam

bhAvayAmi raghurAmam --- is a soul-stirring rAgamAlika epitomizing the entire story of the epic rAmAyaNam. This beautiful song, in chaste Sanskrit, was originally composed by Maharaja Swaati Tirunaal, as a kriti in the (single) rAgam, sAvEri, and set to rUpaka tALam. After more than 100 years, it was recently carved out as a rAgamAlika, with built-in cittasvarams by the doyen of karNATik music, Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer.


Song: Bhaavayaami Raghuramam
taaLam: roopakam
Composer: Swaati TirunaaL
Language: Sanskrit
raagam: raagamaalika


pallavi

saavEri

15 maayamaaLava gowLa janya
Aa: S R1 M1 P D1 S
Av: S N3 D1 P M1 G3 R1 S


bhaavayaami raghuraamam | bhavyasuguNaaraamam ||

anupallavi

bhaavukavitaraNaparaa- | paangaleelaalasitam ||

srgsr,mpdpd, | RSndndpmgrsd. |
srm,grmpd,pmpdS,ndndpmpd |
GRSd,RSd,,Sd,,GRndmgrsd. | (bhaavai)

caraNam 1

naaTTai kurinji


28 harikaambhOji janya
Aa: S R2 G3 M1 N2 D2 N2 P D2 N2 S
Av: S N2 D2 M1 G3 M1 P G3 R2 S

dinakaraanvayatilakam | divyagaadhi sudasavanaa ||
vanaracitasubaahumukha- | vadamahalyaa paavanam ||
anaghameeSaSaapapangam | janakasudaapraaNeSam ||
ghanakupithabhruguraama | garvaharamithasaakEtam ||

mgs,n.d.n.s,rgm | ndm,grgmpgrs |
n.d.n.srgmndnpdnSndnSRGMGsn |
(GRSd...)
(bhaavai)

caraNam 2

dhanyaasi


8 hanumatODi janya
Aa: S G2 M1 P N2 S
Av: S N2 D1 P M1 G2 R1 S

vihahabhishEkamata | vipinagatamaaryavaaca ||
sahitaseetaa sowmeetrim | shaantatama sheelam ||
guhanilayagatam citra- | kooTaagatabharata tatta ||
mahitaratnamayapaadukam | madanasundaraangam ||

n.sg,mpgmp,nS | RSRnSpdpg,rs |
nsgmpg,mpnSp,nSGRSndpnS |
(GRSd...)
(bhaavai)

caraNam 3

mOhanam


28 harikaambhOji janya
Aa: S R2 G3 P D2 S
Av: S D2 P G3 R2 S

vitatadaNDa kaaraNyagata- | viraadadaLanam ||
sucaritaghaTajadataanu bam- | idavaishNavaastram ||
patagavarajaTaayunootam | panchavaTeevihitaavaasam ||
atighOraSoorppaNakhaavaSan- | aagatakaraadiharam ||

g,,pgrgrsd.sr | g,,pdSdpgrsr |
gpggrsrgrrsdsrgrgpgpdpdS |
(GRSd...)
(bhaavai)

caraNam 4

mukhaari


22 kharaharapriya janya
Aa: S R2 M1 P N2 D2 S
Av: S N2 D1 P M1 G2 R2 S

kanakamrugaroopadharakha- | lamaaricaharamiha su- ||
janavimata daSasyahruta- | janaka jaanvEshanam ||
anagham pampateeirasangata- | anjanE nabhOmaNi ||
danujasakhyakaram vaali- | tanudaLanameeSam ||

p,,mgrs,n.d.sr | m,,grsrmpmnd |
S,Sndpp,mgrsn.d.srmpndmpds |
(GRSd...)
(bhaavai)

caraNam 5

poorvi kalyaaNi


53 gamanashrama janya
Aa: S R1 G3 M2 P D2 P S
Av: S N3 D2 P M2 G3 R1 S

vaanarOttamasahitavaa- | yusunukaraarpita- ||
bhaanusaSatabhaasvarabhavya- | ratnaanguleeyam ||
tEna punaraaneetaa | nyoona cooDaamaNi darSanam ||
shreenidhimudadhiteera- | SrutavibheeshaNa miLitam ||

g,mgrsd.s,rgm | p,,dpSndpmgr |
gmpm,pg,mr,gs,rg,mpdpS,n |
(GRSd...)
(bhaavai)

caraNam 6

madyamaavati


22 kharaharapriya janya
Aa: S R2 M1 P N2 S
Av: S N2 P M1 R2 S

kalitavarasetubandham | khalaniseesumapiSidaaSana- ||
daLanamurudaSakaNTa- | vidaaraNamatidheeram ||
jvalana putajanakasudaa- | sahitamyaadasaakEtam ||
vilasitapaTTaabhishEkam- | viSvapaalampadmanaabham ||

r,mrmpn,pmpn | S,,nSnppmmrs |

Ragam1: rpmrsn.srmp
Ragam2: dpS,ndpmgmgr
Ragam3: s,n.d.srmg,rsr
Ragam4: g,dpgrsrgpdS
Ragam5: RSd,pdpg,rs
Ragam6: n.smgmndnpdnS
Ragam0: (GRSd...)
(bhaavai)

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meaning:
bhaavayaami raghuraamam | bhavyasuguNaaraamam ||

"I mediatate upon Shri Raama, Scion of the Raghu clan | In whom reside all the glorious virtues"

bhaavukavitaraNaparaa- paangaleelaalasitam ||

"(Oh!)The one who transmigrates all over the ocean of emotions(Samsaara),Who displayed his shining , par excellence passtimes! "

dinakaraanvayatilakam | divyagaadhi sudasavanaa ||

"The Scion of the race of the Sun,institutor of Divine sacrifices! "

vanaracitasubaahumukha- | vadamahalyaa paavanam ||

"In the forest , he(who) engaged in the Killing of (the Demon) Subahu, (He who) purified (or emancipated)Ahalya (from her curse by Gowtama Muni , her husband)"

anaghameeSaSaapapangam |janakasudaapraaNeSam ||

"The sinless one (who) broke Shiva's Bow , (and therby became the) life breath of Janaka's Daughter(Sita)"

ghanakupithabhruguraama |garvaharamithasaakEtam ||

"(He who) Defeated the Pride of BhriguRaama(ParashuRama), that ParashuRaama, who was densely filled with wrath , the King of Saketa "

vihahabhishEkamata |vipinagatamaaryavaaca ||

"(One, who)having given up the coronation ceremony, went towards the forest and (was)"

sahitaseetaa sowmeetrim | shaantatama sheelam ||

"Accompanied by Sita (along with) the son of Sumitra(LakshmaNa), composed and virtuous ! "

guhanilayagatam citra- kooTaagatabharata tatta ||

"The one who (later)goes to Guha's house, Thereon proceeding to the ChitraKoota mountain, and (whom) Bharata follows there"

mahitaratnamayapaadukam | madanasundaraangam ||

"(And then the episode of)The Divine ruby encrusted Sandals, He whose beauty enchants Cupid himself ! "

vitatadaNDa kaaraNyagata- viraadadaLanam ||

"He who went to the dense DandaKaaranya, He who killed the demon Viraada"

sucaritaghaTajadataanu bam- idavaishNavaastram ||

"The one with a flaless charecter, who bestowed benedictions to Agastya's Disciple(SharaBhanga),which (here referring to the blessing) is more than(like the) the VaishNavastram" (Author may be making a reference to the incident in the Mahabarata where Bhagadatta aims a VaishNavAstra at Arjuna. Krishna asks Arjuna to fold his hands in an Anjali. Seeing the Anjali , the weapon lodges itself in the chest of Krishna. Then Krishna tells Arjuna that he(Arjuna) was saved from the terrible VaishnavAstra only because fof the Anjali , thereby proving to the world that devotional submission to the Supreme protects one even from the utmost , that is , even from the wrath of the Supreme!)

patagavarajaTaayunootam |panchavaTeevihitaavaasam ||

"He who was saluted by the king of vultures , JaTayu , he who lead a restrained life in the forest of PanchavaTi"

atighOraSoorppaNakhaavaSan- aagatakaraadiharam ||

"He who caused horrifying (She-Demon) ShoorpaNaKha , to (run) towards her death !" (ShoorpanaKha runs to her brother RavaNa yelling about how LakshmaNa had mutilated her, thereby starting the entire war episode)

kanakamrugaroopadharakha- lamaaricaharamiha su- ||

"He who slays the wicked demon Maricha, that MarIcha, who had assumed the form of a golden deer , "

janavimata daSasyahruta- janaka jaanvEshanam ||

"Hw wh searched for the daughter of Janaka(JAnaki,Sita),abducted by the ten faced Demon(RavaNa), that RavaNa, who disregarded the (wise) counsel of the Good men "

anagham pampateeirasangata- anjanEnabhOmaNi ||

"The sinless one , who met Anjeneya, at the banks of the pampA (river/Lake), the (supreme one from the race of the )Sun God! "

danujasakhyakaram vaali-tanudaLanameeSam ||

"He , the Lord , who slayed Vaali's body, that Vali, who was the befriender of demons "

vaanarOttamasahitavaa- yusunukaraarpita- ||

"He who ,along with the King of the Monkeys, unto the son of Vayu( Hanuman) "

bhaanusaSatabhaasvarabhavya- ratnaanguleeyam ||

" gave the divine ruby-encrusted ring, as resplendant as a hundred suns !"

tEna punaraaneetaa | nyoona cooDaamaNidarSanam ||

"And who certainly saw the hair-ornament, that was brought back by him( Hanuman)"

shreenidhimudadhiteera- SrutavibheeshaNa miLitam ||

"The repository of all riches , who was met by the submissive viBheeshana , on the shores of the ocean"

kalitavarasetubandham |khalaniseesumapiSidaaSana- ||

"He who caused the creation of the divine bridge , and rocked the throne of the king of the demons(RavaNa)"

daLanamurudaSakaNTa- vidaaraNamatidheeram ||

"He who slays the (demon with) ten throats( RavaNa) easily , the magnificiently brave one "

jvalana putajanakasutaa- sahitamyaadasaakEtam ||

"He who , along with the daughter of Janaka , purified by the blazing fire , departed to (the city of) sAkEta"

vilasitapaTTaabhishEkam- viSvapaalampadmanaabham ||

"The one who directed the coronation , the King of the world , the one with a lotus in his navel !"

Sources: Lyrics & Translation: http://forumhub.com/indcmusic/24236.23.27.33.html
Video: www.youtube.com

Comments

Mani said…
Thanks a lot for taking the time to provide this detailed description of the sahityam and the meanings.