• Sri Ramachandra Kripalu Ragam Movie
• Sri Ramachandra Kripalu Lyrics Ragam
• Sri Ramachandra Kripalu Ragam Song
• Sri Ramachandra Kripalu Ragam Full
• Sri Ramachandra Kripalu Lyrics

Oh great king Rama, I bow to you and sing your praises. The One who destroyed the demons. Lotus like eyes, flower like face, i bow to Your Lotus feet. Agni (fire)He is blue and beatiful like the sky. Strong and manly, he married King Janaka's daughter Sita. He wears a crown, earrings, tilakam and is so beautiful. The name RAMA is formulated based on powerful base letters (beejaaksharam) 'Ra' and 'Ma'. Ra is agni beejam reciting which burns out all sins. Ma is amrutha beejam reciting which gives stability of mind. Hence reciting Rama namam with love will burn out all our sins and give us constant peace of mind. Part 1: Balakandam - Ragam: Yamuna kalyani. Shri Ramacandra kripalu bhaju, mana, harana bhava bhaya darunam । navakanja-lochana kanja-mukha kara-kanja pada-kanjarunam ॥1॥ Kandarpa aganita amita chavi, navalina nirad sundaram ।. Carnatic Concomitance- Chapter IV: Shri Ramachandra Kripalu Bhaja mana. (This article is a part of our ongoing series on Carnatic Music. Although the article can be read on its own, the previous parts can be found here) So far in our journey to the personally unchartered territory of Carnatic Music, we have picked pieces Ragas Behag and Yamuna.

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(This article is a part of our ongoing series on Carnatic Music. Although the article can be read on its own, the previous parts can be found here)

So far in our journey to the personally unchartered territory of Carnatic Music, we have picked pieces Ragas Behag and Yamuna Kalyani. Both ragas use similar set of notes but to slightly different ends. Today, we will continue in a the realm of the latter and pick two renditions of the same song, one by a famed Carnatic Maestro while the other by two Hindustani maestros. We will refrain from comparing the two, and just feel grateful that the diversity of music in our country allows us to enjoy the same set of notes in such distinct fashion.

The song written by saint poet Goswami Tulsidas in the 16^th century in Sanskrit, is a prayer written in praise of Lord Rama. With current political discourse in the northern parts of India around the controversies surrounding Lord Rama, we are lucky that we can enjoy the music just for the sake of the music and not worry about anything else.

As with other parts in the series, I found this lovely translation here :-

sri ramacandra krpalu bhaju mana harana bhavabhaya darunam I
navakamja-locana, kamja-mukha, kara-kamja, pada-kamjarunam II

Sri Ramachandra Kripalu Ragam Movie

O mind, remember Rama, the Lord of compassion, who will eradicate even the most terrible dread of life; his eyes are like newly-blown lotuses set in his lotus-face; lotus-like are his hands and like ruddy lotuses his feet.

kamdarpa aganita amita chabi, navanila-nirada sundaram I
pata pital manahu tarita ruci suci naumi janaka sutavaram II

With utmost humility I do obeisance to Sita’s consort, Ramacandra, whose boundless beauty excels that of myriads of Cupids (taken together). He is as winsome as the rain-laden clouds. The yellow attire on his body, beautifully and sanctified, looks as charming as the flashes of lighting.

Sri Ramachandra Kripalu Lyrics Ragam

bhaju dinabamdhu dinesa danava-daitya-vamsa-nikamdanam- I
raghunamda anamdakamda kosalacamda dasaratha namdanam II

Meditate on Rama, the delight of the house of of Raghu, root of all bliss, soothing as the moon to the Kosalas, Dasaratha’s son, compassionate to the destitute, the scion of the solar race and the extirpator of the demons and diabolical daityas (giants).

iti vadati tulasida samkara-sesa-muni-mana-ramjana- m I
mama hrdaya-kamj-nivasa kuru, kamadi khala-dala-gamjanam II

He has a (resplendent) crown on his head, a pair of pendants in his ears, a lovely caste-mark on his forehead and ornaments on his lustrous body. The arms that reach the knees are holding the bow and arrows of the conqueror of Khara and Dusana (two of demonic adversaries).

We begin with a rendition by Pandit Rajan & Sajan Mishra, brothers from the Banaras Gharana of Hindustani Classical Music.

Sri Ramachandra Kripalu Ragam Song

Their pronunciation is highly accented and at times too mediocre to not notice but they make up for it in every way with their music. They start off with a Sanskrit doha (couplet) followed by a beautiful short flute alaap. They refrain from any major improvisations and meticulously follow the poetry around the 7 beat cycle (Taal Roopak) on table. The interludes on flute are remarkably sweet and worthy of praise. They render the last stanza with a lovely meend (glide) during the word Tulsidas which adds to the flavor. In the end when the table cycle ends, Pantit Rajan Mishra finishes off with a short musical phrase to cap it off. Overall, the rendition is balanced and sweet but suffers from the lack of artistic freedom in a recording studio.

Sri Ramachandra Kripalu Ragam Full

For our main focus for the day, we move down south where our series regular T M Krishna rendering the Tulsidas stuti in his distinct style. Krishna is accompanied by the equally proficient Akkarai Subhalakshmi on violin, Praveen Sparsh on mridangam and BS Purushotham on kanjira.

Krishna begins his rendition without any alaap. He retains the bhakti (devotion) rasa of the stuti in his characteristic passion. Sparsh’s mridangam accompaniment enters the fray at 1:35 and continues its passive and non-overpowering role which enhances the feel of the rendition. At 2:06, Subhalakshmi shows off her prowess on the viloin drawing rightful appreciation from the singer. At 3:30, Krishna decorates Tulasidas’ words with a characteristic descent phrase in Yamuna Kalyani, resulting in a pleasant sequence.

Over the course of writing this series and listening to Krishna in an attentive fashion, I have found him to be a master of voice modulation. That is evident at 4:20, when he masterfully raises his voice as he picks the third doha of the stuti. In the second line of the same couplet, he softens his voice, as if pleadingly invoking the words of the prayer. At 5:47, when he picks up the same second line again, it is in an authoritative and piercing voice, which creates a different resulting vibe altogether. At 6:13, to finish the same line, he softens his voice to an extent that its more whispering than singing. Overall, the effect created is innovative and stays with the listener.

At 6:45, Krishna’s humble nature is to the fore when, after a lovely violin interlude, he signals the violinist to continue. Subhalakshmi is up to the task and responds with a melodious sequence.

Sri Ramachandra Kripalu Lyrics

At 8:24, while rendering the last doha of the prayer, Krishna makes good use of the high notes to deliver a heartfelt output. What follows is a brief sawaal-jawaab (as called in the Hindustani tradition) between him and the violinist. As he is about to finish the rendition, he starts lowering his voice gradually, and by the end he seems to be in a meditative zone. Krishna’s impassioned performance is, by all means, living proof of how music and poetry combine to invoke the divine, that nothing else can.

Optional Credits:-

For those who would prefer a detailed presentation of the Hindustani Raga to go with it, and are willing to compromise slightly on audio quality and compromise a lot on pronunciation, here are the Banaras duo rendering it at a live concert. The rendition of the Raga Yaman is top notch and keeps you hooked in for the length of the piece.

A mention of this bhajan should be illegal without mentioning the benchmark that Lata Mangeshkar set for it. Here is this evergreen rendition for you to enjoy.