sAmaja vara gamana

Sahityam

Pallavi

Anupallavi

Charanam

Variations

• ⁴ mOhana kara – mOhanAkAra

Commentary

• ¹ sAma nigamaja - Sri Tyagaraja says that music (gAna ) was born from Sama Veda. According to ‘Karnataka Sangita Sastra’ by Sri AS Panchapakesa Iyer, while Rk and Yajur Vedas contain only three swaras, Sama Veda contains all the sapta swaras.
  • “Poetry is the essence of Speech; Music is the essence of Poetry; The Udgita of Sama Veda embodied by the Pranava is the essence of Music; Thus,this Omkaara (Pranava Nada) is the utmost, the most valuble , the final essence of all essences.” For more information on [[http://www.ramanuja.org/sv/bhakti/archives/oct95/0085.html Sama Veda and its connection to music]]
• ² vEda zirO – Sri Tyagaraja says that sapta svara were born from Veda Siras (Veda Siro). The following are some of the other statements of Sri Tyagaraja on the subject.
  • In the kriti ‘O rAma rAma sarvOnnata’, - ‘vEda ziras ’ has been used (vEda ziramulella nIvE daivamani ) which tends to mean ‘Upanishads’.
  • In the kriti ‘sogasugA mRdaGga’, ‘nigama ziras ’ has been used (nigama zirOrthamu galgina nija vAkkulatO ) which also seems to mean ‘Upanishads’.
  • According to an article found in a web site Upanishads are considered to be the ‘head of Veda’ – [[http://www.hinduonnet.com/2000/11/07/stories/13070179.htm Veda Siras]]
  • In regard to sapta-swara, the following are some other statements -
  • In the kriti ‘vidulaku mrokkeda’, ‘zaGkara kRta sAma nigama ’ means ‘Sama Veda created by Lord Siva’; and also ‘nAdAtmaka sapta svara ’ to mean ‘the sapta svara are the core of Nada’.
  • In the kriti ‘[[Nada tanumanisham]]’, it is stated that ‘Nada is the essence of Sama Veda – the highest of all Vedas’ (nigamOttama sAma vEda sAram ).
  • In the kriti ‘rAga sudha rasa ’, it is stated that nAdOMkAra is of the nature of sadAziva - ‘sadAziva mayamagu nAdOMkAra swara vidulu ’.
  • In the kriti ‘mOkSamu galadA ’, it is stated that – the sapta svara comes out of praNava nAda – same as nAdOMkAra – (prANAnala samyOgamu valla praNava nAdamu sapta svaramulai paraga ).
  • In the kriti ‘zObhillu sapta svara ’, it is stated ‘Rk sAmAdulalO vara gAyatrI hRdayamuna ’ - ‘sapta svara is resplendent in the Rk, Sama and other Vedas and in the heart of Gayatri’.
  • ‘vEda ziras ’ or ‘nigama ziras ’ means ‘Upanishad’; therefore, ‘mother of vEda ziras’ (vEda zirO mAtR ) – would mean Gayatri - mother of Vedas - [[http://blogs.ibibo.com/vinuquitsmoking/Gayatri-Mantra—Understood Gayatri]]
  • According to Sri Tyagaraja sapta-svara were ‘born of mother of vEda ziras’ (vEda zirO mAtRja ). As everywhere Sri Tyagaraja states that sapta-svara were born of praNava or nAdOMkAra , ‘mother of Veda Siras’ would mean ‘praNava ’ or ‘nAdOMkAra ’ and not Gayatri, because ‘Gayatri’ itself is the elaboration of ‘praNava ’. Therefore, ‘vEda ziras ’ may mean ‘Gayatri’ and not ‘Upanishads’.
  • Alternatively, praNava (OMkAra) and Gayatri should be considered as synonyms.
  • Sri Tyagaraja is a nAdOpAsaka . Therefore, anyone who is not a nAdOpAsaka would not be able to comprehend the truth behind the statements of Sri Tyagaraja only through intellectual gymnastics. Therefore, I leave it to the readers to reach their own conclusions.
• ³ acala dIpa – In Tamizh it is called ‘kunNrRin mELiTTa viLakku ’.

Renditions