Radhashtami 2021, and a century of Bharati


I have returned to this blog after a hiatus of several months. Today is Radhashtami – the birthday of Radha. Ashtami means eighth [day]. In each lunar month, there are two ashtamis: one in the krishna paksha (dark half/ waning moon) and the other in the shukla paksha (bright half/ waxing moon). If one goes by the north Indian calendar, the krishna ashtami of the month of Bhadrapada is Krishna Janmashtami, the birthday of Krishna. The shukla ashtami of the same month is Radhashtami. This year, Janmashtami was on August 30, and Radhashtami is today, September 14, 2021.

On this occasion, I present to you Mahakavi C. Subramania Bharati (11 December 1882-11 September 1921)'s song to Radha, with music by me. Interestingly, the song does not feature Krishna's name anywhere. Bharati was mainly a Tamil poet. However, he was a polyglot. This song begins in Sanskrit and ends with three couplets in Tamil. The Sanskrit part is more 'spiritual' and 'scriptural', while the Tamil part is romantic. 

This is also a time to honour the poet, since September 11, 2021 marked 100 years after his demise.

I have set this song to Khamas raagam and Adi taalam (8 beats), as the Mahakavi (great poet) would have wanted. Bharati's original tunes are not easily available, but books of his poems mention raagam and taalam for the songs. I therefore try my best to sing the songs at least in the original raagam if not in the original tune, since this would bring us closer to what the poet wishes to express. Lyrics and translation can be found below the video.




Lyrics of the Sanskrit part in Devanagari script

देहि मुदं देहि श्रीराधे राधे॥

रागसमुद्रजामृतराधे राधे।
राज्ञीमण्डलरत्नराधे राधे।
भोगरतिकोटितुल्ये राधे राधे। (जय जय)
भूदेवीतपःफलराधे राधे॥

देवमहामन्त्ररसराधे राधे।
वेदविद्याविलासिनि श्रीराधे राधे।
आदिपराशक्तिरूपराधे राधे।
अत्यद्भुतशृङ्गारमयराधे राधे॥

Complete lyrics in Tamil script

ராதைப் பாட்டு 

ராகம் – கமாஸ், தாளம் – ஆதி 

பல்லவி 

தேகி முதம் தேகி ஸ்ரீ ராதே, ராதே!

சரணங்கள் 

ராக ஸமுத்ரஜாம்ருதே ராதே, ராதே!
ராஜ்ஞீ மண்டல ரத்ந ராதே, ராதே!
போக ரதி கோடி துல்யே ராதே, ராதே! (ஜய ஜய)
பூதேவி தப: பல ராதே, ராதே!              (தேகி)

தேவ மஹா மந்த்ர ரஸ ராதே, ராதே! 
வேத வித்தியா விலாஸினி ஸ்ரீ ராதே, ராதே!
ஆதி பராசக்தி ரூப ராதே, ராதே!
அத்யத்புத ச்ருங்காரமய ராதே, ராதே!     (தேகி)

தமிழ்க் கண்ணிகள் 

காதலெனும் தீவினிலே, ராதே, ராதே! அன்று 
கண்டெடுத்த பெண்மணியே! ராதே, ராதே!     (தேகி)

காதலெனும் சோலையிலே ராதே, ராதே! நின்ற 
கற்பகமாம் பூந் தருவே ராதே, ராதே!               (தேகி)

மாதரசே! செல்வப் பெண்ணே, ராதே, ராதே! உயர் 
வானவர்க ளின்ப வாழ்வே, ராதே, ராதே!             (தேகி)

Transliteration

rādai-p pāṭṭù

rāgam – kamās, tāḷam – ādi

pallavi 

dēhi mudaṁ dēhi śrī rādhē, rādhē!

caraṇaṅgaḷ

rāga-samudra-jā'mr̥tē rādhē, rādhē!
rājñī-maṇḍala-ratna rādhē, rādhē!
bhōga-rati-kōṭi-tulyē rādhē, rādhē! (jaya jaya)
bhūdēvī-tapaḥ-phala rādhē, rādhē!          (dēhi)

dēva-mahā-mantra-rasa rādhē, rādhē!
vēda-vidyā-vilāsini śrī rādhē, rādhē!
ādi-parāśakti-rūpa-rādhē, rādhē!
aty-adbhuta-śr̥ṅgāra-maya rādhē, rādhē!          (dēhi)

tamizh-k kaṇṇigaḷ

kādal-eṉum tīviṉilē, rādhē, rādhē! aṉṟù
kaṇḍ'eḍùtta peṇ-maṇiyē! rādhē, rādhē!          (dēhi)

kādal-eṉum sōlaiyilē, rādhē, rādhē! niṉṟa
kaṟpagam-ām pūn-taruvē rādhē, rādhē!          (dēhi)

mādarasē! selva-p peṇṇē, rādhē, rādhē! uyar
vāṉavargaḷ iṉba vāzhvē, rādhē, rādhē!          (dēhi) 

Translation

Song of Rādhā

Rāgam: Khamās, Tāḷam: Ādi

[The Sanskrit stanzas]

Pallavi

Give me joy, give me happiness, Sri Rādhē, Rādhē!

Charanam-s

O nectar (amr̥ta) born of the ocean of love, Rādhē, Rādhē!
Jewel among all queens, Rādhē, Rādhē!
Attractive like one crore Rati-s, Rādhē, Rādhē!
Fruit of the austerities of the Earth Goddess, Rādhē, Rādhē!

Essence of the great mantras of gods, Rādhē, Rādhē!
One who sports in the knowledge of the Vedas, Sri Rādhē, Rādhē!
Embodiment of the Great Goddess Ādi Parāśakti, Rādhē, Rādhē!
Full of unusual śr̥ṅgāra, Rādhē, Rādhē!

The Tamil couplets

On the island of love that day, Rādhē, Rādhē –
I chanced upon you, O lovely woman! Rādhē, Rādhē!

In the flower-grove of love, Rādhē, Rādhē –
You are a blooming kalpataru, Rādhē, Rādhē!

Queen among women, lady of grace, Rādhē, Rādhē!
Blissful life of the exalted Sky-People, Rādhē, Rādhē!

(Rati: the goddess of love and lovemaking, śr̥ṅgāra: the romantic or erotic sentiment in the arts including poetry, kalpataru: mythological wish-fulfilling tree of heaven, Sky-People: Dēvas, i.e. gods)


Here are some pictures of my puja. The Madhubani painting of Radha and Krishna was bought some years ago at Shilparamam, Hyderabad (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shilparamam). Ganesha and his mother are still here, because though Ganesh Chaturthi is over, the Ganpati season is still on.









Here is a closer look at my kolam for the day:



Explanation of the symbols in my kolam

Top left: The chaatak चातक bird (pied cuckoo/Jacobin cuckoo, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacobin_cuckoo) waiting for Swati rain (rain when the Swati star shines), which is fabled to be the only water this bird drinks. I also show a pearl, since this same rain is fabled to produce pearls when it enters oysters.

Top right: The chakor चकोर bird (chukar partridge, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chukar_partridge) lost in thoughts of the moon. This bird is said to be in love with the moon and to always long for him, and to drink moonlight.

The chaatak and chakor are symbolic of attraction and longing. In a song on Radha in the raga Abhogi, sung by the Hindustani musician-composer-scholar S. N. Ratanjankar, she is described as the chaataki of the dark cloud that is Krishna's body, and the chakori of his moon-like face:

कृष्ण-तन-नील-घन-रूप की चातकी,
कृष्ण-मुख-हिमकिरण की चकोरी

kr̥ṣṇa-tana-nīla-ghana-rūpa kī cātakī,
kr̥ṣṇa-mukha-himakiraṇa kī cakōrī

Bottom left and right: Chakravaka चक्रवाक birds (ruddy shelduck, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruddy_shelduck), male and female. These are traditional symbols of viraha विरह, the pain of separation.

Bottom centre: Sarus सारस cranes (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarus_crane), believed to pair for life. These are symbolic of togetherness.

Bottom: The turtle in water represents the river-goddess Yamuna, who is said to ride a turtle. It is on her banks that Radha and Krishna romanced each other.

Other symbols (conch, peacock feather, flute, cow, waterlily) should be self-explanatory :) The creepers, spirals, etc. are just decorations :)


Academic transliteration of the Tamil portions of the song

rātai-p pāṭṭù

rākam – kamās, tāḷam – āti

tamiḻ-k kaṇṇikaḷ

kātal-eṉum tīviṉilē, rātē, rātē! aṉṟu
kaṇṭ'eṭutta peṇ-maṇiyē! rātē, rātē!         

kātal-eṉum cōlaiyilē, rātē, rātē! niṉṟa
kaṟpakam-ām pūn-taruvē rātē, rātē!          

mātaracē! celva-p peṇṇē, rātē, rātē! uyar
vāṉavarkaḷ iṉpa vāḻvē, rātē, rātē!        










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