Magic Flute

For more than four decades. two songs haunted me. They are set in the same rAga, sindhubhairavi. Whenever I listen to them, I feel like listening to them again and again and again …. It is possible to do so nowadays on the computer. Krishna plays the magic flute. The call of his flute is always fascinating. The old, the young, the men and the women forsake all that they were doing and rush to the banks of yamunA. The dark Lord enchants everyone and everything, the living and the dying. He casts a magic spell and who can escape it? What is the meaning of this life when another life is calling? The first song is from the film mIrA by Subbulakshmi. Who has not heard this song and who was not moved by it? What lyrics by kalki, what music by SV Venkataraman and what a song by MS? This is timeless, ageless and peerless. kaaRxRxinilE varum geetham kaNgaL panitthiDa po~ggum geetham kallum kaniyum geetham kaaRxRxinilE varum geetham The melody comes floating in the breeze and immediately the eyes are moistened and a veil of mist forms before the eyes. The heart leaps and inert objects come alive. paTTamara~ggaL thaLirkkum geetham paNNoli po~ggiDum geetham kaaTTu vila~ggum kETTE maya~ggum madhuramOhana geetham ~ne~jjinilE ~ne~jjinil inbakkanalai ezhuppi ~ninaivazhikkum geetham kaaRxRxinilE varum geetham Leafless trees begin to sprout as if it were spring time when the waves of the melody engulfs them. The ferocious forest animals become subdued when they hear the melody. It stokes a sweet fire in the heart and removes all traces of past memory. sunai va~nduDan sOlaikkuyilum manam kuvi~ndhiDavum vaanaveLittanil thaaraa gaNa~ggaL thaya~ggi ~ninRxiDavum Ayan solvEn maayappiLLai vE~gguzhal pozhi geetham kaaRxRxinilE varum geetham As the birds that happily twitter when the rivulets are full after the rains and as the galaxy of the stars in the sky stand still, the enchanting music of the magic flute flows on. ~nilA malar~ndha iravinil thenRxal ulaaviDum ~nadhiyil- ~neela ~niratthu baalagan oruvan kuzhal oodhi ~ninRxaan kaalemellaam— kaalamellaam avan kaadhalai eNNi urugumO en uLLam-- kaaRxRxinilE varum geetham As the breeze blows on the wavy river in the moonlit nights, the dark Lord is standing there playing the magic flute. Thinking of him and his love, my heart melts and I can spend like this the rest of my life. காற்றினிலே வரும் கீதம் கண்கள் பனித்திட பொங்கும் கீதம் கல்லும் கனியும் கீதம் காற்றினிலே வரும் கீதம் பட்டமரங்கள் தளிர்க்கும் கீதம் பண்ணொலி பொங்கும் கீதம் காட்டு விலங்கும் கேட்டே மயங்கும் மதுரமோஹன கீதம் நெஞ்ஜினிலே நெஞ்ஜினில் இன்பக்கனலை எழுப்பி நினைவழிக்கும் கீதம் காற்றினிலே வரும் கீதம் சுனை வந்துடன் சோலைக்குயிலும் மனம் குவிந்திடவும் வானவெளித்தனில் தாரா கணங்கள் தயங்கி நின்றிடவும் ஆ, என் சொல்வேன் மாயப்பிள்ளை வேங்குழல் பொழி கீதம் காற்றினிலே வரும் கீதம் நிலா மலர்ந்த இரவினில் தென்றல் உலாவிடும் நதியில்- நீல நிரத்து பாலகன் ஒருவன் குழல் ஊதி நின்றான் காலெமெல்லாம் காலமெல்லாம் அவன் காதலை எண்ணி உருகுமோ என் உள்ளம்-- காற்றினிலே வரும் கீதம் The second song that casts its spell always is the Kannada song Krishana koLalina kare. I am not sure how many among you have heard this song. This is rendered in her mellifluous voice by Srirangam Gopalaratnam. It is from the film subbASAstri. This movie based on a drama “aashaDhabhUti” (which itself is based on a play of Moliere) has some excellent music. Other songs in this movie are by Balamuralikrishna. This is the only film for which Veena Doraiswamy Ayyangar directed music. The lyrics, I believe, are by PT Narasimhachar. When the magic flute calls, you leave everything and rush to the place from where the music is emanating. You don’t care for children, husband (wife), your wealth and ornaments. That music is like a ray of light in the dark. kRuShNana koLalina kare aalisu kRuShNana koLalina kare tvare tvare Attention, listen to the melody of Krishna’s flute. Quickly! toTTalina hasugoosa mare mare pakkada gaMDana tore tore bRuMdaavanake tvare tvare kRuShNana koLalina kare Forget about the newborn child’s cries in the cradle and the eagerness of the spouse in the bed. Run to the brindAvana to listen to the melody of Krishna’s flute. muttina kuppusa haraLole mallige jaaji muDi maale hejjeya mEvura gejjeyapilli maretE baMdEve maneyallE sakhi kRuShNana koLalina kare Friend, in my hurry I have forgotten to wear fine clothing, the garland of flowers and the jingling anklets leaving them all behind in the house. hottaare hore gelasa mikkare migali pakkada nerehore nakkare nagali bRuMdaavanadoL aalisi gOmuraLi kRuShNana koLalina kare I don’t care a jot about the mountain of household chores. I am not going to worry about what my neighbours are going to talk behind me. I am running to brindAvana to listen to the melody of the flute played by Krishna before the cows. nEsara kiraNa aagasadiruLa toreyisuva reeti muraLIdharana muraLI maayadi mana biTTide bheeti innaayite preeti innaayite preeti kRuShNana koLalina kare As the first ray drives out the darkness in the sky, the fear in me has been uprooted by the enchanting call of the flute. There is love and only love in my heart now. ಕೃಷ್ಣನ ಕೊಳಲಿನ ಕರೆ ಆಲಿಸು ಕೃಷ್ಣನ ಕೊಳಲಿನ ಕರೆ ತ್ವರೆ ತ್ವರೆ ತೊಟ್ಟಲಿನ ಹಸುಗೂಸ ಮರೆ ಮರೆ ಪಕ್ಕದ ಗಂಡನ ತೊರೆ ತೊರೆ ಬೃಂದಾವನಕೆ ತ್ವರೆ ತ್ವರೆ ಕೃಷ್ಣನ ಕೊಳಲಿನ ಕರೆ ಮುತ್ತಿನ ಕುಪ್ಪುಸ ಹರಳೊಲೆ ಮಲ್ಲಿಗೆ ಜಾಜಿ ಮುಡಿ ಮಾಲೆ ಹೆಜ್ಜೆಯ ಮೇವುರ ಗೆಜ್ಜೆಯಪಿಲ್ಲಿ ಮರೆತೇ ಬಂದೇವೆ ಮನೆಯಲ್ಲೇ ಸಖಿ ಕೃಷ್ಣನ ಕೊಳಲಿನ ಕರೆ ಹೊತ್ತಾರೆ ಹೊರೆ ಗೆಲಸ ಮಿಕ್ಕರೆ ಮಿಗಲಿ ಪಕ್ಕದ ನೆರೆಹೊರೆ ನಕ್ಕರೆ ನಗಲಿ ಬೃಂದಾವನದೊಳ್ ಆಲಿಸಿ ಗೋಮುರಳಿ ಕೃಷ್ಣನ ಕೊಳಲಿನ ಕರೆ ನೇಸರ ಕಿರಣ ಆಗಸದಿರುಳ ತೊರೆಯಿಸುವ ರೀತಿ ಮುರಳೀಧರನ ಮುರಳೀ ಮಾಯದಿ ಮನ ಬಿಟ್ಟಿದೆ ಭೀತಿ ಇನ್ನಾಯಿತೆ ಪ್ರೀತಿ ಇನ್ನಾಯಿತೆ ಪ್ರೀತಿ ಕೃಷ್ಣನ ಕೊಳಲಿನ ಕರೆ To the above two, I must add another, a poem by the Telugu poet pOtana from his bhAgavata. There is practically none who knows Telugu and still is ignorant of its existence. The gOpis go to the brindAvana heeding the call of the flute. But where is he? He is not to be seen. They ask the trees and the plants whether Krishna is hiding there somewhere. nallanivADu, padmanayanaMbulavADu, kRupArasaMbu pai jalleDuvADu, mauLiparisarphitapiMChamuvADu, navvu rA- jilleDu mOmuvA DokaDu chelvala mAnadhanaMbu decche nO malliyalAra mI podalamATuna lEDu gadamma chepparE He is dark and handsome and his eyes are like lotus petals. He is quite compassionate and he has a peacock feather on his head. His face is always lit with smiles and he has stolen our hearts Is he by chance hiding in this flower bush? O you tender jasmine flowers, Would you be kind enough to inform us about his whereabouts? నల్లనివాఁడు, పద్మనయనంబులవాఁడు, కృపారసంబు పైఁ జల్లెడువాఁడు, మౌళిపరిసర్ఫితపింఛమువాఁడు, నవ్వు రా- జిల్లెడు మోమువాఁ డొకఁడు చెల్వల మానధనంబుఁ దెచ్చె నో మల్లియలార మీ పొదలమాటున లేఁడు గదమ్మ చెప్పరే I am only sharing my thoughts with you. I never studied Tamil or Kannada in the school. Please pardon me for any mistake. If you inform me, I’ll edit this with the corrections. Here are the youtube links to the songs – kATrinilE varum gItam - The first one is by MS and the second one by Sudha. Do not forget to appreciate the rangOli in the background :-) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCiqqFVY4Xw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zD59mvCxElE&feature=related Krishnana koLalina kare - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyAWpRb_33s Here is a rangOli with the flute (This is a rangOli forum, right). While playing with the bamboo, Krishna must have arranged them in his own way and discovered the svAstika symbol as in the left-hand picture. Of course for the rAsakrIDa, hexagonal format is better suited :-) The background is deliberately made dark to reflect Krishna’s complexion (not the anemic blue popularised in cinema and drama).