How can you imagine a raga, with more than 140 compositions; still not heard much in concerts – only about a dozen have been sung; half of which are of academic interest only !! This is a very rare case of a Rare janya of mela (15) raga Mayamalavagoula. Even I had been wondering why this is called a Rare raga. It is really surprising as to why this ragam is not chosen by many vidwans. Apart from the Trinity, many of the major composers like Muthiah Bhagavathar, Mysore Vasudevachar, Swati Tirunal, Patnam Subramanya Iyer and others have
composed songs in this ragam. Let us see the details about this interesting raga, called ‘Paras’ or Paraju. The notes are same as the janaka raga, except, losing R1 in arohanam, so that the ragaswaroopa can be written as:
S G3 M1 P D1 N3 S // S N3 D1 P M1 G3 R1 S
Paras is usually sung in the sringara (beauty) and bhakthi (worship) rasas, and rendering this raga involves elaborate gamakas, hence making it a Gamaka pradhana raga. The raga’s beauty allows it to be sung at any time of the day, and it is commonly sung in the latter part of a Carnatic concert. In Hindustani music, the raga closest to this is the Paras raga, although the latter involves use of M2 (prathi madhyamam).
SSP by Subbarama Dikshithar shows it as a smpoorna, sarvakalika raga with all the notes of ‘Malava goula’ (mela 15). Also it says: For this raga, one does not see sancharas below mandra sthayi nishada, and above tara stayi gandhara.
Ragapravaham also places it under the same mela:
S R G M P D N S // S N D P M G R S (same as SSP)
S G M P D N S // S N D M D P M G R S
S G M P D N S // S N D P M G R S (same as normal spec)
S M G M P M P D N S // S N D P M G R S
Compositions:
Adake pore edu (p) - Sarangapani
Adenamma harudu - Puliyur Duraisvami Iyer
Adi malarinaiyallal marugati - Papanasam Sivan
AdinammA harudu drugu - Pallavi Doraisvami Iyer
Agale kayabeko ambujanayana - Purandaradasa
Alavadennalo shivame - Ootthukadu Venkatasubbier
Alla kuvennungal - Gunamkudi Mastan
Anbe anandamam - Shuddhananda Bharati
Anbu nilaiyai kandal - Shuddhananda Bharati
Andarule - Vedanayakam Pillai
Angam ellam - Namashivaya Pulavar
Ankavan tannai - V.Subramaniam
Arudal kura yaraiya - Shuddhananda Bharati
Ati savadhana sevave - Shahji Maharaja
Balaro samini (j) - Tirupati Narayanasvami
Bhargavane palingoliye (vg) - K.Ponniah Pillai
Bhayame munnadi manaku - Parankushadasar
Bhayappadadiru maname - Shuddhananda Bharati
Cheli balavanta (j) - Chinniah
Cheli nenetlu sahintune (j) - Chinniah
Cheli nenetlu sahintune - Pattabhiramayya
Cheluvunira (j) - Tanjavur Quartette
Chinnattanamunchi - Vina Sheshanna
Chintanai sheivadu eppodu - Nilakanta Sivan
Chintaye mahalinga murtim - Muttusvami Dikshitar
Devadi deva - Vedanayakam Pillai
Duru maduvareno rangayyana - Purandaradasa
Eke mamate kottu - Gopalavithaladasa
Emanene sudduleme (p) - Kshetragna
Emani pogadudune (daru) - Subbarama Dikshitar
Emi seyudunate enakshiro - Pattabhiramayya
Eno innum vara kanene - Madurai G.S.Mani
Enta kopame - Merattur Venkatrama Shastri
Enta vedukonna palukademi (p) - Sarangapani
Era balaka endu - Merattur Venkatrama Shastri
Ezhundiru nija manida - Shuddhananda Bharati
Hingade manadaniya - Kanakadasa
Harahara citikantha - HB
Inda vibhishana lankapuri - Arunachalakavirayar
Inge ni varuvaye ekanini - Abraham Panditar
Innallavale gade vani (p) - Kuppusvami Ayya
Innallavale gade(p) - Poochi Shrinivasa Iyengar
Innamum tamadamen - N.S.Ramasvami Iyer
Innum vara kanene - Gopalakrishna Bharati
Inrum varavillaiye - Shuddhananda Bharati
Inta kopamemi - Merattur Venkatrama Shastri
Ishvara nannu rakshimparada - Krishnasvami Ayya
Ittanai modi edu enmel(p) - Vasudeva Kavi
Jagadiya sparsha - Upanishad Brahmayogin
Jagannatha - Vedanayakam Pillai
Jaya tripurasundari - Virabhadrayya
Jaya vira hanumanta tayana - Papanasam Sivan
Kamakshi karuna katakshi - Shyama Shastri
Kamanai venravanar - Chinnasvami Shastri
Kamitartha - Bangalore S.Mukund
Kanavellam ninaivaghumo - Nila Ramamurti
Kandar vyasamuniyai - A.S.Lakshmi Ammal
Kannada murare - K.C.Keshava Pillai
Kannar kadal pol - Tirumangai Azhvar
Kattaghattu vedan - Manikkavachakar
Kodo kodo kodo kodo ranga - Purandaradasa
Krishna illada - B.K.Padmanabha Rao
Kumara deva - Mayuram Vishvanatha Shastri
Ma visha dhumaketanam - V.Subramaniam
Mada payale(p) - Subbarama Iyer
Madhuramba jayati - Muttusvami Dikshitar
Maha lingeshvaram - Muttusvami Dikshitar
Mangaiye ni tudu podi - Kavi Kunjara Bharati
Mavisa dhumaketanam - V.Subramaniam
Mudam sada dehi - N.S.Ramachandran
Mullu koneya mele muru - Purandaradasa
Na dhiri dhittom tanana (t) - Vina Sheshanna
Nannu vida naduta(j) - B.Chandrashekhara Shastri
Nannu vida naduta(j) - T.Singaracharlu
Narayana narayana narayana - Vadirajasvami
Ni avadu tudu - Ramalinga Setupati
Ni ini arul purivai - N.S.Ramachandran
Nilayatakshi nive jagat sakshi - Shyama Shastri
Niye gati - Vedanayakam Pillai
Niye sarva shaktan - Vedanayakam Pillai
O shiva paramporule niye - Papanasam Sivan
Pahi venkataramana - N.S.Ramasvami Iyer
Pannaga shayana nirupamaguna - Swathi Tirunal
Pannaga shayana pahimam - Swathi Tirunal
Paramatma ni - Tiruvettiyur Tyagayya
Parashu pani pashupate - Papanasam Sivan
Parashuramam rainukeyam - Bangalore S.Mukund
Periya purana kirtanai - Oothukad
Povom gunamkudikku ellorum - Gunamkudi Mastan
Rajivakshiro samii(p) - Sarangapani
Rama ne ninnu judaga - Pallavi Shesha Iyer
Rammane samini rammane(p) - Chapu Sarangapani
Ranga shayinam - N.S.Ramachandran
Ranganatheva - Kanakadasa
Ranganentavanele tangi - Kanakadasa
Rara manavi chekora(j) - T.Singaracharlu
Sadashiva nayaki - Ogirala Viraraghava Sharma
Sakhi nanenna sheivenadi - Suguna Purushottaman
Sama veda rasike shri - Pattamadai Krishna Iyer
Samvaro teri murali dhun - Swathi Tirunal
Sangavatam sa - V.Subramaniam
Santatam ennai rakshippai - Shyama Shastri
Sarva mangala rupadye - Muttiah Bhagavatar
Savare tori murli dhun - Swathi Tirunal
Sevikka venum perum tirukkovil - Nilakantha Shivan
Shaila tanaya ni sati - Ogirala Viraraghava Sharma
Shambho krupai varumo - Nilakantha Shivan
Sholladi ennadi - Ghanam Krishna Iyer
Shreyase dhyayamira mam - Vaikuntha Shastri
Shri maha lakshmim - Mysore Vasudevacharya
Shri shukra bhagavantam - Muttusvami Dikshitar
Shrikanta sodari - Ogirala Viraraghava Sharma
Smara sundaranguni - Dharmapuri Subbaraya Iyer
Suneshu ramaniyam - K.C.Keshava Pillai
Ta dhim dhim ta (t) - Patnam Subramania Iyer
Ta tha digida (t) - Tanjavur Marattha Composers
Tandai tai makkale shutram - Tirumangai Azhvar
Tanom tana ta - Poochi Shrinivasa Iyengar
Tapasa anugrahita bramhananda - Pallavi Subbiah Bhagavatar
Taralakshi vo vinave - Merattur Venkatrama Shastri
Taruniki sarisati dharani - Tanjavur Marattha Composers
Tedidu nan maname un - Shuddhananda Bharati
Tillana (na dhiri dhittom) - Vina Sheshanna
Tillana (tanom tana ta) - Poochi Shrinivasa Iyengar
Tiru kuttirkku - V.Kumarasvami Kavi
Triloka mata nannu - Shyama Shastri
Tripad vibhuti - Upanishad Brahmayogin
Tyagangal sheyya vendum - Rajam Sitaram
Ulagattukku aga konda - Nilakantha Shivan
Un padame tunai kripai - Muttu Tandavar
Unaiye kadalitten - Shuddhananda Bharati
Unnai tudittu - E.S.Shankaranarayana Iyer
Va va madi vadanane - Papanasam Sivan
Vadade maname vadade - Doraisvami Kavirayar
Vaddante ne vintiva (p) - Kuppusvami Ayya
Vande sada padmanabham - Swathi Tirunal
Vani matalika manakela - T.Singaracharlu
Varamaina netrotsavamunu - Tyagaraja
Vashai enba vaiyattarkku - Tiruvalluvar
Vencheyarayya Adi - ?
Vennira tamarai - K.Muttukumarasvami Varaghoor
We shall consider a very beautiful composition of Shyama Sastri, “Neelayathakshi neeve jagat sakshi” on Mother Neelayathakshi at Nagapattinam. The meaning:
“O Mother nIlAyatAkshI!
O Queen Consort of Siva! O Mother who protects dependents!
O Protector of humble! O Mother who delights in sAma gAna! O dEvI!
O Adi Sakti! O kaumArI! O dEvI!
O Protector of manmatha! O dEvI - Nourisher of SyAma kRshna!
You are the witness of the Universe.
In this Earth, it is not within the competence of even Adi SEsha to extol You; what shall I say more than this?
Indeed Your names are the Ones which bestows four-fold purushArtha – righteousness, worldly welfare, desires and salvation.
Please listen. Please grant the gift of refuge. Please give me Your affection.
You are the witness of the Universe”.
Let us listen to mahavidushi. T.Brinda singing this composition.
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