GROUP KṘTIS OF MUTTUSVĀMI DĪKS.

ITAR

M
P. P. Narayanaswami

UTTUSV ĀMI D ĪKS. ITAR (1775–1834 A.D.), the eldest son of Rāmasvāmi Dı̄ks.itar, is regarded
as one of the Musical Trinity of karn.āt.ik Music. He was a composer par excellence, and a
zealous pilgrim, who chose to sing in praise of the deities present in the various temples he
visited. Besides the sheer musical beauty, his kṙtis (a musical form specific to karn.āt.ik music) present
various aspects of archeological, iconographic and spiritual record of these shrines. He was a master of
alliteration and his kṙtis, mostly in cauka kālaṁ (middle-tempo) abound in several literary and artistic
gems such as ādiprāsaṁ, antyaprāsaṁ, svarāks.araṁ, madhyamakāla sāhityaṁ, gōpuccha yati, srōtōvāha
yati, and so on. The phrase “guruguha” appears in the text of his compositions, which he adopted as
the vāggēyakāraka mudra (signature of the composer), and this word refers to his spiritual guru, Lord
Subraḣman.ya of Tiruttan.i Temple. The art of weaving the name of the particular rāgaṁ inside the text
of a composition is a wonderful accomplishment, known as the inscription of a ‘rāga mudra’. Dı̄ks.itar1
followed this practice skilfully in many of his kṙtis, without sacrificing the lyrical beauty, many a time
using the art of śles.aṁ (double meaning), or cleverly concealing the name between phrases.
About 479 of his compositions are currently available. Most of them are in chaste sanskrit, spread
around 193 rāgaṁs, glorifying hundreds of deities in around 75 temple locations from the southern tip
of Rāmēśvaraṁ to far north in Kāśmiraṁ. Indeed, these treasures constitute an epitome of the spiritual
heritage of Hinduism.
Dı̄ks.itar was fond of composing groups of songs on a unifying theme, and where possible, with both
bhakti (devotion) and vibhakti (the various cases that occur in the declension of a noun) running par-
allel to each other. A striking example is the first batch of eight kṙtis he composed in praise of Lord
Subraḣman.ya of Tiruttan.i, soon after he received the Divine Blessing. Sanskrit language employs eight
vibhaktis (cases) for the declension of a noun, namely, prathamā (nominative), dvitı̄yā (accusative), tṙtı̄yā
(instrumental), caturthı̄ (dative), pañcamı̄ (ablative), s.as.thı̄ (genitive), saptamı̄ (locative). and saṁbhōdhanā
(vocative). The eight cases for the noun ‘guruguha’ would be: guruguhaḣ (= guruguhō), guruguhaṁ, gu-
ruguhēn.a, guruguhāya, guruguhāt, guruguhasya, guruguhē and (hē) guruguha. The following sequence
of eight kṙtis employ these eight cases, one for each kṙti. They are2 :

śrı̄nāthādi guruguhō jayati māyāmāl.avagaul.a, ādi

mānasa guruguharūpaṁ ānandabhairavi, rūpakaṁ
śrı̄ gurun.ā pālitōsmi pād.i, rūpakaṁ

1 of
course, Muttusvāmi Dı̄ks.itar, throughout this article
2 the
name of each kṙti is followed by (i) the name of the rāgaṁ in which the composition is sung, and (ii) the name of the tāl.aṁ
(time measure) to which it is set.

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 guruguhāya sāma, ādi
guruguhādanyaṁ balahaṁsa, jhaṁpa
śrı̄ guruguhasya dāsosmyahaṁ pūrvı̄, miśra cāpu
guruguhasvāmini bhānumati, khand.a triput.a
śrı̄ guruguhamūrtē udayaravicandrikā, rūpakaṁ

(Note that he used the synonyms ‘guru’, ‘guruguhasvāmi ’, ‘guruguhamūrti ’, etc., in some of the above
compositions.). The fact that most of these are in rare rāgāṁs bears testimony to his versatility as a
composer even at such an early age.
A second group of kṙtis that follow the above pattern of bhakti and vibhakti scheme was composed at
Tiruvārūr, in praise of the presiding deity, Lord Tyāgarāja (Śiva). The noun declined in eight cases here is
‘Tyāgarāja’.

tyāgarājō virājatē at.hānā, rūpakaṁ

tyāgarājaṁ bhaja rē
tyāgarājēn.a saṁraks.itohaṁ
tyāgarājāya namastē
tyāgarājādanyaṁ na jānē
śrı̄ tyāgarājasya bhaktō
tyāgarājē kṙtyākṙtyaṁ
vı̄ravasanta tyāgarāja
yadukulakāṁbhōdi, miśra cāpu
sālagabhairavi. ādi
bēgad.a, rūpakaṁ
darbār, ādi
rudrapriyā, miśra cāpu
sāraṅga, jhaṁpa
vı̄ravasantaṁ, ādi

The crown jewel among the group kṙtis of Muttusvāmi Dı̄ks.itar is the next batch of eleven songs, the
famous “kamalāmbā navāvaran.a kṙtis” (nine ornamental coverings to Goddess Kamalāmbā), in praise
of Goddess Kamalāmbā of Tiruvārūr Temple. The series is very complete in the sense that it has all the
required elements, namely, a dhyāna kṙti (invocation), a kṙti in each of the eight vibhaktis, a final ninth
kṙti which has all the eight vibhaktis imbedded, and a concluding auspicious maṅgal.a kṙti. The kṙtis in
this group are held in great respect and veneration, since they describe the abstract forms of the Goddess
and contain highly sophisticated and very sacred philosophical and tāntrik phrases. The series runs as
follows:
kamalāmbikē (dhyāna kṙti) tōd.i, rūpakaṁ
kamalāmbā saṁraks.atu māṁ ānandabhairavi, tiśrajāti triput.a
kamalāmbāṁ bhajarē kalyān.i, ādi
kamalāmbikayā śaṅkarābharaṅaṁ, rūpakaṁ
kamalāmbikāyai kāmbhōji, aṫa
śrı̄ kamalāmbikāyāḣ paraṁ bhairavi, jhaṁpa
kamalāmbikāyāḣ punnāgavarāl.i, rūpakaṁ
śrı̄ kamalāmbikāyāṁ śahānā, triput.a
śrı̄ kamalāmbikē ghantā, ādi
śrı̄ kamalāmbā Jayati āhiri, rūpakaṁ
śrı̄ kamalāmbikē (maṅgal.aṁ) śrı̄, khan.d.a ēkaṁ

The shrine of Goddess Nı̄lōtpalāmbā is situated in the temple complex at Tiruvārūr. On Nı̄lōtpalāmbā,
Dı̄ks.itar composed his famous “gaul.ānta vibhakti kṙtis”, a series of eight kṙtis, rendered in rāgaṁs whose
names have the suffix “gaul.a”. These are:

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 nı̄lōtpalāmbā jayati
nı̄lōtpalāmbāṁ bhajarē
nı̄lōtpalāmbikayā
nı̄lōtpalāmbikāyai
nı̄lōtpalāmbikāyāḣ paraṁ
nı̄lōtpalāmbikāyāstava
nı̄lōtpalāmbikāyāṁ
nı̄lōtpalāmbikē
nārāyan.agaul.a, miśra cāpu
nārı̄rı̄tigaul.a, miśra cāpu
kannaḋagaul.a, ādi
kēdāragaul.a, ādi
gaul.a, rūpakaṁ
māyāmāl.avagaul.a, miśra cāpu
pūrvagaul.a, rūpakaṁ
chāyāgaul.a, rūpakaṁ

In Māyūraṁ (Mayilādutturai), north of Tiruvārūr in the delta of the river Kāvēri lies the famous shrine
of Lord Mayūranātha. In praise of the consort Goddess Abhayāmbā in that shrine, Dı̄ks.itar composed a
series of kṙtis known as “abhayāmbā vibhakti kṙtis”.

abhayāmbā jagadambā kalyān.i, ādi

āryām abhayāmbāṁ bhairavı̄, triput.a
girijayājayā abhayāmbikayā śaṅkarābharan.aṁ, ādi
abhayāmbikāyai yadukulakāmbhōji, rūpakaṁ
abhayāmbikāyāḣ kēdāragaul.a, jhaṁpa
ambikāyāḣ abhayāmbikāyāḣ kēdāram, ādi
abhayāmbāyāṁ śahāna, triput.a
dāks.āyan.ı̄ abhayāmbikā tōd.i, rūpakaṁ

Two additional kṙtis on abhayāmbā are sometimes included in this group. One is sadāśrayē (cāmaraṁ,
rūpakaṁ), used as an invocation; the other, śrı̄ abhayāmbā (śrı̄, ādi), used as a maṅgal.a kṙti, is the famous
man.ipravāl.a kṙti (a song whose lyrics use many languages, in this case, sanskrit, telugu and tamil).
Yet another batch of eight compositions, this time on Lord Rāma feature the same pattern of vibhakti,
employing the eight declension of the proper noun Rāma, sometimes with minor variation. Unlike the
earlier groups, these kṙtis were composed in various locations in the Southern India, that are usually
associated with the epic story of Rāmāyan.am.
There are a few vibhakti kṙtis on Goddess Bālāmbikā (of Vaidyēśvaran Koil), and on Goddess Mı̄nāks.i
(of Madhurai), but the list available so far is incomplete, since some vibhakti kṙtis are missing.
The “navagraha kṙtis” of Dı̄ks.itar glorify the nine planets in the inner courtyard of Tyāgarāja Temple
in Tiruvārūr. These compositions are strikingly beautiful in their tāl.a structure, which employs the seven
śūl.ādi tāl.aṁs. Further, they contain the essence of jyotis.aṁ (science of astrology) and mantra śāstraṁ
(science of sacred chanting). Dı̄ks.itar composed these songs in order to heal a stomach disease of his
disciple, Tambiyappan, who played the śuddhamel.aṁ (a kind of drum). It is believed that the planet
bṙhaspati has the divine power to heal such incurable diseases; rather than composing one song just to
please one planet alone, Dı̄ks.itar chose to sing in praise of all nine planets. It is conjectured that the kṙtis
on the last two planets rāhu and kētu were not composed by him. These nine kṙtis are listed below.

sūryamūrtē saurās.traṁ, dhruvaṁ

candraṁ bhaja asāvēri, mat.hyaṁ
aṅgārakaṁ surat.i, rūpakaṁ
budhaṁ āśrayāmi nāt..takurañji, jhaṁpa
bṙhaspatē at.hānā, triput.a
śrı̄ śukrabhagavantaṁ paraju, at.a
divākaratanujaṁ yadukulakāmbhōji, caturaśra ēkaṁ

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 smarāmyahaṁ sadā rāhuṁ ramāmanohari, rūpakaṁ
mahāsuraṁ kētumahaṁ cāmaraṁ, rūpakaṁ

Lord Śiva, according to the Hindu belief, is manifest in the form of the five basic elements, ether, air,
light (fire), earth and water, which make up the universe. The “pañca liṅga kṙtis” are dedicated to these
five forms of Lord Śiva. These kṙtis were composed respectively at the temples of Cidambaraṁ (ether),
Kāl.ahasti (air), Tiruvan.n.āmalai (fire), Kāñcı̄puraṁ (earth) and Jambukēśvaraṁ (water).

ānanda nat.anaprakāśaṁ kēdāraṁ, miśra cāpu (Cidambaraṁ)

śrı̄ kāl.ahastı̄śa husēni, jhaṁpa (Kāl.ahasti)
arun.ācalanāthaṁ sāraṅgā, rūpakaṁ (Tiruvan.n.āmalai)
cintaya mākanta bhairavi, rūpakaṁ (Kāñcı̄puraṁ)
jambūpatē yamunākalyān.i, rūpakaṁ (Jambukēsvaraṁ)

A secondary set of pañca liṅga kṙtis were composed on the five liṅgams of Lord Śiva located in the
Tiruvārūr temple complex. These are the shrines of acalēśvara, hāt.akēśvara, valmı̄kēśvara, ānandēśvara
and siddhı̄śvara. They are usually referred to as “Tiruvārūr pañcaliṅga kṙtis”.

sadācalēśvaraṁ bhūpāl.aṁ, ādi (acalēśvara)

hāt.akēśvara bilahari, rūpakaṁ (hāt.akēśvara)
śrı̄ valmı̄kaliṅgaṁ kāmbhōji, aṫa (valmı̄kēśvara)
ānandēśvarēn.a ānandabhairavi, miśra cāpu (ānandēśvara)
siddhı̄śvarāya nı̄lāmbari, miśra cāpu (siddhı̄śvara)

According to gān.apatyaṁ (the science of worship of Lord Gan.apati), the elephant-faced God Ganēśa, is
worshiped in (at least) sixteen different forms (s.od.aśa gan.apati). The 27 kṙtis that Dı̄ks.itar composed on
Gan.apati include many of these forms, located in the Tiruvārūr temple courtyard.
Dı̄ks.itar family had occasion to listen to Western Music when they came in contact with East India
Company officials and their English Musical band. The stringed instrument, violin, was introduced in
karn.āt.ik music by his younger brother Bālusvāmi Dı̄ks.itar, who was initiated to learn European violin
by the patron Man.ali Cinnasvāmi Mudaliār. With this influence, Dı̄ks.itar composed 37 kṙtis under the
classification of “not..tu svara sāhityaṁs” on various deities, all in the rāgaṁ śaṅkarābharan.aṁ, in different
tāl.a structures. These songs are melodious, and resemble Western tunes. For example, the kṙti ‘santataṁ
pāhi māṁ saṅgı̄ta śyāmal.ē’ is a Marching Song, which can be sung in a chorus, to the tune of ‘God save
the King!’.
Muttusvāmi Dı̄ks.itar adopted the asaṁpūrn.a mēl.aṁs or rāgāṅga rāgaṁs (incomplete, parent scales)
and the corresponding janya rāga scheme (derivations) proposed by Veṅkat.amakhin, the great grammar-
ian of karn.āt.ik system of music. This is a set of 72 parent scales, commencing with (1) kanakāmbāri,
(2) phēnadyuti, . . . , ending in (72) rasamañjari. Dı̄ks.itar has composed excellent kṙtis in each of the 72
rāgāṅga rāgaṁs on various deities in Tañjāvūr and nearby temples, to illustrate the immense possibilities
of the Veṅkat.amakhin system of mēl.aṁs. In the kṙti ‘sṙṅgāra rasamañjarı̄’ in the last mēl.aṁ, he showers
praises on Goddess as ‘dvisaptati rāgāṅga rāga mōdinı̄’ — the one who is immensely pleased by these 72
musical scales.

z z z z z z z z z

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Transliteration Scheme: Sanskrit to Roman

sanskrit consonents roman

k k
Ka kh
ga g
;Ga gh
.z ṅ
. ca c
C ch
.$a j
sanskrit vowels roman Ja jh
A or implicit a Va ñ
A.a or ;a ā f t.
I or ;˚a i F t.h
IR or ˚ ;a ı̄ .q d.
o or u u Q d.h
‰ or U ū :Na n.
ı or x ṙ ta t
O; or e e Ta th
d d
Oe; or E ai
;Da dh
A.ea or *ea o na n
A.Ea or *Ea au :pa p
AM aṁ :P ph
AH aḣ ba b
Y 0 Ba bh
ma m
ya y
.= r
l l
va v
Za ś
:Sa s.
.sa s
h h
L l.