Kandavarkku Kanavilum | Kuntalavarali | Gayathri Venkataraghavan

Renowned composers have created iconic works in praise of Lord Nataraja of Chidambaram. They have made significant contributions to the musical heritage of Chidambaram temple.Their compositions continue to inspire devotion and musical excellence to this day. Many such as Gopalakrishna Bharathi, Marimutha Pilllai, Arunachala Kavirayar come to mind instantly. Sri Swarna Venkatesa Dikshitar is a celebrated composer who created several kritis in praise of Nataraja.Since he was a traditional Thillai Vazh Andanar, a descendant of the 3000 who came down with Lord Nataraja, his knowledge of the Kshetra and his proximity to the Lord here plays a significant part in bringing the compositions to our minds eye. He sets this delightful composition in the brisk and breezy Kuntalavarali raga, employing simple, easy-to-understand language. He vividly portrays the Lord's benevolence. He uses the immensely powerful symbol of the Lord's divine feet to explain His divine acts. The essence of Hindu Dharma, in the context of Bhakti (devotion) and surrender (sharanagati) is beautifully captured and often referred to as "laying at His Divine feet". Here the composer expertly weaves the word "Paadam" - denoting Lord's Divine feet at the end of each line of the composition. In the Pallavi - he says Those who comprehend the cosmic dance of lord Nataraja in the golden hall (Chidambaram) need not fear death even in their dreams. The phrase "Idadu kalai thookki aadum " reminds us of other famous compositions like " Idadu Paadam thookki" and "Kaalai thookki nindradum". In the anupallavi, he refers to the Lord's friendship with Sundaramurthi Nayanar, the great Saivaite Saint, on whose behalf He walked the streets of Tiruvarur. In the three charanams, he elucidates about Nataraja's benevolent blessings that are bestowed on His devotees in the form of fulfillment of their materialistic needs and spiritual goals. By kicking the Lord of death (Yama) he protects His ardent devotee Markandeya, he grants him immortality. It demonstrates that Lord's grace can override the forces of death and shows His role as a protector of His Devotees. In the last charanam, Sri Swarna Venkatesa Dikshitar describes the Lord as the ultimate supreme force of protection and justice. He controls chaos by rising as a consuming fire, maintains balance in the universe through His cosmic dance, protects generations of devotees through his eternal grace and destroys evil and protects the Bhaktha. This is the next composition from the RR Sabha concert from 2023 Dec Season in Chennai. Artists on stage with me are Vidwans Mysore Srikanth, B Ganapathyraman and Alathur Rajaganesh. ​⁠‪@anaghanadig4981‬ Thumbnail design ​⁠‪@chellavideos1301‬ [Carnaticmusic,Raga,Kuntalavarali,Kandavarkkukanavilum, Nataraja, Thillai, Chidambaram,Cosmic Dance, LiveConcert, ConnectingVirtually, GayathriVenkataraghavan,GV]