Six songs on Advaita - Mysore Shivarama Sastry compositions in Kannada - M Balamuralikrishna

SIX SONGS ON ADVAITA - Compositions of Mysore Shivarama Shastry in Kannada This is an offering for Shankara Jayanti 2020. It is replete with a number of interesting aspects that make it a fitting testimony to the presentation of the concept of—advaita OR not two. It is a bunch of six compositions on advaita, the outpourings of a realised soul, after meeting whom Swami Vivekananda had exclaimed, “I have seen only one masculine vedantin in the country and he is Mysore Shivarama Shastry.” The rendition of these compositions is by Dr Mangalampalli Balamuralikrishna (BMK). The opening words in this offering by Swami Paramananda Bharati (SPB), in Kannada, characterise the baffling traits of Vedanta, which is not seen in any other philosophical system. A system in which the most learned can trip and the innocent can easily walk through. Bliss in Vedanta can be attained, SPB cites Lord Krishna who says in Bhagavad Gita, by only a jnAni who is a tatva darshi. Such a jnAni is one who can realise and see Truth as it is. Mysore Shivarama Shastry (MSS) was one such jnAni who lived in the later part of the 19th century. He was an AsthAna vidvAn in the Mysore Palace. After resigning from this position he lived a bold and unfettered life of an avadhUta. The compositions rather outpourings of MSS, that enumerate his experiences as an advaitin, number about one hundred and fifty, published in two of his works entitled “Shankara Ananda Tatva,” and “Shankara Ananda Paddati.” The songs, products of a deep advaitic experience, evoke devotion (bhakti) and knowledge (jnAna), make use of humour and ridicule, and are with depth and full of concern. Here is the aspect of an exceptional vedantin. The mudra or signature in these compositions is ‘guru shankara’. It is appropriate to know at this stage that SPB was earlier a disciple of BMK and the former had learnt a lot of music from BMK. It was at the instance of SPB that BMK has chosen six compositions of MSS, tuned it in accordance with the substance of the compositions, and rendered it with orchestral accompaniment. These are the aspects of guru-disciple and disciple-guru here. The compositions selected for rendition have varied themes that highlight the preparations, essentials, and the outlook needed for an advaitic experience. They contain here the need for and the greatness of a guru, wrong identification or ignorance, obeisance to a guru, the barrier due to reliance on name-form, pointers to the highest experience, and the need for a bold venture into seeking the Truth. This is the aspect of the substance of the compositions. The songs are tuned in rAgams shankarabharaNam (aptly the first song on the importance of the instruction from a guru), Anandabhairavi, kalAvati, mukhAri, shuddha dhanyAsi, and sindhu bhairavi. This is the aspect of BMK as a tunesmith, that we are already familiar with. On the path of muraLi gAnam, we come across yet another poet, hitherto much unknown, like the many less known poets and composers whose compositions have been sourced and offered regularly, for the joy of your listening. This is the aspect of the continued uniqueness of muraLi gAnam. 00:00 Album Details 00:00:06 🕉️ Introduction: Sw Paramananda Bharati 00:02:32 1️⃣Bodhisai Guruve – Shankarabharanam 00:09:40 2️⃣Narano Vanarano – Anandabhairavi 00:16:40 3️⃣Gurupadadi Beradu – Kalavathi 00:22:34 4️⃣ Nodamma Nodu – Mukhari 00:28:45 5️⃣ Guruve Para Shivanu – Shuddha Dhanyasi 00:35:02 6️⃣ Tanembu-donduntu - Sindhubhairavi Acknowledgement: My sincere thanks and appreciation to Sri. T K Ramkumar for his narration.