||Sri:||
The wise never fail to recall the rich and immense contribution made by our ancestors to the Spiritual and Religious literature of the world. The literature is broadly classified into two: the Shruthi (revealed) and Smrithi (composed). Vedas fall under the category of Shruthi while Itihasas and Puranas are classified as Smrithi. Ramayana and Mahabharata are the Ithihasas while there are eighteen Puranas starting from Srimad Bhagavata. Tradition holds that there are eighteen more upa-Puranas (subsidiary puranas) in addition to the 18 puranas. Aditya Purana is one of the famous upa-Puranas.
The story of Lord Srinivasa of Tirumala (and the different aspects related to this theme) are described in detail in more than one source. We learn from existing literature that the information is spread in many Puranas such as Varaha, Brahmanda, Bhavishyottara, Skanda Purana and Aditya Purana (upa-Purana). Traditionally, Srinivasa Kalyanam as available in different Puranas and Venkatesha Mahatmyam available in Aditya Purana are given special reverence and enacted (in the form of parayana and pravachana) during the months of Vaishaka and the Ashvayuja by the religious.
At the request of Haridasa Chandrika Foundation, Vidwan Sri Dr. Vidyabhushana has undertaken the yeoman service of rendering Venkatesha Mahatmyam embedded within the Aditya purana in a musical form. The version of Venkatesha Mahatmyam as available now (in the printed version) is spread over 5 chapters and a total of 345 shlokhas. The Vidwan has chosen eight of the commonly employed ragas that suit the content of each chapter and rendered the whole content over a total time period of 135 minutes. A special feature of the rendering is that he has chosen a combination of anibaddha (prose: only raga and no tala) and nibaddha (combination of both raga and tala) forms; this combination greatly enhances the listening experience even for the unfamiliar ear.
The Vidwan commences the rendering by providing a brief introduction to Venkatesha Mahatmyam. The first chapter comprises 62 shlokhas and starts of as a request from shaunaka munis to suta puranika to narrate Vemkatsha Mahatmyam at which suta puranika starts off by extolling the greatness of Srinivasa (Srinivasa Vaibhava: Guna mahima anuvarnanam). The Vidvan has chosen to render it in raga Abhogi that is typically employed in the starting phases of a concert as it is sprightly and induces energy and bliss into the listener.
The second chapter is the largest of the five and comprises 98 shlokhas. The objective of this chapter is to describe the beauty of the holy and auspicious form of Lord Srinivasa (Srinivasa divya mangala vigraha soundaryadi varnanam). The Vidvan has employed a combination of three ragas (Durga, Chakravakam and Shudda Saveri) to render this chaper by spacing the transitions to appropriately suit the theme.
The third and fourth chapters are the smallest of the five and comprise 59 shlokhas each. The objective of the third chapter is to describe the different avataras of the Lord (nana avatarah prakarana), specifically the famous ten (dashavataras), followed by a restatement of Vedic message on the Lord’s qualities. The Vidvan has rendered this chapter in the evergreen raga Kalyani raga. The theme of the fourth chapter is a description of Lord’s Cosmic form (Vishvarupadi varnanam) as extolled in Purusha Sooktha and Bhagavad Gita. The concluding part of this chapter glorifies the power of singing Lord’s names (nama sankirtanam) and lists benefits that accrue out of it. The Vidvan has chosen to render this in another evergreen raga Hindolam.
The fifth and final chapter comprises 67 shlokhas that has as its main theme a description of the great merits that accrue to a devotee out of Lord’s blessing grace (stuti prasanna Srinivasa krutha vara prasadadi varnanam: Sri Venkateshasya sakala abhista pradhanumahima anuvarnanam). The last part of this chapter includes the Lord’s benediction to the devotee in His own words, followed by Suta Puranika’s reaffirmation of the theme. Being the concluding chapter, the Vidvan has chosen the traditional path and employed a combination of two ragas (Madyamavathi followed by Sindhu Bhairavi).
In all, this work is a rare treasure of highest quality from two viewpoints: content and music and has come out pristinely and exquisitely. A hearing of this work is sure to instil peace and calm even the unschooled listener, irrespective of his musical and spiritual orientations. What then is to say of the oriented listeners to the divine concept!