Yamuna Kalyani

As serene and beautiful as Yamunā Kalyāṇi sounds in Krishna Nee Begane Bāro, it is proving to be one of the most challenging rāgas I’ve encountered so far.:)

Jambūpate

Raga - Yamuna kalyani

Composer – Muttu-Swami Dikshitar

sAhityam of the kriti:

pallavi

jaṃbū-pate māṃ pāhi nijānandāmṛta-bodhaṃ dehi

anupallavi

aṃbujāsanādi sakala-deva-namana

tuṃburu-nuta hṛdaya-tāpopaśamana

aṃbudhi gaṅgā kāveri yamunā

kaṃbukaṇṭhyakhilāṇḍeśvarī ramaṇa

caraṇam

parvatajā-prārthita-abliṅga-vibho

pañcabhūta-maya prapañca-vibho

sarvajīva-dayākara śaṃbho

sāmajāṭavī-nilaya svayaṃbho

śarva! karuṇā-sudhā-sindho

śaraṇāgata-vatsala ārta-bandho

anirvacanīya-nāda-bindo

nitya-maulīvidhṛta-gaṅgendo

(madhyamakalā sāhityam)

nirvikalpaka-samādhi-niṣṭha śiva kalpa-taro

nirviśeṣa-caitanya nirañjana guru guha guro

Meaning

pallavijaṃbū-pate - O lord Jambukeshvara! (Note and pictures of Jambukeswara temple can be seen on the internet)

māṃ pāhi – protect me, nijānandāmṛta-bodhaṃ dehi - (nija-ānanda-amṛta-bodhaṃ dehi) Give (me) the blissful nectar of the knowledge of the self.

anupallavi

aṃbujāsanādi (aṃbujāsana-ādi – gods beginning with creator Brahma), sakala-deva-namana – worshipped by all the gods. O one saluted by all gods led by the lotus-born Brahma!  

tuṃburu-nuta – praised by the divine singer Tumburu; hṛdaya-tāpopaśamana (hṛdaya-tāpa-upaśamana) one who alleviates the three-fold torments of the heart.

aṃbudhi gaṅgā kāveri yamunā – O one taking the forms of (water bodies such as) the ocean and (rivers like) Ganga, Kaveri and Yamuna

kaṃbukaṇṭhyakhilāṇḍeśvarī-ramaṇa (kaṃbukaṇṭhi-one who has a conch shaped neck, akhilāṇḍeśvarī-ramaṇa – the consort of Akhilandeswari, which means the goddess who is the ruler of all worlds) - O consort of Goddess Akhilandeshvari, the ruler of all the worlds, and whose throat is shapely as a conch. In Vedanta, Shiva is pure consciousness and the goddess is maaya, the power of manifestation as the universe.

caraṇam

parvatajā – the daughter of the mountain (Parvati)-prārthita – worshipped by,-ab-liṅga- the water linga, vibho – o lord. You who are the water Linga, worshipped by goddess Parvati,

pañca-bhūta-maya-prapañca-vibho – you the lord of the universe, formed by the five elements (earth, water, fire, air and space)

sarvajīva-dayākara śaṃbho – you who are compassionate and benevolent to all beings,

sāmajāṭavī-nilaya – (1) one who dwells in the elephant jungle, (2) one who dwells in the world of music, born from Sama Veda, svayaṃbho – self-manifest, one who has not originated from any cause. The word sāmaja means an elephant, or something evolved from the Sama Veda, which is sangeeta-shastra. Commentators have pointed out that the elephant jungle is a jungle named Tiru-anaikkoil, near Jambukeshwar.   

śarva! O destroyer! karuṇā-sudhā-sindho – you are the nectar-ocean, compassionate. Two contradicting qualities are mentioned here. He is the cause of creation, sustenance and dissolution.

śaraṇāgata-vatsala – you take full care of the people who seek your protection.  ārta-bandho – O you the bandhu, dear kin, to the distressed.

anirvacanīya-nāda-bindo – the sound and dot which is beyond description. As per the Nada-bindu Upanishad, nada is sound heard in meditation and bindu is a point, or dot, referring to Om, the symbol of the Supreme Reality. The whole creation is said to emanate from this Supreme Reality, which is beyond description and resolve in it, leading to another cycle of creation.   

nitya-maulīvidhṛta-gaṅgendo – you who always hold Ganga and the crescent moon in your tuft of hair

(madhyamakalā sāhityam)

nirvikalpaka-samādhi-niṣṭha -one who is firmly in a nirvikalpa-samadhi, śiva – auspicious one, kalpa-taro – O wish-fulfilling tree.

nirviśeṣa-caitanya – you who are of the nature of pure consciousness, nirañjana – one who is beyond primal ignorance. guru guha guro – the lord of Guru guha, (referring to lord Skanda and also to the composer Muttuswamy deekshitar).  

Below is a youtube link of a bit of our lesson:

https://youtu.be/A44WBpgxJ4M