Raag Purvi and the raagaang / thaat associated with it has always fascinated me. In fact , one of the most haunting melodies associated with this matrix in Raag Purvi / Gauri / Shree / Puriya Dhanashree , composed by Pt Hridaynath Mangeshkar, "Jeevalaga rahile re dur ghar" and "Dayaaghanaa" brought me close to Khyaal music / raagdari music and in a way to Hindustani Classical Music. I became a "fanatic" of his "Bhaavsargam maifils (soirees) in Pune and Bombay during my college days, where he sang impromptu almost all night long. Those were really "Wonder years", where younger Hridaynath sang for hours , conversing ,singing impromptu bandishes on which some of his songs were based !
I truly miss such kind of musical soirees now.
The "Poorvi-Pooriya Dhanashree-Paraj-Basant Axis" as mathematician Parrikar explains it, is truly a wonderful set of raags of twilight. I would also include in this axis , the kernel of Shree and Gauri. Almost all raags in this axis are a serious type of raags of evening / twilight that brings a mood of longing and nostalgia, prompting the listener to ponder ! With subtle differences in their chalans , these raags touch a listener, more so with the literature and philosophy of their bandishes and songs based on these bandishes.
Jeevalaga by Savanee Ravindraa on youtube is a good unplugged version .. many similar renditions could be found on youtube and the one I liked is of Manjushree Oak.. a rendition that gives the mature feel of the bandish and the lyrics.
One other rendition of Manjushree Oak , "Ghanu vaje ghun ghuna" based on Bageshree-Gorakh Kalyan too is among my favorites
In this post , I would like to dwell about the "classic" song "Shyam sundar raajasa" based on Paraj-Bahar (with a tinge of Kishori Amonkar famed Pancham Rageshree ) recorded in 1965.
This song haunts one's mind and does not leave a serious listener with any other melodies or thoughts for hours and days together. It almost occupies every minute of your day and just refuses to leave ! I have had this experience and always get those goosebumps and hauntings whenever I hear this rendition of GaanSaraswati , composed by Pt Hrudaynath Mangeshkar , to the lyrics of Shantabai Shelke.
हे श्यामसुंदर राजसा, मनमोहना विनवुनी सांगते तुज जाउ दे मला परतुनी !
गाव गोकुळ दूर राहे दूर यमुनानीर वाहे हरवले मी कसे मज चालले कुठे घनवनीं ?
पावरीचा सूर भिडला मजसि माझा विसर पडला नकळता पाउले मम राहिली इथे थबकुनी !
पानजाळी सळसळे का ? भिवविती रे लाख शंका ! थरथरे, बावरे मन संगती सखी नच कुणी !
One other nice Audio-Visual presentation and interpretation of this song is here on youtube
Before I start my interpretation of this "classic" song, I bow in obeisance to all three of them , for this creation , that has proved to be a gem , a "thing forever" for every student of classical music / khyaal / poetry / literature / philosophy or life ! All the connoisseurs of music , art and philosophy are indebted to them !
In my opinion and pondering, I realize that many have interpreted this song as a thought of Raadha ( a seeker of liberation through bhakti marg). I however would like to present a different interpretation here. I think that this poetry / song is a pondering of a "Mumukshu" ( a sanskrit term for one who is focused on attaining liberation, and a seeker of knowledge and truth )
These are thoughts of a Mumukshu who has reached far at a point in his/her path of attaining liberation, where he finds himself alone/lonely with no one (guru) to guide further. He feels lost and is frightened. He is questioning himself about the path that he is threading. He is enlightened to some realities of life and wishes to return from a "point of no return" !( may be due to disillusionment or foreseeing prospect of death before attaining liberation ). I also feel that this Mumukshu has traveled on the path of "Dnyan Marg" ( as against bhakti marg as in case of Radhaa )
I must apologize to the knowledgeable masters in Philosophy and Spiritual sciences, upfront if my amateurish "spiritual/philosophical" interpretation of this song is wrong because of lack of my knowledge in this domain but ,there are reasons for my interpretation of this song the way I have inferred it above from various clues in lyrics , the choice of raag / melody , the choice of singer by the composer and the overall feel of the song and its impact.
Here they are... some of those clues and data points upon which I have inferred my interpretation :
"विनवुनी सांगते तुज जाउ दे मला परतुनी" - A request to let him return without further threading the path ( regret / disillusionment )
"हरवले मी कसे मज चालले कुठे घनवनीं ?" - Having realized that one is lost in jungle , unable to find a path ahead
"मजसि माझा विसर पडला नकळता पाउले मम राहिली इथे थबकुनी" - After having forgotten "self" on the path to liberation, a point comes when one realizes that the destination is either lost or is unreachable through the path or the body foreseeing the approaching death
"पानजाळी सळसळे का ? भिवविती रे लाख शंका" - The word "Salsale" points towards a reptile or something like a snake ( kaal sarp ) that might signify approaching death that frightens and doubts all the good reasoning that was conceived earlier while following the road taken (path)
"थरथरे, बावरे मन संगती सखी नच कुणी !" - Why would a Mumukshu be frightened , his strong mind waver and regret that there is no companion ? Doesnt this signify disillusionment ?
Some other facts about this song that have pointed towards my interpretation are :
1) My interpretation of this song was more lucid and clear to myself after the sudden death of Gaansaraswati Kishori Amonkar. Her life , her demeanor ,her personality , her brilliance (as a Mumukshu on Dnyan marg) and her sudden unexpected "natural" death .. everything depicts what could be the crux of this song.
2) Shantabai Shelke who undoubtedly is the Saraswati of Marathi literature, blessed with knowledge and highest aptitude of Marathi language ( Vaagyeshwari ) , was herself an ardent "Seeker of truth through Dnyan marg" (mumukshu)
3) The insight of brilliant Pt Hridaynath Mangeshkar , who chose to record this song based on the melody of Paraj-Bahar (plus pancham Bageshree) in the voice of then young and brilliant Kishori Amonkar, in year 1965, sidelining his own talented sisters (Lata , Asha ) who were two of the topmost in those days !
On a personal side note : This song rightly does not belong to voice quality and the personalities of either Lata or Asha. Lata would have sounded it like more of a "longing" ( like Ghanu vaaje ghuna ghun ) and Asha may have either romanticized it or made it sound like Jeevalaga !
This completes my pondering and musings on the interpretation of"Shyamsundar Raajasa".
Critical comments , corrections , comments in agreement or disagreement are all welcome.