C HAP T E R I I

OBSOLETE FORMS

1. PRABANDHAS

2. SULADI

3. UGABHOGA

4. DARU
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I. PRABANDHAS

carnatic Music abounds in patterns of

compositions. Tevaram and Divya Prabandha hymns were

set to music with Raga and Tala in the early centuries

of the Christian era. The music was the same for all

the stanzas that made up a particular composition,

whether it was a Pasuram, Pathikam, Padal, Chindu.

Arunagirinatha's Tiruppugazh appeared almost a thousand

years late~. Yet it followed the single section

pattern, though it explored a vast region of rhythm.

The Tamil songs of the eighteen Siddhars ~ Pambatti,

Azhugani, Kudambai, Kaduveli, Sivavakyar etc. were of

the same type.

It is known that the Tamils assimilated the

material in Bharata's Natya Sastra long before the

Christian era. Illango drew upon it for his classic

"Silapadikaram", centuries before Sarangadeva. This

had been integrated into compositions like Tevaram and

Siddhar padal.

It is generally believed that ancient

Prabandha compositions evolved and flourished in the

post-Bharata period. This belief rests mainly on ·the

 23

fact that no description of or reference to Prabandhas

exists in Bharata's"Natya Shastra. Their description is

available, only in the works of later authors like

Matanga's Brihaddeshi. Nanyadeva's Bharata Bhashyam,

Parshvadeva's Sangeeta Samayasara, Sarangadeva's

Sangeeta Ratnakara, Maharana Kumbha's Sangeeta Raaja,

etc.

'Prabandha' can be defined as any literary

composition. The term means that which is composed, or

that which.a.s bound together "prabhadyathe Iti

Prabhandha:".

In music it denotes a musical form" abiding

certain laws regarding raga, tala, metre, vritta and

anga. Matanga the author of Brihaddesi is considered to

be the first one to define desiprabhandhas. ~erhaps

Matanga is considered to be the father of Desi

Prabandhas.

The successors of Bharata's tradition in

music like Kashyapa, Kohala, Dattila, Yashtika,

Durgashakti are notable. Kohala and Dattila were sons

of Bharata. It is mentioned in the Natyashastra that

 2

Kohala ill complete Bharata's remaining ork.

ash a a as also a contem orary of Bharata.

Unfortunatel the orks of these authors, ith the

exce tio of oattila's oattilam, are not a ai able to

us Do e er, authors like ata ga, Sara gade a,

aharana, umbha etc and commentators Ii e Abhina a

Gu ta, allinatha and Simha Bh pala had studied the

orks of those authors of Bharata's traditio. The

ha e uoted ash apa, Dattila, Koha a etc. in

con ectio ith Prabandhas

That the successors of Bharata described

raba dhas 1 their orks is a strong pointer to the

ossib " i of Prabandhas being i existence in

Bharata"s time The direct or indirect references to

Bharata b al those ho describe Praba dhas notably

Sarangade a, ahara a umbha, Simha Bhupala, further

s or this possibi "

Sara gade a said hat the atter of

raba dha is co pose of four mUSK parts, udgraha,

e a a. dh a a d abho

Udgr a ca be considered as introducing

o tio The means "begi i g' and e ce the name

 25

udgraha. It correspond~_~~~ to upohana and then to the

pallavi of modern kriti. Udgraha can be taken as an

equivalent to sandhi in sanskrit grammar. The matu or

sahitya will be having three Padas (words) having five

syllables each. The Dhathu or music will be similar to

the pallavi. The five syllables figuring in the anga

are vikari, mandhatha, sumati, shobhi and sushobhi.

Melapaka as the name suggests serves as a

connecting link between udgraha and dhruva. Its

correspondence to the Pradyopohana and its function is

considered to be secondary., It also comes as a brief

inter link.

Dhruva or the third section is equivalent to

the Dhruva of ancient time and it serves as a pivot of

this musical structure. It will always be constant.

Abhoga gives a finishing touch to the

Prabhandha form and hence it is considered as the

concluding anga. Its equivalent can be found in the

shirshaka of ancient times.

The Prabhandhas are also possessed of two or

three music-parts. The word Dhruva is used as music

 26

part (dhatu) and also as prabandha which is included in

the salaga-suda category. The word Dhruva connotes

also the idea of permanent (nityatvat) and

indispensable (apartityajya) anga. The music-part

Dhruva combines or brings together two other music-

parts, Melapaka and Abhoga. When the word Dhruva is

used as the third music-part (dhat~) it is used as an

indispensable one (aparityakta), and when it

signifies the majestic type of prabandha-gana of the

salagasuda class, it connotes the idea of permanent and

sacred song.

A prabandha is comprised of all the

four parts, three or two, it had six elements - Swara,

Tala, Biruda, Pada, Tenaka and Pata. Swara and Tala

established the Niryukta (Nibaddha) character of

Prabandha, ensuring its steady courses from Udgraha to

Abhoga. So they were like legs carrying the body.

Percussion and melodic instruments played by the hands

and Susheera Vadyas like the flute and trumpet were

Biruda. They resembled the Brinda and Kutapa of

earlier times. Sahityam that provided the Matu was

Pada. The openiny syllable, 'Tat' in the Mahakavya,

'Tat Twam Asi' , refers to Brahman, the all pervasive

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Macrocosm. ' A Prabandha, with such lofty themes and

sung with devotion and fervour, was a Tenaka, one on a

lower level was Pata.

The absence of concrete illustrations on the

practical side is not without its compensation. The

literary and artistic flair in presentation and the

wealth of imaginative symbolism floodlight the integra-

tion of music into the total fabric of Hindu culture.

Just like the Pancha Makaras, Medini, the first among

the five groups was referred to as Indu, the one moon

without a second. The second, Anandini, was Champu and

Paksha - the former with the twin elements of Gadya and

Padya and the latter comprising two weeks in a

fortnight. The third, Deepani, was rep:r·esentect·,by Gunas,

the three agents Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. The fourth,

Bhavani was symbolisied. by the four arms of Armageddon,

ie. the Chaturanga sena and the four steps to bring

round an adversary - Sarna, Dana, Bheda, Danda. The

fifth, Taravali, brought in cupid's five arrows,

Nilotpalam, lotus, lilly, asoka and chutha, with the

five corresponding emotions - attraction, absorption,

contact, excitement and reaction. The process of

evolution through centuries has transmuted the four

 28

section of prabandha into the Pallavi, Anupallavi and

Charanam of the modern Kriti.

There are two varieties of Suda Prabandhas,

Suddha Suda and Chayalaga Suda. Elas, is termed as

Sudha; Ohruva, Mantha etc. are termed as Chayalaga.

Although according to Acharya, Elas are considered as

'Chayalaga' varieties. People in general term it as

Suddha. It is due to their similarity with Shuddha

Geetakas like Madraka, Aparantaka, etc.

Another classification was three-fold, viz.

Suda Prabandha, Ali Prabandha and Viprakeerna

Prabandha. The first Suda, was of eight kinds - Ela,

Karana, Dhenki, vartani, Jhombada, Lambha, Rasa and

Ekatali. The next, Ali was of twenty-four kinds

Varna, Varnasara, Gadya, Kaivada, Angkacharini, Kanda,

Turangaleela, Gajaleela, Ovipadi, Chakravala,

Karunachapada, Swaratha, Ohvanikuttini, Arya, Gatha,

ovipathaka, Kalahamsa, Totaka, Ghatta, Vrutta, Matruka,

Ragakadamba, Panchataleswara and Talarnava. A

combination of Suda and Ali produced eight more, making

a total of thirty two.

 29

The Ali Prabandha was Kaivada in which rhyme

and metre rather than Pada and Tala, predominated~ Kara

Pata, items of music executed by hand, had reference to

rhythm more than melody in this context. That is why

Udgraha and Dhruva were relegated to the background,

though the two were the most important section of the

Prabandha.

Kaivada fell into four groups Suddha

Kaivada with a significant theme, Suddha with no theme,

Suddha Kaivada with a theme coupled with Misra and

Suddha Kaviada with no theme and coupled with Misram.

Abhoga carried the signature of the leader and the

singer as well as the name of the Prabandha. Kaivada

was niryukta, Tri dhatu and of Bhavani Jati. Lastly

Viprakeerna Prabhanda had no less than thirty six

varieties Sri ranga, Srivilasa, Panchabhangi,

Panchanama, Umatilaka, Tripadi, Chatushpadi, S~tpadi,

Vastusamghya, Vijaya, Tripatha, Chaturmukha,

Simhaleela, Hamsaleela, Dandaka, Khampata, Kanduka,

Tribhangi, Haravilasa, Sudarsana, Swaranka,

Sreevardhana, Harshavardhana, Vadanam, Chanchari,

Charya, Paddahedi, Rahadi, Veerasri, Mangalachara,

Dhavala, Mangala, Ovi, Loli, Dhollari and Danti.
 30

The prabandha is further possessed of five

jatis, and they are : Medini, Anandini, Dipani, Bhavani

and Taravali. The above mentioned six limbs (angas)

are known as medini jati. The jati with five limbs is

known as Anandini, the jati with four limbs is known as

Dipani; the jati with three limbs, is known as Bhavani,

and the Taravali jati is known by its two limbs. These

five jatis are also known as sruti, niti, sena, kavita

and champu. The last ones are generally used in

poetry.

Generally prabhandha is divided into two,

Aniryukta and Niryukta. The Aniryukta one is said to

be the song when it is not bound by chchanda, tala,

anga, dhatu, rasa and bhasa etc., and when gana is

bound by these ~arts,. it is ~nown as Niryukta.

Aniryukta is known as alapa, and niryukta, as song.

Sahityam, the word content of a Pada, had its

own, inherent appeal. But Dhatu was an effective agent

in enhancing the appeal, por the melodic attire

displayed to advantage the beauty of fringe, fold and

colour in the Matu, as every step in rhythm played hide

and seek with them. The element of Matu with vigour

and compactness through an appropriate choice of

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Swaras, particularly Graha and Nyasa ~old style) the

first and the last note in an Udgraha, Dhruva or Abhoga

enhanced their liFe with energy. Rasa, Tala and Druta

Laya added to these, was the feature "Swaradyam".

Pata, rhythmic solfa woven into phrases and

played with the hand on percussion instruments for

accompanying melody, had also a subsidiary role as a

sort of Melapaka leading melody from Udgraha to Dhruva

and thence to Abhoga. This element of Patapoorvakam has

developed a great deal in the compositions of post-

Thyagaraja period. The leading artiste in a concert

today can commission Patapoorvakam and make the

progress of a song from Pallavi to Anupallavi and then

on to Charanam quite interesting, exciting and

instructive if he has a firm grip on Layam and is able

to guide the percussionist with competence and

confidence.

Finally, Alankara, the science of rhetoric

and figures of speech, with ~ts three branches, Sarna,

Vishama and Misrita (Sabda, Artha and Sabdhartha)

brought forth nine more Dhenkis with Muktavali. The

Dhenkis on the whole were a ,family of thirty Niryuktas

 32

of the Taravali clan, with only Pada and Laya out of

the six Angas.

The duration of a Laghu and a Matra was the

same and that a Guru was twice a Laghu was a

fundamental fact that needed no emphasis. The Udgraha

and Dhruva in a Kanda Prabandha accounted together for

sixty Matras or thirty Gurus. Breaking all the Gurus

except one into Laghus one after the other, produced a

crop of twenty nine Prabandhas. The operation started

with second Guru. Two Laghus with one Guru to its left

and: twenty- eight to its right brought forth Kama

Prabandha. The rest of the twenty-eight in the

ascending order of the number of Gurus split into

Laghus. They were Artha, Dharma, Utsaha, Vikrama,

Vinayam, Naya, Koormaka, Kadamba, Hasti, Karabha, Hari,

Keki, Sarasa, Suka, Madhupa, Jayanda( Makarandhwaja,

Madhava, Madhu, Sailaka, Sasi, Varuna, Samudra,

Suranatha, Haryavahana, Dhanada, Ravisamgnyiaka and

Pavana with all the thirty Gurus changed into sixty.

Laghus. Since the Prabandha was Tala Varjita, the

number of Gurus and Laghus signifies nothing more than

Kala, the Nishabda interval filled up by Dhatu-Matu.

Sarangadeva elaborately described them in the

San~ita-Ratnakara. The methods of their rendering are

 33

also described. As for example, the ela-prabandhas are

sung with three music-parts (dhatus), udgraha,

melapaka, and dhruva. In these thre.e parts, songs are

repeated twice or thrice. The presiding deities of the

padas are also mentioned, and they are padmalaya,

patrini, Ranjani, etc. From these it is understood that

though the contemplative compositions (dhyana-mantras)

and ~ictures of the ragas were definitely made in the

16th-17th century.

The ela-prabandhas are characterised by nada,

dhvani, aksara, alamkara, etc. Sarangadeva described

them in his Sangita-Ratnakara in the slokas IV. 41-132.

Then he described the karana-prabandhas in the slokas

IV. 133-146 and the dhenki-prabandhas in the slokas IV.

147. He did further define and describe sixteen kinds

of dllruvn-prnbnndhas to detail in the slokas IV. 316-

379. Sarangadeva said that all the types of Prabandha

should be produced with ten qualities, so as to make

them sweet, colourful and appealing, and these ten

qualities are vyakta, purna, prasanna, sukumara,

alamkrta, sarna, surakta, slanka, vikrsta, madhura. Ten

specific qualities are also found in the Narad~iksa of

the 1st century A.D.

 34

It should be mentioned in this connection

that the dhrupad type of majestic and charming song

evolved from the prabandha-gana and it evolved from the

salaga suda prabandha. Pandit Vishnunarayana

Bhatkhande quoted some definite characteristic features

(laksanas) of the dhruvapada, as described by Pandit

Bhavabhatta in his Anupa-Sangita-Ratnakara.

Ela prabandha is the first group taken up for

treatment. It is the first of the eight varieties of

Sooda prabandha. Sarngadeva reckons' this prabandha as

numbering three hundred and fifty six. He defines this

as tridhatu as it deletes Melapaka.

The break up of the number is as follows.

Suddha Gana Ela - 4, Vikruta Gana Ela -,93, Sankeerna

Gana Ela 15, Matra Ela - 20, Varna Ela 24,

Karnataka Desa Ela - 40, Lata Desa Ela - 40, Gauda Desa

Ela - 40, Andhra Desa Ela - 40, Dravida Desa Ela - 40.
Present in the lot are Chatur-Dhatu, Tri-Dhatu, Dvi-
Dh<l\.f-hu. p"V'o.~A.hd..hAS o..e(e.h:." O"'le. ov move o~ LLd 1v~httl
Melapaka and Abhoga. Cast in rhythmic frames, they all

are Niryukta (Nibaddha) Prabandhas.

 3S

Suddha Ela begins with Udgraha of three Padas

with five syllables each. With no indication of their

Matu (Sahityam) their Dhatu is repeated twice, the

second time with appropriate changes in melodic idiom

~
with an eye on creative attempt. This Udgraha is

followed by Prayoga, a spell of Anibanddha Ganam

rendered extempore. Writers like Someswara looked upon

this Prayoga as Melapaka, the second section of

Prabandha. Next came the three Padas of Dhruva. The

first and second padas were in medium tempo while the

last was in slow tempo. The middle Pada, again, was in

praise of some deity or royal patron, while the last

part, abhoga carried the composer's signature or

Ankita, the Dhatu revealing the composer's

individuality and talent in embellishing the sixteen

padas of the concluding section. Barring one or two

oblique references to Matu as noted above, the

treatment in general is obscure and lopsided, despite

the noble diction and the lofty and expensive

perspective. The method of winding up an Ela Prabandha

with the repetition of certain paEts of it and the role

of Sarna, Anagata and Atita Grahas - these too, elude

clear comprehension of the Dhatu~Matu music of the

period.
 36

Kama, Manmatha, Kanta, Jita, Matta, Vikari,

Mandhata, Sumati, Shobhi, Sushobhi, Geetika,Nuta,

Vichitra, Vasava, Mrudu, Suchitra, etc are the sixteen

themes of padas in Ela prabandha.

Padmalaya, Patrinee, Rajani, Sumukhee, Sachi,

Varenya, Vayuvega, Padini, Mohini, Jaya, Gouri, Brahmi,

Matangi, Chandika, Vijaya, Chamundi, are the sixteen

celestials associated with the corresponding padas in

the Ela prabandha.

Samana, Madhura, Sandra, Kanta, Deepta,

Samahlta, Agramya, Sukumara, Prasanna, Ojasvi - these

are the ten sources of life and energy for the padas in

the Ela Prabandhas. The first five vibrate in the

eleven padas, Kama to Geeta, and the rest in the

remaining five padas, Nuta, Vichitra, Vasava, Mrudu and

Suchitra.

In ancient usage, gana in music meant a

group of rhythmic symbols like Guru and Laghu. Gana was

a cabinet that preserved the units of rhythm. It had

the blessings of a hierachy of eight celestials known

by the mnemonics - A, Ka, Cha, Ta, Tha, Pa, Ya, Sa. The

~ letters stood for Moon, Mars, Mercury, the vital breath

 37

of life identified with the soul, Venus, Dragon's Tail,

Sowree, Consort of the Sun and the Sun itself. The

benefits that Varna derived from them and transmitted

to its devoted exponents were long life, untarnished

fame and name, worthy progeny, good fortune, felicity,

dynamic activity and conquest of death, attempting

offer of the good things of life indeed.

Gana Ela acquired its glory from the

pervasive vitality of the Matra Ganas- (group of

rhythmic phrases) that formed an integral part in its

Dhatu Matu cohesion.

Gana Ela was of three kinds Suddha,

Sankeerna and Vikruta. Suddha Gana Ela, in turn, had

four off-shoots - Nadavati, Hamsavati, Nandavati and

Bhadravati. These categories mainly embraced the Matu

of the prabandha and were characterised -by four Vrittis

and four Reetis. Vritti was the play of Trikarana

thought, word and deed. The first Kaiski Vritti,

imparted depth of meaning and refinement to the word

content. The second, Arabhati, exalted the level of the

theme. The third, Satvati and the fourth Bharati, lent

majesty and delicacy.

 38

Heeti was avtitude for choice expression

depicting the three Gunas - Sattva, Rajas and Tamas.

However, only one Reeti, Panchali was mentioned as

comprising two elements, Gaudi and Vaidarbhi. The other

three Reetis, left unspecified wer~ equated with the

three vrittis supplementary to Kaisiki. Gaudi panchala

Reeti was noteworthy for the ornate compounds

indication and beauty of thought. Vaidarbhi Reeti

flowed in a soft, smooth stream free from harsh,

grating sounds. Obviously Panchali Reeti dealt only

with Sattva, the first and the most desirable of the

three Gunas. This was the hall-mark of Nandavati Gana

Ela prabandha. Owing its life breath to Rig Veda, it

was Brahminical in spirit and a favourite of Bharati,

the goddess of speech (Saraswathi). The second,

Hamsavati, derived from Yajur veda, stirred by the

spirit of the Kshatriya, couched in Arabhati vritti,

depicted Raudra Rasa. It was a favourite with goddess

Chandika. Lati Reeti, mentioned for the first time,

obviously pointed to the Rajasic nature of Harnsavati.
Mention of Ragana, Dviteeya Tala and Hindola hardly

helps in getting a clear picture of Hamsavati Gana Ela.

The next, Nandavati, was born of Sarna Veda. It bore the

stamp of the Vaisya, whatever it meant. It combined

 39

Sattvati vritti and Gaudi Recti. A favourite of yoddc88

Indrani, it conveyed Veera Rasa and was in

Malavakaisiki Raga, Pratitala. The last, Bhadravati,

traced its origin to the Atharva Veda. It was assigned'

a black colour, in contrast to Nandavati which exuded

an yellow hue. It was relagated to the fourth class in

the social fabric. It was of Bharati Vritti and

Vaidarbhi Reeti, already explained. Its predominant

emotion was Beebhastsa, aversion and disgust, probably

symptomatic of Tamas. This section ends with a

statement that numerous, lesser known Sankeerna Gana

Ela Prabandhas had been omitted by the author

Sarangadeva.

Then on to a conglomerate of Prabandhas

grouped together as Vikruta Gana Elas, aggregating to a

total of ninety-three. The term, 'Vikruta' arose from

'Vikara' a transformation of the original, natural

state. A Vikruta Gana was one that changed its Guru,

Laghu content and yet retained its affinity in some

respects.

Indumati, Jyothimati, Nabhasvati and Vasumati

were four Matra Elas propounded by ancient authorities,

Nandikeswara, Matanga and others. Of these, Indumati

 40

had five Ta Ganas and five Chcha Ganas, the former

fifteen Matras and the latter, thirty. Jyothimati

comprised five Pa Ganas and one Chcha Gana, making a

total of thirty-one Matras.

The eight Matra Elas noticed thus far were

followed by four more attributed to Dhananjaya,

Bavyasachi or Arjuna. The Matra content of the four

Buddha Gana Elas, Nadavati, Hamsavati, Nandavati and

Bhadravati, was manipulated and this combination

presented the third group of four Matra Elas.

From both the angles of technique and

aesthetics, enlightenment as well as entertainment, the

utility of converting Gana Elas into Matra Elas is hard

to determine in the absence of concrete illustrations

of practical music.

Varna Ela was the third among the four

groups. The treatment is all too brief with but

seventeen lines of verse listing prabandha names and

ten lines of commentary saying little more than that

the Raga, Tala, Rasa, Reeti, Vrutti and Devata aspects

of Buddha and Vikruta Gana Ela and Matra Ela prabandhas

 41

held good in the case of Varna Elas, too, and that

whatever difference there was related only to changes

in 'Gana Matra'.

The fourth and last group of Ela prabandha

was Desa Ela. Holding sway in the five regions of

Karnataka, Lata, Gauda, Andhra and Dravida, it

flourished in five languages. Apparently, there were

other regional differences that marked them out as five

distinct types.

The other four Desa Elas were dispensed with

in two couplets, a line for each. Lata Ela shone with

the appeal and lingual charm native to the region.

Innocent of Gamaka or Prasa, Gauda Ela was content with

one Rasa, and that undefined. Versatile in Rasa and

Raga and charged with emotional evocative power was

Andhra Ela. Replete with Bhava and Rasa, though devoid

of Prasa, was Dravida Ela, of which there were forty.

Dravida Gana had out-grown the circumscribed dimensions

of Desa Ela long before Sarangadeva's time. Perhaps a

species of Dravida Ela, still current in his days, was

elbowed out subsequently by Tevaram, Tirupugazh etc. At

all events, Dravida Ganam without Prasa is totally

inconceivable.
 42

Of the eiyht varieties of Suda prabandha,

Karana followed. Ela as the second Karana, in its turn,

had its quota of features viz Swaradyam, Patapurvakam,

Bandhadimam, Padadayam, Tenadyam, Birudadimam,

Chitragyam and Misrakaranam.

The next, Denki Prabandha centered like Ela

and Karana before on the four sections. The first half

of Udgraha was repeated twice and followed by the

second half. The role of Melapaka in this prabandha was

not constant. Its structure and theme revolved round

the character of the Prabandha. Some authorities held

Udgraha and Melapaka in Dhenki to be Aniryukta. In'

that case the link between Udgraha and Dhruva was

Prayoga. Udgraha-Melapka was Dhenkika or Kankala, slow

tempo and accelerated the tempo into either medium or

fast. The Dhatu of the first and second parts of Dhruva

was in the same octave while that of the third part

climbed up into the higher register, Dhruva as a whole

was gone through twice and wound up with Abhoga with

the terminal note of the first part of Dhruva as Nyasa

(old style).

After Ela, Karana and Denki came Varttani. It

followed Karana Prabandha in the matter of Swara for

 43

UdgrahR an~ OhruvR an~ of p~da for Abhoga. Dhruva and

Abhoga followed two repetitions of Udgraha and Nyasa

provided by Dhruva. Though the tempo was Vilamba, the

Tala went out of the 9rouP of four ~aded by Kanakala.

Melapaka not putting in its appearance, the Prabandha

was Tri-Dhatu. The discipline of Swara and Tala

proclaimed its Niryukta character, while the three

elements, Swara, Laya and Pada (Raga, Tala and Bhava)

assigned it to Bhavani Jati.

Jhombada was the next Suda protege. The first

half of its Udgraha came in for two repetitions and the

second half had but a single run. As in the case of

Dhenki, Melapaka was not constant. Yet prayoga,

provided a link between Udgraha and Dhruva, Abhoga

concluded the Prabandha with a Nyasa (terminal)

provided by Dhruva.

The Jhombada family, as will be seen

presently was a legion. So no· less than ten Talas

attended on them. The corps comprised Nissaruka,

Kudakka, Triputa, Talika and Ekatali. Some authorities

added Mantha to the number though Sarangadeva found it

missing in actual practice.

 44

The six varieties of Gadya Prabandha flowing

into the six tempos produced a total of thirty-six

Gadya prabandhas. Of course ,the different tempos could
also be computed in Gurus, as a Guru was in fact two

Laghus (old style) often Nimeshas. But a nebulous

method of putting together Gurus and Laghus to evolve

Madhya, Vilambita and Druta, Madhya appears to have

been in vogue.

Gadya prabandha was Tri-dhatu and of Bhavani

Jati. It was one of the manifestations of Omkara. So it

had to be approached with devotion and humanity. The

fifteen principal Gamakas, the four elements of Varna

(old style) viz. Sthayi '(Karvai), Arohi, Avarohi and

Sanchari. Aniryukta Udgraha and passages of Raga woven

into the fabric of the prabandha and sandwiched

appropriately between sections of Matu, introduction to

suitable Talas in the Niryukta portions, Dhruva and

Abhoga, repetition of sections together or separately

according to the demands of prabandha technique, a

subtle balance between the implicit rhythm in Raga

interludes and the explicit rhythm in the last two

sections, composer's signature towards the end of the

prabandha etc are the features incorporated in the

 45

innumerable patterns of composition that flooded the

field of Carnatic music since the days of Venkitamakhi.

II SULADIS

Music was the most powerful medium of

communication of great and vibrant ideas among the

masses. The Haridasas resorted to music to enlighten

the people on the sublime percepts of the Vedas and the

Upanishads. They carried the great intricacies of

philosophical thoughts to all classes of the common

people far and wide in Karnataka through Gita and

Prabandha, characterised by the dominance of Laya and

Tala (Laya-tala-pradhana) and through Ugabhogas

characterised by the dominance of Swara and Raga

(Swara-raga-pradhana). They regarded the Kirtana mode

of approach to reality as one of the nine forms of

Bhakti (Navavidhabhakti) and effectively used this form

for conveying the message of Dvaita philosophy and love

of the divine Krishna to those for whom the scriptures

were remote and incomprehensible.

In contrast to contemporary saints in other

parts of India, the Haridasas composed songs in a

 46

variety of forms Pada, Suladi, Ugabhoga,

Tattvasuvali, Sloka, Kanda, Vachana, Gadya, Sisapadya,

Vritta, Dvipadi, Tripadi, Chaupadi, Satpadi, Ashtapadi,

Ragale, Yalapada, etc.

In the number of compositional types

created, Purandaradasa has no equal. In everyone of

these the same perfect mingling of sense, word and
music is noticeable. He was a renowned composer of

Suladis, Ugabhogas, Kirtanas, Lakshana Gitas, Tana

Varna~ and so on. It is stated that Adiappayya modelled

his Tana Varnas on those of Purandaradasa. A great

number of his Kirtanas are in Madhyamakala. All'

varieties of talas are used like Adi, Chapu and Jhampa

talas are more favoured. Some of his compositions are

replete with Nayika - Nayaka bhava and they are apt to

be mistaken for Kshetragna's. In Bhava, raga and tala,

they are the mode~ for all pada composers.

Suladi is the type of composition which

exhibits Purandaradasa'$ extraordinary mastery over the

technique of music. This is the exclusive preserve of

the Haridasas and'among them Purandara was the most

prolific composer of this musical form, he is reputed

 47

to have composed as many as 64000 Suladis. The term

Suladi itself occurs in the sahitya of one

Purandaradasa's compositions starting with the words

'Vasudevana namavaliya'. These suladis owe their

origin to the Salaga Suda Prabandhas which in general

gave greater prominence to the tala than the raga
(Alapthi) aspect.

The term SulaQi or Sudadi itself emerged from

Suda, which became S~a, and is derived from the root

'suI' meaning to sound and to occur in a pre"- ordained

manner; this indicates that all these songs were

rendered in a set sequence to the seven specific Suladi

talas. While to start with, the Salaga Sudas were
regarded as seven separate and distinct entitles, by

the 15th century they came to be designated and sung as

one single prabandha called Suladi, its seven parts

considered stanzas or equivalents of Charanas, set to

one of the suladi talas. Apart from this, change from a

multitude of Desi talas to the seven specific suladi

talas, another change which the saints of the

Haridasakuta. of Karnataka were instrumental in bringing
about was the fusion of the seven Salaga Suda

Prabandhas into a composite whole. The Suladis in their

present form and structure were created and propagated

 48

by the Haridasas during the 15th and 16th centuries, so

that both this term and musical form have come to be

identified today with these saint composers. The Suladi

remains a distinct form characteristic of Dasa Sahitya

and the devotional music of Karnataka. Another

alteration that the Suladis underwent in the course of

their evolution from Salaga Suda Prabandhas - for which

too the Haridasas were solely responsible - was with

regard to theme. Whereas the Salagas embraced any

topic ranging from mundane love to the adulation of

patrons and kings, the Suladis pertained largely to

divine praise and glory in addition to social and moral

uV1ift. This is in harmony with the belief that Suladi

is derived from the terms 'Suluhu' (easy) and 'Hadi'

(pathway), suggesting that devotion or Bhakti, Suladi's

keynote, is also the easy path to salvation.

The suladi is a learned, elaborate, and

difficult piece giving a most comprehensive view of all

the important raga sancharas. Many suladis are also in

talamalikas structure. In other words, a multiplicity

of ragas is used, each stanza being set to a different

raga in addition to a different Suladi tala. It is said

that whereas Sripadaraya and Purandaradasa composed

their suladis as ragatalamalikas, this practice was

 .49

modified by Purandaradasa's disciple Vijayadasa, who

set an entire Suladi to a single raga. The

specifications regarding ragas are not however as

stringent as those with respect to the talas. This is

indeed surprising considering that musicologists like

Tulaja have cited prayogas from several Suladis of

Purandaradasa as authoritative examples to illustrate

the Lakshanas of ragas then in vogue.

Suladi was a device used for avoiding the

perplexing labyrinth of the tala structure evolved out

of the 108 talas and confining only to the seven talas.

It is this narrowing down to the seven talas with the

five jathis in each tala that gave them the name,

Suladi Talas. To Purandaradasa goes the credit of

formulating the suladi talas and the seven tala

alankaras namely Dhruva, Madhya, Rupaka, Jhampa,

Triputa, Ata and Eka. with the five Jathis namely

Tisra, Chaturasra, Khanda, Misra and Sankeerna in each

of these Talalankaras, the 35 tala scheme is complete.

There is a tala called Sula in the North.

This is of ten Matras. It is possible to guess that

this might have influenced the Haridasas to sing their

 50

pieces in Mathya (which is an equivalent to sula),

Jhampa, Arajampa, Khandachapu and the like. It is quite

likely that compositions started in this manner might

have assumed the name of Suladis.

The general characteristics of the suladis

are: Firstly, the suladis contain five to ten charanas

also called Dalas. There is no division into pallavi,

anupallavi and charanam as we find in a kriti. At the

end of each charana or dala or in the course of it, the

opening words or other equally important words are

repeated like a Pallavi. The couplet which forms the

last dala is called as Jathe (or pair). It contains the

essense or is an epitome of the preceeding parts. The

number of lines differs not only from suladi to suladi

but even from stanza to stanza in the same suladi.

Secondly, the text is generally in praise of

the Lord. This is the essence of the Bhakthi cult. The

"be all and end - all" of the Bhakthi cult is the

attainment of Eternal Bliss. The best example of this

type of Suladi is the 'Navavidha Bhakthi Suladi' of

Purandaradasa. The nine kinds of Bhakthi namely:

 51

"Saravanam Keertanam Vishnoh Smaranam

Padasevanam Archanam Vandanam, Dasyam,

Sakhyamat. 'manivedanam"

are graphically described in this suladi prefaced by a

sloka which gives the nine champions of the nine
bhakthis. The words 'Hariya Ombhathu Bhakthiya Balla,

Dheera' are the opening words of the navavidhabhakthi

suladi. In each, the ankita of Purandaradasa occurs.

This particular suladi does not end with the usual
concluding couplet. The suladi contains the

quintessence of Bhakthi. Besides the Bhakthi content,

there are suladis which highlight the spiritual

experiences or teachings or even hist~rical incidents.

Thirdly the text or the sahitya is on the

Aksharalaya pattern. The rhythm adopted at the

beginning is uniformly the same throughout. Some times

the nadai or gathi of charana also varies. If one
charana is sung in slow tempo (vilambanadaiJ, another

may be in fast tempo (druta nadai).

Fourthly, there is no hard and fast rule that

each charana should consist of the same number of

cycles (avarthas) . The text become's elastic and is

consequently expanded till the idea to be presented is

complete,. The tala cycles may be more or less.

 52

Fifthly the rules of prasa are not strictly

enforced. Some liberties are allowed here and there.

The ankita or the signature of the composer

occurs in each charana. This could be the sixth

feature. The prescribed order of the seven talas is not

always followed though the composition is set to

different talas. Repetition of talas does not vitiate

the suladi. This is the seventh feature. Generally the

Dhruva Tala, Triputa and Ata are in misra gathi.

Khandagathi is found in Mathya and Jhampa tala.·Adi and

Rupaka tala will be in chaturasra.

The usefulness of suladis in developing a

profound knowledge in the seven talas is always there.

Because of the prominence in laya, its adaptability to

dance becomes easy. One raga may be used for the whole

composition. Sometimes different ragas are also used.

In such cases, the suladis become ragatalamalikas.

Lastly, the Varna Mattu does not tread the

familiar pattern. It has been developed in a mode

easily adaptable for raga elaboration. The

comprehensiveness of the raya idea cannot be gainsaid.

 53

The twelve characteristic features of suladis help us

to understand the structural value of them. The two

fold development of raga and tala at the same time is

an unique feature. The possibility of rendering them

in two or three kalas or in the same kala is a proof of

the flexible character of suladis.

Though the suladis acquired importance at the

hands of Purandara Dasa, they came into being in the

days of Sree Padaraya, the first of the Haridasa Kuta.

1. "Annanta Kaladalli Ninna Nanariyade"

2. "Ee Vanadedegalu E lathe Vanagalu"

3. "Ninnadheena Sareera Karana Chesttegalalla"

are the only three suladis composed· by him. But each

one is a beauty by itself. Narahari Teertha who was

earlier to Sree Padaraya by at least one hundred and

fifty years is credited with the authorship of a few

suladis. But there is dispute regarding this.

Therefore, it would be safe to start with Sree Padaraya

who has been regarded as the first of the Dasakoota as

per the sloka--

"Namah Sree Padaraya Namaste Vyasayaogine

Namah Purandarayaya Vijayarajayate namaha"

 54

The chronological tab,le of the Haridasas who composed

suladis and ugabhogas are as follows:

1. Sree Padaraya 1450 to 1542

2. Sree Vyasaraya 1467 to 1539

3. Sree Purandara Dasa 1484 to 1564

4. Kanaka Dasa 15th century

5. Vadiraja Dasa 15th century

6. Sree Vijaya Dasa 1637 to 1735

7. Sree Prasanna Venkatadasa .. 1660 to 1752

8. Sree Gopala Dasa 1721 to 1762

9. Sree Jagannatha Dasa 1728 to 1809

Belonging to the early part of the 15th

century, Sripadaraya is chronologically one of the

earliest among the Haridasasa. He was born at Mulbaagal

in kolar district and his original name was

Lakshminarayana. He was the first among the Haridasas

to introduce Kannada and thereby inculate the doctrine

of Dvaita in Kannada. His Ishtadevata was Ranganatha

vittala. The songs of Sripadaraya are characterised not

only by a strong fervour but also a happy blend of

rhythm and meaning, thereby creating a very pleasing

sensation both in the minds and ears of the listeners.

 55

Only a few songs of Sripadaraya are presently

available.

Vyasaraya, (late 15th century and early 16th

century) later known as Chandrikacharya was born at

Bannur in Mysore district and became the spiritual

adviser to the Rayas of Vijayanagar. Having received

initiation at the hands of Sripadaraya, Vyasaraya had a

number of famous and illustrious disciples including

Purandara Dasa, Kanaka Dasa and Vaadiraja. Though

Vyasaraya was a great sanskrit scholar with many

outstanding works in sanskrit to his ~redit, he has

also composed a number of devotional songs in -Kannada,

thereby catering to the needs of the lay public in

Karnataka. His signature was Sri Krishna.

The suladis of Purandaradasa are full of

beautiful ideas. King Tu1aja of Tanjavoor who ruled

between 1729 to 1735 cites in his "Sangeetha Saramrita"

numerous Prayogas from the suladis of Purandaradasa as

classic a,uthori ty for ragalakshana,s. Subbarama

Dikshitar, the author of the celebrated work "Sangeetha

Sampradaya Pradarshini" gives Purandaradasa's Suladi in

the raga Bhoopa1i commencing with the words "Tandeyagi

 56

Tayiyagi" as an example of a suladi in the three nadais

- Vilamba, Madhya and Druta.

Probably the best among the Suladis of

Purandara Dasa is the one called "Brahmananda Suladi".

As the name itself suggest this was composed by him

when he was in an ecstacy on beholding the beautiful

vision of his Ishtadaiva, Lord vittala. The theme is

that the vision of each part. from foot to the head of

the 'Lord is blissful. The last pair contain this idea.

The talas used are Chatusra, Triputa and Tisra Triputa.

It starts with the words "A Pada Ananda, Anakha Ananda,

A Janau Ananda" and ends with "Jnanandamaya Purandara

vittalana - Nana roopagalella anandamayavayya".

Beginning with the foot of Lord Vittala

Purandara Dasa goes on describing every part of His

Divine Body. Even the work of Hari is a delight, so is

His humour. To be His servants is itself a delight. His

knowledge is delight. The various forms of Purandara

Vithala are a feast to the eyes. When Purandaradasa

described the form, deeds and manifestations of vithala

in such a delightful manner, the inner delight he felt

must have gushed out like water gushing out of the

floodgates.
 57

In "Odeya Suladi" Purandara Dasa narrates how

he would serve vithala as a servant serves his master.

It is in Dhruva, Madhya, Triputa, Ata and Adi with the

pair coming) in the last. "Odeya ondadi ide havigeyava

nanu" i.e., if any Lord steps out, it is I who place

his Padukas for Him to wear". The Dasa suladi

commencing with the words "Manave Aslisikelu" is in

Dhruva Mathya, Triputa, Ata, Adi with the pair "Jana

Bhakthi Vairagya Neenu Padeyo Manave" coming in the

last. In the "Ach?rya Suladi" Purandara Dasa pays his

respects to Sri Madhvacharya. In the cradle suladi

called "Jojo Suladi" commencing with the words "Ambudhi

Tottilagi Aladeleyagi" Purandara Dasa describes Sri

Krishna as a Baby.

Purandara Dasa's synthesis of sahityakshara

swara, raga and laya is the very acme of perfection.

His language is poetic replete with fresh imageries,

similies and metaphors. His utterances reveal a depth

of penetrative insight, universal understanding and

uncommon metaphysical subtlety worthy only of the

creators .of the Epics. Though Purandara Dasa cannot be·

called the originator of Suladis·; and Ugabhogas, it is

indisputable that it was he who gave a form and shape

 58

to these rare musical compositions. He perfected them.

Music and poetry flow full conveying great tradition

and consecrated wisdom of ages before the common man

could ride the full crest of the wave of his flood and

partake something of his divinities.

Kanakadasa, a contemporary of Purandaradasa

was, also born towards the end of the 15th century. His
birth place was Bada in Dharwar district. He became a

disciple of Vyasaraya who offered him-the holy thirtha

and accepted him into the fold of the Dasakuta. Kanaka

Dasa was one of the most sublime thinkers and mystics

of his age. His songs are known for their simplicity of

style and deep religious import. The mudra used by him

is either Kaginele Adi Kesava or Badada Adikesava.

Vadiraja Thirtha also known as Sodararaya was

a contemporary of both Purandara Dasa and Kanakadasa

and like them a disciple of Vyasaraya. He also was

born towards the end of the 15th century at Huvinakere

in South Kanara District. He was an eminent scholar in

sanskrit and kannada~

Vijayadasa was born at Chikalparvi in Raichur

District and his original name was Dasappa. He has

 59

composed more than 25,000 songs which are not only

imbued with a strong fervour of devotion but also

characterised by originality of thinking.

Gopaladasa, originally known as Bhaganna, was

born early in the 18th century at Masarukallu in

Raichur district. He received initiation at the hands

of Vijayadasa. In the whole range of Haridasa

literature, Gopaladasa's devotional songs are

outstanding. They are characterised by a rare combina-

tion of extreme simplicity and sublimeness and cover a

vide range of topics in the domai~ of mysticism.

Jagannadha Dasa was born in the early part

of the 18th century and belonged to the Raichur

district. . His original name was Srinivasa. He was a

great composer and writer of great merit in the Kannada

language .. In addition to hundreds of devotional songs

and Tattuvasuvalis, he is also the author of the well

known Harikathaamrita sara which propounds in a nut-

shell, the tenets of Dvaita. They bear eloquent

testimony to his learned scholarship and perfect grasp

of the religious and philosophical lore in regard to

Vaishnavism.
 60

Vijaya Dasa has given 80 suladis. Among them

the suladis on Ramayana, Bhagavatha (10 cantos) and

Mahabharatha are long. There are suladis ln' 'praise of

sripadaraya,V~asaraya and Purandara Dasa.

III UGABHOGAS:

This is another compositional form exclusive

to Dasa Sahitya and the devotional music of Karnataka.

The Haridasas, Purandaradasa in particular have been

the exclusive architects of the Ugabhogas. But in

contrast to Suladi, the term Ugabhoga does not find

mention in any of our musiocological treatises. The

term is considered to be a corruption of the compound

Udgrahabhoga formed by the combination of two of the

angas of'the medieval Prabandha, Udgraha and Abhoga,

with some of its middle letters getting obliterated

with time. Another view is,that Ugabhoga is derived

from Ug and Abhoga. Everything that falls within the

ambit of man's experience is abhoga and the narration

of such experience through words is Ugabhoga. When the

Haridasa was in a trance in communion with his

Ishtadevata, his innermost thoughts and experiences

spontaneously poured forth in literary and musical

forms. This is the genesis of the Ugabhoga~

 61

It may therefore be described as the essence

or epitome of exalted experience. From the point of

view of Bhava, it is deemed to be the direct

translation of the thoughts of the composer in the

ectasy of inspiration. The theme is short and simple

but varied and is invariably religious, ritualistic,

spiritual or divine. The composition is essentially

prose though occasionally one encounters a prosodical

structure. However, it is a ·most important point

whether Purandaradasa and other Haridasas actually

derived inspiration from these Virasaiva saints to

model their Ugabhogas. The Ugabhoga differs from the

suladi in being essentially an Anibaddha Prabandha. It

is an extremely simple type of composition undefined

into parts. As a musical form it is even more

elementary than the Gita •. The Ugabhoga is not

associated with any specific raga or with any

particular mode of rendering. It is usually sung in a

single raga with or without tala.

When sung without tala, the Ugabhoga sound

like Bharatavachana or the Kannada counterpart of

Sloka. In current practice, it is customary to preface

a Devarnama with a Ugabhoga conveying the same idea and

 62

the same raga is used for both. In short, the Ugabhog a

is a piece of Dasa Sahitya on a usually religious theme

which is rendered in a more or less extempore musical

manner. Whatever be its origin and history, it is a

beautiful musical form, unique to its native Karnataka.

There is a historical background for the

origin of Ugabhogas. After Sarangadeva the taya gave

rise to a form of text. The nom, toms were replaced by

meaningful texts of four or five sentences adhering to

the cannons of prosody. Such compositions were being

called "Ugabhogas". It is made up of the five dhatus -

Udgraha, Melapaka, Dhruva, Antara and Abhoga._" It is

said that the letters da, ra and ha got obliterated and

thus the word "Ugabhoga" came into being. There is

nothing on record to support this theory nor the word

"Ugabhoga" is found in any of the earlier musical

treatises. The word was coined e~clusively by

Haridasas. This proof is positive of their musical

knowledge., More the dhatus, correspondingly the text

also increases.

Achalanandada~a is said to be the originator

of Ugabhoga. His birth place was Hyganapura in

Bangalore district. His descendants are believed to be

 63

in Thuruvekere, Tumkur District. There is difference

of opinion about his time. He is said to have belonged

to 9th century. But if one scrutinises some of the

ugabhogas and devarnamas of his, the language appears

to be one that was in vogue in the 16th century. Some

believe that he lived in the 15th century. In one of

the suladis, Vijayadasa mentions that before Purandara

Dasa many Haridasas sang in praise of God and attained

salvation. The name of Achalananda is included in it.

In "Karnataka Bhakthivijaya", Belur Keshava Dasa gives

the name of Achalanandadasa as the first Haridasa and

clearly says that after him till Naraharitheertha in

-
the 13th century; there was no Haridasa worth the name.

From this, we can presume that Achalananda's time was

definitely before the 13th century. That makes Ugabhoga

earlier to 13th century and definitely during

Basaveswara's time which as we all know is 12th

century. Just as we find similarity of ideas between

Purandaradasa and Vedanta Desikar in respect of the

Brahmanada Suladi and Bhagavadhyanasopana of those two

mystics, there is similarity of ideas between the uga

bhogas as originated by Achalananda and later developed

by Purandara Dasa and the vachanas of Basaveswara and

Akkamahadevi.
 64

Ugabhogas could be sung in different ragas

with or without tala. When sung without tala, the

Ugabhoga assumes the form of a sloka. The practice of

prefacing a devaranama with an ugabhoga conveying the

\

same idea is of recent origin. But it must be borne in

mind that an ugabhoga of a particular Haridasa should

not be used as a preface for a devarnama. of another

Haridasa. If talas are used, they will be generally in

chaturasra, misra or Khanda pattern. At times, an

ugabhoga may consists of 18 padas or lines. Each pada

comprises of four cycles of tala.

The Ugabhoga with the words " Idakyaranjuvaro"

could be cited as an example in which the idea

contained in Basaveswara's Vachana "Anjidaragadu

Alukidaragadu" also. We do not have any data about the

Ugabhogas of Narahari Teertha. Sree Fadaraya gave three

ugabhogas of which "Jaratwavant Madida Papagaligella"

is a beauty by itself.

Purandara Dasa gave the maximum number of

ug~bhogas. 128 ugabhogas are available today. The

following could be given as some of his outstanding

compositions.
 65

1. "Manasuddilladavarge Mantrada Phalavenu"

2. "Ninnane Paduve Ninnane Pogaluve"

3. "Baliya Mangege Vaman Bandanthe"

4. "Malagi padidare Kulitu Keluvanu"

5. "Tamboori Meetidava Bhavabhdi datidava"

6. "Indina vara subha vara, Indina tare

subhatare"

Vijayadasa has given 71 ugabhogas. Prasanna Venkata

has given 2 ugabhogas of which the 2nd is on Navavidha

Bhakthis containing 12 padas. The ugabhoga

"Anyarindali Sukhavayi tembudakkinta Ninninandayithemba

Klesave Melayya" is by Gopaladasa and "Anaga nendomme"

is by Jagannatha Dasa.

These compositions or similar such

compositions. are not to be found in any other part of

South India except in Karnataka. The life of the dasas

was a life of love. It was also a life of faith and

prayer. The quest of faith was not simply an

intellectual exercise in dialectic with them. It was

more than that. It was a'personal quest, more profound,

complex and passion~te than a merely intellectual

speculative spirit. The dasa's preached a life of

 66

faith and love to Hari the supernatural through music.

The suladis and ugabhogas were meant as prayer, as

vehicles of expression, as means to reach the God.

IV. DARD

Almost all musical forms in the realm of

Carnatic Music owe their origin to one or the other of

the medieval Prabandhas and the Daru is no exception.

A study of.the structure of various musical forms such

as Kriti, Kirtana, Varnam, Padam, Daru, Javali,

Tillana, etc., makes it abundantly clear that Carnatic

music has been maintaining the ancient tradition of the

Prabandhas far more faithfully and rigidly than

Hindustani music. As in Carnatic music, so in the

Prabandhas strict adherence to the structure of the

composition is compulsory. Actually this rigid

fidelity to the composition in the case of the

Prabandhas was carried to such levels that the

repetition of one part turned it altogether into

another prabandha.

The term Dhruva itself is traceable to the

Dhruva or stage songs clearly elucidated in the Natya

 67

Sastra. Bharata devotes a whole chapter, in this

earliest of the treatises on our Fine Arts. To these

dhruva songs, describing and illustrating different

classes, divisions and Sub~divisions of Dhruvas and

their uses. They were essentially versified musical

compositions which formed an important part of our

ancient Sanskrit dramas. According to Bharata these

were called Dhruvas in view of the fact' that its words,

Varnas, Alankaras and Jatis were regularly (i.e.

Dhruvam) connected with one another. Five kinds of

Dhruva songs have been described in Natyasastra

Pravesika, Nisskramika, Prasidita, Akshepita and

Antara, and they were employed in particular scenes and

situations in the drama. Many of these Dhruva songs

have a close resemblance to some of the parus featured

in our post-medieval operas and dance-dramas. For

instance the Pravesika of Natya Sastra which denotes

the song heralding the entrance of a particular

character on the stage, has its parallel in the

Patrapravesa Daru of the Bhagavata Mela and Kuravanji

Natakas. Another common feature was that both dhruvas

and Darus were eminently capable of evoking diverse

rasas, this being the main function of both in our Geya

Natakas. Prabandha Giti too possessed not only the

 68

Dhatus, Angas and Jatis but also brought out the rasas.

Dhruva Prabandha refers to a special type:, of

composition since the prefix Dhruva signifies an

unbending rigidity in the composition. It has two

initial sections. The dhatu or the musical setting is

the same for both the sections, the Sahitya, however,

being different. Both the sections constitute the

Udgraha. Then follow the third section, the dhatu of

which employs swaras of higher pitches. This section

itself constitutes the Abhoga and the conclusion of the

ud9raha is reckoned as Dhruva. Etymologically the role

of Dhruva was repetition. It was a portion which was

constant in each part and was repeated after completing

the different parts of a composition like the Udgraha

and the Melapaka. In modern musical compositions the

Dhruva stands for Charana. The relationship of the

Dhruva Prabandhas to the Darus in our Natya and Geya

natakas can be gauged from the fact that the latter too

have mostly a pallavi followed by a multiplicity of

charanas, all of which are sung to the same dhatu

although there are some Darus also with the anupallavi

section. The fact that the different classes of Dhruva

prabandhas have been dealt with in detail by Raghunatha

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Nayaka in his Lakshana treatise Sangita Sudha cannot be

a mere coincidence because it was at the time of the

Nayak rule at Tanjore that the Daru made its apperance.

Darus gained wide currency and popularity in the

multitude of Natya and Geya Natakas composed during the

Maratha rule of Tanjore.

The musical form Daru commonly encountered in

the Telugu and Tamil dramas and operas, Yakshagana,

Bhagavata Mela Natakas and Kuravanji Natakas,

Therukkoothu etc., belong to the sphere of applied

music. Essentially Daru is a story song. In many

cases entire dialogues are in the form of Darus. Darus

have been composed on historical or puranic themes as

also love themes. Sometimes they were also in praise

of a patron. A characteristic feature of Darus is the

profusion of sahitya or words therein. The sahitya is

naturally important. In form, the Darus essentially

resemble the Kirtanas. While a few comprise pallavi

and many Charanas, the plethora of Charanas, all of

them being sung to the same music, is their special

characteristics. The tempo is usually Madhyamakala but

some are also rendered in Vilambakala. Chaputala has

been most largely employed in the Geya Natakas of the

Maratha rulers, Bhagavatha Mela Natakas as well as

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Tyagaraja's Nowka Charitram. Next in frequency of use

comes Adi and Jhampa talas. The music of the Darus is

comparatively simple in nature with no elaborate or

difficult raga sancharas or sangatis finding a place.

Only rakti ragas conducive to the expression of various

sentiments have been invariably used in the Darus.

Sowrashtra raga seems to have been a special favourite

of the composers of this musical form. However
sometimes a few uncommon ragas also find a place.

Darus have been classified into various types

depending on their functions. Svagadha Daru denotes

musical soliloqy with the tune being of a recollective

nature. The Pralapa Daru portrays a sorrowful state of

mind. Heccharika Daru is employed for saluting the

monarch. Padavandana Daru refers to approaching the

deity's sanctum sanctorum by step followed by retracing

the steps. Patrapraveshaka Daru refers to the

entrance of characters on the stage. Samvada Daru is

conversation between two characters. Uttara

Pratyuttara Daru is argument between two characters

and will be styled in question answer type.

Varnana Daru is a descriptive piece

expatiating on the personality of the character, place,

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incident, scenery, etc. and King Tulajaji's Varnana

Daru 'Bhuloka Kailasamenna' set to k.u'Y.Qtt\) t. '.' raga and

Chapu tala is an ideal example. Samvada Daru denotes a

musical dialogue or conversation between two characters

with the presumption that a certain conclusion is

arrived at. A good example is King Tulajaji's Samvada

Daru 'Tamasuralavu Maya' set to Natakurunji raga and

Adi tala. The Konangi Daru is sung at the appearance

of the divine clown. This Daru is usually set in

Kamboji raga and its tessitura centres around the Tara

shadja.

Krishnaswami Ayya, who appear to have been

influenced more by Muthuswami Dikshitar, has· -to his

credit a rare piece known as Tillana Daru set in Suruti

raga and Eka tala. This piece begins with Jatis after

the manner of Tillana followed by Pallavi, Anupallavi

and charana. At the end of the charana a few Jati

passage is suny and the piece concludes in the Pallavi.

The earliest Daru we encounter occurs in

Vijayaraghava Nayak's Yakshagana 'Vipranarayana

Caritra'. During Nayak rule at Tanjore, Darus were

composed in plenty for use in musical plays enacted at

the royal court. There are in these plays example like

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Thendral daru, Venn"la Daru, Manmatha Daru, etc.,

dealing specifically with the experiences of courtesans

in love with the hero who as invariably the king. In

fact these Darus on love themes may be considered to be

forerunners of Javali.

It was however on y at the hands of King

Shahaji and his illustrious brother Tulajaji that th1S

musical form attained perfection and prominence. King

Shahaji put together the traditions of the literary

prabandhas and the Yakshagana tradition and created a

fusion of the two in his onderful Drisya Kavyas

'Sankara Pallaki Seva Prabandham and 'Vishnu Pallaki

Seva Prabandham l • Both of these are replete ith Darns

as well as his Yakshayanas 'Sachi Purandaramu and

Sati Dana Saramu'. All these Darns contain Shahji s

signatures, like Tygesabhupa, Tyaga sowra, Tyaga murali

etc.

King Shahaji has composed different classes

of Darns. One of his pieces is the Svarakshara Dar

Sarigamapadani', a Ragama11ka in Adi tala.

Among the special types of Darns composed by

Shahaji, mention may be made of the Salamn Darn and the

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Jakkini Daru belonging to the sphere of Desi music.

'Salamu' is a Marathi word meaning payin9 obeisance and

Shahaji has composed Salamu Darus on the deities

enshrined in various kshetras like Chidambaram,

Tanjore, vaitheesvarankoil, Tiruvarur, Mannargudi,

Madurai, Srirangam, etc. They are also featured in his

Pancharatna Prabandham and Tyagaraja Vinoda Chitra

Prabandham. In his Salamu Daru on Padmanabhasvami

exquisite Ya.makam, like Padmasambhava, Padmalaya,

Padmapatra, Padmanabha, etc. occur. In his Kalyani

Salamu Daru, Adiprasam, Dvitiyaksharaprasam,

Antyaprasam, etc., are featured. The Salamu Daru

'Ambanilaya Chidambara' on Tillai Kali in Ragamalika is

a fine piece.

Jakkini Darus may be de~med to be the earlier

form of Tillanas and prior to the advent of Tillanas,

the last item in Jakkini dance used to be performed to

the music of Jakkini Darus. The Mathu of the first

section of Jakkini Darus consists entirely of Jatis

while the Sahitya is featured in the second part.

Matanga is said to be the originator of the Jakkini

Dance and King Shahaji has composed Jakkini Darus as a

dance from his opera Sankara Kali Natana Samvadam.

Jakkini Darus are traced to Jakkulam - a class of

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Andhra dancers and minstrels who used a variety of drum

called Jakki. It is worthy of note that in Jakkini

Darus. folk terms like 'Ellilam', 'Ellimale',

'Ellilamlale' etc. are used profusely. As an example

the Jakkini Daru 'Indukaladhara Sundara' set to

Bilahari raga and Aditala may be cited.

One of the earliest Kuravaji Natakas known to

us is the Tyagesa Kuravanji whose author is not known.

However the internal evidence available therein

confirms that he must have lived during King Shahaji's

time. This Kuravanji contains many Darus in Tamil.

King Tulajaji's 'Sivakamasundari parinaya

natakam' is an exquisite work featuring diverse types

of Darus like Varnana Daru, Samvada Daru, etc.

The beauty of another of Tulajaji's operas

'Rajamanajana Vidya Vilasa' stems from the fact that

the royal composer has employed appropriate ragas in

each situation like Mohana for indicating the arrival

of Moha. Anandabhairavi for denoting Ananda's arrival

and Sankarabharanam for the Daru announcing the darsan

of Lord Sankara. One of Tulaja's court poets,

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Ghanasyama, has composed an allegorical drama entitled

'Navagraha charita' containing patrapravesa Darus

beckoning the arrival of various characters.

Kavi Mathrubuthayya's Yakshagana

'Parijathapaharana Natakamu' contains Manipravala Darus

with sahitya passages in Hindi, Marathi, Kannada,

Telugu and Tamil. In the 'Rajamohana' Kuravanji of

Giriraja Kavi, King Serfoji's court poet, the heroine

sends a love message to the King through a parrot in a

Daru set in Bhairavi raga while the advent of the

Kuravanji is indicated in a Pravesa daru who reads the

heroine's palm and foretells the happy union of the

couple.

The famous opera 'Ramanatakam' of Arunachala

Kavi contains as many as 200 Darus. Mostly they are

quite big pieces, each containing not less than 3 long

charanas. The tempo of these Darus is mostly .vilamba

because of the profusion of words. They rank yuite

high in suality in view of their yati and prasa,

loftiness of ideas and musical excellence. Another

characteristic feature is that they feature many

proverbs like 'Pazham nazhuvi palil vizhunda pole',

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'vennaikku pallu mullaithathoppole', 'Pambukku pal

varkka varkka', etc.

King Shahaji has composed an Anuloma viloma

Daru' iNaguthadittedi' in Telugu. Ramaswamy Dikshitar

has to his credit a similar Daru in Sanskrit, revealing

his erudition in this language. This anuloma viloma

Daru 'Sarasadala nayana' is set in Gangatarangini raga

and Rupaka tala.

Darus are very prominent in the Bhagavata

Mela Natakam of Melattur Venkatarama sastri who was a

senior contemporary of the Trinity. He has composed in

all 12 dance dramas belonging to this group, the most

well known being 'Prahalada Charitram'. As the play

proceeds, each character announces himself with a patra

pravesa Daru.

Among the Trinity, Syama sastri does not seem

to have composed any Darus. Tyagaraja is said to have

composed three operas, but among them only two are now

available to us since there is no trace of the 3rd

opera 'sitarama Vijayam'. Prahalada Bhakti Vijayam

comprises only Kirtanas. However Darus of diverse

tY2es figure in the saint's Nowka charitram'. In the

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uttara pratyuttara Daru from Nowka charitram 'Indukemi'

set to Varali raga and Chapu tala, statements are made

alternatively by two characters.

Muthuswamy Dikshitar has to his credit the

Sriranjani Daru 'Ni sari sati' set up in rupaka tala.

It is worthy of note that whereas Dikshitar has

composed Kritis almost exclusively in Sanskrit, this

Daru is in Telugu. Anuprasa is featured in the terms

'Valabu', 'Solabu', 'Kalubu', 'Kolubu', etc. There is

allusion to an anecdote pertaining to Siva Lila in the

phrase 'VasavacU amarulella vamri Svarupametthi

Vasudeva Garamanji'.

None in Tyagaraja's shishya parampara seems

to have devoted any attention to this musical form.

The Kedaragaula Daru 'Kamiyanchinnudira' in praise of

his patron, the Zamindar of Udayarpalayam, is ascribed

to Syama sastri's grandson, Annaswami sastri.

Among the modern composers Muthiah Bhagavatar

has composed four Daru Varnas - two in Kannada and two

in Telugu. They contain Jatis, Swaras as well as

Sahitya. Some of them have become popular, the most

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well known being the Kannada Daru 'Mathe Malayadhvaja'

set to Khamas raga and Adi tala.