Singing His glory!
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Margazhi is synonymous with bhajans. Some facts about the concept...
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A typical scene... divine way to start the day.
A DISTINCTIVE feature of Carnatic Music is that it seeks more to enlighten than entertain because it has its origin in the Vedas themselves. "Veda Siromatruja Saptaswara" says Tyagaraja. The seven swaras were born from the Vedas. It is therefore not surprising that several saints used music as the medium to express their philosophy and bhakti rasa. The earliest compositions we have are those of the Azhwars and Nayanmars where music was effectively blended with deep feelings of bhakti.
Another important feature of pre-trinity vaggeyakaras, particularly of those whose music was saturated with bhakti, was that they had a good knowledge of natyasastra and its nuances. There is no better example than that of Sri Jayadeva, the author of the great work "Gita Govindam" to illustrate this. It is said that his wife Padmavati danced at the Puri Jagannath Temple, when he sang his Ashtapatis.In the South, the procedure of singing the glory of God in chorus (Namasankirthanam) at festivals and auspicious occasions was driven by the efforts of the `Bhagavatha Trinity' viz., Sadguru Bodendra Swamigal, the 59th Pontiff of the Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam, who stayed at Govindapuram, Sadguru Sridhara Venkatesa Ayyaval of Thiruvisainallur and Sadguru Swamigal of Marudanallur. Together with Sri Sadasiva Brahmendral and Swami Narayana Tirtha, they constitute the Founders of the Bhajana Sampradayam in the South, which propelled the Bhakti Renaissance in the 17th and 18th centuries.
All of them believed firmly that in Kaliyuga the easiest way to realise God is through the chanting of His Glory — Kalau Sankeerthya Kesavam. But ironically, the forerunners of this movement were staunch advaitins and sanyasins. It is interesting that all of them lived in and around Thanjavur, on the banks of the River Cauvery and this area naturally became the Holy Land of Bhakti Movement. Later, the Bhagavatha Mela tradition of Melattur also developed in and around this region.
It is noteworthy that the Nama Siddhantha ideology as well as the Namasankirtanam practice were founded nearly a century ahead of the Trinity. Great contribution to this movement came from the immortal compositions of Sri Purandara Dasa, Bhadrachala Ramadas, Meera Bai, Thukaram, Surdas and the like. After a period of lull Namasankeertanam was revived in all its glory in the 19th and 20th centuries thanks to persons like Pudukkottai Gopalakrishna Bhagavathar. The movement was spearheaded by Swami Haridas Giri.
It is familiar to see in the month of Margazhi Namasankeertanam groups going around the streets in the wee hours singing bhajans. This is believed to be God's own month, Lord Krishna has confirmed in the Bhagavad Gita. There is yet another interesting interpretation of why so much of Bhajan singing takes place in the month of Margazhi.
It is believed that one year for human beings is one-day for their celestial counterparts. Their day coincides with the six-month Uttarayana period (mid-January to mid-July) and their night with the Dakshinayana (mid-July to Mid-January). Thus, the most auspicious period before dawn in the celestial scale, the Brahma-muhurtam, coincides with Dhanur masam on the Earth. What can be better than singing the glory of God during this month? It so happens that the weather in South India at that time is also most salubrious and conducive to such pious activity.
A. RAMJI
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