rAmanAtham bhajE, yadukula kAmbhOji rAga, khaNDa jAti tripuTa tALa

P: rAmanAthaM bhajE nAmajapakaraM

A: sAmagAnalOlaM sAmajatulyagambhIraM

S^

P

;

D

S^

R^

S^

R^

M^

;

G^

S^

R^

G^

S^

R^

S^

;

;

P

D

S^

P

D

P

;

;

S^

N

D

P

M

G

S

R

G

C: sangItakalAnidhiM sankIrtanAmbudhiM

viLambitagatyAdinipuNaM

mandragItapriyaM candrAdyalankRtaM

yadukulakAmbhOjirAgarasikaM madhuragAnapradAyakaM

Meaning:

Pallavi: (I) praise Ramanatha, who chants the (Lord’s) name[1] (of Lord Rama)

Anupallavi: Who delights in sama gana, who is as majestic as an elephant.

Charanam: An ocean of the musical art[2], an ocean of songs (kirtanas),

Who is adept in the slow and other tempi[3],

Who loves lower octave music[4], who is adorned with the moon[5],

Who enjoys the yadukula kambhoji raga[6], who gives melodious music[7].

Notes:

Though the song is on Shiva, it can double up as a song on M D Ramanathan! The footnotes illustrate this at the appropriate places.

Notation (yadukula kAmbhOji rAga, khaNDa jAti tripuTa tALa)

pallavi
rA	A	ma	nA	A	thaM	bha	jE	E
S	R ;	M ;	G ;	M ;	P	; D	D dn	P ;
M P	D N	dn P	P ;	M G	; G	R ;	; ;	; ;
nA	A	ma	ja	pa	ka	raM	M	M
anupallavi
S^ ;	; ;	S^ ;	D S^	N D	N P	; P	D S^	; ;
sA	A	ma	gA	A	na	alO	OlaM	M
S R	M ;	P ;	D ;	; P	M ;	P ;	D ;	S^ ;
sA	ma	ja	tu	lya	ga	m	bhI	raM
ciTTa svaram
S^ P	; D	S^ R^	S^ R^	M^ ;	G^ S^	R^ G^	S^ R^	S^ ;
; P	D S^	P D^	P ;	; S^	N D	P M	G S	R G
caraNaM
G ;	G P	; M	G ;	; G	R ;	; G	S ;	; ;
san	gI	I	ta	aka	lA	Ani	dhiM	M
S ;	R M	; ;	P ;	P M	P ;	; D	P ;	; ;
san	kI	Ir	ta	nA	AM	Mbu	dhiM	M
D ;	D ;	D S^	; D	N D	P ;	P ;	; ;	D ;
vi	La	m	m	bi	ta	ga	a	tyA
D N	D P	M G	M G	G R	R ;	; ;	; ;	; ;
A	A	A di	ni	pu	NaM	M	M	M
S ;	; ;	S ;	D_ S	N_ D_	N_ P_	; P_	D_ S	; ;
ma	n	dra	gI	I	ta	apri	yaM	M
S R	M ;	P ;	D ;	P	M ;	P ;	D ;	S^ ;
can	n	drA	A	Adya	lan	n	kR	taM
svarasAhityaM
S^ P	P D	S^ R^	S^ R^	M^ ;	G^ S^	R^ G^	S^ R^	S^ ;
yadu	ku la	kAm	bhO	O	ji rA	A ga	ra si	kaM
; P	D S^	P D^	P ;	; S^	N D	P M	G S	R G
- ma	dhu ra	gA	na	- pra	dA	ya	kaM	M

---

[1] MDR was indeed a Rama bhakta (and must have chanted Rama’s name for ages). Also, it was Shiva who told Parvati about the sahasranAmatulyarAmanamaH

[2] The reference to Sangeetha Kalanidhi, an award that, in the author’s personal opinion, lost its lustre by not being conferred on MDR, is deliberate.

[3] MDR’s fame for slow-tempo singing is too well known.

[4] His love for dwelling in the lower octave is equally famous.

[5] The moon-shaped nAmam that he used to wear:)

[6] His love for, and expertise, in yadukula kAmbhOji is indisputable.

[7] He’s indeed given us many melodious kritis and tillanas – sAgarashayanavibhO, tyAgarAjagurumAshrayE, the kapi tillana, to name a few.