Being a morning raga,
Todi may symbolize the light coming after darkness, and hope after despair. Despair,
in fact, is the mood of the heroine of the varnam, who misses her beloved
Padmanabha. Perhaps, the darkest night hours, before the light breaks, symbolize
the madness, portrayed by Swathi Tirunal through an array of metaphors. For
example, the damsel addresses her friend as the one with the gait of a mad
elephant. A very common compliment in
old time (elephants during the mating season walk very seductively), is
explored even deeper in the traditional mohiniyattam choreography in Kalamandalam.
The mudra sequence symbolizes the explosion of brain of the elephant and the
celebral fluids streaming down. This epithet marks the heaviness of the
obsessive sentiments the heroine is going through in the varnam. She cannot get
over her obsession, which she believes, is induced by the arrows of Kamadeva,
and starts an eccentric act of regression by applying lotus stems and petals
all over her body, which perhaps cool down her heat or remind her of the touch
of her beloved.
The Varnam was written inSwarakshara prayoga, which means that the swara letters corresponded with the first letter of the words used in lyrics.
Varnam (Danismajendra)
Composer and lyricist
Swathi Thirunal
language Sansrit
Talam Adi
Ragam Todi
Pallavi
Dani Samajendra Gamini
II
Tapam iha Kamini II
Anupallavi
Manini sukha dani II
Madumasa charu dinani II
MAnaniya shri Padmanabha II
Dutani mamtu mokhani II
Chitta Swaram
D , n D n ṡ N, ṙ ṡ n d n I Ṡ ; ; , ṙ ṡ ṡ nn dd pm II
Damadadi vinirjita vidita I sarasa
vishika manupama I ……..
P d n – p d m p g – m p d p- d n ṣ ṛ I
Padanin patadhakhila vibuda manurajani
I
n ṙ Ṡ n d n D p m d p G m II
manasanu kalayami madhupaveni II Dani……..
Charanam
Ganaparaniha alikulani II
1. G ; r A; ṇ Ḍ , Ṇ , I S ; ; Ḍ G R , N r II
Gadasanwaya
pi I ko pivitapini II Gana ……
2. G , m
g g r s R, g r r s ṇ I S, r s s ṇ ṇ Ḍ , P̣ ḍ ṇ s r II …….
Gama laghu Sapura
patira krita I
Ya mahaha
bahuda hridilagati II
Gana ……..
3. P , d pm M, p m g G, m I g r R,
g r s Ṇ, r s ṇ ḍ ṇ II ……..
Patu mayima
sumashara I
Sugapari patina
nee rasa drutapi II
S ;;; ḍ ṇ
Ḍ - n s Ṇ I s ṇ S – r s R – g r G – m G m II …….
Sa
mupadanita bahu la I
Ta madhuna
tamrutema II
P d n p d m
p g – m p d p-d n ṡ ṙ I
ṡ
ṡ nd- N d p m- G r s ṇ - Ḍ
ṇ s r II
hani
hana hini hiki maparama pashuta masuradu nee[atima panidimrute vishari II Gana …..
4. Ṡ ;; n d p m g m p d n I D , p d n D n ṡ
D n ṡ ṙ II
Ṡ n d p G,
m p m g r S, ṇ I Ḍ ṇ s r G, m g r s ṇ S; II
ḍ
n s r- g m p d- p d n ṡ- d n ṡ ṙ
I
N, ṡ - D, n –
P, d – M, p – g m p d – n ṡ ṙ, II
D n ṡ ṙ - Ġ,
ṙ ṡ - Ṙ, Ṡ n – d p d n I
ṡ
ṙ ṡ - n ṡ n – d n d – m d m – g m g – r g r – s r s - ṇ s r II
gana ……..
Meaning:
Oh my beautiful friend, with a gait of
an elephant mad with desire, I feel sad and restless. Listen to my sorrows, for
I am tortured by the arrows of Kamadeva
Spring makes everything so beautiful. Has
Lord Padmanabha, forsaken me at this time?
The birds are singing lovely songs
from the tree tops and the bees are making the buzzing sound. Yet, I can’t bear
this noise, I think only of Him, Padmanabha, the great Lord, worshipped by his
devotees.
Kamadeva shoots his arrows, and they
make me exhaust me. I take the lotus flower stems and decorate myself with it.
Its leaves and petals are my ornaments now. Please tell me, the sweet friend,
why hasn’t he come?
