Jeysundhar Profile picture
Feb 3, 2022 9 tweets 3 min read Read on X
The consort of Siva as Tyagaraja Swamy at the temple in Tiruvaroor is the Goddess Neelotpalaamba.

She is called in Tamil as Alliyankodhai from the Tamil word Alli for the flower Lily.

#ShortThread
Muthuswami Dikshitar, one of the Carnatic Trinity, and a Devi Upasaka composed hundreds of songs.

Pic: A stamp issued in honor of Dikshitar in 1976 on his 200th birth anniversary.
Well-versed in Sanskrit, Dikshitar composed groups of songs, with the first word beginning with noun declension in each of the 8 cases (vibhaktis) of Sanskrit.
The most popular of these is the Kamalaamba Navavaranas, 9 songs dedicated to the Goddess Kamalambika of the Tyagaraja Swami temple in Tiruvaroor.

I had written about them here:
indianexpress.com/article/opinio…
Slightly less well known are the Neelotpalaamba Navavaranas that Dikshitar dedicated to the Goddess Neelotpalaamba of the same temple.
Neelotpalaamba - Ambika who is as graceful as the blue lily

The Neelotpalaamba Navavaranas are also known by another name.

What is that?
Dikshitar composed all the kritis in ragams whose names end with the phrase "Gaula"

These are
NarayanaGaula
NareereetiGaula (2 kritis in this)
KannadaGaula
KedaraGaula
Gaula
MayamalavaGaula(known to all learners of Carnatic music)
PurvaGaula&
ChayaGaula
So, these Neelotpalaamba Navavaranas are also called Gaulaanta Raga Kritis.

Perhaps, we should explore these kritis dedicated to the Goddess of the Blue Lily, in detail this Navaratri.

Thank you for reading.
P.S - Here's a wonderful rendition of Sri Neelotpala Nayike by Dr. Balamurali Krishna

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More from @jeysundhar_d

Sep 7
As we celebrate #VinayakaChaturthi today, I was contemplating on the Ganesa Ashtottara Shata Namavali, the 108 names of our #Ganesha

#GaneshChaturthi2024 #GaneshChaurthi
The 5th name in the Namavali addresses #Ganesh as Dvaimaturaya Namah - The one with the 2 mothers.

Wait a minute. Isn't Krishna the one with 2 mothers?

#GaneshChaturthiVishesh #GaneshChaturthi2024
Yes, and so is Ganesa.

How?

That's the story for this #Ganeshotsav
Read 10 tweets
Aug 26
On the occasion of #Janmashtami #Janmashtami2024 I'd like to talk about the 4 Kalyana Gunas of Bhagavan.

- Svamitvam
- Vatsalyam
- Sauseelyam &
- Saulabhyam

But, Bhagavan has infinite Kalyana Gunas.
Why these 4? #Thread #Krishna #krishnabirthday
Because, Andal captures these 4 Kalyana Gunas in the 4th Pasuram of Tiruppavai - Maayanai Mannu Vada Madurai Maindhane.

She begins by calling Krishna as the Mayan, who is the son of the Mathura in the north.
Krishna is Mathuradhipati, the Lord of Mathura, and the entire universe.

Did the Maayan not deploy His Maya and show Yashoda, the universe inside His mouth?

Naturally, He is our Svami and we are His Sampatti.

As always, paintings by our dear @keshav61 Image
Read 18 tweets
Jul 16
Reminds me of the case of the Pathur Nataraja, a Moorti that was smuggled out of India in 1976.

The venerable R Nagaswamy's testimony in a British court in 1986 played a major role in the case.

The testimony involved soil. How?

#Thread
Before we move ahead, this is the Pathur Nataraja.
Look at the magnificence of the Moorti and the Mandahasa playing on His lips. Image
The Indian side claimed that the Nataraja moorti had been buried in the soil at a particular place and when found, was smuggled out.

The Moorti still had soil sticking to it. +
Read 10 tweets
Jul 2
What are your thoughts when you see these 3 images in the tweet by @vedant_bangad?

Writing mine into a #thread.

The common theme among these 3 is that they all portray Nagas/Snakes.
Counter-clockwise
a. Kaliya
b. Sesha &
c. Vasuki during the Samudra Manthan. Image
a. The story of Kaliya is from the Bhagavata Purana and well-known.

He is driven away from his home in the island of Ramanaka.

By Garuda.

This is important because Garuda and his family play a role in the story of the other 2 Nagas as well.

So, what does Kaliya do?
Kaliya exits Ramanaka island and comes to live in Vrindavana, where Garuda cannot enter because of a curse.

But Kaliya does not stay idle.

Driven away from his home, his Ahamkaara needs an outlet.

So, what does he do? Image
Read 25 tweets
Jun 12
Not even getting into Panini.

If literacy came thanks to Ashoka, how is it that Kautilya, who served Ashoka's grandfather, wrote a full chapter on how to *write* royal writs (Sasanas)?

Thanks to @devduttmyth, a short #thread on the chapter on writing Sasanas from Arthasastra. Image
Kautilya begins the chapter by saying that the term Sasana is to be used only for royal writs.

Right at the outset, he stresses on the importance of Sasanas, that they are as important as treaties (Sandhi) and can lead to peace and war.
So, someone who is as qualified as a Minister(Amatya Sampadopetah)

He needs to:
know all customs
be good at composing(Sugrantha)
have good handwriting (Charvaksharo)
smart in reading (Lekha Vachana Samartha)

If there was no literacy, where would reading and writing come from?
Read 21 tweets
Jun 11
Pic 1: The Jivatma abandons the mirage of being Svatantra, realises its nature as the Paratantra Tatva, and seeks refuge in Bhagavat Paratantreeya.

The Jivatma attains the Bhagavat Seshatva Jnana. +
Pic 2: Having attained the Seshatva Jnana of Bhagavat Paratantreeya, Jivatma seeks the blessing of serving Paramatma, i.e. Bhagavat Kainkarya.
+ Image
In the process, Jivatma realises that Bhagavat Nama can make even stones float.

Thus, not only the Jivatma, but also Prakriti is subject to Bhagavat Paratantreeya.

After all, as the Kathopanishad says,
नित्योऽनित्यानां चेतनश्चेतनानाम्
एको बहूनां यो विदधाति कामान् + Image
Read 9 tweets

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