Smt. Seetha Chandrashekhar
12th May 2023
Oottukkadu Venkata Kavi's Saptaratna Kritis - Bhajanamrutha - Part 4
The context of this song is very similar to Thyagaraja’s Endaro Mahanubhavulu. In this composition Shri.Oottukkadu Venkata kavi expresses that he derives supreme bliss when he pays reverence to all great personalities, and follow the dust of all the great devotees’ feet those who lived prior to his time. Devotees that Shri.OVK refer here include celestial devotee Narada, Sages like Sukha muni, great personalities like Hanuman, Sugreeva, Angada, Vibeeshana, Guha and Sabari. He also praises religious leaders like Manika Vachakar, Sundarar, Shri.Ramanuja, Vishnuchitta, and also praises saint-poet composers like Tulasidasa and Purandara Dasa. These great devotees are virtuous that they always spend their lives on Reading, Listening , singing, meditating upon God.
In the eighth and ninth charanams, the composer explains that a devotee sings and experiences the story of Krishna by various ways Vrata (observance as an act of devotion), Japa (chanting), Stotra (praising). Lord Krishna performed Rasa Leela – a dance of passion that enchanted everyone that was around, and his celestial dance music had melody that is difficult to comprehend and nine types of Rhythm. Ninth charanam also has a reference to Kalinga Nartana, which is also considered to be the signature of Shri. Oottukkadu Venkata Kavi. Shri. OVK also mentions that a devotee experiences divine bliss as he learns about Rama who hails from Raghu dynasty, who is the husband of Parvati and about Lord Shiva, who danced beautifully in Chidambaram, who is husband of Parvati, and also about Lord Karthikeya who rides Peacock.
Shri OVK concludes that, if you sing Lords name even for a short moment or if you listen to great attributes of Lord even for a short moment, you will reap benefits you can experience in many lives you would take in future.