ಕರುಣಾಕರ ನೀ

This is another composition by ಪುರಂದರದಾಸ that starts off with cynicism [about God], but ends up accepting God with surrender. (The other cynical composition is ಸತ್ಯವಂತರಿಗೆ ಇದು ಕಾಲವಲ್ಲ).

ನನ್ನ ನಿನ್ನ ಉಸಿರೊಂದಾಗಿ ... ನಾನುಸಿರಾಡಿದೆ

This is a Kannada adaptation, by one of my friends, of the song साँस में तेरी साँस मिली तो from the Yash Chopra movie, जब तक है जान. 

Try singing the Kannada lyrics to the tune of the Hindi song.

ಕೃಷ್ಣನಾ ಕೊಳಲಿನಾ ಕರೆ

The mesmerizing sound of Lord Krishna's flute is described through the act of a housewife running towards the source of sound, abandoning the all-important house work ... That the raga ♫भैरवी, or ♫ಸಿಂಧು ಭೈರವಿ, has been chosen to bring out the lyrical essence visualized by the poet, ಪು ತಿ ನ, is noteworthy.

Acknowledgments are due to my dear friend, Alamelu Iyengar, the poet's daughter, for helping me present the correct lyrics. (Disclaimer: If mistakes still exist, you can attribute them to me, the blog post author).

ರಾಮ ರಾಮ ರಾಮ ಸೀತಾ ರಾಮಾ ಎನ್ನಿರೋ

This post is as reminiscent as it can get: I first heard the song when I was a high school student in Bangalore. It was very memorably rendered by one of my classmates during an 'Arts' class.

Recently, my music teacher suggested that this may be a good song for my collection.

I have excerpted a few lines from another blog post, ರಾಮ ರಾಮ ರಾಮ ಸೀತಾರಾಮ; this subset is the same as that chosen by the artist in the video rendering, given below.

ದುರ್ಗಾ ಆಪದುದ್ಧಾರಾಷ್ಟಕಂ

This presentation is the result of a request from a friend. The Kannada script is presented by transliterating from a Devanagari script.

Any help you, the reader, can give to make the words correctly presented will be greatly appreciated.

ಓ ರವಿಯೆ, ನಮ್ಮ ಕುಲಪತಿಯೆ, ...

When you witness a musical production such as Jaya Jaya Vijayee Raghurama, presented under the auspices of One School at a Time (OSAAT), with a string of songs each of which is composed in a raga to suit the mood portrayed by the song, you will find yourself humming, or recalling, that one song over and over again. The following song is one such in today's presentation in Los Altos Hills, California:

ನಾ ನಿನ್ನ ಧ್ಯಾನದೊಳು ಇರಲು ಸದಾ

A devotional composition by ಪುರಂದರದಾಸ.

The lyrics on the web are somewhat conflicting and I have, therefore, not provided any links to transliterations and have provided my own transliteration from listening to Bhimsen Joshi's rendering.

Another ♫दरबारी कानडा feast.

ಕೃಷ್ಣಾ ನೀ ಬೇಗನೆ ಬಾರೋ

This song is a very popular song in Karnataka, and other parts of India. It captures the cry of a God-seeking person. God is personified as Lord Krishna in this composition.

You will find slight variations in lyrics on the web, but I have provided here my interpretations of Yesudas' rendering.

ಕಲಿಯುಗದಲಿ ಹರಿನಾಮವ ನೆನೆದರೆ

Simple lyrics to remind us — any of us with whatever failings — to recall, reflect and realize God. Purandara Dasa is no match to anyone, when it comes to crafting lyrics that even a layperson can relate to.

[Note: In the MS rendition linked to this post, the second stanza is not presented].

ಮನಸೇ ಒಂದು ಸಾರಿ ಕೇಳು

Although there is not yet a full music video of this song on the web, you can understand that the lovers are trying to express their love for each other. The girl is so confident of the boy's love that she even declares, translated:

... In every birth, I'd pray to God that you be my lover ...

Happy Valentine's Day.

ಸತ್ಯವಂತರಿಗೆ ಇದು ಕಾಲವಲ್ಲ

This song is a somewhat cynical view of life, as seen through the eyes of ಪುರಂದರದಾಸ, the 16th century poet & philosopher. The title of the song can be translated literally as:

This is not the time for truthful people ...

The song elaborates on how unrighteous people end up enjoying comfortable life, and the righteous end up suffering in their life. Perhaps this situation was more seen frequently during his lifetime, and produced the cynical outlook captured in this song.

The song's special significance for me is that I used to hear it, quite regularly, from my late paternal grandmother.

(It appears that this song can be rendered in different ragas; the video by D K Pattammal is in ♫भैरवी).

ಮಂಗಳಾರತಿ ತಂದು ಬೆಳಗಿರೆ ಅಂಬುಜಾಸನ ರಾಣಿಗೆ

This is a nice arati song. Stumbled on to the a video through a Google search of "Kannada Lakshmi aarti song". The lyrics are also available in a PDF form, crafted by Meera Subbarao.

ನೀ ಸಿಗದೇ ಬಾಳೊಂದು ಬಾಳೇ, ಕೃಷ್ಣಾ

An honest cry, it seems, of a humble person to seek God.

ಮತ್ತದೇ ಬೇಸರ, ಅದೇ ಸಂಜೆ, ಅದೇ ಏಕಾಂತ

A lover sings in despair, unsure of whether the [other] lover will return. The emotional feeling to be noted here is the singer's belief that, upon the return, the existing lethargy of the mind, and the gripping silence because of the lover's absence, would both be driven away by the lover's arrival.

ಅವರಿವರಾ ಜೊತೆ ಸೇರದೇ, ಅವರಿವರಾ ನುಡಿ ಕೇಳದೇ

The song is about lovers' romantic overture to each other, although one line in the lyrics is somewhat baffling: ನನ್ನನ್ನಷ್ಟೇ ... ಸಾಯೋ ಹಾಗೆ ನೀನು ಪ್ರೀತಿಸು¹. The male lover exhorts the female "to love only him ... so as to make him -- her? -- feel dead." I wonder what the lyricists had in mind. This song is penned by two lyricists: Shashank Raj and Yogaraj Bhat.

As usual in Indian movies these days, this is a dream sequence that escapes from the main story line; nevertheless, there is a certain believable aspect to it.

Why I did I have to write a blog post on this song? Sonu Nigam is the male singer, of course, and the musical interludes are quite pleasant to listen to.

ದೋಣಿ ಸಾಗಲಿ ಮುಂದೆ ಹೋಗಲಿ ದೂರ ತೀರವ ಸೇರಲಿ

In a recent web surf to find Kannada songs based on classical ragas, I ran into this song from yesteryears, based on raag ♫पहाड़ी. There is already a nice Kannada presentation of the lyrics on the web, and hence you won't find any here.

ಬಾಡಿ ಹೋದ ಬಳ್ಳಿಯಿಂದ ಹೂವು ಅರಳಬಲ್ಲದೇ?

I recall having heard this song when I was an youngster in India. Although I don't remember having seen the movie, it seems that the singer is recalling how fate has worked its ways against his wishes.

I have reconstructed the lyrics by listening to the audio/video.

ಉಳ್ಳವರು ಶಿವಾಲಯವ ಮಾಡುವರು

A simple plea by an ordinary person to appeal to God. A presentation by Vijay Prakash of ' Jai Ho' fame

If you know Kannada, you will appreciate the simplicity of the meaning conveyed in the lyrics. Rough English translation:

Rich people create temple
But, I am a poor fellow
I have nothing to give you, God, except myself:
My feet are the pillars
My body is the temple
My head is the "top ornament"
Even stationary objects providing support — a column — may perish some day
But, for Jangama, for God, there is no perishing, i.e., God is eternal.

It will require a singer like Vijay Prakash to bring out the plea with full force.

(The number starts at about 1:50 in the video clip).

ಕಾಡು ಮಲ್ಲಿಗೆಯೊಂದು ಕಾಡಿನಲಿ ನರಳುತಿದೆ ಬಾಡಿ ಹೋಗುವ ಮುನ್ನ

A lovely metaphor in the form of a flower somewhere in the woods that feels isolated and not appreciated, because it feels that it has not gotten a chance to decorate someone's hairdo. The song appears also to refer to an individual that feels detached from the world, and longs not only to reach God but, at least, to be valued in the world. It is very ably sung by Vijay Prakash of 'Jai Ho' fame.

As you listen to it, you can also feel the pain that the flower might feel ... Glory to the poet who captured the emotion in words, and to the singer who brings the emotion alive.

In this case, it is not necessary for me to create a Kannada transliteration: It is already available on the web.

ನಿನ್ನ ನೋಡಲೆಂತೋ, ಮಾತನಾಡಲೆಂತೋ

The lovers sing to each other [in their imagination] about their inability to profess their love to each other. A melodious song number is a mechanism Indian directors use rather well to make their point. Shreya Ghoshal is superb in this number.