From: srini@engin.umich.edu (Srinivasan Pichumani)
Subject: Late post -- on dEvI brova samayamidE
Date: Fri, 01 Jan 93 15:03:12 EST
Organization: University of Michigan Engineering, Ann Arbor

Sorry for this late post on an earlier discussion. I just realized
that I might have done a "reply" rather than a "repost" in my news
reader, when I tried to join the discussion a while back.

First off, the lyrics:

dEvI brova samayamidE ati
vEgamE vacci nA vedalu tIrcci
karuNincavE shankarI kAmAkShI

loka jananI nApai daya ledA nI dAsudu gadA
shrI kAncI vihAriNI kalyANI 
EkAmrEshvaruni priya bhAmayai yunna 
nIkEmamma entO bhAramA vinumA (nA)talli

shyAma krShNuni sOdari kaumArI bimbAdari gaurI
hemapAngI lalitE paradEvatE
kAmAkShI ninnu vinA bhUmilO prEmatO
kApadEvAr(u)-evarunnArammA (nA)talli

Yes, there is a third charaNam to this kriti which begins as 
"rEpu mApani...." -- it is actually the middle one. It is given
in Smt.Vidya Shankar's book -- "Syama Sastri compositions".
[Incidentally, this lady is one of the most respected/dependable
sources for information on Syama Sastri's compositions/lyrics.
She learnt these compositions from the composer's great great
grandson, and has painstakingly set all the available compositions
of this Trinitarian to notation; this book gives the lyrics in Tamil,
Telugu, Devanagari scripts and an English translation. It also
has an accurate life-history of the composer, and the author's articles
on Syama Sastry & gamakas presented at forums like the Music Academy,
Madras]

As is not uncommon, the myth/legend
surrounding this kriti has survived better intact than the musical
setting itself (this comment is from B.Subba Rao's "rAganidhi" --
while writing about the divergent traditions on cintAmaNI rAga).

I have heard at least 6 musicians render this kriti -- MSS, KVN, DKJ,
Ravikiran, (late) Prof.Ramanathan, & BAlamurali. The first four
are reasonably close to each other; MSS's/KVN's renditions are probably the
best (the recording of KVN's rendition on LP is by far the most
striking because of the inherent production values; L.Subramaniam's
sober accompaniment, almost entirely in the mandra stAyI, is 
a feature worthy of mention - in this piece, and throughout the LP).

Prof.S.Ramanathan sings this kriti -- hear carefully -- with the line
"nA vedalu tIrcci karuNincavE shankarI kAmAkShI" serving as the ANUPALLAVI.
I used to wonder where he got his "pATAntaram" from -- stopped doing so
after I saw Smt.Vidya Shankar's book, where this line is specified as 
rendered by the late Prof.

BAlamuraLI's rendition is 'unique' as ever. I don't know what his source is,
for his version. After having been weaned on KVN's rendition, I used to
find his version highly irritating -- but now have begun to like it
somewhat.

--Srini.

Trivia: Smt.Vidya Shankar is the younger sister of the Nobel laureate,
Prof.S.Chandrasekar. Their father, C.S.Iyer, was a active member of the
Music Academy and its Experts Committee -- he was nicknamed 
Controversy Subrahmania Iyer (source:Sruti) for his contentious 
participation in the morning sessions at the Music Academy, during the
December season.

She has also written a book called "Syama Sastry" for the National Book
Trust, India. This book is available in many libraries around the U.S.