I’ve been playing two ragas in my violin classes lately. Valaji and Garudadhwani. They are both beautiful, distinctive and so nuanced.
I had never heard of Garudadhwani when I started learning the piece composed by my teacher’s guru – Sri Lalgudi Jayaraman. It is a restrictive raga – it has all seven notes on the ascending scale, but only five on the descending. This means that certain patterns are created which make the raga both instantly recognisable, as well as hard to elaborate on for long. It is bright, playful, optimistic and powerful. It also has a fascinating name. I know the meaning of the Sanskrit words ‘Garuda’, the eagle carrier of Lord Vishnu and ‘dhwani’ – ‘sound’, but wasn’t sure what this meant in reference to the raga. I asked my guru why it has this name, and his answer wasn’t abstract at all – ‘It means the sound that the divine eagle, Garuda makes.’ Of course it does!
I love that a raga exists, based on the sound of a divine eagle’s cry. Here’s an example of the raga – what do you hear?
The second, Valaji, is a pentatonic scale – it has five notes on the way up and down. It is languid, confident and I think, bluesy. Aside from anything else, it reminds me so much of the classic blues minor pentatonic scale that my Dad once showed me on my old Casio keyboard. I’d love to hear a Valaji collaboration with a blues clarinet. Here’s an example that goes part of the way. Valaji on electric guitar – they say almost any stringed instrument can be adapted to Carnatic music…
The Aptness of Garuda-Dhwani
sri mahavishnu vaahanaaya vihageshvaraya garudaya namah: – Salutations to the mount of lord vishnu, the overlord of all birds, the mighty garuda.
Apologies, if this looks like an intrusion of comments in your blog. Couldn’t resist the temptation of writing something about Garuda, that too when music gets associated with him.
According to the hindu system, the starting point of sound are the vedas (hence the name shruti for vedas), of those four, namely Rik, Yajur, Sama and Atharva, the Sama Veda is somewhat different from the other three, because its not recited, rather sung. Though i don’t know much about music, yet thought of putting some scriptural info here.
In the gita, lord calls himself Sama veda among the vedas (vedaanaam samavedosmi). Sama veda has several hymns, out of which two of them are very melodious – one is the rathantra sama and other being the brihat sama. Again lord calls himself the brihat sama (brihat saama tathaa saamnaam) of all the hymns.
What garuda, music and sama veda have to do with one another? The hindu music system has its roots in the Sama Veda. Infact sama veda has all the sounds, not only the sapta swaras of music, but even sounds found in the semitic and dravidian group of languages, such as z, zh, zhya etc (won’t go into more detail).
The srimad bhaagavatam mentions garuda as singing the glories of lord with vedic hymns and this it does by flapping its wings – “aasevito garuda kinnara giita kiirtih”.
Lord garuda is himself a manifestation of the vedas – his eyes being the representation of gayatra-saaman hymn, his two wings representing the brihat and rathanthara sama hymn. It is but natural that the very flight of Lord Garuda is melodious. The flapping of the wings and hence the sound of the hymns produced by those wings is so powerful and mighty that it can destroy any thing that comes in its path! and this is vouched in Shrimad Valmiki Ramayana when indrajit uses his nagaastra and makes Lord Rama and Lakshmana unconscious, Lord Garuda enters to ward off those serpents, and his entry is described by Sage valmiki in the following excellent slokas (yuddhakanda) –
etasmin antare vaayur meghaamsha caapi savidyutah
paryasyan saagare toyam kampayann iva parvataan
In the meantime, wind accompanied by clouds and lightning, whipping up the waves in the ocean, causing the mountains to tremble with vibration, arose.
mahataa paksha vaatena sarve dviipa mahaa drumaah
nipetur bhagna vitapaah samuulaa lavana ambhasi
The enormous wind generated by the flap of his wings broke all the trees in the island and they fell into the salty ocean.
abhavan pannagaas trastaa bhoginas tatra vaasinah
shiighram sarvaani yaadaamsi jagmush ca lavana arnavam
All snakes were frightened, they along with other marine beings living there, quickly plunged into the salty ocean.
The essence of these slokas is that Lord Garuda who is the embodiment of vedas, who keeps on singing the glories of Lord Vishnu with vedas, can destroy all evils melodiously!
Apologies once again for writing such a big comment.
Daasaanudasan
Ram