Sampoorna Geetagovinda
Sampoorna Geetagovinda – the Music CDs
Geetagovinda
Jayadeva’s Geetagovinda, composed in the twelfth century, is an Indian classic and a part of the world cultural heritage. It marks a watershed in the development of Sanskrit Kavya literature in the use of a simple and colloquial style that is much closer to the spoken language than the purely literary or ornate style of earlier works. It is also one of the best examples of padavali sangeeta—poems meant for singing and dancing rather than for reading and recitation. Geetagovinda is the precursor of modern dance-drama or geetinatya. It uses matra chhanda, with syllabic instants for rhythmic patterns, ideally suited for lyrical and musical rendition, and a form more popularly adopted by the Prakrut language spoken by the lay public unlike classical Sanskrit patronised by scholars and connoisseurs. Even as pure poetry this magnificent poem has few parallels in its use of metaphors, similes and alliterations which provide the readers and listeners a rich sensuous experience. Another major feature of Geetagovinda is its strong visual imagery—succinct word pictures of exquisite beauty. It is also the first major literary work to make use of regular ragas and talas for its twenty-four songs. Geetagovinda marks a major milestone in the evolution of Indian musical traditions. This aspect of Jayadeva’s classic is perhaps more important than its special place in Indian literature per se.

(For more on Geetagovinda please see the section Geetagovinda)

Jayadeva

Jayadeva was born at Kenduvila or Kenduli in Prachi valley in the region of Puri. He lived in the reign of the great Ganga king Chodagangadeva in the twelfth century during the period when the great temple of Jagannatha, Srimandira was being built at Srikshetra-Puri, on the eastern shores of India. Jayadeva spent most of his life in the temple town where he composed his immortal creation Geetagovinda.

Devasharma, a Brahmin from the Kalinga region, had brought his daughter Padmavati to Puri to offer her as a devadasi, a dancer dedicated to the temple of Jagannatha. During her ritual dedication at the temple, the high priest indicated the divine desire of Jagannatha to have him married to Jayadeva as a fulfilment of the promise made by Devasharma. Jayadeva, leading an ascetic life, was reluctant to be entangled in worldly affairs and take on the responsibilities of marriage. Eventually he relented and accepted Padmavati as his wife. She was an accomplished singer and dancer. Jayadeva was a master musician and choreographer, in addition to being a poetic genius. He was a great pandita kavi or scholar-poet, a gandharva kala vishaarada or an expert in the performing arts. The marriage of Padmavati and Jayadeva ordained by Lord Jagannatha inspired a great creative collaboration of the dancer and her muse. Jayadeva composed the songs and Padmavati rendered these in her dance. Thus was born an immortal composition, a lyrical masterpiece, a musical epic and a monument of pure devotion—Geetagovinda, literally the songs of the Dark Lord Govinda or Krishna–Jagannatha. Jayadeva was revered as a saint-poet in his own life time. He is believed to have spent some time at Mukhalingam, the ancient capital of Ganga kings in the company of the sani sampradaya, a traditional community of temple dancers and musicians. There he absorbed the best of the Kalinga style of South Indian musical traditions. Combining this with the Odra-Magadhi style that had flourished in the central part of Orissa, Jayadeva helped in the harmonious synthesis of the Southern and Eastern traditions of Indian music. This led to the evolution and development of the unique style of Odissi music and dance in the precincts of the great temple of Jagannatha at Puri.
Jayadeva composed Geetagovinda for the delight of Lord Purushottama-Jagannatha, the presiding deity of Srimandira at Puri. Together Jayadeva and Padmavati made an offering of dance and music, depicting the leela of Radha and Krishna, to Jagannatha in his newly built grand temple at Puri. The entire composition through its madhura komala kanta padaavali —sweet, soft and tender words of its lilting lyrics—is but a medium for attaining Hari, an aid to remembering Krishna–Jagannatha, the supreme divinity and the creator of the ten avataaras or incarnations. Very soon, Geetagovinda became an integral part of the rituals of the temple. Singing and dancing to the verses of Geetagovinda by the devadasis was a part of the daily routine for Jagannatha.

(For more on Jayadeva see the section Jayadeva)

The Composer and his interpretation of Geetagovinda

Geetagovinda has inspired many musicians and composers to present their interpretations of the classic over centuries. Dr Subas Pani has composed music for Sampoorna Geetagovinda. He is a scholar researching on Jagannatha, Jayadeva and Geetagovinda. His recent publication, Blue Hill– Hymns to Jagannatha, translations from original Sanskrit and Oriya to English verse, with a comprehensive introduction on Jagannatha, Srimandira and Srikshetra-Puri, has been critically acclaimed. His other publications include Orissa, Her Monuments and their Tales, Jagannatha Consciousness (edited), Palm Leaf Illustrations of Orissa: A selection from Orissa State Museum.
His tryst with Jayadeva’s Geetagovinda started almost half a century ago when he was fortunate to be initiated to Geetagovinda by his father, Late Dr Raghunath Pani, in the early 1960s. He has been engaged in research on Jayadeva, Geetagovinda and Jagannatha faith for more than two decades, and has done his Ph D on Rediscovering Jayadeva and Shree Geetagovinda in the Context of Historical and Cultural Heritage of Orissa. He has extensively studied all published music on Geetagovinda. He has been exploring Geetagovinda, especially its music, to find the right approach to present the totality of this immortal work of Jayadeva in its true essence. Through his research and studies and his first-hand observation of the festivals, rituals and traditions of the Puri temple, Dr Pani has provided fresh insights into this great classic. The intimate relation of Jayadeva and Geetagovinda to the heritage of Srikshetra-Puri, Srimandira and Sri Jagannatha forms the basis of Dr Pani’s interpretation of Geetagovinda as a major work of devotional literature glorifying the tenet of “Sarala Samparpana” or “simple surrender”, the Gopi Bhava and Radha Bhava. There are clear parallels between this and the Jagannatha faith and consciousness or Jaganntha chetana, especially with respect to a close, deeply personal and almost familial relationship between the divine and the devotee. The essence of Geetagovinda as an act of grace of the divine to delight the universe forms the kernel of this rediscovery of Geetagovinda. Dr Subas Pani treats Bhakti and Shringara as the warp and the weft—tana bana—of Geetagovinda, and madhurya or nectarine sweetness as its hue. The music composed on this deep realisation has attempted to capture the essential devotional character of the songs as an aid to Hari smarana or remembrance of Hari. Prepared as an offering in surrender to Lord Jagannatha–Krishna, the composition itself is attempted as a pilgrimage, inspired by the ineffable lingering sweetness of the intimate personal relationship of Gopis and Radha with Krishna and Jayadeva’s own complete identification with Krishna Consciousness—Krishneikatanatmanah—that reverberates throughout Geetagovinda. For Dr Subas Pani, his composition of the music of Sampoorna Geetagovinda is in itself the manifestation of the Grace of Jagannatha. In that sense, the music of Sampoorna Geetagovinda is received as a grace of Lord Jagannatha rather than composed in the traditional sense.

Sampoorna Geetagovinda – the Music CDs

Sampoorna Geetagovinda presents the complete and unabridged version of Jayadeva’s immortal creation. This is a major musical composition presenting the entire Geetagovinda —all the stanzas of each of its twenty-four songs, typically consisting of eight padas and hence called Ashtapadis, and all the seventy-two slokas—a unique and first ever offering. A group of scholars led by
Dr Subas Pani, well-known scholar of Jayadeva and Geetagovinda, has finalised the authentic text of this musical epic after extensive research referring to several original tika or commentaries. The composition maintains complete fidelity to the authentic text of this lyrical epic and to its true spirit of deep devotion enshrining the supremacy of simple surrender to the divine. The composition is inspired by and steeped in the heritage of Orissa and especially the regional musical traditions prevailing around the great temple of Lord Jagannatha at Puri as well as the style and nuances of Odissi music and dance. It attempts to retain the purity of classical frame with a pan-Indian appeal. Yet at the same time the music is quite contemporary, with a refreshingly new flavour and the composer’s own style evident in its gayaki or approach to rendition. Geetagovinda was originally composed for singing and being rendered in dance. Meeting the twin objectives—simultaneously being suitable for singing and dance—has been the constant backdrop for this major musical project. The style adopted is ideally suited for both singers and dancers for their performances.
The composition places greater emphasis on the mood of the songs rather than virtuosity of rhythmic innovations or ornamentation of vocal rendering. It is thus bhavapradhana and rasa pradhana. The twenty-four songs and seventy-two slokas present many challenges in finding appropriate rhythmic patterns and vocal renderings so as to not compromise the bhava or feelings, Rasa or sentiment and madhurya or nectarine sweetness—these being the hallmarks of Jayadeva’s composition. The music for the songs and slokas, especially the rhythmic cycles, can be easily adapted for dance in all major Indian classical dance forms, particularly Odissi dance. A variety of ragas and the more popular talas of Odissi dance have been utilised in most songs of the new composition within the framework of pan-Indian traditions of light classical music. An essential simplicity characterises the entire composition. The new composition also attempts to faithfully render the text with the right intonation and correct pronunciation of the Sanskrit original and attempts to follow prescribed cannons of chhanda shastra. Most songs of Geetagovinda are in the nature of dialogues—between Sakhi and Radha, Sakhi and Krishna and Radha, or between the Sutradhara and the audience. An attempt have been made to convey the conversational character of the songs and slokas through subtle variations of emphasis, use of pause at appropriate points and other musical innovations. The vocal renderings have also been enriched with simple and elegant interludes and accompanying music. For this, traditional instruments like the Veena, Venu, Mardala and Manjeera accompany the singers in keeping with the rituals of the Puri temple where separate sevas like madali seva and binaakaara seva exist for such musical offerivngs.
Sampoorna Geetagovinda presents the total musical experience of Geetagovinda in a set of five audio CDs comprising all the twenty-four songs in their entirety and all its seventy-two slokas, with connecting and interlude music. It includes a short chanting of Om and mangaladhvani, playing of sankha (conch), and ghanta vadya, playing of gongs in typical style heard during Ratha Yatra, the annual festival of chariots of Lord Jagannatha at Puri.
The first two songs, hymns to Jagannatha–Krishna are presented as duets with the refrains in chorus. A few of the slokas are also presented in this format. All the other songs and slokas are presented as solo items. As indicated earlier, the music has been received rather than contrived —raga names given in the accompanying list of tracks in different volumes are indicative of the dominant mood and movement of the raga reflected in the song as determined by some experts. This is known as chalan or gait among musicians. There may be traces and imprints of other ragas too, though these have not been specifically mentioned.

Participating Artistes

Dr Subas Pani has composed the music for Sampoorna Geetagovinda and has also provided the research inputs and interpretation of the text. Dr Subas Pani has prepared the authentic text of Geetagovinda for this project, along with noted Sanskrit scholars Dr Pramod Kumar Mishra of Sadasiva Sanskrit University at Puri, Dr Sampadananda Mishra of Sri Aurobindo Society, Puducherry, with additional support from Sri Nityananda Mishra. Dr Sampadananda Mishra and Sri Nityananda Mishra have guided the singers in right intonation and pronunciation for musical rendition of the Sanskrit original. The songs have been rendered by a group of singers and musicians steeped in the traditions of Odissi music. Songs and slokas of Radha and Sakhi are presented by Nazia Alam, an accomplished and talented singer and performing artiste of AIR. Sumanta Mohanty, alumni of Utkal Sangeeta Mahavidyalaya and artiste of AIR, presents the songs and slokas of Krishna, Jayadeva and the Sutradhara.
Veena is played by K. Rama Rao Patro, retired professor of USM, Sitar by Rabishankar Pradhan, senior staff artiste of AIR, Venu by Abhiram Nanda and Srinivas Satapathy, both alumni of USM and young maestros, Mardala by Dhaneswar Swain, renowned guru and senior faculty of USM, and Bijaya Barik, alumni of USM, Khol by Ajaya Chowdhury, Manjeera by Dhaneswar Swain and Ajaya Chowdhury, Violin by Guru Ramesh Chandra Das, faculty of USM, and Keyboard by Piku. Music for the project has been arranged by Sumanta Mohanty. Tarakanta Panda has digitally recorded, edited and mastered the music for Sampoorna Geetagovinda at Studio Voice Master, Bhubaneswar. Vikram Kaushik has designed the graphics for the product, based on traditional Patta paintings of the Puri region, painted specially for this composition by award winning master craftsman Shilpa Guru Sri Ananta Maharana and his family members. Vocal rendition of the first part of Sampoorna Geetagovinda has already been featured at prestigious Bhakti Utsav in 2006, Delhi. Other vocal performances were presented at major festivals like Jayadev Utsav, Delhi, and Srikshetra Utsav, Puri.
Several pieces of this new composition have also been choreographed in Odissi dance by Guru Padmashree Gangadhar Pradhan with adaptation of the music of Dr Subas Pani. These have been presented by senior dancers Sharmila Biswas, Aruna Mohanty, Meera Das, Jyoti Srivastava and artistes of Orissa Dance Academy at Konark Festival, Mukteswar Festival, Bhubaneswar, Srikshetra Utsav, Puri, International Dance Festival, Bhubaneswar, Jayadev Utsav, Delhi, and pieces have also been performed in USA.

Sri Geetagovinda Pratisthana

Sri Geetagovinda Pratisthana, Puducherry, a non-profit charitable trust engaged in the promotion and propagation of Indian and Orissan culture has produced Sampoorna Geetagovinda. It was founded in 2001 by Late Dr Raghunath Pani—noted teacher, educationist, scholar and cultural organizer, who dedicated his entire life for holistic development of his students through integral education based on the teachings of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo. Among other major activities, the trust is committed to bringing out authentic text, music and dance compositions of Jayadeva’s Geetagovinda, with a special emphasis on retaining and enriching the cultural heritage of Orissa.

(For more on Geetagovinda Pratisthana see section on Sri Geetagovinda Pratisthana)

CD Track Details of Sampoorna Geetagovinda
Volume 1

NO	TRACK TITLE	RAGA - TALA	SINGER	TIME
01	Om		Sumanta - Nazia	0:48
02	Megheirmeduram(Sloka 1-2)		Sumanta	3:48
03	Yadi Harismarane (Sloka 3)		Sumanta - Nazia	2:44
04	Mangaladhvani			1:10
05	Jaya Jagadeesha Hare (Geeta 1)	Puriadhanashree - Yati	Sumanta - Nazia	10:32
06	Vedanuddharate (Sloka 4)		Sumanta - Nazia	4:16
07	Shrita Kamala (Geeta 2)	Varadi - Kaharva	Sumanta - Nazia	5:55
08	Padmapayodhara (Sloka 5)		Sumanta	1:59
09	Vasante vasanti (Sloka 6)		Sumanta	1:50
10	Sarasa vasante (Geeta 03)	Nata - Yati	Nazia	10:07
11	Daravidalita (Sloka 7-9)		Sumanta	3:25
12	Aneka nari (Sloka 10)		Sumanta	2:10
13	Chandanacharchita (Geeta 4)	Vageshree - Kaharva	Nazia	11:47
14	Visvesamanuranjanena (Sloka 11)		Sumanta - Nazia	3:38

Volume 2

NO	TRACK TITLE	RAGA - TALA	SINGER	TIME
01	Viharati vane Radha (Sloka 12)		Sumanta	1:34
02	Raase Harimiha (Geeta 5)	Bhimpalashree - Ektali	Nazia	10:52
03	Ganayati gunagramam (Sloka 13)		Nazia	2:00
04	Sakhi he Kesimathanam (Geeta 6)	Pilu - Kaharva	Nazia	9:59
05	Hastasrasta (Sloka 14-15)		Nazia	3:07
06	Kamsarirapi (Sloka 16)		Sumanta - Nazia	2:20
07	Itastastatam (Sloka 17)		Sumanta	1:14
08	Mamiyam chalita vilokya (Geeta 7)	Khambavati - Triputa	Sumanta	8:58
09	Hrdivisalataharo (Sloka 18-22)		Sumanta	7:15
10	Yamunateera (Sloka 23)		Sumanta	1:50
11	Nindatichandanam (Geeta 8)	Suddhadhanashree - Yati	Nazia	10:13
12	Avaso vipinayate (Sloka 24)		Nazia	2:23
13	Stana vinihitamapi (Geeta 9)	Vageshree - Yati	Nazia	6:57

Volume 3

NO	TRACK TITLE	RAGA - TALA	SINGER	TIME
01	Sa romanchati (Sloka 25-28)		Nazia	4:47
02	Ahamiha nivasami (Sloka 29)		Sumanta	1:15
03	Tava virahe Vanamali (Geeta 10)	Gaud Malhar - Ektali	Nazia	7::20
04	Purvamyatra samam (Sloka 30)		Nazia	1:34
05	Ratisukha sare (Geeta 11)	Bhimpalashree - Kaharva	Nazia	10:02
06	Vikirati muhuh (Sloka 31-34)		Nazia	5:07
07	Atha tam (Sloka 35)		Sumanta	1:35
08	Pasyati disi disi (Geeta 12)	Vageshree- Yati	Nazia	8:15
09	Vipulapulaka (Sloka 36-37)		Nazia	3:08
10	Atrantare cha kulata (Sloka 38-39)		Sumanta	2:27
11	Kathita samayepi (Geeta 13)	Unknown or new - Jhampa	Nazia	9:22
12	Tatkim kamapi (Sloka 40)		Nazia	1:51
13	Athagatam Madhavamantarena (Sloka 41)		Sumanta	1:08
14	Kapi Madhuripuna (Geeta 14)	Pilu - Kaharva	Nazia	7:05
15	Viraha pandu (Sloka 42)		Nazia	1:41

Volume 4

NO	TRACK TITLE	RAGA - TALA	SINGER	TIME
01	Ramate Yamunapulinavane (Geeta 15)	Pilu - Yati	Nazia	8:33
02	Nayatah (Sloka 43)		Nazia	1:50
03	Anilatarala (Geeta 16)	Pilu - Dadara	Nazia	6:15
04	Manobhavanandana (Sloka 44-46)		Nazia	4:15
05	Atha kathamapi (Sloka 47)		Sumanta	1:36
06	Rajanijanita (Geeta 17)	Ahirbhairav - Yati	Nazia	10:34
07	Tavedam (Sloka 48)		Nazia	2:01
08	Tamatha Manmatha (Sloka 49)		Sumanta	1:45
09	Harirabhisarati (Geeta 18)	Jogiya - Kaharva	Nazia	6:47
10	Snigdhe (Sloka 50)		Nazia	1:53
11	Atrantare (Sloka 51)		Sumanta	1:32
12	Vadasi yadi kinchidapi (Geeta 19)	Vakulabharan - Jhampa	Sumanta	12:18
13	Parihara (Sloka 52-56)		Sumanta	5:32

 

Volume 5

NO	TRACK TITLE	RAGA - TALA	SINGER	TIME
01	Suchiramanunayena (Sloka 57)		Sumanta	2:00
02	Virachitachatubachana (Geeta 20)	Bihag - Kaharva	Nazia	8:59
03	Sa mam drakshyati (Sloka 58-60)		Nazia	4:10
04	Haravalitarala (Sloka 61)		Sumanta	1:25
05	Manjutarakunjatala (Geeta 21)	Vakulabharan - Jhampa	Nazia	6:16
06	Tvam chittena (Sloka 62)		Nazia	1:36
07	Sa sasadhva (Sloka 63)		Sumanta	1:17
08	Radha vadana vilokana (Geeta 22)	Yamankalyan - Ektali	Sumanta	8:46
09	Atikramyapangam (Sloka 64-65)		Sumanta	2:44
10	Gatavatisakhivrinde (Sloka 66)		Sumanta	1:26
11	Kshyanamadhuna (Geeta 23)	Mishra Pilu - Kaharva	Sumanta	8:46
12	Pratyuhah pulakankurena (Sloka 67-70)		Sumanta	4:08
13	Kuru Yadunandana (Geeta 24)	Bhairav - Kaharva	Nazia	11:36
14	Racaya kuchayoh (Sloka 71)		Nazia	1:55
15	Yadgandharvakalasu (Sloka 72)		Sumanta - Nazia	3:52

Contributing Artistes

Music Composition, Research and Interpretation:
Dr Subas Pani
Preparation of Authentic Text:
Dr Subas Pani, supported by Dr Pramod Kumar Mishra,
Dr Sampadananda Mishra & Sri Nityananda Mishra
Singers:
Nazia Alam      Songs & slokas of Radha & Sakhi
Sumanta Mohanty        Songs & slokas of Krishna, Jayadeva & Sutradhara
Accompanying            Musicians
Veena       K Rama Rao Patro
Sitar          Rabishankar Pradhan
Venu        Abhiram Nanda & Srinivas Satapathy
Mardala    Dhaneswar Swain &  Bijaya Barik
Khol         Ajaya Chowdhury
Violin       Ramesh Chandra Das
Manjeera  Dhaneswar Swain & Ajaya Chowdhury
Keyboard Piku

Music arranged by Sumanta Mohanty
Music for the project has been digitally recorded, edited and mastered at Studio Voice Master, Bhubaneswar by
Tarakanta Panda

 

Dr. Subas Pani
Dr. Subas Pani, well known scholar of Orissa’s cultural heritage with research interests in Jagannatha, Jayadeva and Geetagovinda, has composed music for Sampoorna Geetagovinda. He has done his Ph D on “Rediscovering Jayadeva and Shree Geetagovinda in the Context of Historical and Cultural Heritage of Orissa”. He has extensively studied all published music on Geetagovinda.
Dr. Pani treats Bhakti and Shringara as the warp and the weft – tana bana or warp and weft of Geetagovinda and Madhurya or nectarine sweetness as its hue. The music composed on this deep realization has attempted to capture the essential devotional character of Geetagovinda as an aid to Hari Smarana or remembrance of Hari. Prepared as an offering in surrender to Lord Jagannatha-Krishna, the composition itself is attempted as a pilgrimage, inspired by the ineffable lingering sweetness of the intimate personal relationship of Gopis and Radha with Krishna and Jayadeva’s own complete identification with Krishna Consciousness – Krishneikatanatmanah – that reverberates throughout Geetagovinda.
His recent publication – Blue Hill – Hymns to Jagannatha, a translation from original Sanskrit and Oriya in English verse with a comprehensive introduction on Jagannatha, Srimandira and Srikshetra, Puri has been critically acclaimed. His other publications include Orissa, Her Monuments and their Tales, Palm Leaf Illustrations of Orissa - a Selection from Orissa State Museum Jagannatha Consciousness (edited), and Balasore – Historical and Cultural Heritage (Edited). He has also written travel articles for Namaskar and Swagat. He is a regular television commentator for the national and international channels of Doordarshan for live telecast of Ratha Yatra, the annual Festival of Chariots of Jagannatha at Puri.
He is the architect of major cultural festivals and started the Kumar Utsav at Jeypore, the Mukteswar Dance Festival and Ekamra Utsav at Bhubaneswar and Srikshetra Utsav at Puri.
He is a senior administrator well known for his expertise in Systems, Information Technology, Elections and Planning. He has held with distinction prestigious assignments as Deputy Election Commissioner, Election Commission of India, Chief Secretary, Government of Orissa, Secretary Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India and Planning Commission of India.

Sampoorna Geetagovinda – the Festival

A two day festival of Vocal Music and Odissi Dance
Presenting the Complete Musical experience of Jayadeva's Geetagovinda
Venue: Stein Auditorium, New Delhi
October 5-6, 2008, Time 18:30