Kamalamba Navavaranam: Muthuswami Dikshitar’s timeless creation

The composer’s Kamalamba Navavaranams are a series of incredible kritis sung specially during Navarathri 

Yet another article on Muthuswami Dikshitar’s Kamalamba Navavaranam? Different aspects of the Navavarana Vibhakti series have already been written in great detail! “What am I going to write?” was my initial reaction. That was when I remembered Sri Tyagaraja’s Asaveri Kriti, E paniko janminchitini. Tyagaraja ponders about being one more person to write and sing about Sri Rama. However, he then says, “ let me sing/write for my happiness”. So here I go, in the same vein!

Indic culture offers a variety of spiritual traditions, each one celebrating the Parabrahman as a means to attain salvation. Saktam is one tradition that honours the Parabrahman in the form of Mother. This tradition is said to be very profound, esoteric, deep, secretive and powerful.

The Navavaranams (Nava Avaranams) are the nine enclosures from the outer periphery to the centre, consisting of triangles or petals, each one subtler than the previous. These are represented in a yantra (two dimensional) or in the form of a Meru (three dimensional). Through proper Sadhaka and Upasana, a devotee is said to move across each of these levels to reach the ninth level, the seat of the Mother where one becomes one with the sat-cit-ananda parabrahman.

Muthuswamy Dikshitar, being a Srividya Upasaka himself, gives us the Kamalamba Navavarana Kritis, each one extolling the respective avaranas in rich Samskrtam with philosophical depth and sheathed in beautiful ragas. In short, Dikshitar has given to the world the esoteric practice of SriVidya on a silver platter.

The Navavaranam set begins with a dhyanam and ends with a mangalam. Each of the kritis incorporates the yoginis of the respective avarana in relation to the Mother, various aspects of the avaranas in the universe, the list of presiding deities, different philosophical systems (darshanas), the nine forms of Goddess corresponding to each of the avarana. In a previous article I had mentioned the Todi dhyana kriti and the highlights.

The first kriti in the order of the vibhakti is set in the beautiful Anandabhairavi raga. This corresponds to the trailokya mohana chakra. The kriti begins with the archaic suddha dhaivata prayoga. In this kriti, Muthuswami Dikshitar has made emphatic Anandabhairavi statements at every point. The word ‘ananda’ is symbolic of the raga

mudra. The prakata yoginis comprising of the 8 siddhis (corresponding to the various emotions and activities), 8 matrukas (8 afflictions such as kama, krodha, lobha, etc) and the mudras (representing the chakras) are highlighted in the sahitya. The prakata yogini represents the visible form of emotions and afflictions.