More Carnatic Music in praise of Murugan

Here is Carnatic vocalist Shobana Vignesh performing Azhagu Deivamaga:



And here is some information about her from her website (scroll down for more information about this particular song, including the meaning rendered in English):

Hailed as a prodigy, Shobana Vignesh is considered one of the leading performing and recording Carnatic musicians in India. She has both musical legacy and phenomenal talent. Schooled in the Carnatic system of music by stalwarts in the field like Sri Swamimalai Janakiraman and Prof. T.R. Subramaniam from the age of five, Shobana had already stunned thousands with her prodigious talent by the time she touched her teens. Her most recent and notable achievement has been the honor of receiving the ‘Young Achiever Award’ for 2007 in the field of Carnatic music by the highest circulated magazine in India, ‘India Today’.

She is fondly known as ‘Mahanadhi’ Shobana for her brilliant performance as a child actor and singer in the National award winning movie ‘Mahanadhi’ in the year 1994. She has blossomed from a child prodigy into one of the most valuable and versatile artistes in the music field. Shobana made her recording debut at the tender age of 13 and since then has released more than 120 albums ranging over 1000 songs in various Indian languages. She is one of the top selling artists of Carnatic and Devotional music in India.

Vocalist Mahanadhi Shobana’s voice has an inherent blend of sweetness and depth. She displays an astonishingly expressive range, acquired no doubt through meticulous training and practice. This research scholar in music, tutored by Swamimalai Janakiraman and Prof. T.R. Subramaniam, has a touch of class and polish in her delivery.

[The Indian Express, June 26th, 2005]

The hymn Azhagu Deivamaga is another composition by Periyasami Thooran in praise of Murugan. Below are the lyrics (in Tamil) along with the meaning in English, both of which were taken from here:

azhagu deivam – kAvaDi cindu Composer: Periasamy Thooran

caraNam 1
azhagu deivamAga vandu pazhani malai mIdil nirkkum
Adi Sakti annai tanda bAlan avan asurar tammai venra vaDivElan
nalla amudam ennumOr tamizhil pADiDum anbar vAzhavE karuNai Sei guhan
aran uganda guruvAm uyar SIlan enrum aruL surandE kAkkum anukUlan

The Lord who stands (nirkkum) atop (mIdil) the hill (malai) of pazhani [2] has come (vandu) to us as (Aga) a handsome (azhagu) god (deivam)! He (avan) is the young child (bAlan) given (tanda) to us by his mother (annai) pArvatI (Adi Sakti); bearing a lustrous spear (vaDivElan) he went on to win over (venra) a horde of demons (asurar) [3]. He is the Lord who lives deep inside the cave (guhan) of our hearts, and showers compassion (karuNai Sei) on his devotees (anbar) who sing (pADiDum) in tamizh (tamizhil) – a language that is like (ennum) a (Or) pot of excellent (nalla) nectar (amudam), so that the devotees can flourish (vAzhavE). This noble (uyar) soul of sterling character (SIlan) is that preceptor/mentor (guruvAm) accepted (uganda) by the mighty Siva (aran) [4]. He is the one with overflowing (surandE) grace (aruL) who assists us kindly (anukUlan), and protects (kAkkum) us forever (enrum).

caraNam 2
kuzhandaiyAgak kumaranAgak kOvaNADait turaviyAga kOlam koLLum kATSi enna SolvEnkaNDu kUrum mAya vinaigaL yAvum velvEn
indak-kuvalayattilOr kaliyugap-peru varadanAit-tigazhndaruLum kandanaik-
kumbiTTenran piNigaL nIngi magizhvEn uLLak-kumural OindE nalla vazhi selvEn

What (enna) can I say (SolvEn) about the vision (kATSi) of the forms (kOlam) he takes (koLLum) in pazhani: as a baby (kuzhandaiyAga), as a young man (kumaranAga), and as an ascetic recluse (turaviyAga) dressed in a loincloth (kOmaNADai)? But I do know that by merely seeing these forms of the Lord, I have gained the ability to win over (velvEn) (or defeat) all (yAvum) of the deceptive/duplicitous/shameful (mAya) deeds (vinaigaL) [5] that every one complains (kUrum) about. I will bow down/pray (kumbiTTu) to murugan (kandan) [6] who is resplendent (tigazh) as a (Or) mighty (peru) benefactor (varadanai) in this (inda) world (kuvalayattii) during kaliyug (kaliyuga) as he blesses (aruLum) us, and rejoice (magizhvEn) as my miseries (piNigaL) are dispelled (nIngi), and ) the churn (kumral) in my heart (uLla) subsides (OindE), so that I can now travel (SelvEn) the path (vazhi) of righteousness (nalla).

caraNam 3
nIla mayil mIdil Eri AvinankuDiyil tOnrum nimalanAm kuzhandai murugEsan
uyar nittilap-pon muruval vaLLi nEsan avan nIL nilam tanil anbu SeidiDum
aDiyaryAraiyum kAttu ninriDum nitya jyOti vaDivAm prakASan
tUran nenjai nIngAdenrum angu vAsan

He is the immaculate/spotless/supreme being (nimalanAm) who appears (tOnrum) in the temple town of pazhani (AvinankuDiyil) as a handsome/beautiful (murugESan) child (kuzhandai) mounted (Eri) on (mIdil) a blue (nIla) peacock (mayil). Sporting a mischievous smile (pon muruval) continually (nittila) on his face, he (avan) is the beloved (nESan) of the gypsy, vaLLi. He is ever resplendent (prakASan) in the form (vaDivam) of an eternal (nitya) [7] flame (jyOti) that is never extinguished, as he protects (kAttu ninriDum) any and all (yAraiyum) of his devotees (aDiyAr) in (tanil) this wide (nIL) world (nilam) who love (anbu SeidiDum) him. He is the one who will not vacate (nIngAdu) the heart (nenjai) of the composer, tUran [8], and will live (vAsan) there (angu) forever (enrum).

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