Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Ya Kundendu | Saraswati Sloka


Ya Kundendu Tushara Haara Dhavala - A beautiful prayer to the Divine Mother Saraswati for bestowing so much of her grace and love! My first post of 2018 :) On the occasion of Basant Panchami, an offering to the Goddess who is very very special to me! I have based this on Raag Kedar. या कुन्देन्दु तुषारहार धवला या शुभ्र वस्त्रावृता | या वीणा वरदण्ड मन्डित करा या श्वेत पद्मासना | या ब्रह्माच्युत शंकर प्रभृतिभिर्देवैः सदा वन्दिता | सा मां पातु सरस्वती भगवती निःशेष जाड्यापहा || yA kundEndu tushArahAra DHavalA yA shuBHra vastAvritA ya veeNA varadanDa maNDita karA yA shwEta padmAsanA yA brahmAchyuta shankara praBHRitibhir dEvai sadA vanditA sA mAm pAtu saraswatI bhagavatI nihshEsha jAdyapahA She (या) who is as dazzlingly white or fair (धवल) as a jasmine flower (कुन्द), the moon (इंदु) or a garland (हार ) of snow flakes (तुषार), She who wears white (शुभ्र) clothes (वस्त्र ), She whose hands (कर) are adorned (मण्डित) by Veena and a boon-giving (वर) staff (दण्ड), She whose seat (आसन) is a white lotus (श्वेत पद्म), She to whom Brahma, Achyuta (name for Krishna, form of Vishnu), Maheshwara (name of Shiva) always (सदा) worship/adore (वन्दित) from the beginning (प्रभृति), That (सा) Saraswati please protect (पातु) me (मां) and remove (अपह ) my endless (निःशेष) ignorance/apathy (जाड्य ).

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Friday, February 3, 2017

Namaste Sharade Devi || Sharada Stotram || Sacred Chants





On the occasion of Basant Panchami 2017, a beautiful prayer in praise of the Divine Mother Saraswati.


Monday, November 21, 2016

Aayat | Sahela Re Ft. Jaya Vidyasagar, Akshay Naresh, Binuraj Ravindran ...





Watch our interpretation of the soulful 'Aayat' from Bajirao Mastani and 'Sahela Re', a traditional Bandish! 

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Credits 
Vocals & Video Editing : Jaya Vidyasagar
Flute, Clarinet, Back up Vocals, Arrangement & Mixing : Akshay Naresh
Tabla : Binuraj Ravindran 
Guitar : Adithya Naresh 
Direction : Girija Sundaram 

Aayat Original Song Credits 
Movie: Bajirao Mastani
Original Singer : Arijit Singh 

Music Director : Sanjay Leela Bhansali




Thursday, June 2, 2016

Totakashtakam - Music for Healing (Verses in English & Meaning) Ft. Jay...




Whenever I sing or listen to this chant , I can visualize Dawn ,the hues of pink and blue breaking through the dark night sky , chirping birds, the serenity and peace of that Godly hour. Even without understanding the lyrics, it works its charm through your heart and soothes it.

But there is a beautiful history to this chant.

Totakacharya
 was one of the chief disciples of Adi Shankara.

It is said that
 when Adi Shankara was at Shringeri, he met a boy named Giri. Adi Shankara accepted the boy as his disciple. Giri was a hard-working and loyal servant of his Guru, Adi Shankara, though he did not appear bright to the other disciples. One day, Giri was washing his Guru's clothes, when Adi Shankara sat down to begin a lesson on Advaita Vedanta. He however did not start the lesson saying he was waiting for Giri to come back from his chores. At this, another disciple Padmapada pointed to a wall and said that it would be the same if Adi Shankara taught to this dumb object as he taught to Giri. Now, Shankara wanted to reward Giri for his loyalty and devotion. Thus he mentally granted Giri the complete knowledge of all the śāstras (sciences). The enlightened Giri composed extempore the Totakashtakam, Sanskrit verses , in praise of the Guru Adi Shankara. 

The metre he has used in this composition is the difficult but beautiful totaka. Hence he was given the name Totakacharya. Every word of this exquisite hymn bespeaks the utter devotion of its author to Shankara. Shankara, the Guru, is all to him. There is nothing equal to the Guru; nothing superior to him. The Guru is the dispeller of the darkness of ignorance. There can be no greater good than the removal of ignorance. The spirit of devotion of the disciple is best expressed in the soul-moving burden of this song : Be Thou my refuge, O Master, Shankara (bhava Shankara deshika me sharanam)!

Thus due to the grace of the Guru, Giri became a 'knower' of all scriptures, and he earned the respect of Padmapada and other disciples He became one of Shankara's four most important disciples, and was later entrusted with running the Jyotirmath at Badari.
The Script with the translated meaning goes as follows:- 

||तोटकाष्टकं ||

The TotakAShtakam has been composed in the toTaka meter, in which each pAda (quarter) has four sa-gaNa's. Here a sa-gaNa is made up of two short syllables followed by a long one. The hymn naturally lends itself to be set to music.


विदिताखिलशास्त्रसुधाजलधे महितोपनिषत् कथितार्थनिधे | हृदये कलये विमलं चरणं भव शंकर देशिक मे शरणम् ||१||

O knower of the nectar-ocean of the scriptures, the expounder of the knowledge of the great upanishadic treasure! I meditate on Your pure lotus feet in my heart | O Preceptor Shankara, be my refuge.



करुणावरुणालय पालय मां भवसागरदुःखविदूनहृदम् | रचयाखिलदर्शनतत्त्वविदं भव शंकर देशिक मे शरणम् ||२||

Save me whose heart is afflicted by the misery of the ocean of births, O (You who are) the ocean of compassion! (By Your grace) make me the knower of the truths of all the systems of philosophy | O Preceptor Shankara, be my refuge.



भवता जनता सुहिता भविता निजबोधविचारण चारुमते | कलयेश्वरजीवविवेकविदं भव शंकर देशिक मे शरणम् ||३||

The people have found happiness due to You, who have the intellect adept in the inquiry into Self-knowledge | Make me understand the knowledge of God and the soul | O Preceptor Shankara, be my refuge.




भव एव भवानिति मे नितरां समजायत चेतसि कौतुकिता | मम वारय मोहमहाजलधिं भव शंकर देशिक मे शरणं ||४||

You are Lord Shiva Himself | Knowing this my mind is filled with an abundance of joy | Put an end to my sea of delusion | O Preceptor Shankara, be my refuge.



सुकृते | अधिकृते बहुधा भवतो भविता समदर्शनलालसता | अतिदीनमिमं परिपालय मां भव शंकर देशिक मे शरणम् ||५||

Only after numerous virtuous deeds have been performed in many ways, does a keen desire for the experience of Brahman through You arise. Protect (me who am) extremely helpless | O Preceptor Shankara, be my refuge.




जगतीमवितुं कलिताकृतयो विचरन्ति महामहसश्छलतः | अहिमांशुरिवात्र विभासि गुरो भव शंकर देशिक मे शरणम् ||६||

For the sake of saving the world, (Your) great (disciples) wander assuming various forms and guises | O Guru, You shine like the sun (among them). O Preceptor Shankara, be my refuge.




गुरुपुंगव पुंगवकेतन ते समतामयतां नहि को | अपि सुधीः | शरणागतवत्सल तत्त्वनिधे भव शंकर देशिक मे शरणम् ||७||

O Best among the Gurus! The Lord whose flag bears the emblem of the bull! You have no equal among the wise | You who are affectionate to those who seek refuge! The treasure of truth! O Preceptor Shankara, be my refuge.




विदिता न मया विशदैककला न च किंचन काञ्चनमस्ति गुरो | द्रुतमेव विधेहि कृपां सहजां भव शंकर देशिक मे शरणम् ||८||

I have neither understood even one branch of knowledge clearly, nor do I possess any wealth, O Guru | Quickly bestow on me the compassion which is natural to You | O Preceptor Shankara, be my refuge.



My memory of this chant goes back to 2002, when I had the privilege of presenting this song in the presence of the former Prime Minister of India, Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee and his cabinet ministry in Delhi for a function commemorating the Kanchi Shankaracharya's 50th year of ascending the Peetham.

I had set it to tune basing it on an early morning Raaga, Bhibhas(of the Bhairav thaat). 
A very big thank you to Rishi S, without whose help , this chant wouldn't have shaped up so beautifully. His arrangement and mixing has given a serene meditative feel to this divine shloka. Thank you Rishi, privileged to have an excellent friend like you-in all respects! :) 


Credits
Composed and rendered by - Jaya Vidyasagar

Mixing and Arrangement :- Rishi S 

Record Label :- Sonore Unison


Moh Moh ke Dhaage Cover (Rearrangment) Ft. Jaya Vidyasagar, Akshay Nares...





Hope you enjoy this rearrangement of a beautiful national award winning song "Moh Moh Ke Dhaage" 
Headphones recommended for a better listening experience :) 

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Credits

Vocals & Video Editing: Jaya Vidyasagar



Flute, Piano, Backup vocals and arrangement : Akshay Naresh 

Guitar : Adithya Naresh 

Direction & Set design : Girija Sundaram & Jayashree Rajan 

Art : Manasa Sundaram 

Production Support : Sunder Rajan & Jayashree Naresh 

Music Video by Swaralay Productions 

Original Song Credits
Movie: Dum Laga Ke Haisha
Music Composer: Anu Malik
Singer : Monali Thakur / Papon

Friday, March 18, 2016

Gnyan De - The Call for Wisdom (Original Composition) Ft. Rishi S, Jaya ...







"Gnyan De - The call For Wisdom".  A soulful melody seeking Divine grace and wisdom! 



ज्ञान दे, संज्ञान दे,

इस विश्व को विज्ञान दे...

मूर्ध्य हो विस्तार हर, दीर्घ हो सुविचार हर, 

गर्व हो संसार पर-ऐसा मधुर वरदान दे!! 

ध्येय ऊँचा हीं रहे, स्नेह सींचा हीं रहे, क्लेश भींचा हीं रहे - बस यह कुछ कल्याण दे!!!

ज्ञान दे, संज्ञान दे,  हर लक्ष्य को संधान दे,  इस विश्व कोअभिज्ञान दे!!!



Gnyan De Sangnyan de 

Is vishwa ko vigyan de 

Moordhya ho vistaar har, Dheergh ho suvichaar har 

Garva ho sansa par, aisa madhur vardhaan de 



Dheya ooncha hi rahe, sneha seencha hi rahe 

Klesh bheencha hi rahe -  bas yah kuch kalyan de 

Gnyan De Sangyan De, har laksha ko sandaan de, is vishwa ko abhigyaan de 



Credits



Original music composition, arrangement & mixing : Rishi S (https://www.facebook.com/rishismusic) 

Vocals : Jaya Vidyasagar (https://www.facebook.com/JayasMusic) (www.jayavidyasagar.com) 

Lyrics : Vishwa Deepak (https://www.facebook.com/vishwa.deepa...)

Video Editing: Jaya Vidyasagar

Art : Manasa Sundaram



Music Video: Swaralay Productions 



Record Label : Sonore Unison Music (https://www.facebook.com/sonoreunison...)