An eternal favourite..

Pandit Jasraj ji has always been my most favourite vocalist of all in Indian Classical Music since more than half a century. After I heard him first in 1967, he has been Numero Uno for me. His habit of starting every recital with a Sanskrit Shlok made him stand out amongst the galaxy of vocalists who I have been privileged to grow up listening to.

Waking up today, it was a very apt album that I was reminded of and rendered so soulfully by Jasrajji. This CD was released more than 2 decades ago. Hearing it once was enough to fall in love with it. Every time I would start a long journey (and my rural work would mean this would happen at least once a month) I would leave home around 4 am and start driving with a flask of coffee and cup in the holder, a sandwich packed lying on the seat next to mine, a towel placed across my lap, and a bottle of water in the bottle holder. This would be the CD playing in the car, the rejuvenating notes enveloping me in my solitude, ideal for the early morning hours. The fresh, cool morning and the Sampoorna Shiv Mahimna Stotra would be wonderfully matched with one other.

Hearing the entire CD has given me so much solace and peace the stress of driving would never affect me. I have frequently driven around 333 Km (distance between home and the first stop) in less than 5 hours , and frequently not having had anything more than the water, and Dr Bharadia would be amused to see me pull out my sandwich and reheat the coffee and eat the breakfast while leaving with him to start the day’s work. I have virtually heard the CD a few hundred times.

This is a wonderful shlok from the Sampoorna Shiv Mahimna Stotra: the stotra itself was written by Pushpadanta, a Gandharva who was caught picking up flowers from the garden of a king as he wanted to offer Adiyogi Shiv as a form of worship, and was stripped of his divine powers by the angry Lord. The stotram so pleased the Lord, he absolved him of his misdemeanour and restituted the powers. Pushpadanta says:

असित गिरि समं स्यात् कज्जलम् सिन्धु पात्रे 
   सुरतरुवर शाखा लेखनी पत्रम् उर्वी ।
लिखति यदि गृहित्वा शारदा सर्वकालं
   तदपि तव गुणानां ईश पारं न याति ॥

Which means  ‘if an ocean is made the inkpot, the branch of the Parijaata Tree  made the pen and Goddess Saraswati (The Goddess of Knowledge) embarks to write the glory of Lord Shiva for all times, it will still be impossible to comprehend the greatness of the Lord fully’ 

I first heard the Shivtandavastotra (attributed to the Lankadhipati Raavan who was a very learned man and a great devotee of Shiv) rendered by Jasrajji and found it very calming. Not only are the words fabulous, but so was Panditji’s divine vocal rendition, albeit its being sung in a slow, measured tempo rather than the brisk one that would be expected to go with a Tandav.

जटाटवीगलज्जलप्रवाहपावितस्थले
गलेऽवलम्ब्यलम्बितां भुजंगतुंगमालिकाम्‌
डमड्डमड्डमड्डमन्निनादवड्डमर्वयं
चकारचंडतांडवं तनोतु नः शिवः शिवम् ॥१॥

जटा कटाहसंभ्रम भ्रमन्निलिंपनिर्झरी
विलोलवीचिवल्लरी विराजमानमूर्धनि
धगद्धगद्धगज्ज्वलल्ललाटपट्टपावके
किशोरचंद्रशेखरे रतिः प्रतिक्षणं मम ॥२॥

धरा धरेंद्र नंदिनी विलास बंधुवंधुर-
स्फुरद्दिगंत संतति प्रमोद मानमानसे
कृपाकटाक्षधोरणी निरुद्धदुर्धरापदि
क्वचिद्दिगम्बरे मनो विनोदमेतु वस्तुनि ॥३॥

जटा भुजंगपिंगलस्फुरत्फणामणिप्रभा-
कदंबकुंकुम द्रवप्रलिप्त दिग्वधूमुखे
मदांध सिंधुरस्फुरत्वगुत्तरीयमेदुरे
मनो विनोदद्भुतं बिभर्तु भूतभर्तरि ॥४॥

सहस्र लोचन प्रभृत्य शेषलेखशेखर-
प्रसून धूलिधोरणी विधूसरांघ्रिपीठभूः
भुजंगराज मालया निबद्धजाटजूटकः
श्रिये चिराय जायतां चकोरबंधुशेखरः ॥५॥

ललाटचत्वरज्वलद्धनंजयस्फुलिंगभा-
निपीतपंचसायकं नमन्निलिंपनायकम्‌
सुधामयुखलेखया विराजमानशेखरं
महा कपालि संपदे शिरोजटालमस्तु नः ॥६॥

करालभालपट्टिका धगद्धगद्धगज्ज्वल-
द्धनंजयाहुतीकृत प्रचंडपंचसायके
धराधरेंद्र नंदिनी कुचाग्रचित्रपत्रक-
प्रकल्पनैकशिल्पिनि त्रिलोचनेरतिर्मम ॥७॥

नवीन मेघ मंडली निरुद्धदुर्धरस्फुर-
त्कुहु निशीथिनीतमः प्रबंधबद्धकंधरः
निलिम्पनिर्झरि धरस्तनोतु कृत्ति सिंधुरः
कलानिधानबंधुरः श्रियं जगद्धुरंधरः ॥८॥

प्रफुल्ल नील पंकज प्रपंचकालिमप्रभा-
वलंबि कंठकंधरारुचि प्रबंधकंधरम्‌
स्मरच्छिदं पुरच्छिंद भवच्छिदं मखच्छिदं
गजच्छिदांधकच्छिदं तमंतकच्छिदं भजे ॥९॥

अखर्वसर्वमंगला कलाकदम्बमंजरी-
रसप्रवाहमाधुरी विजृंभणा मधुव्रतम्‌
स्मरांतकं पुरातकं भवांतकं मखांतकं
गजांतकांधकांतकं तमंतकांतकं भजे ॥१०॥

जयत्वदभ्रविभ्रम भ्रमद्भुजंगमस्फुर-
द्धगद्धगद्वि निर्गमत्कराल भाल हव्यवाट्-
धिमिद्धिमिद्धिमिनन्मृदंगतुंगमंगल-
ध्वनिक्रमप्रवर्तित प्रचण्ड ताण्डवः शिवः ॥११॥

दृषद्विचित्रतल्पयोर्भुजंग मौक्तिकस्रजो-
र्गरिष्ठरत्नलोष्टयोः सुहृद्विपक्षपक्षयोः
तृणारविंदचक्षुषोः प्रजामहीमहेन्द्रयोः
समप्रवृत्तीकः कदा सदाशिवं भजाम्यहम्‌ ॥१२॥

कदा निलिंपनिर्झरी निकुंजकोटरे वसन्‌
विमुक्तदुर्मतिः सदा शिरःस्थमंजलिं वहन्‌
विलोललोललोचनो ललामभाललग्नकः
शिवेति मंत्रमुच्चरन्‌ कदा सुखी भवाम्यहम्‌ ॥१३॥

निलिम्प नाथनागरी कदम्ब मौलमल्लिका-
निगुम्फनिर्भक्षरन्मधूष्णिकामनोहरः
तनोतु नो मनोमुदं विनोदिनींमहनिशं
परिश्रय परं पदं तदंगजत्विषांचयः ॥१४॥

प्रचण्ड वाडवानल प्रभाशुभप्रचारणी
महाष्टसिद्धिकामिनी जनावहूत जल्पना
विमुक्त वामलोचनो विवाहकालिकध्वनिः
शिवेति मन्त्रभूषगो जगज्जयाय जायताम्‌ ॥१५॥

इमं हि नित्यमेव मुक्तमुक्तमोत्तम स्तवं
पठन्स्मरन्‌ब्रुवन्नरो विशुद्धिमेति संततम्‌
हरे गुरौ सुभक्तिमाशु याति नान्यथा गतिं
विमोहनं हि देहिना तु शंकरस्य चिंतनम्‌ ॥१६॥

पूजाऽवसानसमये दशवक्त्रगीतं
यः शम्भुपूजनपरं पठति प्रदोषे
तस्य स्थिरां रथगजेंद्रतुरंगयुक्तां
लक्ष्मीं सदैव सुमुखीं प्रददाति शम्भुः ॥१७॥

॥ इति श्री. रावणकृतं शिव-तांडव स्तोत्रं संपूर्णम्‌ ॥

This is a more forceful rendition by Shankar Mahadevan composed with a lot more energy and vigour, which sounds quite different from Guruji’s divine rendition. I liked it, but honestly the impression by Panditji was far too deep to be erased.

On this auspicious day when everyone of us pays our respect to the Devdeveshwar, Adiyogi Sadashiv, let me pray that His benevolent gaze be upon all of us and all of us stay safe from the Wuhan Virus