Day: October 19, 2020

Golu – The festive display of Dolls

Golu is the festive display of dolls. It is organised in houses in South India during the autumn festive season of Navarathri /Dusssehra/Dasara.. Typically the dolls are made out of clay. Dolls are arranged in specific sequences on odd number of steps in a staircase style arrangement to depict the process and interplay of the three types of energies (Iccha Shakti – the energy of will or desire, Jnana Shakti – the energy of knowledge, Kriya Shakti – the energy of action) that are continually cycling within us. The steps progressively take us through the stages of our evolution in our spiritual progress as a human being. At the base step, dolls depicting routine mundane activities can be seen. Progressively as we climb the stairs, we can see the dolls conveying our graduation in our consciousness level. The dolls focus on various gods, their actions, themes representing the historical events around the gods and the meaning they convey for leading our lives. The apex level step will have the ultimate integration of our consciousness (Shiva) with the energy (shakti) at the top most (apex) step.

Here is the Golu at our home in the eastern part of the USA.

If you are interested to know details of Navarathri celebrations, please refer https://prabhusponder.com/2020/10/16/navarathri-a-nine-night-integration-process/

Carnatic Musing 25 – Navarathri- Day 3 – Composition on Goddess Lalitha Tripurasundari

Composer

Harikesha Nallur Muthaiah Bhagavathar (1877-1945). Please refer https://karnatik.com/co1024.shtml for biography and compositions.

Audio Link

GNB – https://www.dropbox.com/s/0mhqwllrsmgy95a/Shri%20G%20N%20Balasubramaniam%2C%20Himagiri%20Thanaye%20Sudhha%20Dhanyasi-A9s3UtBLs_k.mp3?dl=0

Meaning in English

Protect me Oh the daughter of the Himalayas, the golden hued lady, mother Ishwari. You are respected by Lakshmi & Saraswathi. You are omnipresent and sister of Rama (Vishnu). You hold the noose, the goad and the stick in your hand. You are the superior of the best. You protect your devotees, Oh the better half of Lord Siva. You live in the heart of myself (Hariheshanallur Muthaiah). You have a pleasing and delightful form of the goddess with immeasurable splendor.

Meaning in Tamil

பல்லவி

இமயமலை மகளே பொன் அணங்கே அன்னை

ஈஸ்வரி அருள்மிகு லலிதே காத்திடுவாய் எமையே

அனுபல்லவி

அலைமகளும் கலைமகளும் போற்றும் பரிபூரணியே

ராஜ ராஜேஸ்வரியே ராமனின் சகோதரியே….இமயமலை

சரணம்

பாசக்கயிறுடன் அங்குசம் தண்டம் ஏந்தும் கரமுடை அன்னையே

உத்தமரில் உயர்ந்தவளே உன் பக்தரைக் காப்பவளே திகம்பரனின்

ஹரிகேசநல்லூர் உறை ஆனந்த ரூபியே அளவிலா ஒளி படைத்தவளே

Sanskrit Verses

पल्लवि

हिमगिरि तनयॆ हॆमलतॆ अम्बा ईश्वरि श्री ललितॆ मामव

अनुपल्लवि

रमा वाणि सम्सॆवित सकलॆ राजराजेस्वरि राम सहॊदरि

चरणम्

पाशाकुशॆशु दण्डकरॆ अम्बा परात्परॆ निज भक्तपरॆ

आशाम्बर हरिकॆश विलासॆ आनन्द रूपॆ अमित प्रतापॆ

English Transliteration

pallavi

himagiri tanayE hEmalatE ambA Ishvari shrI lalitE mAmava

anupallavi

ramA vANi samsEvita sakalE rAjarAjEshvari rAma sahOdari

caraNam

pAshAnkushESu daNDakarE ambA parAtparE nija bhaktaparE

ASAmbara harikEsha vilAsE Ananda rUpE amita pratApE

Meaning of the Sanskrit Words

पल्लवि

हिमगिरि – snow clad mountain (Himalayas)

तनयॆ – daughter

हॆमलतॆ – golden, slim woman

अम्बा – mother

ईश्वरि – Parvati, wife of Isha

श्री ललितॆ – Lalitha (woman)

मामव – protect me

अनुपल्लवि

रमा – Lakshmi

वाणि – Saraswathi

सम्सॆवित – serve

सकलॆ – whole/omnipresent

राजराजेस्वरि – Raja Rajeswari

राम – Lord Ram

सहॊदरि – Sister

चरणम्

पाशाकुशॆशु – noose, arrow

दण्डकरॆ – stick/mast, hand

अम्बा – mother

परात्परॆ – superior to the best

निज – ones own, innate, inborn

भक्तपरॆ- devotees, reach out

आशाम्बर- आशा अम्बर – directions, dress (like dikambara)

हरिकॆश – composer pen name

विलासॆ – resident

आनन्द – happy

रूपॆ – form

अमित – immeasurable

प्रतापॆ – splendour