Precocious Child

Sunday, April 13, 2008

Suprabhatam - a Leitmotif

Suprabhatam - Sanskrit hymns recited in the morning to awaken the Lord. When it comes to Lord Sri Venkateswara Suprabhatam, you can’t imagine a Suprabhatam without the thoughts of MS Subbalakshmi flashing through your mind!! Suprabhatam recited by MS Subbalakshmi has become a part of common man's 'early morning'.

I wake up every morning to M.S.Subbulakshmi's mellifluous voice chanting God's Own Wake up Call. Whenever I listen 'Suprabhatam', it brings back a lot of 'fresh' memories to my mind..

- as a school boy waking up at 5o'clock taking bath and running to tuitions whilst Suprabhatam being played in the speakers from temple. (Used to go to temple during dhanurmasam's for prasadam ;-))

- with all excitement, waking up in the morning to get ready to travel to my grandma's village, again Suprabhatam playing in background as we reach bus station in 'jatka'

- At 5 woken up by the smell of coffee, being prepared by grandma in kitchen in very old fashioned 'chavidi' house, while she was chanting Suprabhatam along with MS Subbalakshmis' cassette. She used to switch on the lights only in kitchen so that children would still sleep (how sweet she is to us :-)).

- sleeping even more comfortably and happily listening to a re-mix of MSs' Suprabhatam and a voice of an affectionate father scolding his young son to wake up and prepare for exams ;-)..

and a lott moree..

This morning, there is neither tuition nor exam to prepare. But M.S. is singing as usual, but from a CD. I realize that nothing can sound more divine than the vibrations of these Sanskrit words that fall unconsciously into my ears. I bask in the sound of the Tambura.

Kowsalya supraja Rama poorva sandhya
pravarthathe Uthishta narasardoola
karthavyam daivamahnikam (Twice)

Uthishtothishta Govinda uthishta
garudadhwaja Uthishta
kamalakantha thrilokyam mangalam kuru (Twice)

Ah! The simple pleasure of waking up in the morning to face another day...

Phani

posted by Phani @ 7:27 AM

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