PART-8-...VAIDHEESWARAN KOIL, MAAYAVARAM, ..ABHATAMBA VIBAKTHI KRUTHIS

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Vaideeswaram, Mayavaram and the 
Abhayamba vibhakti kritis
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Crossing the Kollidam river, Muttuswami Dikshitar entered the Tanjavur region. Sirkazhi was the kShEtra on the line. Though Dikshitar might have visited that shrine and offered worship there, no kriti of his is extant on any of the deities at Sirkazhi. In passing, it may be appropriate to point out that his contemporaries Tyagaraja (nIvanTi deivamu ShaDAnanA in tODI) and Shyama Sastri (dayAnidhE mAmava in bEgaDA) have composed on Lord Subramanya at Sirkazhi.
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Vaideeswaran Koil on the way to Mayavaram is an important kShEtra and is closely connected with Muttuswami Dikshitar's birth. Lord Siva as Vaidyanatha is supposed to cure man of all his ills. The Goddess is Balambika and Lord Subramanya's name here is Muthukumara. Dikshitar was named after Him. 

He refers to this in his song on Goddess Balambika in kalyANI, 'bhajarE rE chitta bAlAmbikAm' (guruguha rUpa muttukumAra jananIm). 
Dikshitar's other compositions at this kShEtra are, bAlAmbikAyai in nATakuranji, 
bAlambikAyAh param in karnATaka kApi and 

shrI vaidyanAtham in praise of the Lord in aThANa.
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 The navagraha kriti angArakam AshrayAmyaham refers to the planet Mars having worshipped at the shrine here (pUjita vaidyanAtha kShEtram). Vaideeswaran Koil is considered to be the kShEtra where the planet angArakA is propitiated. In the karNataka kApi composition, Muttuswami Dikshitar refers to the Goddess as giving happiness to Lord Vaidyanatha who cures the illness of samsArA (bhavarOga hara vaidyapatIshwara sukhakaryA). The kriti kumArasvAminam in asAvEri is attributed to the Subrahmanya Swami at this shrine, but there is no direct kshEtra reference.
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Muttuswami Dikshitar then proceeded to Mayavaram, a very important place of culture and pilgrimage situated on the banks of the Cauvery. Almost at the end of Her long journey, during which She enriches the material lives and quenches the cultural thirst of millions, in the process sacrificing Herself, the Mother Cauvery at Mayavaram becomes narrower and looks somewhat emaciated. But, that is only on the surface. The tulA snAnam during October-November attracts lakhs of pilgrims and is as religiously significant as it is at the river's source at Tala Cauvery in Coorg. The Cauvery is no less sacred at Mayavaram than She is at Tiruchi, Tiruvaiyyaru or Kumbhakonam. Mayavaram is one of the cultural bastions of the Chola region and has produced many artistes, poets and composers besides eminent literary figures.
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The most important temple at Mayavaram is dedicated to Lord Siva as Mayuranathaswami. His Consort is Goddess Abhayapradambika. The sthala purANA says that the Goddess worshipped Siva taking the form of a peahen (mayUra), hence the name Mayuranatha for the Lord.
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From the numerous compositions of Muttuswami Dikshitar on this temple, it can be surmised that he not only held this shrine as being hallowed and very sacred, but also that he must have visited the temple several times. Mayavaram or Mayuram or Mayiladuthurai as the place is referred to is not faraway from Tiruvarur. Anyway, for devout residents of the Chola dEshA, an annual pilgrimage to Mayavaram for thulA snAnam in the Cauvery there has always been mandatory. Dikshitar's father Ramaswami Dikshitar had stayed in Mayavaram for quite sometime before he settled permanently at Tiruvarur. Dikshitar composed the well known dhanyAsi song
  mAyUranAtham 
and the lesser known songs in Ananda bhairavi and kEdAragauLa, both beginning as 
abhayAmbA nAyaka, in praise of the Lord. 
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For the Goddess he had a special plan. One of his notable vibhakti kriti groups was composed in praise of Goddess Abhayamba. The way Dikshitar has handled the music in these compositions is truly path breaking. Each of these songs is a classic in that rAgA and explores little known or handled nuances in that particular melody. 

The tODi kriti dAkShAyani begins on the mandra dhaivata making it a swarAkShara and giving the song an ethereal beginning. 
The kalyANi song is a veritable treat and is noteworthy for the different way in which the rAgA is handled. We will have occasion to discuss these aspects while writing on Dikshitar's music. sAhitya-wise, the Abhayamba kritis afford evidence of the deep learning and scholarship of Dikshitar. We also understand his greatness as a poet and marvel at his felicity and the masterly way in which he has handled the Sanskrit language. The kEdAram song is an example not only of all the above, but also of his command over tantric doctrines and of his practical and deep spiritual experiences.
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The following constitute the Abhayamba vibhakti kritis: dhyAna kriti: 
sadAshrayE abhayAmbikE - cAmaram (ShaNmukhapriyA) 
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1. abhayAmbA jagadambA - kalyANi
2. AryAm abhayAmbAm - bhairavi
3. girijayA ajayA - shankarAbharaNam 
4. abhayAmbikAyai ashvArUDhAyai - yadukulakAmbhOji
5. abhayAmbAyA - kEdAragauLa 
6. ambikAya abhayAmbikAya - kEdAram 
7. abhayAmbAyAM bhaktiM karOmi - sahAnA 
8. dAkShAyaNi abhayAmbikE - tODi

 The series ends with a mangaLa kriti, shrI abhayAmbA, in shrI which Dikshitar has composed in manipravALam, that is a mixture of Sanskrit, Tamil and Telugu.
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 There are many temples in and around Mayavaram which Muttuswami Dikshitar visited and composed on, but we shall have occasion to write about them later. Now, shall we follow the great composer to his native place, to the hallowed kShEtra which was going to witness the development of his great art and his evolution into a great spiritual soul? The distance between Mayavaram and Tiruvarur is just about 40 kms. His birthplace beckoned Dikshitar to hasten, and hasten the composer did, for, with what anxiety had he anticipated the moment of his setting foot again on that holy ground which he and his parents had left about fifteen years earlier?
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continued  in  part-9
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