Ragam Gouri (Gowri) is a very melodious raga, with much feel, excellent when sung in Madhya or thara sthayee; same time, giving a clear indication of the janaka raga. It is an oudava sampoorna raga; losing Gandharam and Dhaivatham in the arohanam. Notes will be:
Aroh: S R1 M1 P N3 S; Avaroh: S N3 D1 P M1 G3 R1 S
(The arohanam carries notes similar to the Dikshithar mela (3) Tanukeerthi).
Usually, the term Rare Raga is applied to ragas with very few compositions, so that they are not much heard in concerts. But, surprisingly, there are more than thirty compositions in Ragam Gouri; still only very few are heard sung; these also, very rarely and not in concerts. Also, some of the compositions are sung in different ragas. For example, the Swathithirunal krithi, “Sankara sree giri nadaprabhu” in this raga is now sung in Hamsanandi; similarly, Thyagraja’s longest krithi with more than 20 charanams, “Jayajaya sree Raghurama” in Gouri, is sung in Mangala kaishiki, another janya raga of Mayamalavagoula. Gauri girirajakumari and Sri Minaksi gauri are two compositions of Dikshitar given in the Sangeeta Sampradaya pradarsini.
Compositions available:
Agachcha gachcha me kaivalyam datum-M/Laghu-Upanishad Brahmayogin
Akhilanda devi asura samhari rere (lkg)-Triputa-Venkatamakhi
Are re jaya jaya lakshmi (lng)-Triputa-Govindacharya
Bajat badhayi nagari raghurayi-Adi-Svati Tirunal
Bhaja bhaja manasa-Rupaka-Bangalore S.Mukund
Bho krishna vishva-M/Laghu-Upanishad Brahmayogin
Dhurjati natinchene pradosha samayamunanu-Adi-Pallavi Doraisvami Iyer
Enta tappinchukonevu ivela nivu (p)-Triputa-Shahji Maharaja
Gangadhara gaurivara mangalanga-Rupaka-Vina Sheshanna
Gauri-girirajakumari gana vanamayuri gambhira-T/Eka-Muttusvami Dikshitar
Gauri shivadhangi-Rupaka-R.K.Suryanarayana
Hanta jnanendu cheyvu matpriya sakhiyalla (p)-Rupaka-Svati Tirunal
I bhagyaniki rani vasamenduke niku (p)-Adi-Sarangapani
I shrushtilo- -Sriramachandra Murti Sistla
Jaya jaya shri raghurama sajjana hrdayarnava-Adi-Tyagaraja
Jaya jaya vishvesha pranayini (pr)-Dhruva-Ramananda Yatindra
Jaya mangalam nitya shubhamangalam/mangalam (tar)-Jhampa-Narayana Tirtha
Kaniya helabande-Adi-Kanakadasa
Mangalam chitsabha nathaya shambhave mangalam-Jhampa-(composer?)
Momu jupaga rada muddugaru nidu-Adi-Vinai Kuppier
Nennannani-Rupaka-Anai Ayya
Nerama komma vadenduke chera radamma (p)-Triputa-Kshetragna
Pahi lokaysa- -Sriramachandra Murti Sistla
Ri rere purna kusumalate lilagate (lkg)-Triputa-Venkatamakhi
Sarasa dala sunayana sarasaku-Adi-Svati Tirunal
Sayyen na ye kan shrihari (p)-Adi-Tanjavur Marattha Composers
Shankara shri giri natha prabhuke nrutta- -Svati Tirunal
Shri minakshi gauri raja shyamale ashrita rakshana-Rupaka-Muttusvami Dikshitar
Shri virupaksha chikshitadaksha-K/Chapu-Muttiah Bhagavatar
Sukavani gauri-Adi-Bangalore S.Mukund
Tenil iniyane-Rupaka-Nerur Shrinivasachar
Varunda vagai en mana tamarai- -Abhirami Bhattar
Let us discuss ‘Gouri Girirajakumari’ the Dikshithar krithi in detail. The composition begins with the Ragamudra, as well as the most famous name of Devi (Gouri) – ‘Gouri gandharva sevitha’, as seen in Lalitha sahasra nama. Dikshithar is worshipping the Goddess who is ‘durgA lakshmI sarasvatI sahita’ and ‘Shambhavi’ (consort of Shambhu – Lord Siva). Goddess is ‘nava cakra svarUpa’ (one who has taken on the form of the nine Chakras) and ‘nAda brahma vAcaka’ (one who is the Pranava (Om) that expounds Nada Brahma); the line, ‘sudhA sindhu madhyE cintAmaNyAgArE’ refers to the Adi Sankaracharya’s “Soundarya lahari” – sloka 8,
“sudha sindhor maddhye suravitapi parivrte
mani dvipe nipopavanavati cintamani grhe
sivakare mance paramasiva paryanka nilayam
bhajanti tvam dhanyah kati ca na cidananda laharim”
Now, please listen to the Dikshithar krithi, sung by Marthi Indira, Radha Narayanamurthy and Marthi Leela.