That's what I cried out. For the umpteenth time. AnandAtmAnubhavE, declared T.M.Krishna emphatically. One who experiences Supreme Bliss, that's what it means. Supreme bliss it was for me, every time I listened to that particular rendition of Shri Nilotpalanayike by TMK. It had been 2 weeks since he had put me in a trance at a concert here and I didn't want to come out of it.
The raga was new to me yet it was not. It was Nariritigowla. Reetigowla with a Suddha Dhaivatham instead of Chatusruthi Dhaivatham. At first, it wreaked havoc on my mind for obvious reasons. I was finding it difficult to fathom the emotions created by the raga. Soon, I came to love the havoc it was creating. The feeling it generated was a mixture of pathos, curiosity, calm and much more.
Each and every phrase in that krithi was profound. It was sung in the most aesthetic manner possible. The whole rendition oozed with bhava. I couldn't help going gaga over it each time I listened to it. It was at one such instant that epiphany struck. What was I appreciating here? The phrase? The meaning of the krithi? The krithi itself? The beauty of the raga? The brilliance of the composer? The genius of the person who invented this music? The magnanimity of the Creator who created all this and brought it all together at that instant in time. Aaha!!
[audio:http://shripathi.com/music/Shri_Nilotpalanayike.mp3]
