Harikathas is a form of storytelling – of the divine or Paramatma or Bhagwan, of the bhaktas, of the sants/saints, of enlightened human beings that have crossed our paths at some point or the other on this planet – expressed in a dramatical fashion. It is narrated through poetry, dance, and expressions, with background musicians. It’s a one-person performance act. Songs used in the plot and sub-plots seek to accentuate the essence of the katha.
My earliest memory of experiencing a Harikatha is from watching it in a bhakti (oversimplified meaning is devotion) Telegu movie in my childhood. This genre is at another level. Till date there hasn’t been an equivalent produced in the Indian film industry. Of course, you can call it a bias on my part as I consider the Telegu language itself to be so ethereal. It’s not for no reason that Telengu or Telegu is referred to as the ‘The Italian of the East’. Rabindranath Tagore is said to have called it the sweetest of all Indian languages. But I digress. In the Bhakti movie called Lava Kusa, the twin sons of Sri Rama had sung the story of Ramayanam during the Ashwamedha yagnam at Ayodhya in the presence of Bhagwan Rama. Incidentally, this movie won the National Award for Best Feature Film that year (1963).
It is said that the first Harikatha ever recited was the Dhruvacharitram by none other than Sage Narada, in Brahmaloka. Story of the five-year-old Dhruva from the Srimad Bhagavatam is an enlightening read of how the intense hurt felt by the child caused by the action and words of his own parent and stepmother respectively, is converted into a single-pointed devotion on MahaVishnu whose grace he received by intense Tapasya. The dramatic narration of this katha by none other than Narada Muni may be called the earliest depiction of a Harikatha. This art form has evolved over centuries by many sants, primarily by those from the Bharatiya state of Maharashtra.
Extract from her book called Harikatha – Samartha Ramdas Contribution to the Art of Spiritual Storytelling by Smt Kalaimamani Balameera Chandra or Meera Grimes:
It (as in Harikatha) was given a most beautiful shape by Saint Samartha Ramadas. When describing the greatness of Harikatha, Samartha says that Harikatha can take one to the realization of God.
Dasabodha 4.2.27
कीर्तनें माहादोष जाती । कीर्तनें होये उत्तमगती । कीर्तनें भगवत्प्राप्ती । येदर्थीं संदेह नाहीं ॥ २७॥
There is absolutely no doubt about the efficacy of performing as well as listening to Harikatha; it absolves all the fears and vices/mahadosa committed by individuals; it takes one along the royal and religious path toward the realization of God/uttama gati as well as the attainment of the beatific Bliss/bhagavat prapti.
Apart from its spiritual benefit, Harikatha is also beneficial in living one’s life in this world.
Listening to Harikatha gives the power of concentration/avyagrata; drives away all doubts from the mind; helps to arrive at the right decision; develops the power of determination and has a most desirable effect on both the performer and the listener/srotayam vaktyancha.
In the 17th century, Sant Samartha Ramadas in his monumental work Dasabodha - who was also Chatrapati Shivaji’s guru and to whom Guropdesh was initiated – had laid out the qualifications to become a Harikatha artiste. These are: knowledge of Sanskrit, erudition in Vedas, sastras and puranas, narrative skill, memory power and clarity. Moreover, he/she must be an ashtaavadhaani (अष्टावधानी - Marathi word; Meaning: One who can apply his/her attention in many directions at once). Besides this, the Sant was very clear that it be embellished with classical music, dance, use of instruments like cipla etc, in order to evoke joy in the audience.
Marathi rule had extended up to Thanjavur in the 17th century and the development and flourishing of the arts were encouraged by the ruler Ekoji I (1676CE) and the subsequent ones that followed over the decades. Telegu continued to remain as the court language. In fact, the successor of Ekoji I, known as Shahaji (1684CE) was a scholar in music and literature and has thirty works ascribed under him. It was during the Maratha rule here that the Marathi Harikatha or Keertan was introduced. Many sants had established their Mutts here during this period. Earliest Mutt set up here was that of Swami Samartha Ramdas who had laid the foundation for kirtan (or keertan).
The Marathi kirtan (or Harikirtan) is of two types: Naradiya & Varkari. In the latter, Padas and Abhangas composed by the Marathi saints are sung with explanation of the songs. Singing and Namasankeertan is given importance here. But in the former (Naradiya) which is said to have originated from Narada consists of two parts, the Purvaranga & Uttararanga. And it’s this style that took off and became popular in Thanjavur due to its Akhyana (आख्यान) story form of exposition. Akhyana with music has been a part of our culture for eons. Earlier forms of storytelling (before the advent of harikatha in its current form) which still take place today also, are highlighted below:
Purana Pathana -Reading and expounding of spiritual texts.
Pravachana - Way of storytelling in which the text will be sung with a minimum of musical notes.
Upanyasa - Like pravachana but includes upakathas (side stories) and philosophical explanations.
In southern Bharat, this is also known as Kalakshepa/Katha Kalakshepa/Harikatha Kalakshepa (Kalakshepa = Kaala + Kshepa – means to pass the time by listening to spiritual stories). Harikatha is the general term used for kathas on Siva, Devi and other deities as well. Bhagavatar is the term used for the one who recites these kathas.
Kathakalakshepa - A Study by Dr Premleela Gurumurthy
The 1st woman Harikatha artist seems to have been Lakshmi Amma or Kadapa Laksmhi Amma. She used to perform in Tamizh, Kannada and Telegu. As she performed only for women, she wasn't well-known in the public. She was patronised by many art lovers and devotees of Madras (Chennai). The Maharani of Mysore, Bobbily Rani had made her asthana vidwan and conferred the title of Dharma Chandrika, after listening to her Harikatha.
Clicked from my personal copy of the book.
Concise outline of format of Harikatha
Nirupana - 1st part (purvanga) of the Harikatha consists of:
Dhyana Sloka - Commence with meditative verses on Ganesa and then on the Guru.
Nama Sankeertana - Singing the divine names of the Bhagwan with musical accompaniments. Usually sung in raga Yamuna Kalyani.
Pancapadi - Set of 5 songs which are on Vinayaka, Sri Rama, Sri Krishna, Maruti & Guru.
Pundarika - Congregational hailing of the name of Bhagwan – first part is sung by the Bhagavatar followed by the second part by the audience. Eg: Jai Janaki Kanta Smaranam (1st part) - Jai Jai Rama Rama (2nd part).
Prathama Pada or Nama Siddhanta - This is the first song carefully selected by the Bhagvatar to establish the essence of the philosophy he/she will explain in the narration of the katha later on.
Tillana (or Tarana in Hindustani music) - It’s a lively, brisk, and short musical composition set to fast music. Purpose is to get the audience to relax after listening to the serious Nirupana and also awaken any drowsy minds.
Akhyana - 2nd part (uttaranga) of the Harikatha consists of:
Katha - Main story begins with Saki (short musical form) after which elaborate narration of the story takes place by the Bhagavatar. Story will be interspersed with upakathas (side stories) and expressed in a dramatic form. Songs sung and description of the deities will invoke bhakti in the listeners. Philosophical message will be stressed here.
Phalasruti - Fruit/benefit of listening to a katha will be enumerated here along with reminding the listeners of the connection between the main story and the philosophy.
Mangalam - Concluding song to invoke and end the katha auspiciously.
Pundarikam - Immediately after Mangalam, the congregational hailing is sung joined by the audience. For eg: Jai Janaki Kanta Smaranam (sung by performer) – Jai Jai Rama Rama (followed by audience), Gopika Jivana Smaranam – Govinda Govinda
To note is that in modern times the Harikatha format has undergone change and duration of the performances which were 5-6 hours in the past has been reduced to 1-2 hours.
Musical forms in Harikatha
As stated by Meera Grimes in her book, ‘This is the only art form which uses almost all types of musical forms: classical, semi-classical, spiritual, folk, etc. of both Southern and Northern Bharat…The songs are mainly composed in the Sanskrit, Marathi, Tamil, Telegu, and Kannada languages though any language is permissible.’
Special forms are as follows: Abhang, Ovi, Saki, Dindi, Arya, Khadga, Pada.
I will give a brief on two of the forms. Abhangas are devotional songs composed by the famous sants of Maharashtra. We have mentioned one such sant, Samarth Ramadas, above. Others are Tukaram, Namdev, Jnanadev, Janabai etc. They are usually sung in bhakti towards the deity of Pandharpur that is Panduranga Vittala. Abhang means ‘no destruction’ or ‘destructionless’. They are simple in language and set to lively and attractive melodies that are easy for everyone to follow.
Here is a link to a more recently composed and very popular abhanga written by the famous Marathi poet, lyricist, actor and writer, G.D Madgulkar - https://youtu.be/JIBvY880GUc?si=AqUTlK40ynPDgNwd.
Padas are a North Bharatiya type of composition which is usually sung in the first part of a Harikatha. They are highly devotional in nature and are set to simple music. This was one of the major contributions of the Maratha saints to the music scene down South. As stated by Dr Premeela Gurumurthy who has done her doctoral research on Harikathas, ‘These are valuable gems in the field of devotional literature, which were popularly handled by the Bhagavatars in Bhajana and Kalakshepa.’
To make the kathas lively various talas are used like Ezadi Talam (Seven Beat Rhythm), Aindadi Talam (Five Beat Rhythm), Munradi Talam (Three Beat Rhythm) and Usi Talam (this is of two varieties: three beats and four beats).
Before concluding this brief, let's understand the value of storytelling itself. It holds relevance in our individual lives too.
What is the story that we tell ourselves?
The longevity of a civilisation is seen in its presence, visibility, and application on the ground. Enter Bharat and you cannot fail to see the various hues with which each area you traverse is shaded with brightening up our lives. You cannot fail to hear the various frequency of sounds that touches our senses, heightening them. You cannot fail to experience subtle vibrations that cause positive transformation at some level to the body and mind. Attuning ourselves to higher frequencies is the only way we can become continuously purified. It’s the only way we can attain higher glory. What is this ‘higher glory’ you might ask? In layman terms anything that takes you away from material pursuits and serves as a reminder of a higher power and causes you to direct your emotions towards that ‘ultimate reality’, brahman’, ‘Bhagwan’, ‘Mahadev’, ‘Devi’, ‘Krishna’, ‘Rama’ or simply ‘OM’. Whichever sampradaya one chooses to follow its final aim will always be the attainment of a higher power. Strength and resilience of Bharatiya civilisation is seen in its powerful narrative passed on down through eons by various rishis, acharyas, heroic personalities, enlightened beings. How did that take place? It was through stories. Multiple-layered kathas. As one removed each layer of the katha, one would find a nugget of truth, and as you progressed deeper and deeper, the highest truth revealed itself. Simply fascinating!
A friend once told me 'human relations are complicated'. Be that as it may, who is it that makes it complicated. It’s me and you, of course! The more complex our desires and wants are, the more complications arise in human relations and life in general. As we play with prakriti so we will have to face all that she throws our way one after another – the consequence of not staying in sync with her ways. There is no running away from this, that is, until you learn to tame Maya (creative shakti of Bhagwan) which causes limitation and bondage, and if conquered with the strength of one's spiritual power, can lead to mukti.
So what is the foundational step towards achieving this progression? It's the story that we tell ourselves as we go through the most gruelling emotions in facing/resolving issues or simply facing life. What is your narrative? I mean, how would you present your lifestory to yourself? Would it be positive or not? In layman terms, are you calling yourself a loser in your head or something else? Ponder this!
Note that the essence of the story you tell yourself has to have an eternal aspect of consistent upliftment of one's consiousness to a higher frequency. Remember it’s easy to become a consumer but hard to become a producer i.e. consumer of emotions projected onto you by others via inter-personal relationships, social media, ott, radio, tv besides the ones created by your own mind as you wander through life. This will leave never fill your cup permanently. An unsatiated feeling will always remain. So bring balance by becoming a 'producer' i.e. one who can respond and not react to situations/people, one who can create and not simply dissolve into the maya of life without a second thought.
Whoa! That was deep wasn't it?😁
To break the monotony, do have a listen to the links provided below. 1) & 2) are Harikathas in English. Though the full experience cannot be savoured, as against it being in a local language, still, do listen and indulge in the experience wholly. 3) is a Harikatha in Tamizh. Enjoy!!
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Namaste. I have an avid interest in the arts, culture, history and knowledge systems of my India, that is, Bharat. A sacred underlying thread that connects all of the above is Indian Spirituality/Sanatana Dharma. My writings/musings will capture that essence.
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