Pancha Bhuta Linga Kshetra kritis -" Muttuswami Dikshitar"

Muthuswami Dikshitar (March 24, 1775 – October 21, 1835) was a South Indian poet, composer, and a great Musician. He's well known as one of the Musical Trinity of Carnatic music.  He is also known by his signature name of Guruguha which is also his "mudra", as he's an ardent devotee of the Subrahmanyeswara swami. He composed various kritis on all paramount kshetras. Among them are the five kshetras sanctified to lord shiva where the lord is esteemed as a manifestation  of pancha bhutas (The 5 elements of Nature). He visited these places and shrines and dedicated songs to them.

The glories of the Universe are revealed to the humanity through the Nature or Prakriti. The entire cosmic creation in the universe is trumped up of the pancha bhutas (the five elements)- space, air , fire, water and earth known in Sanskrit as Aakash, Vayu, Agni, Jalam and Prithivi respectively. 

1. Akash or Ether is the first element and accounts for the emergence of the organ of hearing-the ear and is represented by sound. It represents the space in which everything takes place.

The kriti in praise of lord shiva, an embodiment of the Akaasha, the Aakaasha linga, is as follows.

Kriti: " anandha naTana prakaasham"

Kshetra: Chidambaram

Element: space

Raga: kEdAram

Talam: mishra caapu

Nataraja temple

Aakasha lingam

Pallavi

Ananda Natana Prakasam Chitsabesam
Ashrayaami Shivakama valleesam

Anupallavi Banu Koti Koti Samkhaasam Bhukthi Mukthi Pradha Daharaakaasam Dheena Jana Samrakshana Chanam Divya Pathanjali Vyakrapadha Dharshitha Kunjithaabja charanam Charanam Chitaamsu Gangadharam Neelakantharam Sri Kedaaradhi Kshetra aadhaaram Bhoothesam Shaarthoola Sarmaambaram Chidambaram Bhoosuraadhri sahasra muneeswaram Visweswaram Navaneetha Hridayam Sadaya Guruguha Thaatha madhyam vehda vedhyam Veetha raaginam aprameya advaitha prathipaadhyam Sangeetha vaadhya vinodha thandava jaatha bahuthara vedha chodyam pa ni ni sa tha ka ja nu tha sa ni ni jam thari tha sa ma ga m pa; ni ma ga tha ja nu tha ka ma ga ma ma pa SA ni ni tha jam thari pa; ma ga tha ri ki ta thom

I seek refuge in Lord Nataraja, the Presiding Deity of Chit-Sabha , who is famed for his "Ananda Tandava", and is the Lord of Goddess "Sivakamavalli". The one with the effulgence of crores and crores of Suns, the bestower of Bliss and Liberation, the one in the form of Space (Akasa Linga), who is renowned for protecting destitute devotees, who revealed to Patanjali and Vyaghrapada his divine lotus feet poised in the Tandava posture!

The one who bears  the Moon - the one with cool rays - and Ganga, and possesses a blue throat, the one who is the origin of sacred places like Kedara, the Overlord of Bhutaganas, who is draped with the skin of a tiger, the one pervading the cosmos, the Lord of Brahmanas, Devas and Munis, the Supreme Lord of the Universe, the one with a heart soft as butter, the father of the Merciful Guruguha, the Primeval One known to the Vedas, the One devoid of Desire, the Unique One as propounded by Advaita Vedanta, the one whose Music, Instruments, and wondrous Tandava dance dispel many doubts about the subject of music!

The kriti is well written and composed with grandeur in the raaga Kedaaram to match the mood of the space. 

Kedaram (pronounced kēdāram) is a rāgam in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is a derived scale from Shankarabharanam, the 29th Melakarta rāgam.
Kedaram is similar to Natbehag of Hindustani classical music.

Kedaram is an asymmetric scale that does not contain dhaivatam. It is called a vakra audava-shadava rāgam, in Carnatic music classification. This classification implies that it has 5 notes in ascending scale with zig-zag notes and 6 notes in descending scale. Its ārohaṇa-avarohaṇa structure is as follows

•  S M1 G3 M1 P N3 S   -   S N3 P M1 G3 R2 S

This scale uses the notes shadjam, chatusruti rishabham, antara gandharam, shuddha madhyamam, panchamam and kakali nishadam.

2. 

The second element is Vayu or air, representing the skin, and the skin is the product of the principle represented by touch. It represents the gaseous state of matter and is responsible for the respiratory system.

kriti: " shri kAlahastIsha"

Kshetra: Srikalahasti

Element: Air

Raga:  Huseni

Talam: Jhampa

Vayu Linga

Pallavi

shrI kALahastIsha shritajanAvana samIrAkAra mAm pAhi rAjamauLE Ehi

Anupallavi

pAkAri vidhi hari prANamaya kOshAnilAkAsha bhUmi salilAgni prakAsha shiva

Charanam

jnAna prasUnAmbikApatE bhaktAbhimAna dakSiNa kailAsa vAsAbhISta dAna 

caturakaAbja dIna karuNAnidhE sUnashara sUdanAjHnAna hara pashupatE 

jnAna guruguha saccidAnandamaya mUrttE hInajAti kirAtakEna pUjita kIrttE

O Lord of Kalahasti, You who protect those who take refuge in You, and are the form of Samira (air) please protect me, oh Rajamauli. You are the vital force of Indra, Brahma and Vishnu. You are the god of wind, Anila. You are the Lord of pancha bhutas  and are enshrined in the Dakshina kailasa Kshetra, to the pride of devotees. Your lotus-like hands shower the desired boons on all those who pray to You. You are compassionate toward the afflicted, and destroyed Cupid-Manmatha and the Anjanan-ignorance. You are Pashupati, the Lord of all beings, and received the Jnanopadesha from Guruguha. You are the embodiment of Existence, Knowledge and Bliss. You have the fame of being worshiped by a low-caste hunter.

The raaga Huseini is a Janya ragam from Karaharapriya. This raaga is from Hindusthaani origins, and holds lots of sringara rasa, and creates a mood for sweet evening breeze.

3.
The third element is Agni or fire and the eye is the organ representing sight. It represents form without substance and is responsible for digestion and perception.

Let's take a look at the manifestation of fire as the Aruchaachalaadhipati, the Lord Shiva resident in Tiruvannamalai , Tamil Nadu.

Kriti: " aruNAcalanAtham "

Kshetra: Tiruvannamalai

Element: Fire
Raga: SAranga

Talam: -rUpakam

Agni  Lingam

Arunachaleshvara Temple

Pallavi

aruNAcalanAtham smarAmi anisham apIta kucAmbA sametam

Anupallavi

smaraNAt kaivalya prada caraNAravindam taruNAditya koTi sankAsha cidAnandam karuNA rasAdi kandam sharaNAgata surabrndam

Charanam

aprAkrta tejomaya lingam atyadbhuta kara dhrta sArangam aprameyam aparNAbja bhrngam ArUDhottunga vrSha turangam viprottama vishEShAntarangam vIra guruguha tAra prasangam svapradIpa mauLi vidhrta gangam svaprakAsha jita somAgni patangam

I meditate on the Lord of the Arunachala hill, who is eternal and in the company of Apitakuchamba

in the company of the Goddess. The Arunachala Mahatmyam has it that after the slaying of Mahishasura, Durga observed penance here and pleased with her, the Lord appeared as a fiery linga and united with her. She is apItakucAmba as she is newly married and has not yet had children. The Lord here is said to be ardhanArIsvara, one whose half is feminine and so he is ever in the company of the Goddess. Bhringi was a devotee of Shiva who did not recognise Parvati and so ignored her while circumambulating the Lord. Parvati came and stood very close to Shiva whereupon Bhringi turned into an insect and circled Shiva alone. Finally Shiva gave Parvati one half of his body and also granted salvation to Bhringi. The special status given to Bhringi annoys Parvati who quarrels with the Lord.

His lotus feet give salvation to those who just think of him  Ever established in bliss and like ten million rising suns the source of the essence of compassion and other attributes. The term rasa also denotes liquid and as per the Upanishads, fire gave rise to water.hordes of divine beings take refuge in his feet. The hill of Arunachala which is said to be Shiva Himself, is surrounded by temples dedicated to eight lingas, each worshiped by the divine being in charge of that direction.

 He manifests as the extraordinary fiery linga. in his wondrous hand he carries a deer. It is noteworthy that the Arunachala temple has several utsava moorthies  of Shiva, all of them carrying deer. he is inestimable or immeasurable. This is a reference to the appearance of Shiva as an endless tower of fire the origin and end of which Vishnu and Brahma search for in vain. This manifestation is celebrated during Kartikai Deepam when a fire is lit on the hill, perhaps commemorating the volcanic eruption that is said to have given rise to Arunachala.

 He is ever hovering like a bee around the lotus-like face of Aparna. The goddess is said to have done penance here surrounded by five fires and eschewing even leaves for sustenance. She is hence referred to as aparNa.  He is on a tall bull, which he uses as his mount. Even now the silver vrshabham used at this temple during the Kartikai festival is one of the tallest. He is an especially close confidante to the foremost among Brahmins. This could be a reference to Sundaramurthy Nayanar for whom Shiva was a close friend. It could also mean Tirugnanasambandar to whom Shiva appeared as a pillar of light at Araiyaninallur and guided him from there to Tiruvannamalai. Many centuries later, Bhagavan Ramana Maharshi was guided to Tiruvannamalai by a jyoti at the same place.

Ever in the company of the brave guruguha (Skanda) and consort (Uma) – depicting Shiva as somAskanda of which there are three icons in the temple. wielding the Ganga on his effulgent locks. The effulgence is another reference to light. Defeating in brilliance the moon, fire and the sun. We must turn again to Suri Nagamma and Bhagavan for a probable explanation. In his discourse on Uma, Bhagavan has it that Parvati once playfully shut Shiva’s two eyes thereby cutting off all light to the earth, which at once fell into turmoil. Shiva restored order by opening his third eye. A contrite Parvati did penance and was reunited with Shiva at Arunachala and He gave her half His form.

The rAga sAranga is a romantically beautiful blend of the masculine rAga: SankarAbharaNam and the feminine rAga: kaLyANi.

S P M2 P D2 N3 S    -    S N D2 P M2 R2 G3 M1 R2 S    

So, the rAga feels like Fire with the Vakram or the twist in it.

4.
The fourth element is Jal or water and is represented by the organ tongue which is used for the dual function of taste and speech. It represents the liquid state of matter and is responsible for fluid metabolism in the body. Blood, lymph and other fluids are considered as water elements.

Let's look at the Water Element represented by the Jambupati, the Lord Shiva resident in Tiruvanaikkaval, Tamil Nadu. Water, being the Elixir of Life, is one the most important element of mother nature.

 

Kriti: " jambUpatE"

Kshetra: Tiruvanaikkaval

Element: Water

Raga: Yamuna kalyANi

Talam: tishra Ekam

Jambukeshvara Temple

Jambhukeswar, Akhilandeswari Amman

pallavi:

 jambUpate mAm pAhi nijAnanda amrta bodham dEhi

 Anupallavi:

 ambujAsanAdi sakala dEva namana tumburu nuta hRdaya tApopashamana ambudhi gangA kAvErI yamunA kambu kaNThyakhilANDEshvarI ramaNa

 caraNam:

 parvatajA prArthitAplinga vibho panca bhUtamaya prapanca prabho sarva jIva dayAkara shambho sAmajATavI nilaya svayambho sharva karuNAsudhA sindho sharaNAgata vatsalArta bandho anirvacanIya nAda bindo nitya mauLi vidhrta gangEndo nirvikalpaka samAdhi nishTha shiva kalpaka taro nirvishESha caitanya niranjana guruguha guro

Shiva is esteemed at Tiruvanaikkaval  near Tirchy.  This is the place where shiva is worshiped in the form of water.  It is also known as " Apah Lingam Or Jala Lingam".  The presence of water can be seen in the temple. The sanctum of shiva lingam always has water seeping in from the river kaveri. The shrine is flooded in rainy season. This is a keertana stepped in fluid symbolism i.e water. It asks the lord Shiva to give the nectar of bliss. Brahma also worships Shiva who was born in water and sits on the lotus. Lord Shiva quenches the sorrows.  Shiva is lord of the rivers sindhu, ganga, kaveri ,yamuna and akhilandeshwari whos has a throat like a conch. Lord in tirunaikka is the water linga worshiped by the daughter of mountains and residing at sAmajATavi( the forest of elephants).

The rAga Yaman Kalyani, an Endlesss Stream of Flowing Melody, is the janya of 65th Mela MechaKalyani.  The rAga comprises of both the Suddha madhyama along with the notes of the the kalyani rAga. It is this note that gives the raga its distinctive quality of peace, and tranquility.  The raga is popular for its melodic appeal and high emotional content and is very romantic in nature, and is mostly known as an evening rAga. It is a Sampoorna bhaashaanga raagamwith the scale :

s r g m p d n s  –  s n d p m g M r s

The rAga gives the sweetness of a flowing river, and one can visualize an alluring waterfall, swift and pleasant to the human senses.  

5
The fifth element is Prithvi or earth and the nose is the organ representing smell. It represents the solid state of matter and is responsible for the physical constitution of the body. Bones, tissues and teeth are considered as earth elements.

kriti: " cintaya mAkanda mUla kandam "

Kshetra: Kanchipuram

Element: Earth

Raga:  bhairavi

Talam: -- rUpakam

Prithvi  Linga

Ekamreshvara Temple

Pallavi

 cintaya mAkanda mUla kandam cetasshrI sOmAskandam 

Anupallavi

 santatam akhaNDa saccidAnandam sAmrAjyaprada caraNAravindam

Charanam

 mangaLakara mandahAsa vadanam mANikya maya kAncI sadanam anga saundarya vijita madanam antaka sUdanam kunda radanam uttunga kamanIya vrSha turangam bhairavI prasangam guruguhAntarangam prthvI lingam

O my mind, contemplate on Shiva, the one supporting root of Mango tree, who is accompanied by Uma and Skanda. Who is always indivisible eternal Bliss,  whose lotus feet are capable of bestowing empires. Whose smiling face bestows welfare and prosperity (to the devotees). who is seated in the rich abode of Kanchi. who conquers the God of Love (Madana) with his beauty of body; who is the destroyer of the God of death (Anthaka), and always having white teeth. Who has the horse in the form of tall and beautiful bull, and enjoys the company of Goddess Bhairavi (a fierce form of Goddess Parvathi).  And always residing in the heart and mind of Guru Guha. Who is in the form of Parthiva Linga.

The bewitching Bhairavi rAga is a manifestation and expression for patience exactly like the Bhoomi. Bhairavi is a janya rāgam of naTa bhairavi. Though it is a sampoorna rāgam it has two different dhaivathams in its scale making it a Bhashanga Ragam.

S R2 G2 M1 P D2 N2 S  -  S N2 D1 P M1 G2 R2 S

The notes used are chathusruthi rishabham, sadharana gandharam, shuddha madhyamam, chathusruthi dhaivatham & shuddha dhaivatham and kaishika nishadham.