Bantu Riti Kolu

Composition by Tyaagaraaja

About

Title: Bantu Riti Kolu

Composer: Tyaagaraaja

Language: Telugu

Ragas: Hamsanada

Talas: Desadi

Sources:

karnatik.com
Shivkumar Kalyanaraman (shivkumar.org): Notation (HTML)
Shivkumar Kalyanaraman (shivkumar.org): Notation (PDF)
Shivkumar Kalyanaraman (shivkumar.org): Detailed lesson (MP3)
Shivkumar Kalyanaraman (shivkumar.org): Recording (MP3) 1
Shivkumar Kalyanaraman (shivkumar.org): Recording (MP3) 2

Lyrics

pallavi

bantu riti kolu viyavaiyya rama | (bantu)

anupallavi

tunta vinti vani modalaina mada- | dula gotti nela gula jeyu nija || (bantu)

caraNam

romanca manu ghana kancukamu | rama bhaktudanu mudra billayu || rama nama manu vara khadga mivi | rajillu naiyya tyagarajuni ke || (buntu)

Notation

From Shivkumar Kalyanaraman (shivkumar.org)

Pallavi:
baNTu rIti koluv(i)yya(v)ayya rAma

Anupallavi:
tuNTa viNTi vAni modalaina mad(A)dula
goTTi nEla gUla jEyu nija (baNTu)

Charanam:
rOmAncam(a)nu ghana kancukamu
rAma bhaktuD(a)nu mudra biLLayu
rAma nAmam(a)nu vara khaDgamivi
rAjillun(a)yya tyAgarAjunikE (baNTu)

MEANING: (Courtesy: carnaticopia & Ranga Ramanuja Iyengar’s book)
In this beautiful Bantureethi Kolu Carnatic song, Sri Thyagaraja swamy pleads with Lord Rama to give him
the post of a guard for Rama. The symbolic meaning is that he always wants to be in his presence always
(Sri Rama's Sannidhi).

O Lord rAma! Bestow on me (“iyyavayya”) the privilege (“kolu”) of being in Your service as a servitor
(“Bantu rIti”).

In the Anupallavi, Sri Thyagaraja Swamy says that, the guard’s post should be such that he is empowered
to destroy all the demons which are Arishadvargas (Arishad Vargas are the six passions of the mind: Kama
- lust, craze, desire; Krodha - anger, hatred; Lobha - greed, miserliness, narrow minded; Moha - delusory
emotional attachment; Mada or Ahankara - pride, stubborn mindedness; and Matsarya - envy, jealousy,
show or vanity, and pride) and since the guard is empowered to do so, he needs such a guard's post.

O Lord rAma! Bestow on me the privilege of being in Your service as a true (“nija”) servitor (“Bantu
rIti”) who can knock down (“goTTi” the six internal enemies (“mad(A)dula”) beginning (“modalaina”)
with desire kAma (sugar cane archer – “tuNTa viNTi vAni” ), conceit etc to the ground (“nEla”) by
thrashing these (“gUla jEyu”).

In the Caranam, Thyagaraja says that the sublimated (“rOmAncam(a)nu”) version of kama is devotion
that acts as his strong shield (“ghana kancukamu”). Tyagaraja requests that he should be blessed with
the emblem (“mudra”) of Ramabhakti (“rAma bhaktuD(a)nu”), given a sword (“khaDgamivi”) called
Rama Naama (the name of Rama) to perform his guard's job. - O Lord! all these will shine
(“rAjillun(a)yya”) on the person of this tyAgarAja.

Notes:
Anupallavi : tuNTa viNTi vAni modalaina -- As per telugu dictionary, 'tuNTa vilukADu' refers to cupid.
This seems to have been slightly modified by SrI tyAgarAja as 'tuNTa viNTivADu'. Therefore, 'tuNTa
viNTivADu' should be taken to mean 'kAma'. Accordingly, the anupallavi would read 'kAma modalaina
madAdula goTTi nEla gUla jEyu nija'.

Anupallavi : goTTi -- this is how it is given in all the books other than that of TKG, where it is given as
baTTi. As 'goTTi' seems to be appropriate, the same has been adopted.

Charanam : the word ending 'u' in rOmancamanu, rAma bhaktuDanu and rAma nAmamanu are as given in
the books of CR, ATK and TSV/AKG. However, in the book of TKG, these are given with ending 'E'

Pallavi:
baNTu rIti koluv(i)yya(v)ayya rAma

O Lord rAma! Bestow on me (“iyyavayya”) the privilege (“kolu”) of being in Your service as a servitor
(“Bantu rIti”).

;;         ;-P       P – pm          R R      | R,-s         ;-N     | S–R             ; P      ||
--        - baN      Tu rI-          - ti       ko- lu       - vi      yya vay-        - ya

P , -p     ; -P      , p– pm         R R      | sR - s       ;-N     | S–R             ; P      ||
rA- ma     - baN      Tu rI-          - ti      ko- lu       - vi      yya vay-        - ya

P , -p     ; - pm , n– pm            R R      | sR - rs      S-N     | S–R             ; P      ||
rA- ma     - baN - Tu rI-            - ti       ko- lu       - vi      yya vay-        - ya

P , -p     ; - pm    , n– pm         R R      | sR - rs      S-N     | S – rp          ; P      ||
rA- ma     - baN      - Tu rI-       - ti       ko- lu       - vi      yya vay-        - ya

p S- s     n N-p   P– pm             R R      | p m r - rs    S- S    | S–S            ; S      ||
rA- ma     - - baN Tu rI-            - ti       ko- - lu      - vi     yya vay-        - ya

r s- sn    N- P       P– pm          R R      | Sr mrm- rs      S- S | S–S               ; S    ||
rA- ma     - - baN    Tu rI-         - ti       ko- - - lu      - vi yya vay-            - ya

r s- sn    N- sn       ,p– pm        R R      | sR - rs      S- N         | R–M          N R ||
rA- ma     - - baN    -Tu rI-        - ti       ko- - -      lu vi          yya vay-     - ya

s n- pm    pn- np      ,p– pm        R R      | sR - rs      S- N         | S–R          ; P   ||
rA- ma     - - baN    -Tu rI-        - ti       ko- - -      lu vi          yya vay-      - ya

P , -p     ; ;           ; ;         ; ;      | ; ;          ; ;      | ; ;            ; ;      ||
rA- ma     - -          - -          - -        - -           - -       - -             - -

Anupallavi:
tuNTa viNTi vAni modalaina mad(A)dula
goTTi nEla gUla jEyu nija (baNTu)

O Lord rAma! Bestow on me the privilege of being in Your service as a true (“nija”) servitor (“Bantu
rIti”) who can knock down (“goTTi”) the six internal enemies (“mad(A)dula”) beginning
(“modalaina”) with desire kAma (sugar cane archer – “tuNTa viNTi vAni” ), conceit etc

;;        ;-S        S , -s           ; S     | nS- n         ; - N | n S- r            ;R      ||
--        - tuN      Ta viN          - Ti       vA- ni       - mo     da- lai           - na

rs R- s ; N          S ;             ; ;      |   ; ;         ; ;     |     ; ;         ; ;     ||
ma- dA - du          la -            - -          - -          - -          - -         - -

snpm      pn - sn     p-N - s         ; S     | nS- n         ; - N | n S- r            ;R      ||
--         - tuN     - Ta viN        - Ti       vA- ni       - mo     da- lai           - na

rs R- s ; N          S ;             ; ;     |    ; ;       ; ;     |     ; ;          ; ;        ||
ma- dA - du          la -            - -          - -        - -          - -          - -

snp-m     pn - sn     p-N - s         ; S    | nRsR- n      ; - N | n S- r            ;R          ||
--         - tuN     - Ta viN        - Ti      vA- - ni     - mo    da- lai           - na

snp-m pn - sn         p-N - s         ; S    | nS- n        ; - N | n S- r            ;R          ||
ma - dA - tuN        - Ta viN        - Ti      vA- - ni     - mo    da- lai           - na

… knock them down (“goTTi”) … to the ground (“nEla”) by thrashing these (“gUla jEyu”).

S rp       ,m–R        pm- R         ,R,     | rs R - s      ; - np | , n- S           ,S,        ||
madA       - - du      la- go        - TTi     nE- la        - gU- la jE               - yu

r s- sn    N- sn p-N - s              ; S    | nS- n        ; - N | n S- r            ;R          ||
ni- ja-    - tuN - Ta viN            - Ti      vA- - ni     - mo    da- lai           - na

S rp       ,m–R        pm- R         ,R,     | rs R - s      ; - sn | p-N - s          ,S,        ||
madA       - - du      la- go        - TTi     nE- la        - gU- - la jE             - yu

r s- sn    N -sn       ,p– pm        R R     | sR - rs     S - nn        | rr – mm         nn R ||
ni- ja-    - baN      -Tu rI-        - ti      ko- - -     lu vi           yya vay-        - - ya

s n- pm    pn- np      ,p– pm        R R     | sR - rs     S- N         | S–R              ; P   ||
rA- ma     - - baN    -Tu rI-        - ti      ko- - -     lu vi          yya vay-          - ya

P , -p     ; ;           ; ;         ; ;     | ; ;         ; ;      | ; ;             ; ;         ||
rA- ma     - -          - -          - -       - -          - -       - -              - -

Charanam:
rOmAncam(a)nu ghana kancukamu
rAma bhaktuD(a)nu mudra biLLayu
rAma nAmam(a)nu vara khaDgamivi
rAjillun(a)yya tyAgarAjunikE (baNTu)

In the Caranam, Thyagaraja says that the sublimated (“rOmAncam(a)nu”) version of kama is devotion
that acts as his strong shield (“ghana kancukamu”).

;;         ; -P     ; P        ,P,   | mn P-m           ; - P | m P- n      ; S       ||
--        - rO      - mAn       ca     ma- - nE         - gha na- kan       - cu

S-sn      N- P      ; P        ,P,   | mn P-m           ; - P | m P- n      ; S       ||
kamu      - rO      - mAn       ca     ma- - nE         - gha na- kan       - cu

Tyagaraja requests that he should be blessed with the emblem (“mudra”) of Ramabhakti (“rAma
bhaktuD(a)nu”),

S-sn      N- nn p-P-p   mr- R | s R – rs                 S - N | S , - rm ; P         ||
kamu      - rA - ma bha - - ktu Da- nE                  - mu dra - biL - La

pm rs     rm- pm r M-p , -P ,        | mn P-m           ; - P | m P- n      ; S       ||
yu - -    - - rO - - mAn  ca           ma- - nE         - gha na- kan       - cu

S-sn      N- P   P , -p mr- R | s R – rs                       S - N | S , - rm ; P        ||
kamu      - rA - ma- bha - - ktu Da- nE                       - mu dra - biL - La

… and be given (“mivi”) a sword (“khaDgamivi”) called Rama Naama (the name of Rama) to perform
his guard's job.

P;        ;-S      S , -s       ;S     | nS – n               ; N | S ,- r       ;R        ||
yu -      - rA     ma nA        - ma     ma- nE               - va ra kha        - Dga

S,-s      ; ;       ; ;         ; ;    | ; ;           ; ; |     ; ;        ; ; ||
mi vi      - -     - -           - -     - -           - -       - -        - -

; ;       ;-S      S , -s       ;S     | nS – n               ; N | S ,- r       ;R        ||
--        - rA     ma nA        - ma     ma- nE               - va ra kha        - Dga

snp - m pn-sn      p-N - s ; S         | nS- n        ;-N        | n S- r        ;R        ||
mi- vi - rA        - ma nA - ma          ma- nE        - va        ra - kha      - Dga

O Lord! all these will shine (“rAjillun(a)yya”) on the person of this tyAgarAja.

S – rP, , m- R        pm- R        , R , | rs R - s     ; - sn | p-N - s         ,S,       ||
mi vi - -- rA         - - jil      - lu nay- ya         - tyA- - ga rA           - ju-

r s- sn  N - S S , -s ; S              | nS- n        ;-N        | n S- r        ;R        ||
ni- kE - - - rA - ma nA - ma             ma- nE        - va        ra - kha      - Dga

S – rP, , m- R        pm- R        , R , | rs R - s     ; - rsnp | ,-N - s       , S ,     ||
mi vi - -- rA         - - jil      - lu nay- ya         - tyA- - ga rA           - ju-

r s- sn  N - sn         ,p– pm          R R     | sR - rs        S - nn       | rr – mm         nn R ||
ni- kE - - baN         -Tu rI-          - ti      ko- - -        lu vi          yya vay-        - - ya

s n- pm     pn- np     ,p– pm           R R     | sR - rs        S- N        | S–R              ; P   ||
rA- ma      - - baN   -Tu rI-           - ti      ko- - -        lu vi         yya vay-          - ya

pm ps       ,N,           ; ;          P ;      | ; ;            ;     sn    | pn S              ; ; ||
rA- - -     - ma          - -          - -        - -            -     rA      - - mA            - -