Ragam: Chandrajyoti
Thalam: Misra Chapu
Composer: Purandara Dasar

This song is very special to me, as it is a Purandara Dasar krithi tuned by my guru Sri. Palghat Ramprasad in the ragam Chandrajyothi. In the various charanams of this song (not all included here), Dasar imagines a scenario where the gopikas ask Mother Yashoda to please console Krishna, as they are unable to stop him from crying. They describe how Krishna is complaining about how he is still wet after being in the sea during the ‘Matsya Avatara’. He is complaining of a backache because he carried the Meru mountain on his back during the 'Kurma Avatara...' As the gopikas have no knowledge of Krishna’s true identity, they are left baffled and helpless. Like so, Dasar imagines and illustrates such a uniquely creative conversation through each avataram of Lord Vishnu as told by Krishna and the gopikas.

A note about this ragam Chandrajyoti. The name literally translates to 'Moonlight' and I am in awe of how the melody reflects that. I enjoy this piece for its creativity both in lyrics and melody... Happy to spread joy through art during these strange times and hope to share more soon