Bhavayami Raghuramam

Background :

"Bhavayami Raghuramam" is a composition by Swathi Thirunal, the Maharaja of Travancore state in pre-independence India. It depicts the entire story of Ramayana, concisely in Sanskrit. The composition was originally in a single raga (Saaveri), set in Roopaka talam. In the 20th century, it was re-cast as a ragamalika by Semmangudi Srinivasa Iyer and was made popular by M. S. Subbulakshmi.

The pallavi and anupallavi are set in Saaveri, followed by six stanzas each in a different raga (namely Nattukuranji, Dhanyasi, Mohanam, Mukhari, Poorvi-Kalyani ending with the Mangalam in Madhyamavati), each describing one of the Cantos of Ramayana (namely Bala Kandam, Ayodhya Kandam, Aranya Kandam, Kishkinda Kandam, Sundara Kandam and Yuddha Kandam).

Sanskrit Text :

(सावेरी राग:) 

भावयामि रघुरामं भव्य सुगुणारामम्

भावुक वितरण परापाङ्गलीलालसितम्

(नाट्टकुरिंजी राग:) बाल काण्डं 

दिनाकरान्वाय तिलक दिव्यगाधि सुत सवन
वन रचित सुबाहुमुखा वधं अहल्या पावनं
अनघमीश चापभङ्गं जनकसुता प्राणेशं
घनकुपित भृगुराम गर्वहरमिति साकेतं

(धन्यासि राग:) अयोध्या काण्डं 

विहता अभिषेकमथ विपिनगतमार्यवाच
सहित सीता सौमित्रिम् शान्ततमशीलं
गुहा निलय गतं चित्रकूटागत भारतदत्तम्
महितरत्नमय पादुकं मदन सुन्दराङ्गं

(मोहन राग:)  आरण्य काण्डं 

वितत दण्डकारण्य गतविराधदळनं
सुचरित घटज दत्त अनुपमित वैष्णवास्त्रं
पतगवर जटायुनुतं पञ्चवटी विहितवासं
अतिघोर शूर्पनखा वचना गत खरादिहरं

(मुखारि राग:) किष्किन्दा काण्ड:

कनकमृग रूपधरा खलमारीच हरामिह
सुजनविमतदसास्यहृत जनकजान्वेषणं
अनघ पम्पातीर संगताञ्जनेय नभोमणि
तनुज सख्यकरं वालि तनुदळमीशम्

(पूर्वीकल्याणि राग:) सुन्दर काण्ड:

वानरोत्तम सहित वायुसूनुकरार्पित
भानुशत भास्वर भव्य रत्नाङ्गुळीयम्
तेन पुनरानीत न्यूनचूडामणि दर्शनम्
श्रीनिधिम् उदधितीराश्रित विभीषण मिळितम्

(मध्यमावति राग:) युद्ध काण्ड:

कलितवर सेतुबन्धं खलनिस्सीम पिशिताशन
दळनं उरुदशकण्ठविदारणमतिधीरम् 
ज्वलनपूत जनकसुतासहितं यातसाकेतं 
विलसित पट्टाभिषेकं विश्वपालम् पद्मनाभम् 

Transliteration :

bhAvayAmi raghurAmaM bhavyasuguNArAmam 

bhAvuka vitaraNaparA pANga leelA lasitam

dinakarAnvayatilakaM divyagAdhi sutasavanA-

vanaracita subAhumukhavadhaM ahalyApAvanam

anaghamIshacApabaNgaM janakasutAprANEshaM

ghanakupitabhrughurAma garvaharamita sAkEtam

vihitA abhiSekamatha vipinagatamAryavAcha

sahitasItAsaumitriM shAntatamasheelam

guhanilayagataM citrakUTAgata bharatadatta-

mahittaratnamayapAdukaM madanasundarANgam 

vitatadaNDakAraNya gatavirAdhadaLanaM

sucaritaghaTajadattA anupamitavaiSNavAstram

patagavarajaTAyunutaM panchavaTIvihitAvAsaM

atighOrashUrpaNakhA vacanAgatakharAdiharam

kanaka mruga rUpadhara khalamArIcaharam iha

sujana vimata dashAsya hrtajanakajAnvESaNam

anaghapaMpA tIrasaNgatAnjanEya nabhOmaNi-

tanuja sakhyakaraM vAlitanudaLanam Isham 

vAnarottama sahita vAyusUnukarArpita-

bhAnushata bhAsvara bhavyaratnANguLeeyam

tEna punarAnIta nyUnacUDAmaNI darshanaM

shrInidhim udadhitIrA ashritavibhISaNa miLitam

kalitavarasetubhandhaM khalanissImapishitAshana-

dalanam urudashakaNThavidaraNam atidhIram

jvalanapUta janakasutAsahitaM yAtasAkEtaM

vilasitapaTTAbhiSekaM  vishvapAlaM  padmanAbham

Translation :

 [I] meditate upon  Lord Rama, of the Raghu dynasty, who is the embodiment (the garden) of all auspicious and noble virtues. He is the one who shines, casting his side-glances at his ardent devotees, ever ready to grant them happiness and prosperity.

One who is the ornament among the successors of the Solar dynasty; who killed the demons led by Subahu, in order to protect the sacrifices of Brahmarshi Vishvamitra, the son of the pious King Gadhi; and purified (liberated) Ahalya from her curse;  who broke the bow of the Lord Shiva (the sinless One), thereby qualifying to wed Sita, the daughter of Janaka;  who is the life breath of Sita;  who subdued the pride of the anger-filled Parashurama; and one who reached Ayodhya (Saaketa).

The one who, obeying the commands  of his venerable father Dasharatha, abandoned the coronation as the king of Ayodhya, and went to the forest, accompanied by his wife, Sita, and brother Lakshmana (the son of Sumitra, one of the three principal wives of Dasaratha); who possesses extreme calmness and serenity; who visited the abode of Guha, (the boatman, who helped Rama cross the river during his exile) and then proceeded to the Chitrakoota mountains (in the present Madhya Pradesh state of India); who gave his splendid, gem-studded sandals to his brother Bharata; and who possesses a beautiful body that rivals that of Kamadeva, the God of Love.

The one who killed the demon  Viradha, who was residing in the vast Dandaka forest, (by burying him alive, as the demon could not be harmed with weapons due to a boon); who received the unparalleled and divine weapon belonging to Vishnu, presented to him by the illustrious sage Agastya, the one born out of a pot; who was worshipped by Jatayu, the king of birds;  and who, dwelling in Panchavati, killed the demons led by the fierce Khara, the brother of the Lankan king Ravana,  in a battle instigated by the [ill-spoken] words of their sister, the very fierce, Shoorpanakha (the one with sharp nails). 

The one who killed the wicked demon Maricha (the brother of Subahu, whom Rama had killed earlier), who had assumed the shape of a golden deer; who started the search of his wife Sita, whom the demon king Ravana (the ten-headed one) had stolen away, totally disregarding the good advice of his well-wishers; who reached the pristine shores of the sacred river Pampa; who made acquaintances with Hanuman, (the son of Anjana) and  Sugreeva, the son of the Sun god Surya; who killed Vali (the brother of Sugreeva); and who is the abode of all auspiciousness. 

The one who, while in the company of  Sugreeva, the superior among Vanaras (probably, the forest dwelling tribes), gave Hanuman, the son of  Vayu (the lord of the winds), his gem studded ring that rivals the lusture of hundreds of suns (to be given to Sita, when he finds her);  and afterwards received the untainted crest jewel of Sita that was brought back by Hanuman; who is the abode of all auspiciousness; and who at the ocean shore, made friends with the refugee Vibhishana, the brother of Ravana 

The one who constructed a high quality bridge across the ocean; who killed an endless number of wicked and meat-eating demons; who destroyed the ten-headed and mighty Ravana; who is very valiant;  who, accompanied by Sita (the one as pure as fire) proceeded to Ayodhya; who was crowned as king (of Ayodhya) with all glory; who is the protector of the entire universe; and (finally) who is Lord Vishnu, the one with a lotus in his navel (Padmanabha). 

Rendering (by Kalpagam Sivaramakrishnan)