Rangapura Vihara
Some thoughts about a song that soothes my soul
Rama, the ‘Imperfect’ Perfect Man
Among all characters, people and gods in the world, I admire Rama the most. He is probably one of the few men whose words completely match his actions. I have had this conversation with many people. They often point out his mistakes.
He put Sita through the Agni Pariksha (trial by fire of sorts to check her chastity)
Sending Sita to the forest because a laundryman made a snide remark about Rama’s marital life.
By modern standards these are clearly mistakes. Even from a moral POV across ages these might be considered unfair. But a ruler has to meet a higher standard in the eyes of his subjects. And probably that is the reason why Rama did the things he did.
Sometimes, even gods make mistakes, so let’s take a break. He holds up to the highest standards of a gentleman. And that is the standard that I would like to meet some day. This is the reason why I love Rangapura Vihara, especially the rendition by Agam.
Rangapura Vihara by Agam
I got a chance to attend an Agam concert on August 31 2024. I was attending my second Agam concert after a span of almost 4 years.
I was quite excited about this concert. My top song by this band is ‘Subramanyena Rakshitoham’. But, that day, I loved Rangapura Vihara more than all other songs.
I am not sure why this rank order got shuffled. One of the reasons was that Harish Sivaramakrishnan, the lead singer made the crowd sing this song.
I sang it along with the crowd and it made me feel something. It felt like that the song pumped out latent emotions which were hitherto inaccessible to my conscious mind.
It was truly a soul-elevating experience. This made me dig deeper into the lyrics.
Full Lyrics and Meaning
Agam does not sing the entire lyrics. To be honest, even I had a vague understanding of these lyrics.
Only now, I can claim that I truly know this song. This version by MS Subbulakshmi goes through the entire song. You can give it a listen here.
रङ्गपुर विहार जय कोदण्ड रामावतार रघुवीर श्री
rahngapura vihāra jaya kodandarāmāvatāra raghuvIra shrI
Victory to the divine Rama, the courageous hero of the Raghu dynasty and resident of the colored city of Rangapura.
अङ्गज जनक देव बृन्दावन सारङ्गेन्द्र वरद रमान्तरङ्ग
श्यामळाङ्ग विहङ्ग तुरङ्ग सदयापाङ्ग सत्सङ्ग
ahngaja janaka deva brndāvana sārahngendra varada ramāntarahnga shyāmalahnga vihahnga turahnga sadayāpāhnga satsahnga
The one who enchants the heart of Janaka's daughter Sita, with his beautiful dark blue form like a peacock. He who is always surrounded by devotees.
पङ्कजाप्तकुल जलनिधि सोम वर पङ्कज मुख
पट्टाभिराम पदपङ्कज जितकाम रघुराम वामाङ्ग
गत सीतावरवेष शेषाङ्ग शयन भक्त सन्तोष
pahnkajāptakula jalanidhi sOma vara pahnkaja mukha pattābhirāma padapahmkaja jitakāma raghurāma vamahnka gata sItāvara vesa shesāhnka shayana bhakta Santosa
He who is like the moon in the ocean of the illustrious Janaka's lineage. One who adorns himself with the radiance of lotus-like face. One whose feet dispel all desires. One who reclines on the serpent bed and delights his devotees.
एणाङ्क रवि नयन मृदुतरभाष अकळङ्क दर्पण कपोल विशेष मुनि
सङ्कटहरण गोविन्द वेङ्कट रमण मुकुन्द सङ्कर्षण मूल कन्द शन्कर गुरुगुहानन्द
enāhnkaravi nayana mrdutarabhāsa akakahnka darpana kapola vishesa muni sankaTaharana govinda venkata ramana mukunda sankarSana mula kanda shankara guruguhānanda
His gentle eyes are like lotus petals. His soft and sweet words captivate everyone. His forehead is adorned with the divine mirror. One who’s the dispeller of troubles. The beloved of Govinda, Venkata, and many others.
With this knowledge, I believe that I will be able to enjoy this song and derive more inspiration in future.