Best of MS Subbulakshmi

MS Subbulakshmi is most definitely one of the greatest carnatic vocalists of this century. Her divinely melodious voice combined with her true bhakthi and innate goodness of soul has captured the hearts of millions of listeners.

A native of Madurai, Tamilnadu, MS' songs are played today in homes across the world - from singapore, to london, to chicago. Even though her soul may have passed on from this world to heaven (most definitely - afterall, didnt Purandaradas sing "keerthana maathradhi kali yuga dhalli mukthi yaneeva ....- in this age of the Kali yuga, songs of devotion are sufficient to attain salvation), MS' golden voice can never be forgotten. As quoted in a popular newspaper "the sun may have set but the brilliance still lingers"

Here is a list of my favorite MS renditions (ranked in my preference). Please feel free to post comments and add to this list. I may have incorrectly stated the names of some composers. Please correct me!

9) brindavanathil kannan valarndha - Meera

Sindhu Bhairavi is one of the greatest raagams for devotional songs, this song aptly proves this. The lyrics (by Kalki?) along with MS' voice makes us yearn for - "nandhakumaran vindhai purindha andha naalum vandhidadho?"

8) Ranga puravihara- brindavana saranga (and other carnatic classics)

MS's carnatic classics can never be forgotten. Her shruthi, neraval etc., everything is flawless. She has served as a guru for countless aspiring vocalists; you can learn a song just by listening to her cassette. According to MS, the veena was her greatest teacher. She learnt how to sing every swara perfectly by playing the veena when she sang. Ranga Puravihara is a slow kirthana, set to an unusual raaga (popular hindustani one though), MS adds appeal to this song. Other close contenders are her Brochevarevarura, her annamacharya renditions, her pancharathna keerthanas etc.

7) Vadavaraiyai maththaaki -

Set to a ragamalika, this song is actually from Ilango Adigal's Silapadhikaram. MS has performed a great service to Tamizh, by setting stanzas from an ancient epic to contemporary, easy to enunciate tunes . The most unforgettable line in this song is definitely the last one - "narayana ennaa naavenna naave". Without MS popularizing this song, Silapadhigaram would just be a two line story for us about Kannagi burning madhurai; however, through this song, we learn the actual lines from ancient literature, created centuries ago.

6) Vaishnava janato

MS' tune is very different from the popular tune. Hers is more sombre, but, as always, every word is perfectly pronounced, the comprehension and bhakthi in her voice is unforgettable. MS' rendition was Mahathma Gandhi's favorite - need I say more?

The best lines in this song : "Ram naam shoon thali lagi, sakala theerth thena than man re" - Meaning: For him (a true devotee), hearing the name of Rama is thrilling, he claps with joy, for him, all the holy places in the world can be found right in his heart

5) malai pozhudhinile oru naal - kalki

Another romantic classic from the Kalki - MS duo. This song is not well know, though I personally rate this on par with Kaatrinile varum geetham. It tells the story of how the narrator/singer of the song (presumably a young girl) has this beautiful dream where a striking man appears before her (maa mathi pol mugathaan) - He is Muruga (vel ondru kaiyil yendhi yennaye vizhunguvan pol vizhithaan). Her heart beats rapidly, she is scared and does not know what to do. Muruga reassures her - "Mundhai piravigalil unnai naan muraiyinil manandhen - yendhan uyirallavo kanmani..". The girl full of love and devotion extends her hand, and Muruga smiles at her divinely and takes her hand - and the dream ends there. The last paragraph (i do not know the ragam, but its perfectly suited) aptly describes the girl's heartbreak, when she realizes it was all a beautiful dream. I dont know if this song came in a movie?

4) kaatrinile varum geetham -

The image of a beautifully serene MS, filmed in black and white, with a tampura in hand, and voicing the timeless lyrics penned by Kalki in the movie Meera can never be forgotten. The spirit of Meera is embodied in MS when she sings the line "kaalamellam avan kaadhalai enni urugumo en ullam" - epitomizing the love she feels for Krishna. During the shooting of the film, MS actually fainted at the feet of the idol of Krishna in Dwaraka, overcome by emotion

Ties with:
HARI TUMA...Meera Bhajan.I am slightly partial to this song as she sings Daasa Meera but it is a great song

3) Suprabhatham

If one were to capture the essence of South India in a time capsule, MS' suprabatham would be included without doubt. Nothing is more auspicious sounding than the opening strains - Om...kaushalya supraja...MS through her vocals showers loving praises on the Lord. You do not need to know Sanskrit to understand the lyrics. The suprabhatham is our loving "wake-up" call to God. MS effortlessly glides through tongue -twisting stanzas with amazing ease. You can immediately picture the golden Gopurams of Thirupathi, the shining Surya Bhagawan, the blue skies, all the saints, and all the rivers awaiting dawn and celebrating the glory of Venkatesa.

There is a beautiful stanza in the suprabatham (i dont know the exact slokas though) - "your devotees come to your earthly dwelling (Tirupathi) in order to pray for attaining moksha; but when they see the beauty of your temple's gopuram, they become content simply with living in this mortal world, just for experiencing the joy of devotion to God and worshipping you"

In the same ranking: Hanuman Chalisa.I have a feeling HANUMAN is standing in front of me whenever I hear it.It brings you closer to God.

2) Bhaja Govindam -

"Without Bhakthi, there is no gnana" says C.Rajagopalachari in his introduction to MS' rendition of Bhaja Govindam. Delineating each raaga perfectly, MS captures the essence of vedanta through her expressions that match every paragraph (simultaneously admonishing, advicing, cautioning, consolatory and finally benevolent), voice modulation, perfect pronounciation, and complete understanding of the meaning of every word

The best lines? A tie between the Punarapi jananam stanza and the last one - Guru charanambuja; the last paragraph is the most meaningful - "Through your never ending devotion to God, may you realize his in-dwelling in your own heart:

1) kurai ondrum illai -
Ragam(s) - Shiva Ranjani, Kapi and Sindhu Bhairavi

MS' greatest ever. Thinking about this song is enough to melt a person's heart. If you need to know the meaning of the word bhakthi, it is sufficient to listen to MS singing this song. Set to a raagamalika with lyrics by C. Rajagopalachari, it is impossible to remain unmoved, especially after the second charanam (in sindhu bhairavi) :

"kurai ondrum illai marai moorthy kanna, yaadhum marukkaadha malayappa, un marbil, yedhum dharanirkum karunai kadal annai, endrum irundhida yedhu kurai yenakku? ondrum kurai illai marai moorthy kannaa, manivanna malayappa govinda govinda"

MS' voice rises to a crescendo when she sings "govinda govinda" three times, without pausing for breath for a micro second. Her voice transforms the listener, at that instant, even we truly believe "ondrum kurai illai marai moorthy kannaa"; at that instant, even we do not aspire for anything; we forget about our desires and just exalt in our devotion.

Inspiring us in our journey along the path of bhakthi was the greatest gift from MS to us.