HYDERABAD: Venkatesa Suprabhatam plays in almost every Hindu household in India every morning and now the book titled Venkatesa Suprabhatam: The Story of India’s Most Popular Prayer released last month takes us closer to this epic chant. The book is a translation of the prayer, a journey through its verses and also a deep dive into the history of its composition and the circumstances of its author. Debut author Venkatesh Parthasarathy who is interested in the history of peninsular India and is a student of Sanskrit tell us more about it and the famous Hyderabad connection to it.
What kind of research went into digging the books/manuscripts to write the book. Did you have to travel a lot to get to the bottom of things.
I was fortunate to find teachers who encouraged my interest in the language as well as in researching such topics.The research was a combination of archival work along with meeting people who were connected to the prayer as well as scholars who were interested in such topics. Most of the work was from secondary sources. The good thing about this kind of research is that the more you read the more you know how much more there is to learn. So every source would lead to more sources and the journey took a life of its own. Still there is a lot of work that can be done to understand the story better and hopefully someone else will take up that task. The main places that were visited were Hyderabad, Tirupati and Chennai.
How many days/months did it take you to write the book?
It took around three years in all to bring it out.
What all does the book comprise?
The book is a translation, traces the history of the recitation as well of its composition as well its contemporary history, the narrates some of the stories of the Puranas which the saint has referred to and is lastly a journey through the prayer.
What in the book do you think will appeal to the average Indian devotee who is used to listening or reciting the Suprabatham?
Given the current state of uncertainty that all are facing, the Venkatesha Suprabhtam with its celebration of the divine in routines of daily life assumes far greater importance. Knowing the stories of those who sustained this prayer through the centuries since the time of its composition makes us appreciate the virtues of humility and patience as good times and bad times follow one another.
What is the Hyderabad/Telugu connection to the divine hymn?
Andhra and Hyderabad have intimate associations with this prayer and the book. The composer of the Venkatesh Suprabhatam was Prativadhi Bhayankara Anna – a great Vaishnava saint whose story is told in the book. His descendants contributed in many ways to society over the centuries. One of them was the freedom fighter P B Venkatacharya from Andhra, who was also known as Bhayankaracharya because of the fear he caused among the British. Anna’s most famous descendant in recent times has been the singer P B Srinivas, who sang so many songs in various south India languages. Few know that Hyderabad has an old shrine dedicated to Prativadhi Bhayankara Anna inside the ancient Sri Ramachandra Swamy Devasthanam Temple at Chatri Naka, Uppuguda (beyond Charminar) – it is so old that even the coconut trees in front of the temple are said to be 250 years old. Finally some of the most fruitful research was conducted by travelling to Hyderabad and meeting people and old scholars here – without those visits this book could not have been written.
What’s the book about
Westland Publications’ book Venkatesa Suprabhatam: The Story of India’s Most Popular Prayer is a translation of the prayer, a journey through its verses and also a deep dive into the history of its composition and the circumstances of its author Venkatesh Parthasarathy. An appeal to the lord to arise and save the world, the Venkatesa Suprabhatam is the first of four recitations that are sung together every morning in the Lord Venkateswara temple in Tirumala, where it was originally sung. Prativadi Bhayankaram Anna, who composed this prayer in the fifteenth century, was a saint, a poet and an ardent devotee of Lord Vishnu. The poet’s devotion shines through, most unforgettably in M.S. Subbulakshmi’s rendition, which rings through many south Indian homes in the mornings.
— Manju Latha Kalanidhi
kalanidhi@newindianexpress.com
@mkalanidhi