This is a very popular Kruti of Oottukad Venkata Subba Iyer in praise of Sri Krishna. In view of the description of various deeds by Krishna, in excellent rhythmic vocabulary it is very popular in dance repertoire.
Description of song:
swagatam krishna saranagatam krishna
madhurapuri sadana mrudu
vadanA madhusudana iha ||
bhOga tapta sulabhA supushpa gandha kalabha
kasturi tilaka mahipA mama kAntA nanda gOpa kandA ||
mushTikAsura chANoora malla malla viSArada madhusudanA
kuvalaya peeDa mardana kALinga nartana
gOkula rakshaNa sakala sulakshaNa dEvA
SishTajana pAla sankalpa kalpa SatakOTi asama parAkrama
dheera munijana vihAra madana
sukumAra daitya samhAra dEva
madhura madhura rati sArasa
sarasa vraja yuvatee jana mAnasa pujita ||
Meaning of the Composition:
Oh Madhusudana, you skillfully vanquished demons Mushtika and Chanura. You are destroyer of evil in the world. You saved Gokulam by subduing Kaliya serpent and dancing on its hood.
You are our Lord with best virtues. You are the savior of righteous people. You are the unparalleled performer of countless heroic deeds. You are dear to pious sages and destroyer of demons. You are very handsome. Your sweet gestures delight the Gopikas of Vrajabhumi. They worship you whole-heartedly.
Swagatham Krishna, translating to ‘Welcome! O Krishna!’ is a well-known hymn composed by the great Oothukadu Venkata Subba Iyer of the 1700s. In his composition, ‘Swagatham Krishna’, he welcomes Lord Krishna, the tender faced resident of Mathura who destroyed Madhu the demon and surrenders to him completely. He sings in praise of Krishna who protected Gokul by lifting the Govardhan Parvat, who danced on the hood of Kalinga, who is the pretty-faced god of love, who is bold and passionate and who is worshiped by the maidens of Brindavan.
Fusion – defined as the mixture or joining of two or more things to form one single entity. Experiments to fuse in the field of performing arts often lead to delightful results. Presenting a dance cover – a fusion of Bharatanatyam and Kathak, to the beautiful IndianRaga Composition, Swagatham Krishna – a fusion of Carnatic and Trance music.
The composition is set to Tishra Adi Taalam and composed in Raag Mohanam.