Dr. R.N. Pani
Centenary Year 2023
Dr Raghunath Pani was born on 20th July 1923 in the village Gurandi near Paralakhemundi of Ganjam district of Orissa State. He belongs to an established family of Purohits who served the erstwhile Maharaja of Paralakhemundi, as family priests engaged in the traditional worship of private temple deities belonging to the Royal family. The family was also well known for their melodious traditional musical renderings in the temples and in the court of the Maharaja.
Dr Pani was the first PhD in Education from Utkal University, Orissa in 1968. He has been a life-long teacher and an educationist. He served the Government of Orissa and retired from the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT).
Music has been closest to Dr Pani’s heart and he has developed a rare combination of vocal renderings in the Classical Hindustani style, while playing the veena in the traditional Carnatic style. Although he had taken help from others in learning the veena, as a vocalist, he is a self-made man. Composing music and directing dance-dramas have been his foremost hobby beginning from school age. Dr Pani was a renowned classical singer of All India Radio, Ranchi and Kolkota stations during 1940’s and 1950’s.
Dr Pani came in contact with The Mother of Sri Aurobindo Ashram in 1955. The physical touch of The Mother and with her overwhelming Grace, music blossomed in him. In these three volumes of musical renderings, Dr Pani expresses his heart-rending devotion to The Mother and Sri Aurobindo. This is also meant to retain Dr Pani’s unique and original style of music, for the joy of posterity. All lovers of traditional music will surely enjoy not only listening to the songs but also the rhythm, lyrics and the spirit of devotion, which Dr Pani has rendered in his golden voice.
"What Sri Aurobindo represents in the world’s history is not a teaching, not even a revelation, it is a decisive action direct from the Supreme,” says The Mother of Sri Aurobindo Ashram. This action consists in the manifestation of the Super-mind – the undivided trinity of Sat – Chit – Ananda (Existence-Consciousness – Bliss) and the birth of the Superman after man and transformation of his animal – human nature into Divine nature.
Sri Aurobindo and The Mother embodying The Supreme Purusha and Shakthi worked out this new stage in the evolutionary process by bringing down the Supramental upon earth and establishing the same in the earth consciousness.
Union with The Divine through love and surrender is the essential basis for all spiritual realizations; and devotional songs offered as prayers are the best means to attain this union. In the first volume, Dr Pani has made an offering of devotional songs with his love and pranams at the feet of the masters – The Mother and Sri.Aurobindo. ‘Sri Matri-meera-rabinda vandana’ gives a wide range of musical rendering describing the two Masters.
The first part of vandana consists of nine prayers composed by different devotees including Sri Kapali Sastriar. Dr Pani and his eldest son Sri Subas Pani have also contributed to the lyrics. All these devotional songs are addressed to The Mother and Sri Aurobindo - the twin Divine gurus of the Supramental yoga.
In the second part of the vandana, Dr Pani depicts the four major powers and personalities of The Divine Mother, who is simultaneously the Transcendent, Universal, and Individual close to human nature. These are Maheswari, embodying knowledge and wisdom; Mahakali embodying force and strength; Mahalaksmi embodying beauty and harmony; and Mahasaraswati embodying the power of order in work and perfection. Finally the descent of Anandamayee, The Mother’s power of love and ecstasy without which the great work of Supramental transformation will not be possible. This part of the first volume is the original contribution of Dr Pani. He has composed the lyrics as well as the music rendering the same in his golden voice.
Mahakavi Jayadeva was born in Kenduli (Kenduvilva) village near Bhubaneswar, Orissa in the 12th century AD. He was an ardent devotee of Sri Krishna (Vishnu). Among the Vaishnavites, he was called Sadhu-pradhan or chief of saints. He had popularised the worship of Sri Radha-Madhava through his immortal devotional music and lyrical dance drama, Sri Geeta Govinda. The Geeta Govinda is considered to be a Mahakavya in Sanskrit literature. It is well known all over India and the world for the expression of Divine Love through the simple and sweet compositions. Jayadeva himself being a great musician and dance-master had indicated the ragas and rhythms in which the songs in the Geeta Govinda are to be recited. Sri Geeta Govinda has the highest distinction and privilege of being recited and danced before Lord Sri Jagannath of world famous Puri temple every night just before Badasinghar (retirement to bed). Sri Geeta Govinda is the song of eternal love between Sri Krishna and his beloved and eternal devotee, Sri Radha, sung in the eternal Vrindaban. It is the story of union (Milana) followed by separation (Viraha) and again union (Milana) leading to supreme ecstasy.
The simple yet most heart rending story of Sri Geeta Govinda has caught the flaming spirit of love in the hearts of everyone. Radha comes to Vrindaban with two of her close companions and finds Sri Krishna absorbed in Rasakrida (the love-dance-play) with other Gopikas. Radha leaves the place in great anguish. In a state of Viraha, she recounts to her companions of her pleasant memories of Rasakrida with Sri Krishna, on earlier occasions and how she misses him. On the other side, noticing Radha’s departure, Krishna is filled with utter remorse. Sri Krishna comes to Radha and pleads for forgiveness. Radha not only does not heed to Krishna’s pleading but also asks him to go back to the other Gopikas. Krishna falls at Radha’s feet and pleads for mercy. The story ends with the “Milana”, happy union of Radha and Krishna and the earth is filled with heavenly bliss.
As a dramatist, a musician and a singer, Dr Pani has made original contribution in presenting Sri Geeta Govinda in the form of a dance drama on many occasions. With his unique musical background in Hindustani, Carnatic and Odissi styles of classical music, Dr Pani renders and presents the play in several ragas, which depicts his unique and original style. Sri Geeta Govinda has owned Dr Pani fully and he has immersed himself in its lyrics, music and rhythm, dance and the very spirit of Divine love. This is nearest to his heart and undoubtedly his masterpiece.
Dr Pani acknowlegdges with thanks the assistance of Sri Baidhar Rout and his group for providing excellent instrumental support.
The third volume rendered by Dr Pani, ‘Sri Matri Sahashranama’, is a depiction of a thousand names - attributes of The Divine and the Infinite Mother. These thousand names in simple Sanskrit litany are taken from the ancient Sri Lalitha Sahashranama to a great extent. Sri Shyamsundar of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry, who has organized the Sri Matri Sahashranama, has omitted the names or aspects related to the Vama Marga of Tantric philosophy from the original Sri Lalitha Sahashranama. He has replaced these with the names on the different aspects of The Mother, based on the integral yoga, propounded by Sri Aurobindo and systematized by The Mother for practice and realisation. Integral yoga lays stress not on asceticism or renunciation but on a progressive divinisation of human life in all its aspects by a triple transformation – psychic, spiritual and supramental.
Worship of the Divine Mother as the Shakthi of the Supreme is as old as the Vedas and done with devotion and reverence in all the Indian spiritual systems, particularly the Tantras. Integral yoga calls upon the seekers for a complete self-surrender to The Divine Mother, who is All and everything. She is the original Creatrix and the Divine Conscious Force that dominates all existence.
Although she is ‘One Divine Mother’ at the highest level, her different names represent her different aspects, each embodying in itself, a particular consciousness, a power and a personality of her Supreme Self. By reciting the names, we invoke the presence of these individual personalities of The Mother and come into contact with them. Reciting or listening to these names with devotion and love to The Divine Mother can be a simple way of self-surrender. The Mother is “Nama-prayana-preeta”, meaning “pleased by the recitation of her names”. It is only She and not any other tapasya that can lead us in our spiritual journey. According to Sri Aurobindo, “The Mother is the goal, everything is in her; if she is attained all is attained. If you dwell in her consciousness, everything else unfolds of itself.”
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