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Krshna
Every composer dedicates most of their compositions to their favourite deity or God. Lord Krshna has evidently been the favourite deity of Venkata Kavi, who is said to have gotten inspired by Lord Krshna's benevolent glance as mentioned in his composition – guru padaaravinda komalam (Abhogi).
paarvai onrile vilainda bhaagyamidu yaarukkumidu aridaanadu parimala sad (guru padaaravinda)
"I was singularly fortunate to obtain all this knowledge through the benevolent glance of my guru."
The intimacy and extreme devotion that he had for Lord Krshna can be easily observed by studying the huge variety of compositions that he has composed on him and the intricate details shared in his operas as well as one-off compositions on the Lord. Having spent most of his childhood in Mannargudi and a major part of his life in Oottukkadu, Venkata Kavi refers to the Kalinga nartana Krshna (dancing lord) in many of his compositions, almost like a secondary signature.
He has composed an entire opera based on the story of the Bhaagavatam starting with the Devaki-Vasudeva wedding and ending with the Krshna-Rukmani wedding. Many of the songs such as Aadaadu ashangaadu, Ashaindaadum mayil onru, Taaye yashoda belong to this opera.
Apart from the popular pieces on Lord Krshna such as Alaippaayude (Kanada), Paal vadiyum mukham (Nattaikkuranji), Svaagatam krshna (Mohanam), Pullaai piravi tara vendum (Chenchurutti), there are many other rare and exquisite pieces on Lord Krshna such as Ennadaan inbam kandaayo (Devagandhari), Eppadittaan en ullam (Neelambari), Ippadiyum or pillai (Ragamalika) that have been composed with stupendous imagination.
Here is a list of compositions on Lord Krshna covering a gamut of ragas and talas.
| 1 | ābheera palla | Sāvēri | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 2 | āḍādu ashangādu vā | Madhyamāvati | Ādi |
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| 3 | āḍi ashaindu varuhinṛān | Ābhōgi | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 4 | āḍinān mādhavan | Nāṭṭai | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 5 | āḍinān narttanam | Nāṭṭai | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 6 | ādiyoru kālamadil | Gowrimanōhari | Khaṇḍa Ēkam | ||||||||||
| 7 | āḍum varai avar āḍaṭṭum | Husēni | Roopakam |
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| 8 | āgāma rājagōpāla | Kēdāram | Khaṇḍa chāpu | | |||||||||
| 9 | aḷḷudē manam | Suraṭi | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 10 | aridu aridu | Maṇirangu | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 11 | aruḷāḷan tiramellām | Shankarābharaṇam | Mishra Chāpu | | |||||||||
| 12 | ati nirupama | Pantuvarāḷi | Ādi |
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| 13 | Āyiram āyiram gōpiyarhaḷ** | Chārukēshi | |||||||||||
| 14 | aiyan allavō | Dēvamanōhari | Ādi |
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| 15 | aiyan karuṇai | Tōḍi | Mishra Chāpu | ||||||||||
| 16 | āzhāzhi neela | Ārabhi | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 17 | bāla sarasa muraḷi | Keeravāṇi | Ādi |
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| 18 | Bhaja bhajarē** | ||||||||||||
| 19 | bhaktar perumaiyē perumai | Nāṭṭaikurunji | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 20 | bhuvanamōha | Dhanyāshi | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 21 | chāmarōpachāram | Shuddhasāvēri | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 22 | Champakāraṇyē* | Kharaharapriya | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 23 | chōra chāturya leela | Gowḷa | Ādi | | |||||||||
| 24 | dāmōdara vaibhavam | Dēvamanōhari | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 25 | enda vidattālum | Kānaḍa | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 26 | ennadān inbam | Dēvagāndhāri | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 27 | eppaḍittān en uḷḷam | Neelāmbari | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 28 | ettanaikkēṭṭālum | Bhairavi | Mishra chāpu | | |||||||||
| 29 | gānam krṣhṇa gānam | Khamāch | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 30 | gaṇayāmi satatam | bēgaḍa | khaṇḍa tripuṭa | ||||||||||
| 31 | gōkulatteruvinilē | Chenchuruṭṭi | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 32 | gōpa kumāra | Aṭhāṇa | Roopakam |
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| 33 | idu oru tiramāmō | Bēgaḍa | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 34 | Iḷa mukham kāṭṭi | Bēgaḍa | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 35 | inda vazhi | Ānandabhairavi | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 36 | innamudu anna un | Mukhāri | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 37 | innum ninaittālum kaṇṇan | Keeravāṇi | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 38 | jaganmōhana sundarānga | Mōhanam | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 39 | jagatāmabhirāma* | Kanakavasanta | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 40 | jagatu rāma | Malayamārutam | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 41 | kāḷinga narttana prabhāvam | shlōkam | n/a | ||||||||||
| 42 | kaḷḷamē aṛiyāda | Amrtavarshiṇi | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 43 | kāmini kēḷi lōla | Nāṭṭaikuranji | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 44 | kaṇṇaittirandu | Bilahari | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 45 | kaṇṇāzhi alai parava | Kēdāram | Khaṇḍa Ēkam | ||||||||||
| 46 | kathaya kathaya | Suraṭi | Ādi | | |||||||||
| 47 | kiḍaikkumō kiḍaikkādō | Punnāgavarāḷi | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 48 | koḍuttu vaitta | Nāṭṭaikuranji | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 49 | kōṭi janmāni | Reetigowḷa | Mishra chāpu | ||||||||||
| 50 | kṣhaṇamēva gaṇya | Bhoopāḷam | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 51 | kṣhaṇattinil āhādō | Nādanāmakriya | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 52 | kunṛin mēliṭṭa | Kāmbhōdhi | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 53 | lāli rājagōpālā | Dēvamanōhari | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 54 | lōla gōpabāla | Bhairavi | Ādi | | |||||||||
| 55 | madananga mohana | Khamāch | Ādi |
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| 56 | madhura madhura | Aṭhāṇa | Ādi |
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| 57 | mahāshaya hrdaya | Ābhōgi | Ādi | | |||||||||
| 58 | manadukkiniya gōpāla charitram | Nāṭṭaikuranji | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 59 | maṇi noopura dhāri | Neelāmbari | Ādi |
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| 60 | manjanamāḍa nee vārāi | Reetigowḷa | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 61 | marakata maṇimaya | Ārabhi | Ādi | | |||||||||
| 62 | mun sheida tavappayanē | Bowḷi | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 63 | mundi varum ishaiyil | Bhairavi | Mishra Chāpu | ||||||||||
| 64 | Muraḷeedhara* | Shree | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 65 | muttukṛṣhṇa | Jhunjhooṭi | Ādi |
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| 66 | nāda muraḷigāna | Hameerkalyāṇi | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 67 | nāga naṭanamāḍum | Bilahari | Roopakam | ||||||||||
| 68 | nanda gōpala | Ābhēri | Ādi |
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| 69 | nanda sukumāra | Darbār | Mishra chāpu | | |||||||||
| 70 | naṭavara taruṇi | Kaṇṇaḍagowḷa | Ādi | | |||||||||
| 71 | Navaneeta taṇḍavākāram* | Mangaḷakaishiki | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 72 | neela malar | Vasanta | Ādi |
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| 73 | Neela jeemuta bālagōpāla* | Ārabhi | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 74 | neelavānam pōlilangi | Mānji | Mishra chāpu | ||||||||||
| 75 | neerada sama | Jayantashree | Ādi |
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| 76 | ninṛanda mayilonṛu | Nāṭṭai | Khaṇḍa Ēkam | ||||||||||
| 77 | ninṛingunnaruḷ | Bilahari | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 78 | niravadhika bhuvana | Harikāmbhōdhi | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 79 | oyyārakkaṇṇan | Māḷavam | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 80 | oyyāramāha oyyāramāha | Sāranga | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 81 | Pada sēvana | Deeparam | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 82 | Pāḍavum tuṇivu* | Dhanyāshi | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 83 | pāl vaḍiyum | Nāṭṭaikurunji | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 84 | paravāsudēvam | Mandāri | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 85 | poruḷāi iruppēnō | Yadukulakāmbhōdhi | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 86 | prēmaswaroopa | Ānandabhairavi | Ādi | | |||||||||
| 87 | pullāi piṛavi | Jhunjhooṭi | Ādi |
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| 88 | Puruṣha rājam udāram* | Nāṭṭai | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 89 | rādhē krṣhṇam | Husēni | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 90 | rādhika prāṇa nāyaka | Kuntaḷavarāḷi | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 91 | rāga rasānanda | Hamsageervāṇi | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 92 | rāja rāja gōpāla | Mānji | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 93 | Rāja yōga abhinayam* | Kēdāragowḷa | Roopakam | ||||||||||
| 94 | Rajata vainitaka* | Chāyātarangiṇi | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 95 | rājeeva nayana | Darbār | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 96 | Ramaṇeeya lāvaṇya* | Mukhāri | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 97 | rāsa kēli | Kharaharapriya | Ādi | | |||||||||
| 98 | rāsalōka vaibhōga | Tōḍi | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 99 | rāsa maṇḍalam | Ārabhi | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 100 | rasika mahōttama | Sarasāngi | Mishra Chāpu | ||||||||||
| 101 | Rudra bāla* | Nāṭṭaikurunji | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 102 | sarasa guṇa ratna | Shāmā | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 103 | Satya sankalpa* | Navarōj | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 104 | satyam param | Shankarābharaṇam | Ādi |
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| 105 | sharaṇam gōpa bālā | Maṇirangu | Mishra Chāpu | ||||||||||
| 106 | shatakōṭi manmathākāra | Ānandabhairavi | Ādi | | |||||||||
| 107 | sholli kaḷippōm | Kuntaḷavarāḷi | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 108 | | ||||||||||||
| 109 | sundara nandakumāra | Madhyamāvati | Ādi |
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| 110 | svāmi umakku | Mōhanam | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 111 | taruṇa māmuhil | Ārabhi | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 112 | tavamonṛum aṛiyāda | Gowrimanōhari | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 113 | udaja gōpa | Umābharaṇam | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 114 | uruhāda manam | Tōḍi | Ādi |
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| 115 | Vanaja lōchana** | ||||||||||||
| 116 | vanamāli svāgatam | Nāṭṭaikurunji | Ādi | | |||||||||
| 117 | vandē aruḷa | Shreeranjani | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 118 | vandē nanda soonum | Kaṇṇadamāruvam | Ādi | | |||||||||
| 119 | Vandu aruḷa** | ||||||||||||
| 120 | vandu ninṛān | Simhēndramadhyamam | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 121 | vāri vihāri | Kuntaḷavarāḷi | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 122 | varuṇikka tiṛanillaiyē | Nāyaki | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 123 | vāsudēvāya namō namastē | Shahāna | Ādi |
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| 124 | Vaiyam aḷandu | Nādanāmakriya | Mishra Chāpu | | |||||||||
| 125 | veḷḷi nilavinilē | Aṭhāṇa | Roopakam | ||||||||||
| 126 | vēṇugāna ramaṇa | Tōḍi | Mishra chāpu |
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| 127 | Viharati mama* | Aṭhāṇa | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 128 | vijayasē vijayasakhē | Sarasvati | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 129 | vijayatē gōvinda | Asāvēri | Mishra chāpu | | |||||||||
| 130 | viṭa samavara | Vasanta | Ādi | ||||||||||
| 131 | yāmuneeya teera | Ānandabhairavi | Khaṇḍa Tripuṭa | ||||||||||
| 132 | yārenna shonnālum | Maṇirangu | Ādi |
