Vinayaka

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Venkata Kavi has composed many pieces on Lord Vinayaka and has used various innovative descriptions to refer to him. There are four pieces in Nattai, but each of them cover different themes with contrasting usages. The brilliant masterpiece – Ekadanta Vinaayakam in Khanda Triputa is a slow weighty piece. In this, there are two beautiful madhyamakaalams in the anupallavi and charanam sections.

yaaga yoga japa tapa dhyaanaadi kaarya vara prasiddham sakala loka paalakam

sangeeta shaastra raaga taala bhaava pradam sadaananda sahitam

"One who is known for granting the best results for religious activities, meditation and penance; one who protects the world and one who also bestows knowledge of music, raga, tala and bhava with ever-lasting happiness."

veda nigama sakalaagama sannuta vitarana guna sheelam balam

veda vedaanta bodhaka chaturam vyaasa vinuta mahaneeyam vaaram vaaram vaaram

"One who is worshipped and given prominence in all ritualistic and religious tasks and has exemplary character and also enlightens us with the knowledge of the vedas and philosophy and is worshipped by Vyasa."

The songs Mummada vezha, Shree vighna raajam, Aananda nartana and Chintittavar are fast-paced songs that are filled with brisk madhyamakala passages. In Chintittavar nenjil iruppadu, Venkata Kavi has used more Sanskrit-like, last-syllable alliterations (antyakshara praasam) in a Tamil composition, which usually features only first or second syllable alliterations. He has played around with the syllable 'kshi' so beautifully in the madhymakalam section following the anupallavi.

kaakshi enattahum aakshi manattoru saakshi phalittidalaahi tiribhuvanam

aakshi shelittida ekaamra kaamaakshi kataakshittarula orukanamum

In Aananda nartana, which is another madhyamakala based song, there are passages where he has used jatis interspersed with svarams to portray the dancing Vinayaka. In Umamaheshvaraatmajam (Umabharanam), he has used gait change within the pallavi where tishram changes to chaturashram. Here is a list of the compositions (not exhaustive) on Lord Vinayaka.

ānanda narttana gaṇapatim