Ṭhumaka Calata Rāmacandra
by Anoushka Dalvi
Album: Ram Ratan Dhan Payo 1983
Singer: Lata Mangeshkar
Lyrics: Goswami Tulsidas, Hridaynath Mangeshkar
Music: Hridaynath Mangeshkar
Link with video: https://youtu.be/3q9QzkMpTCQ
Link with a Kathak performance of Raasavrunda school (Mysore) on Rāmnavamī 2022:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXIkIwhsVS8
Introduction
“Ṭhumaka Calata Rāmacandra” is a beloved Hindi devotional bhajan attributed to Goswami Tulsidas, the 16th-century poet-saint famed for his works on Lord Rama. Tulsidas wrote primarily in the Awadhi dialect, and many of his compositions are cherished for their vivid portrayal of Lord Rama’s divine play, often focusing on his childhood form. However, it does not appear in his major works like the Rām-carit-mānas. Instead, this bhajan is part of the rich oral and devotional traditions associated with Tulsidas, taking inspiration from a similarly worded song with the same rhyme (Gītāvalī 1.31), also showing his deep devotion to Lord Rama and capturing the affectionate imagery of Rama's early childhood. This bhajan is still widely sung across North India and has become a staple in Rama-centric devotional music.
In modern times, the bhajan has appeared in various compilations and albums, including those by the legendary vocalists D.V. Paluskar and Lata Mangeshkar. One such album is “Ram Ratan Dhan Payo,” a devotional collection dedicated to Lord Rama. Released in 1983 under Lata Mangeshkar’s illustrious discography with the music direction and lyrics by Hridaynath Mangeshkar, this album features her soulful renditions of traditional bhajans, capturing both the devotional depth and melodic richness that have made her a revered figure in Indian music.
Lyrics, Transliteration, and Translation
ठुमक चलत रामचंद्र बाजत पैंजनियां ।। | ṭhumaka calata rāmacandra bājata paijaniyān | Ramachandra walks with tiny steps, his anklets jingling.
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किलकि किलकि उठत धाय गिरत भूमि लटपटाय । धाय मात गोद लेत दशरथ की रनियां ।। | kilaki kilaki uṭhata dhāya girata bhūmi laṭapaṭāya, dhāya māta gōda lēta daśaratha kī raniyān. | He giggles and rushes forward, stumbles, falling to the ground. Then it’s mom’s turn to rush: she puts him on her lap, as do Dasharatha's queens. |
अंचल रज अंग झारि विविध भांति सो दुलारि । तन मन धन वारि वारि कहत मृदु बचनियां ।। | añcala raja aṅga jhāri vividha bhānti sō dulāri, tana mana dhana vāri vāri kahata mr̥du bacaniyān. | Dust clings to his body, they lovingly dust it off with the ends of their sarees. They surrender their body, mind, and wealth for him, speaking sweet words. |
विद्रुम से अरुण अधर बोलत मुख मधुर मधुर । सुभग नासिका में चारु लटकत लटकनियां ।। | vidruma se aruṇa adhara bolata mukha madhura madhura, subhaga nāsikā men cāru laṭakata laṭakaniyān.
| His lips are red like coral, and his speech is sweet and melodious. A charming ring dangles beautifully from his lovely nose. |
तुलसीदास अति आनंद देख के मुखारविंद । रघुवर छबि के समान रघुवर छबि बनियां ।। | tulasīdāsa ati ānanda dēkhake mukhāravinda, raghuvara chabi kē samāna raghuvara chabi baniyān. | Tulsidas feels immense joy, seeing his radiant face. The beauty of little Raghuvara finds its match only in the beauty of Rama. |
Gratefully acknowledging: https://sujamusic.wordpress.com/tag/tulsidas/
Wordlist
ठुमक ṭhumak [cf. H. ṭhumaknā], f. an affected gait (as in dancing, or of children), strutting; mincing; stately gait.
पैंजनी paiṁjnī , f. 1. an anklet with small bells. 2. housing for axle (of ox-cart, &c.).
किलकना kilaknā cf kilakilāyati vi to shout in delight किलकारना
धाय dhāya running (in sanskrit)
लटपटाना laṭpaṭānā cf H laṭpaṭ vi 1 to rock, to shake, to stagger, to stumble, to trip 2 to walk affectedly 3 to stammer to hesitate in speech
अंचल añcal S m 1 the border or hem at the end of a sari or shawl c 2 transf edge 3 border region 4 region tract zone
रज raj [ad. rajas, neut.], f. & m. 1. f. dust. 2. Pollen.
भाँति bhāṁti [bhakti-1 × bhaṅgī̆- 'manner', &c.], f. 1. way, manner. 2. ppn. w. की. in the manner of, like. — ~ ~ के/की, adj. pl. various kinds (of). – भली-भाँति, adv. well, thoroughly, quite.
मृदु mr̥du [S.], adj. 1. soft, gentle. 2. tender (of the emotions); mild, gentle (of voice, temperament). 3. moderate, gentle (as pace, gait).
बच्चा baccā [P. bacca], m. 1. a child; a boy; infant. 2. young (of any creature). 3. usu. pej. a simple, thoughtless or inexperienced person; lad, fellow, son. 4. pej. one who takes after his father.
विद्रुम vi-drum [S.], m. particular, or special, tree: 1. coral. 2. the coral tree, Erythrina.
अरुण aruṇ [S.], adj. & m. 1. adj. reddish brown; tawny. 2. m. the sun. 3. reddish glow, flush (of dawn); red or tawny color. 4. Dawn.
सुभग su-bhag [S.], adj. 1. fortunate; blessed, auspicious. *2. beautiful; handsome; charming (a woman). 3. agreeable; beautiful (a scene). 4. Pl. HŚS. beloved (as a wife).
नासिका nāsikā [S.], f. 1. the nose; a nostril (Pl.) 2. an elephant's trunk.
चारु cāru [S.], adj. 1. agreeable, welcome. *2. lovely, elegant; graceful.
लटकन laṭkan [cf. H. laṭaknā], f. 1. hanging; swinging. 2. anything that hangs (pendant, bell-clapper, plummet). 3. reg. = लटका, 2. 4. the fruit Bixa orellana (anatta), source of an orange-red dye. 5. the lorikeet, Loriculus vernalis (a bird that roosts hanging head downwards).
छबि chabi [ad. chavi-], f. 1. = छवि. 2. [× Ar. śabīh] a likeness; portrait; a photograph.
समान samān [S.], adj. & ppn. 1. like, similar; equal. 2. even, level. 3. common, general. 4. ppn. w. के. similar (to), equal (to); just as.
Song Analysis
This song describes the little Lord Rama in charming terms. The singer/poet imagines him as a toddler, giggling and walking around with his anklets ringing. His mothers take him in their laps in turn. The last couplet is really interesting as Tulsidas tries to give a simile for little Lord Rama’s beauty, but he fails to find an equivalent and instead compares Him to Himself!
This song evokes a little bit of humor or hāsya rasa, when describing how a toddler version of Lord Rama is walking and giggling around with his three moms following close behind. The playful descriptions of Lord Rama stumbling and playing on his mother’s lap doesn’t fail to amuse the listeners. There’s also vātsalya rasa, or parental love, as it portrays the love of Lord Rama’s three mothers for him. While not one of the classical nine rasas, motherly love is an important mood of Bhakti or devotion. Listeners get drawn into the endearing imagery of young Lord Rama's innocent antics and evoke feelings of warmth and protective affection for him.
The rhythm and melody of this bhajan are crafted in a way that mirrors the playful and rhythmic style of a child learning to walk, enhancing the immersive experience for the listener. It is written in Avadhi (old Hindi), which was widely used in the era of Tulsidas and is the language in which Rām-carit-mānas is written. Throughout the poem, there is an extensive alliteration or anuprāsa alaṅkāra, the repetition of consonant sounds that creates musical harmony. For example, in the seventh line (laṭakata laṭakaniyān), the la sound repetition creates a gentle, playful rhythm talking about the swinging ornament on Lord Rama’s nose. There are also instances where one word is repeated twice, like, for example, in kilaki kilaki, where the repetition of the ka sound creates a rhythmic effect and mimics a child's giggling/blabbling or madhura madhura, wherein repetition emphasizes the sweetness of the child's speech. The song also contains examples of internal rhyme (tuka) that enhance its musicality, for example, tana mana dhana vāri vāri. Here, the rhyming words with similar endings create a cascading effect.
The last line raghuvara chabi kē samāna raghuvara chabi baniyān exemplifies ananvaya alaṅkara. This is an upamā or a simile, where the upameya (subject of comparison) and upamāna (object of comparison) are identical. In this line, emphasizing the incomparable nature of Rama's beauty through self-reference, Lord Rama's beauty can only be compared to itself, suggesting nothing else in the universe is comparable to his divine beauty.
Another striking feature of this poem is the extensive use of diminutive forms with "-iyān" endings:
- paijaniyān (little anklets) - instead of paijana
- bacaniyān (sweet little words) - instead of bacana
- laṭakaniyān (tiny pendants) - instead of laṭakana
- baniyān (formed/created) - giving a diminutive sense to the verbal formation
These diminutive forms are particularly effective in this context as they help create a sense of endearment and affection appropriate for describing a divine child. They successfully align with the theme of smallness and innocence central to the poem and majorly contribute to the poem's lullaby-like quality and tender tone. These diminutive forms are very common across languages to express smallness, affection, or endearment and are perfectly suited for depicting the charming child form of Lord Rama.
Discussion Question: Why depict God as a small child who doesn't even know how to walk?
Sources/ Further Reading
Saṅgīt Mahābhāratī. 2011. “Paluskar, D.V.” The Oxford Encyclopaedia of the Music of India. Oxford University Press.
Saṅgīt Mahābhāratī. 2011. “Latā Mangeshkar.” The Oxford Encyclopaedia of the Music of India. Oxford University Press.
Tulsīdās. R.C. Shukla, Bhagvāndīn, Brajratnadās et al., eds. 1974 (2031 VS). Tulsī Granthāvalī. Vol. 2. Kāśī: Nāgarī Pracāriṇī Sabhā.
Wikipedia Contributors. “Thumak Chalat Ram Chandra.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 24 Apr. 2024, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thumak_Chalat_Ram_Chandra.