Satatam ahaṁ smarāmi

rāga: kāmavardhini, tāḷa: khaṇḍa cāpu.

पल्लवि

सततमहं स्मरामि तव नामं श्री वेङ्कटेशम्

अनुपल्लवि

सप्तगिरिवासिनं निजभक्तपोषकम्

कलियुगादिदेवं लक्ष्मीमनोरमणम्

चरणम्

वेणुगानलोलं सर्वजगत्कारणम्

भार्गवमन्युहरणं वेङ्कटप्रणवपूजितम्

pallavi

satatam ahaṁ smarāmi tava nāmaṁ śrī veṅkaṭeśam

anupallavi

saptagirivāsinaṁ nijabhaktapoṣakam

kaliyugādidevaṁ laksmīmanoramaṇam

caraṇam

veṇugānalolaṁ sarvajagatkāraṇam

bhārgavamanyuharaṇaṁ veṅkatapraṇavapūjitam

This was the first kr̥ti I ever composed, on my kuladaivaṁ, śrī veṅkaṭeśvara svāmi. In that sense, it functions as an offering and a benedictment that as a vāggeyakāra I would continue to compose more and more. The rāga kāmavardhini (also known as pantuvarāḷi) has many dimensions, and here a more peaceful and calm aspect of the rāga is embodied. It offers a good scope for musical variety while also being very plesant to listen to. The kr̥ti is in the dvitīyavibhakti (accusative declension) and includes references to other incarnations, or avatāra-s, of Viṣṇu. Here is a rough translation:

I meditate always on your name, Śrī Veṅkaṭeśa!

The one who lives upon the seven hills, beloved of Laksmī!

The foremost diety of the Kali age, the one who causes all in the universe!

Destroyer of the anger of Pārśurāma, worshipped by Veṅkaṭapraṇava!

While I was not conscious of the fact completely (as can be seen from the caraṇa), the sāhitya here coincidentally ended up following dvitīyākṣara prāsa. The medium being saṁskr̥ta is also a nice parallel to that of tyāgarāja svāmi (who also composed his first kr̥ti in saṁskr̥ta, namo namo rāghavāya in deśika toḍi, and who I am a sixth-generation disciple of).

As I have since made practice for the first kr̥ti I compose in any rāga, this kr̥ti has a ciṭṭasvara passage.

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