Pramadavanam - His highness Abdullah

Pramadavanam – His higness Abdullah

Composition – Raveendran

Lyrics – Kaithapram

Singer – KJ Yesudas

Prelude – The 1990 film “ His Highness Abdullah “ is a gripping tale of family politics in which usurping the throne of the patriarch of the family is the aim of other greedy and selfish members . The songs of the movie have a cult following due to its background of South Indian Carnatic music, which it brings to the fore with songs pervading ragas ( patterns of melodic notes ) enthralling the music goers of Kerala . The whole movie is set around a royal family in the silhouette of a palatial house where the patriarch of the house is a patron of classical music and arts . The song “ Pramadavam “ is sung by “ Ananthan Namboodiri “ the character played by Mohanlal, to impress the patriarch “Maharaja Udaya Varma “ played by Nedumudi Venu, to get into his good books and become his confidant .

Pramadavanam veendum

Rituragam choodi

The garden attached to the royal harem was adorned in the melody of the season.

Shubha sayannam pole

There is an auspicious evening.

Thelideepam kalinizhalin kaikumbul nirayumbol en

The bright flame of the lamp is shielded by the playful shadow of the hands . 

Pramadavanam veendum

Rituragam choodi

Eath etho kathayil

Sarayuvil oru chudu mizhineer kanam ayi njan

In some story , I am the warm teardrop in the Sarayu river.

Kaviyude gana rasa amrita lahariyil oru

Nava kanaka kireedam eth aniyumbol enitha

In the intoxicating nectarean love of the poet's song , I wear a new golden coronet now .

Eath etho kathayil

Yamunayil oru vana malarayi ozhukiya njan

In some story , I am like the wildflower floating in the river Yamuna.

Yadukula muralika thazhukiya muraliyil

Oru yuga sankrama geetam unarthumbol ennitha

The flute of Lord Krishna of the Yadu clan strokes the flute of the hero . It awakens a song ( Bhagavad Gita ) of cosmic transition of ages in the hero's flute. 

Postlude – Since the whole film is about a royal palace , a king and his family members , the lyricist Kaithapram has tried to bring the love which permeates the garden attached to the royal harem where the king spends time with his wives . The lamps adorn the palace, which gives beauty to the atmosphere with their luminescence . The lyricist brings to the fore the story of the epic Ramayana by mentioning the river Sarayu, on whose banks the Kosala kingdom with its capital Ayodhya stands . The lyricist has tried to mention many facets of life of which the Sarayu river has been testimony related to the life of Lord Ram . The Sarayu river originates from the left toe of the lotus feet of Lord Vishnu . There is also a story where the Sarayu river is considered as a drop of tear of Lord Vishnu which was shed by him on seeing the dedication of Lord Brahma in performing penances and austerities to propitiate him . The teardrop was placed in the Mansarovar lake of the Himalayan ranges by Lord Brahma . When the king of the solar dynasty, at the behest of sage Vashishta ( sage of the Kosala kingdom of Lord Ram ) strikes an arrow which breaks the bund at the Mansarovar lake ,it follows the direction of the arrow to reach Ayodhya . The word “ Shar “ refers to "arrow" in Sanskrit . So the river has got its name eponymous with the direction of the arrow which it followed from its source . The Sarayu river stands testimony to the life of Lord Ram as he follows the path of righteousness and truth. She witnesses the struggles he faces in life to carry out the obligations of a son , husband , brother , friend and that of a royal king in the various vicissitudes of life when trying circumstances come in front of him . 

The lyricist also points towards the first poet of Sanskrit literature , sage Valmiki, who utters his first couplet on seeing the lamentation of a female heron when her mate was killed by the arrow of a hunter when they were making love . Sage Valmiki is the author of the epic poem Ramayan, having won a boon by Lord Brahma to foresee the future happenings in the life of Lord Ram . Sage Valmiki’s life is that of self- realisation and contemplation when he renounces the life of a dacoit in the pursuit of doing service to mankind, where he becomes a sage doing penance and austerities in search of peace and attaining salvation . 

The second stanza describes the Yadu clan of Vrindavan, where Lord Shri Krishna was born and enchanted everyone around him by playing his melodious flute and spending time on the banks of the river Yamuna . The lyricist mentions the“ Bhagavad Gita “ or the “ Song of God “, which has the essence of the religion of Hinduism. The core philosophy of the Bhagavad Gita lies in doing work without thinking about the result of action . It focuses on the journey rather than the destination . It gives us wisdom about the soul,  which has no beginning or end and which never dies,  and it’s the good and bad actions which account for our destiny after taking new life after death . The Bhagavad Gita imparts knowledge about multiple lives which we have to take on earth to increase our wisdom until we merge with the supreme consciousness and awareness by attaining liberation . Kaithaparam, with his adroitness, has bought the story of two royal kingdoms of the cosmic ages of Treta Yuga and Dwapara yuga and the lessons which incarnations of Lord Vishnu as Lord Ram and Lord Krishna teach us .