charya geet

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Charya Geet

- Yagnaman Pati Vajracharya

(This is the summary of the paper presented in Newari during the 'Conference on theBuddhist Heritage of Nepal Mandal' in 1998.)

1. Introduction 2. Breakthrough by the Lotus Research Centre 3. Objectives of this working paper 4. Supporting materials 5. Origin of charyageet 6. Impact of distorted language Doha 7. Hevajratantra 8. Role of the Commentators

9. Charyageet in Nepal 10. Various Characteristics of Charyageet 11. Role of band of singers in charyageet 12. Language and style of charyageet 13. Rules of Chacha 14. Conclusion

Introduction : In the land of birth of Gautam Buddha, more particularly because of the magnificant presence of

Swayambhu Mahachaitya, the Charya Geet (song) is thriving upto the present day in the Nepal Mandala(also called Nepal Valley or the Kathmandu Valley). Buddhism has expanded to all parts of India such asBihar, Bengal, Kashmir, etc. and various parts of China, mainly Tibet. Vajrayama Buddhism has alsospread to the above mentioned lands. Charya Geet occupies a very important place in Vajrayama.

Charya geet is not simply confined to any particular subject, idea or context but it encompassesvarious ideas and subjects. Similarly, it is not confined to any particular area or country but has spread to

places and countries. The charya geet has developed not simply as a tool to be used by a singlecommunity. The people who have faith in Yogatantra and Anutarayogatantra have been employing thecharya geet for various purposes to suit the taste of the people living in various places. Therefore, variousnames are given to it according to places where it is used and the people who use it.

The charya geet is addressed in various names such as Chacha, Charyapada, Sangiti, Charyageet,Vajrageet, Vajragiti, etc. The very culture of Nepal Mandala is embedded in Chacha. Those who singchacha are called chachapa. The practice of singing chacha in foreign lands in a natural manner hasdisappeared. But as it is evolving in Nepal as an integral part of a ritual activity, charyageet is keepingabreast of time as main culture of Nepal.

Breakthrough by the Lotus Research Centre Charyageet is popular among the Mahayana Buddhists of Nepal, especially Vajra- charyas,

Shakyas, Udas and other Mahayana followers. They are taking charyageet as a part of their ritual as wellas culture. This culture is the typical Newar culture which is popular in the international arena. It is agreat privilege for me to have the opportunity of writing a working paper on charyageet. For this, I am
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Saddharmapundarika

It has been mentioned in the sacred Buddhist text Saddharmapundarika that those who offerworship playing musical instruments and chanting hymns and psalms attain Buddhahood. This text waswritten in the early century of the Christian era. It is one of the

famous Navagranthas or Navadharmas (nine scriptures). The merit of worshipping gods and goddessesaccompanied by playing of musical instruments has also been mentioned in thetext Pancharakchhya. Musical instruments are a potential means of attracting audience.

Guhyasamaja It can definitely be said that the psalms were first noticed in Vajrayana tantrism. Guhyasamaja is

the first text among the Navagranthas of Mahayana literature. This text was written by Asanga of the thirdcentury A.D. The essence of Gulyasamaja is said to be a spontaneous outburst of the Buddhist scholarwho was deeply influenced by the discourse of Lord Buddha delivered before a mammoth gathering.Guhyasamaja is a Buddhist tantric text. As this tantra has not mentioned the need of playing musicalinstruments and singing charyageet, the charyageet did not exist at that time. But the verse in the form ofa song of Guhyasamaja text may be called the origin of charyageet.

Aryanamasangiti Aryanamasangiti is also a source of the origin of charyageet. No one knows who composed it but

it is considered very old. Most of the Vajrayana scholars had written commentary on Aryanamasangiti. Sofar, the oldest great commentary on Aryanamasangiti is Aryamanjushri Namasangiti which was written

by Acharya Chandragomin around 635 A.D. With the composition of Namasangiti, verses shaped intocharyageet came into being. The verses of Namasangiti were recited collectively in accompaniment of the

play of musical instruments. This is the precedent of charyageet.

Impact of distorted language Doha The practice of making Doha from the distorted language is an ancient art. The perfect Vajrayana

practitioners like Luipa, Kukuripa, Gunduripa, Karnapa, Shabaripa, Sarohapa, etc. had written about the philosophic aspects of Vajrayana with Doha as medium in poetic style. Well-known Pandit Hara PrasadShastri of India discovered Charyacharya Vinascha in Nepal Sambat 1007 (1886 A.D.) This workincluded many charyageets. Pandit Shastri claimed discovering one thousand year old history of Doha ofBuddhist song. Doha, the distorted language, began in India from the 6 th century to 12 th century A.D.Chacha in Hadabharan of Lilavajra, Yamahimandala of Suratvajra and Raktavarna of Vakavajra weregreatly influenced by Doha. Charya charya Vinaschaya contained three compositions of Kukuripa ofKapilvastu and also chachas of Trihanda which is very popular in Nepal.

Kollayire chacha of Hevajratantra is very much the same as Doha. Though the language ofHevajratantra is a mixed Sanskrit, the language of Kollayire chacha is entirely Doha. Therefore, it becomes clear that Doha must be the source of inspiration for the charyageet.

Hevajratantra It is said that Hevajratantra was composed by Padmavajra arround 693 A.D. Lama Taranath gave

to Kamalpada the credit of writing Hevajratantra. The words Padma and Kamal are related to lotus.Therefore, it is very much likely that the author of Hevajratantra is one with two different names.
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It is also said that Hevajratantra is a new verson of Guhyuasamaja tantra. In comparison to othertantras, Hevajratantra appears to be an old one. It is said there are five five lakh stanzas in originalHevajratantra. The summary of charyageet has been given in its abridged form. They are as follows:

1. There are Kollayire chachas in Hevajratantra. The Kollayire chacha is still prevalent among the

Vajrajana practitioners as an integral part of superior worship. There are also hints to prove thatthere are other chachas in Hevajratantra along with Kollayire chacha. Kollayire is simplymentioned in the context of chacha to be sung or recited.

2. There is a detailed description in Hevajratantra about the need of songs to be sung by Sadhakas (devotees, practitioners) during Sadhana (meditation). The main objective ofa Sadhaka is to attain liberation in his life time. It has been mentioned in Hevajratantra that onemust sing charyageet and perform charya dance in order to attain liberation. Therefore,charyageet plays an important role in the matter of attaining liberation. Kukuripada of Kapilvastu(633 A.D.) has emphasized on Mahamaya Sadhana, Vajrageet Abyantra Sadhana. Vibhutichandra (13th century A.D) has said that the performance of Yogisvara Vajrageeta charyaensures liberation. The text Saddharmapundarika also has said that those who worship LordBuddha by singing charya accompanied by the play of musical instruments can attainBuddhahood.

3. Hevajratantra has defined the charyageeta. The language of charyageeta appears to be verysimple. But, this is simply understatement because its meaning is very profound with its own

philosophy. It is said that the language of charyageet must be precise and not loose like folk song.

4. Hevajratantra has also explained the method of singing charyageet and also its rules andregulations. There will be a leader selected among Sadhakas first of all, and the leader starts

singing the chacha. Then, other Sadhakas start singing chacha. 5. What is the impact of charyageet ?

The impact of charyageet is assessed. The role of assessing the impact is given to the leader. Theleader also checks the smell of garlic, vulture and camphor, etc and the sound of the musicalinstrument.

It is because of these explanations given by Hevajratantra and because of the treatment ofcharyageet as an integral part of Vajrayana that Hevajratantra may be called the origin of charyageet. It isonly after the composition of Hevajratantra that charyageet developed and spread.

Development and spread of charyageet Hevajratantra is the principal supporting material of charyageets like Paramto, Shunyaniranjan,

Chandragamashan, Yemehimandala .

Role of the Commentators
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There are many commentators of Hevajratantra. In the field of writing Doha Sarohapaju is one ofthe most popular one. Karnapa is the author of many chachas. They commented on the Hevajratantra andcomposed Doha as required in their own ways. Such Dohas inspired the people to compose charyageet.

The compositions of Luipaju (669 A.D.) and Suratvajra of Nepal (1410 A.D.) CharyacharyaVinaschaya and Yemahimandala mention chacha. In his work Kriyasamuchya Jagaddarpan has

mentioned Kallayire verse. As the authentic work like Kriyasamuchaya has stressed the need of singingcharyageet during the worship activities, it is but natural that the charyageet should continue as if it is anintegral part of religious activities. Kriyasamuchaya played an important role in recognising theimportance of charyageet in the worship activity. Therefore, chacha became an essential factor inimportant and auspicious religious activities including initiatory activities.

But, the information about the life and activities of Jagaddarpan, the author of Kriyasamuchaya, islacking. It is said that this work has already been translated into the Tibetan language in the 13th century.This shows that it was written a long time ago than the 13 th century.

Abhayakara Gupta was the author of Nispanayagavali , Ganachakra, etc. In his Vajravali, thereare many chachas. Abhayakara Gupta was the contemporary of Ramapala, the king of Pala dynasty ofBengal.

Charyageet in Nepal Charyageet originated from Hevajratantra. The influence of Hevajratantra was there in Nepal even

before the rise of Padmavajra (1575 A.D), the creator of Hevajratantra. For example, Vakvajra (1243A.D) was elder than Padmavajra. He had composed chacha called Raktavarna, the meaning of whichsynchronised with the meaning of Hevajratantra. The very goddess called Raktavarna is the product ofVajratantra. Vakvajra composed chacha in the name of Raktavarna Devi.

It is to be recalled here that scholars were of the view that tantras were evolved in a secret mannerfollowing the teacher- disciple tradition. Otherwise, there would not be continuity in the flow of ideas ofcharyageet. Padmavajra might have acquired the knowledge of Hevajratantra from Vakarjra. This has

been confirmed by the work of Padmavajra called Guhyasiddhi. There is no information about the placeof birth of Padmavajra. Some, however, say that there was someone in Nepal with the name ofPadmavajra.

Hevajra Nairatnama Devi was born in Nepal. Manjushri, the builder of the Nepal Valley, paidobeisance to Nairatma Devi in the form of Swayambhu purana . The observance of Dishipuja in theDashami of dark half of Marga by Newars in the form of Abhyantar festival is a remnant of the same oldtradition.

The Nepal Valley must be a place of the origin of Hevajratantra. There are fine lakh stanzas inoriginal Hevajratantra. Hevajratantra written by Padmavajra is only an abridgement of the originalHevajratantra. Historians say that Bodhisattva Manjushri made the Nepal Valley inhabitable. The time of

Manjushri, according to the Blue Annals is 600 years after the time of Lord Buddha. Thus, the time ofManjushris rise to prominence is around first century A.D. Balachandra Sharma in his book Historical Outlines of Nepal says that Manjushri Mulakalpa was written in 79 A.D.

It is said that Hevajratantra was given by Lord Buddha himself. Even though some are of theopinion that Manjushri had recited the chacha called Shodasa Bhuja at the time of paying visit to ShriHevajra Nairatma, there is still a lot of study to be done to confirm this.

In Vajrayana and Tantrayana chachas are used for various purposes and in various ways.


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1. Chacha to be sung in ordinary worship activities.

2. Khyo chacha, chacha to be sung in open field, such as Bhunkhyolaya at Swayambhuduring Dyoguthi and Acharya Goth Bhwaya (feasting) chacha is to be sung during feasting.

3. During the 12-year jatra of Paladyah (Samkata or Chandamaharosana), Vajracharyas of Tebahalsing chacha.

4. Chacha to be used in secret puja which must not be shown to others.

5. Chacha to be used for charya dance.

6. Chacha to be used during very secret puja in which only those who haveundergone diksha (initiation) are allowed to take part.

Various Characteristics of Charyageet 1. Charyageet with philosophical content. In this set of chachas, there is philosophy. For example,it says that all the world are materials in the world are transient. All the religions say that theworld is illusory.

2. Chachas glorifying iconography In such chachas there will be iconographic details such as color of the gods and goddesses, theireyes, appearance, hands, armour, ornaments, etc.

3. Technique of worship In such chachas, technique of worship is described. There may be use of mantra and objects of worship.

Role of band of singers in charyageet There are also chachas which are simply muttered without using words. In the case of chachas to

be sung loudly, there are a group of singers to help. These groups of singers are directly or indirectlyrelated to charyageet. These groups are the following.

a. Group b. Group c. Group 1. Worship All of (a) All of( b) 2. Raga Dance posture Payenta

3. Ta Stanza recitation Mantra 4. Dabadaba sthava Bhushan Japa (muttering of prayers)

Language and style of charyageet There are two phases, permanent and temporal, in charyageet, like in modern songs. The first

phase is not a permanent one like in modern songs. It is only the second phase which is permanent. Inevery phase of chachas there is no need of repeating the tunes. But, in the case of chachas to be sung
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in Ragas called Nata, Bhairavi, Gunjali and Gwadatri , repetition of tunes in each phase is required. Inchachas to be sung during Bhairavi and Kamoda Raga, repetition of tunes in each phase is done.

Connection with Raga During the preliminary phase of chacha, there was no connection between chacha and Raga. There

was no practice of chacha singing with the support of Raga. It is mentioned in Hevajratantra that first ofall, the Naya (the leader) starts the tala (tune), then others sing the chacha as they wished. This is also theoriginality of charyageet. The connection of chacha with Raga must have been a later development. Thisis also true in the case of tuning. In chachas of the ancient times or in classical chachas, their authors havenot mentioned the name of tunes or Ragas to be accompanied in chacha singing. In later times, chacha isconnected with Raga and Tala.

Combination of Ragas There is a chacha to be sung in one Raga. But some chachas are sung with the help of two Ragas

in combination.

1. The combination of Raga Bhairab with Raga Komada.

2. The combination of Raga Trabali with Raga Hendol. 3. The combination of Raga Deshar with Vibhasa.

The authors of charyageet have given their names using various language styles. Theseare Shilyagata Dhariya , Gawanti Lilavajra, Amoghvajra Geetcharita, Pranamanu Suratvajra Geete,Surat Bhani Bhawayi, Gawanti Parmadivajra Geeta, etc. There are numerous chachas without the nameof their authors or composers.

Language There is a mixture of languages in charyageet. In terms of language, charygeet may be classifiedinto various groups. There are chachas which are purely in Sanskrit language. Scholars call it hybridSanskrit. There are chachas with a mixture of languages such as Bengali, Maithli, Hindi, etc. Somelanguages of chacha are difficult to be identified. Such language is called distorted language. Thechachas written in distorted language may be grouped into classical chachas. There are also chachasusing typical Nepali language. But classical chachas presuppose the use of word such as Vajra.

There are chachas in a language which is difficult to be understood . There are also chachas withsymbolic language of mantra. The chachas have no titles such as story, poem or tale, etc. A title is givento chacha on the basis of the reading of the starting letters whether it carries any meaning or not.

Method of singing Chacha Chachas are rendered into tunes by breaking the alphabets. Tune and rhythm are adjusted just like

in a raga. That is why, prior to starting the chacha, chachas are tuned to raga. Then, raga is stopped andchacha is started. When the chacha stops, then the raga is started and chacha is stopped. In Lalitpur andBhaktapur there is the practice of reading the stanzas of raga before stopping the raga. However, inKathmandu, stanzas of raga need not be read out in every chacha activity. There are also two ways ofsinging chacha, one is in height pitch and the other in low pitch.


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Rules of Chacha

One of the objectives of this working paper is to record the rules of charyageet. An attempt ismade here is this direction. Rules mentioned in Hevajratantra have aready been mentioned. Given belowis the summary of these rules.

1. Yogis and yoginis must sing chacha song for attaining salvation.

2. In a group of chacha singers, a leader is elected.

3. First of all, the leader sings the chacha song. Then, others do the same and that too according totheir convenience.

4. The leader must watch whether the chacha is sung in a proper manner.

a. While singing chacha, there may be various kinds of sound.

b. There may be smell of garlic or that of burning of camphor.

The application of prevailing rules shows that they are not much different from the rule made byHevajratantra. The rule prevailing at present are the following:

1. Chacha is not sung without the worship activities. Worship activities are compulsory for singingchacha. Kukuripada in his work Sri Vajragita Abhyantara Sadhana has said that chacha is sung inthe superior Abhyantara puja.

2. It is the responsibilty of chacha nayo (leader) to decide the appropriateness of chacha. After this,others start singing the chacha. The practice of appointing chacha nayo has been disappearing. Inspite of this, there is a practice of selecting a leader among the seniormost members in a protocalorder. But with the permission of the leader, other members also do the work of the leader todecide the appropriateness of a chacha. If the chacha is not sung properly, the leader may sing thechacha himself to give an example. It is also the responsibility of the chacha leader to decidewhich chacha is to be sung for a particular occasion.

3. During the great puja like Mansahuti, the very act of initiating the auspicious work of singingchacha is done by no less a person than Mulaacharya (head of Acharyas) who utters, withoutany efforts, words in a musical voice invoking Padnritewara and Chakrasamvara.

Mulaacharya is called Vajracharya before the origin of the caste Vajracharya. After thecompletion of the work of singing chacha after worship ritual, chacha is sung again for biddingfarewell. In the final chacha song, it is the voice of Mulaacharya which is final.The Mulaacharya while singing chacha subdues the voice progressively and merges into selfafter separation from acquired divinity. Thus, the Mulaacharya is the person who acts in the

beginning as well as at the end of chacha. In Hevajratantra, the Mulaacharya has been treated asthe living incarnation of Shri Hevajra.


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4. There is a role of Raga in chacha. Raga is employed at the star or end of chacha. The Raga isonly used by seniormost members of the society. The junior members do not ask to use raga.

5. After the turn of the seniors to use raga is over, the juniors are entitled for the same.

6. But there is no rule for the seniors to use the raga left out by the juniors.

7. There is a rule establishing the practice at singing chacha at the fag end of the worship ritual. Inthis case, the leader who takes the turn of singing chacha hands over the act of using raga toGuru Vajracharya presiding over the worship ritual. Guru Vajracharya, then, sings raga andcloses the worship ritual. With this, the act of singing chacha also comes to an end.

8. In the case of chacha accompanied by dance, chacha stanzas are recited before using raga.Chacha dance continues with the support of recitation of stanzas.

9. In the superior class of worship rituals there will be a group of people playing a certain kind ofmusical instrument called Panyeta. In this case, after the completion of singing chacha, musicalinstrument Panyeta is played before closing the ritual with the accompaniment of raga. At thetime of dance, dance is continued along with the play of Panyeta.

10. There are chachas which must be sung in tune with the worship ritual. Besides this, there are avariety of chachas which are sung in consideration of time, situation, place, kind of worship andat the request of the interested people.

11. The work of teaching chacha or guiding the learners is done on the occasion of performing pujarituals. This is almost a tradition. In such cases, the first thing is done to

worship padmanrivitewara. In the middle of the learning process, Bapuja is held. Besides this,there is also the procedure of marking the conclusion of the learning process.

Conclusion In the present time, though charyageet has disappeared in Kashmir, Bengal and other places, it is

thriving in Nepal. From the ordinary festive occasions to religious activities and from the ritual activitiesof everyday life to rituals of worship activities, chacha is surviving in Nepal. This is a good thing.

In this age of scientific and technological development marked by the progress of materialism, thecharyageet, culture of initiation and observance of religious ceremonies like Sinhayamata, Ahoratra,Chhatisamata, etc, the history of which is dated back to 12th or 13th century, are continuing in Nepal. If

our ancestors have not adopted that tradition, the culture of Nepal would be deprived of very importaut branch of knowledge. Although the teaching as well as the learning process of the charyageet and the practice of the

chacha dance is not strictly followed in the traditional line, changes brought in the chacha and charyaculture to suit the test of time is a welcome development. Discussion about the development as well as

problems of charya and chacha culture had taken place in Kathmandu some 15 years ago. As a result ofthis discussion, steps have been taken to revive the chacha and charya culture. Training on this subjecthas already been started. Such training was conducted in three cities of the Kathmandu Valley.


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The development of charyageet, which is the rich cultural heritage of Nepal, is possible onlythrough the efforts of individuals in their private capacity. These initiatives have not been supported bythe government or any potential organisation. It is only the faith, devotion and religious spirit of some

people which has kept alive this culture. There is enough room for its improvement. It is time steps aretaken for improving it. The suggestions are the following :

1. The art of charyageet must be preserved in a gracious manner. Distortions have appeared in thisart. This will destroy the image of charyageet.

2. Chacha which is used in tantric worship is disappearing because of the lack of interest andknowledge about it. The interest must be revived to keep it alive.

3. Materials on chacha have mixed with other such literature. As such, chachas have beenmisinterpreted or misunderstood. Therefore, chachas have to be preserved in writing giving theirmeaning.

4. In order to improve the art of chacha, to develop the traditional cultural heritage and to attract theyouths towards it, competitions should be held.

5. The status of charyageet and charya dance is poorer than the status of stage dramas. Thisdegenerating trend has to be stopped. Charyageet and chacha dance must not be treated as areadymade material. It is a symbol of national culture.

6. Nowadays, the practice of taking initiation is declining. Tantric worships are also declining. Asthose who have not undergone initiation are not allowed to enter Agma, the place of secret Tantric worship, others are deprived of learning about it.

Knowledge of Tantric worship has to be given to the worthy people. Out-dated beliefs have todiscarded and new spirit has to be instilled into the minds of Newars in order to preserve Newaculture.

charya geet

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