Saint Thyagarajar - The Nadopasana Mahanubhava

[Guest guest]

!! Sri Rama Jayam !!

 

" Entharo Mahanubhavulu .... Anthirikee vandanamulu "

- Countless are the saintly people on earth, My salutaions to each one of them.

-----

Saint Thyagarajar was born in Tiruvarur in the Thanjavur District on 27th

Chaitra, Srvajit, a Sukla Saptami corresponding to 4th May, 1767 according to

one tradition and 1759 according to another tradition and named after the

presiding deity (Lord Thyagaraja) of that temple town. The name THYAGA-RAJA

means the 'Prince of Renunciation'. Thyagarajar was born as the third son of

Ramabrahmam whose family profession was story telling (Katha Kalashepem) and a

distinguished exponent of Ramayana who was patronised by the King of Thanjavur.

His mother was Seethamma, the daughter of the asthana vidwan Veena Kalahastayya.

Very soon after the birth of the saint, the family shifted to Thiruvaiyaru. The

king of Tanjavur had gifted a house to him in this village and here Thyagaraja

not only spent the major part of his life but also attained samadhi. Saint

Thyagarajar completed the study of Sanskrit and Telugu and mastered Valmiki

Ramayanam and other religious literatures. His mother had a collection of the

Purandaradasa and taught them to her son. He was thus introduced to the Sangita

Pitamaha at a very early age and worishipped him as his adiguru. Since from the

age of 17, he started singing small kritis. He also showed a flair for composing

music and while in his teens composed his first song - " Namo Namo Raghavaya... "

in Desikatodi and inscribed it on the walls of the house.

Tyagaraja lived to the full extent that God realization is best achieved through

Nadopasana (music with devotion). Being a great devotee of Lord Rama, the only

things that mattered to Tyagaraja were Music and Bhakti. In fact, they were

synonymous to him. " Is there a sacred path than music and bhakti? " . " O Mind,

salute the gods of the seven notes " . " The knowledge of music, O Mind, leads to

bliss of Union with the Lord " . Music was to him the meditation on the Primordial

Sound:

" I bow to Sankara, the embodiment of Nada, with my body and mind. To Him, the

essence of blissful Samaveda, the best of the vedas, I bow. To Him who delights

in the seven swaras born of His five faces I bow " .

His songs are filled with an intimate devotion to Rama,the Saranagatha valsala,

all through revealing his deep understanding of the tenets of the Vedas and

Upanishads. Sri Tyagaraja, along with Muthuswami Dikshithar & Shyama Shastri are

considered as the " Trinity of Carnatic Music. " Sri Tyagaraja has composed more

than 800 songs in his long devoted life to Lord Rama, most of them written in

his Mother tongue Telegu, but a few in Sanskrit, including the masterpiece

" Jagadanandakaraka " composed of 108 names describing Lord Rama's attributes

(This song has been a very popular hit in the movie " Kudumbasametham " ). But, his

songs are well loved in Tamil Nadu, the seat of South Indian (Carnatic) Music

scholarship and performance.

The centre of Thyagaraja's existence and the summit of his aspirations was to

experience in every breath the bliss of Rama bhakti and thereby gain a vision of

his Ishta Devata. In many of his songs, this longing finds eloquent expression.

The dimensions of his music include not only sangita sastra, but also contain a

core of spirituality. It is because of this great quality that his compositions,

like the Atman, endure. The consummation of spirituality in his songs is really

the Voice of the Eternal.

Through the apertures of his songs, the depth of his bhakti is revealed. The

inspirational potentialities of his kirtanas to lead a sincere votary in the

bhakti marga are infinite, because every song breathes the fragrance of one

aspect or other of the " Navadha Bhakti " . It is only a devotional approach to Sri

Thyagaraja that can unlock the treasures of his spirituality.

Sri Thyagaraja's life was a confluence and symphony of three streams -

spirituality, saintliness and sangita and the harmony of these find spontaneous

self-expression in every syllable of his sahityas. The divine words come

vibrating from his soul. To describe them as kirtanas would be superficial for

his utterances are authentic revelations of what he directly experienced. They

comprehend the one and only purpose of music, that is, moksha sadhana. The value

of his music is instrumental, a means, but the goal is intrinsic, to lay one's

soul at the feet of " Sri Rama " .

Sri Thyagaraja seized all the sense of musical heritage and fused them into one

brilliant world of classical elegance. He has bestowed on his kirtanas all the

solid graces of Carnatic music. As every song is rendered in concerts, we as

listeners are conscious of the power of the saint's spiritual stature and our

moral sense drives us to lift ourselves up, but find it difficult to find the

saint's sense of devotion. His kirtanas are purged of all grossness but he gives

them an incandescent glow. If Sri Thyagaraja's music is sublime it is because it

emerged from the privacy of his soul. It is one of the greatest aspects of Sri

Thyagaraja that he made the infinite (Sri Rama) finite for us and the ideals of

music real.

Thyagaraja Aradhana Festival:

The `Thygaraja aradhana' is celebrated every year on Pushya Bagula Panchami day

when the saint attained samadhi under the auspices of Sri Thyagabrahma Mahotsava

Sabha at the saint's samadhi at Thiruvaiyaru.

The `Unchavruthi Bhajan' (with high frequency & mass singing) by devotees and

musicians following the singing of the kritis, starting from the saint's house

on Thirumanjanaveedhi and arriving at the samadhi.

Hundreds of Carnatic musicians pay their homage to the saint composer Thyagaraja

by rendering his `pancharathna kritis' (five jewels of his renderings) in chorus

at the saint's samadhi on the banks of the Cauvery at Thiruvaiyaru.

The Thyagaraja Aradhana festival is being celebrated in many places all over the

world. However the Aradhana festival at Thiruvaiyaru is much valued.

---

Hare Krishna

Hare Rama

[Guest guest]

Dear Shri Vinod,

 

Thank u very much for the biography of Saint Thyagaraja,

Bheeshmacharya of Aadhunika Carnatic Music. As an ardent deveotee of

Sriramachandra, he wrote several songs praising him many ways and can

find in all these 'nishkamabhakti' which leads to the LORD step by

step.

 

Om Namo Narayanayah:

 

 

N.R. Pillai

(Raju-Dombivli.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

- In guruvayur , " PS, Vinod K \(GE Energy\) "

<vinod.ps@g...> wrote:

> !! Sri Rama Jayam !!

>

> " Entharo Mahanubhavulu .... Anthirikee vandanamulu "

> - Countless are the saintly people on earth, My salutaions to each

one of them.

> -----

> Saint Thyagarajar was born in Tiruvarur in the Thanjavur District

on 27th Chaitra, Srvajit, a Sukla Saptami corresponding to 4th May,

1767 according to one tradition and 1759 according to another

tradition and named after the presiding deity (Lord Thyagaraja) of

that temple town. The name THYAGA-RAJA means the 'Prince of

Renunciation'. Thyagarajar was born as the third son of Ramabrahmam

whose family profession was story telling (Katha Kalashepem) and a

distinguished exponent of Ramayana who was patronised by the King of

Thanjavur. His mother was Seethamma, the daughter of the asthana

vidwan Veena Kalahastayya.

> Very soon after the birth of the saint, the family shifted to

Thiruvaiyaru. The king of Tanjavur had gifted a house to him in this

village and here Thyagaraja not only spent the major part of his life

but also attained samadhi. Saint Thyagarajar completed the study of

Sanskrit and Telugu and mastered Valmiki Ramayanam and other

religious literatures. His mother had a collection of the

Purandaradasa and taught them to her son. He was thus introduced to

the Sangita Pitamaha at a very early age and worishipped him as his

adiguru. Since from the age of 17, he started singing small kritis.

He also showed a flair for composing music and while in his teens

composed his first song - " Namo Namo Raghavaya... " in Desikatodi and

inscribed it on the walls of the house.

> Tyagaraja lived to the full extent that God realization is best

achieved through Nadopasana (music with devotion). Being a great

devotee of Lord Rama, the only things that mattered to Tyagaraja were

Music and Bhakti. In fact, they were synonymous to him. " Is there a

sacred path than music and bhakti? " . " O Mind, salute the gods of the

seven notes " . " The knowledge of music, O Mind, leads to bliss of

Union with the Lord " . Music was to him the meditation on the

Primordial Sound:

> " I bow to Sankara, the embodiment of Nada, with my body and mind.

To Him, the essence of blissful Samaveda, the best of the vedas, I

bow. To Him who delights in the seven swaras born of His five faces I

bow " .

> His songs are filled with an intimate devotion to Rama,the

Saranagatha valsala, all through revealing his deep understanding of

the tenets of the Vedas and Upanishads. Sri Tyagaraja, along with

Muthuswami Dikshithar & Shyama Shastri are considered as the " Trinity

of Carnatic Music. " Sri Tyagaraja has composed more than 800 songs

in his long devoted life to Lord Rama, most of them written in his

Mother tongue Telegu, but a few in Sanskrit, including the

masterpiece " Jagadanandakaraka " composed of 108 names describing Lord

Rama's attributes (This song has been a very popular hit in the

movie " Kudumbasametham " ). But, his songs are well loved in Tamil

Nadu, the seat of South Indian (Carnatic) Music scholarship and

performance.

> The centre of Thyagaraja's existence and the summit of his

aspirations was to experience in every breath the bliss of Rama

bhakti and thereby gain a vision of his Ishta Devata. In many of his

songs, this longing finds eloquent expression. The dimensions of his

music include not only sangita sastra, but also contain a core of

spirituality. It is because of this great quality that his

compositions, like the Atman, endure. The consummation of

spirituality in his songs is really the Voice of the Eternal.

> Through the apertures of his songs, the depth of his bhakti is

revealed. The inspirational potentialities of his kirtanas to lead a

sincere votary in the bhakti marga are infinite, because every song

breathes the fragrance of one aspect or other of the " Navadha

Bhakti " . It is only a devotional approach to Sri Thyagaraja that can

unlock the treasures of his spirituality.

> Sri Thyagaraja's life was a confluence and symphony of three

streams - spirituality, saintliness and sangita and the harmony of

these find spontaneous self-expression in every syllable of his

sahityas. The divine words come vibrating from his soul. To describe

them as kirtanas would be superficial for his utterances are

authentic revelations of what he directly experienced. They

comprehend the one and only purpose of music, that is, moksha

sadhana. The value of his music is instrumental, a means, but the

goal is intrinsic, to lay one's soul at the feet of " Sri Rama " .

> Sri Thyagaraja seized all the sense of musical heritage and fused

them into one brilliant world of classical elegance. He has bestowed

on his kirtanas all the solid graces of Carnatic music. As every song

is rendered in concerts, we as listeners are conscious of the power

of the saint's spiritual stature and our moral sense drives us to

lift ourselves up, but find it difficult to find the saint's sense of

devotion. His kirtanas are purged of all grossness but he gives them

an incandescent glow. If Sri Thyagaraja's music is sublime it is

because it emerged from the privacy of his soul. It is one of the

greatest aspects of Sri Thyagaraja that he made the infinite (Sri

Rama) finite for us and the ideals of music real.

> Thyagaraja Aradhana Festival:

> The `Thygaraja aradhana' is celebrated every year on Pushya Bagula

Panchami day when the saint attained samadhi under the auspices of

Sri Thyagabrahma Mahotsava Sabha at the saint's samadhi at

Thiruvaiyaru.

> The `Unchavruthi Bhajan' (with high frequency & mass singing) by

devotees and musicians following the singing of the kritis, starting

from the saint's house on Thirumanjanaveedhi and arriving at the

samadhi.

> Hundreds of Carnatic musicians pay their homage to the saint

composer Thyagaraja by rendering his `pancharathna kritis' (five

jewels of his renderings) in chorus at the saint's samadhi on the

banks of the Cauvery at Thiruvaiyaru.

> The Thyagaraja Aradhana festival is being celebrated in many places

all over the world. However the Aradhana festival at Thiruvaiyaru is

much valued.

> ---

> Hare Krishna

> Hare Rama