SrI Rama Navami : Thyagaraja SwamigaL's apAra Raama Bhakthi

[Guest guest]

SrI:

 

Dear Raama BhakthAs :

 

Saint ThyagarAja is an epitome of Raama Bhakthi

in a line of great Raama BhakthAs starting from AnajanEya

and Sage Vaalmiki . Infact , the Saint from Panchanathapuram

( ThiruvayyARu) is CONSIDERED AS an avathAram of Sage Vaalmiki .

 

He has blessed us with so many Krithis , where His Raama Bhakthi

is abundantly experienced . We will briefly touch upon them today .

He performed Srimath RaamAyaNa PaarAyaNam every day as

a part of His AarAdhanam for Sri SeethA Raaman .

 

He blessed us with three krithis , which serve as SamkshEpa

RaamAyaNam : (1) Vinayumu nannu Kausikuni ( SourAshtram)

(2) Sri Raama RaghurAma ( Yadhukula KaambhOdhi)

(3) Sri Raghukula ( Hamsadhwani) .

 

He used some Vichitra RaagAs from SvarArNavam gifted to Him

by Sage NaradhA , which is a lexicon of RaagAs not prevalent

at the traditional Raaga Lexicons ( Katakaas) . When the krithis

were composed impromptu in the Sannidhi of Sri Raama during

the daily AarAdhanam and UpachAram times , the assembled sishyAs

had no idea as to what these raagAs were . Absolutely beautiful krithis

set in these RaagAs (Vinta RaagAs) emerged . There was no paper

in those days for writing ; sishyAs had to use slate , take notations in

turn of the Pallavi , anupallavi and CharaNams and reconstruct during

the evening and sing it back to their AchAryan .All of the Apoorva Raaga

Krithis are Janyams of well known MeLa Raagams .

 

Apoorva Raaga Krthis

*************************

Two Dozen of more than 80 krithis in these apoorva

Raagams are listed below . One by one , we will

study the Bhakthi bhAvam and artha gouravam in these

and other krithis inlaid with unique Raama Bhakthi .

 

1. Raagam : BindumAlini :

Krithi : Yentha MuddhO Yentha SogusO celebrating

the extraordinary beauty of the Lord . Made famous by

Raadha & Jayalakshmi , disciples of Sri GNB .

 

2. Raagam JingaLa : Krithi , AnAthudanugAnu , where He shares with Raamaa

his feelings that he is fully blessed although ordinary people think

that he is an anAthai ( orphan with no one caring for him ).

Made Famous by Saxophone VidvAn , Kadri Gopalnath .

 

3. Raagam KalyANa Vasantham :

Krithi : Naadha lOludai

 

4. AbOgi : Manasu nilpa

 

5. AabhEri: Nagumomu

 

6. PoorNa Shadjam : Laavanya Raama

 

7. Naadha tarangiNi : KripAlavAla

 

8. AandhOLikA/MayUradhwani: Raaga SudhArasa

 

9. Bhairavam : MariyAdagAdayya

 

10. SindhurAmakriyA : SudhA Maadhurya

 

11. JaganmOhini : Sobillu Saptha Swara

 

12. Kalanidhi : Chinnanade na

 

13. Phalaranjani : SrI Narasimha

 

14. Navarasa Kannada : Ninnuvina

 

15. NaagaswarALi : SrI PathE

 

16. Garudadhvani : Tatthvameruga

 

17. Ranjani : DurmArgachara

 

18. HamsanAdham : Banturiti kolu

 

19. Sarasvathy : AnurAgamu

 

20. KOlAhalam : MadhilOna

 

21. Svara BhUshaNi : VaradarAja

 

22. Sruthi Ranjani: E Dari Sancharinthu

 

23. Kaikavasi : VaachamAgOcharamE

 

24. Janaranjani : SmaraNE Sukhamu

 

Many Krithis in the same Raagaa

***************************************

 

Thyagaraja Swamy blessed us with many krithis

in the same Raagam and showed us the ways in which

the many moods of the NaadhOpAsakan could be brought out

in the various krithis composed in the same raaga .For instance ,

he composed many krithis in Mohana Raagam Following are

the nine with their own chiselled soundharyams :

 

1. Enduko bAga teliyadu ( Aadhi Taalam), a shrewd observationn on

the sociology of the times and upadEsam to the misers .

 

2. Raama ninu nammina (Aadhi) about Mahaa Viswaasam in the Lord.

 

3. Evarura ( Chapu) : A desperate cry ( DhinAkrantham)

 

4. Nanu Paalimpa ( Aadhi): The joy on recieving

the besutiful picture of Lord Raamachandra from

his sishya , Walajapet Venkataramana BhAgavathA

as a present during the occasion of the Marriage of

his daughter .Swamy asks in the charaNam : " Did You

come all the way walking , to protect me , Oh Lord" .

His sishya had walked all the way from Wallajaapet to

ThiruvayyARu since there were no trains or buses

in those days for transport . Only bullock carts for

short distance travel . The SishyA had carried this picture

on his head all the way . Swamy addresses the Lord as

" PrANa nAthaa" ( dearest Husband) in this krithi to show His adoration .

This picture can be seen even today at the BrundhAvanam

shrine of the Saint on the banks of Cauvery at ThiruvayyARu.

5. Bhaavnutha ( Aadhi) : This was composed to commemorate

the visit by Lord Raama , SithA PirAtti and HanumAn to his

house in the Thirumnajan Veddhi of ThiruvayyARu . One night

around 10 PM , three pilgrims ( old person with a bundle on head ,

His wife and a servant ) arrived at ThyagarAja Swamy's house

and rested for the night . The servant cooked the night meal

and he lady served them all ; after dinner ,the dampathis talked with ThyAgarAja

Swamy endearingly until dawn . Swamy enjoyed the sathsangham.

As dawn broke the travellers took leave ; swamy came to the door

to bid them good bye and right before his eyes , the three disappeared .

In a divine revelation , Swamy recognized that It was Lord Raamachandra ,

SithA Piraatti and HanumAn as their servant had come to bless him

at his house .

 

Uniqueness of Thyaga Brahmam's Krithis

**********************************************

 

The musical intricacies and rhetorical specialties of Swamy's

krithis to house his Raama Bhakthi are to be left to Musicians

and poets to analyze . The SabdhAlankArams , PrAsams ,

Yamakams , slEdai /Madakku , figures of speech . His extraordinary

genius in portraying the nava rasAs is revealed in many of his krithis:

Vira Rasam in DeavagAndhAri , AtANa and Nattai raaga Krithis .

 

Swamy worshipped the Lord as the embodiment of Naadha ( NaadhAthmakan) ,

and SangItha Rasikan as well as the abode of dhivya soundharyam and

ananatha KalyANa guNams . With Bhaava Thrayam ( SangItha , Saahithya

and Bhakthi BhAvam ) , beautifully cjosen Raagams and appropriate TaaLams ,

Swamy blessed al his sishyAs and thru them all of us with the boon of

Raama Bhakthi .

 

On this Sukla Paksha Navami day , when the constellation of Punarvasu

in ascendance , adiyEn starts on the venture to share some of the anubhavams

of the great Raama BhakthA like Saint ThyagarAja .

 

Sri RaaghavAya Thubhyam Nama:

 

Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil V.Sadagopan

 

addendum : Other Mohana Raaga Krithis :

6. Mohana Raama ( Aadhi)

7. Veda Vaakyamani (Chapu) : the surender of the haughty Gopis

at the feet of the Lord in NowkA Charithram ( Opera) .

8. Jaya ManagaLam ( Jampa), One of the three MangaLa slOkams

of the PrahLAdha Bhaktha Vijayam ( Opera)

9. Daya Raani (Aadhi) , PrahlAdha Bhakthi Vijya Naataka Krithi

sung by PrahlAdha appealing to the Lord to shower His grace

on him .