Madabhushi Sridhar Acharyulu
Saint Tyagaraju is widely regarded as one of three major composers praised as the Trinity of Carnatic Music from Thanjavur in the early 19th century. Other two are Muthuswami Dikshitar and Syama Sastri. Our history is full of musical legends who devoted their entire life to “Bhakti” (devotion) and spirituality, including Saint Thyagaraja. His Thyagaraja Kritis are still performed widely in concerts by public demand. He composed and wrote 24000 kritis in praise of Lord Rama. Only 700 of them or so survived through the ages through successive generations of his musical disciples. It is specially mentioned in Britannica, from Madras Presidency (https://www.britannica.com/biography/Tyagaraja) was:
Saint Tyagaraju, a Telugu personality, brought up in the Tamil language, a renowned, wonderful Vaggeyakara. (A Vaggeyakara, called one expert poet, composes music and also renders together.) Many world Carnatic singers of a real conference called Tyagaraja Aradhana. It is conducted at Thiruvayaru (part of Tamil Nadu) for two months between January and February every year for the last 175 years. It’s a great spectacle where the artists and thousands of audiences in unison, charging the atmosphere with the spirit of Thyagaraja, a divine experience that can only be felt live, where many thousands of Carnatic Keerthanas and Bhajans are performed by musicians paying their respects to Tyagaraju. Not just singers, but many hundreds of vocalists and instrumentalists from different parts of South India congregate, like a spectacular festival.
Especially, it became a tradition to sing the ‘Pancharatna Kritis’ on the Pushya Bahula Panchami day, with a performance at these musical festivals. They include several Keerthanas of Tyagaraja, which are listed one can find at https://www.karnatik.com/co1006.shtml, To enjoy “Tyagaraja’s compositions include the Ghana Raaga Pancaratnam (5 gems) in Raagam Nattai, Gowlara, Arabi, Shree Raagam, and Varaali, his most famous and scholarly contributions to Carnatic music, and he delighted in singing them”.) They are very popularly known as 5 gems of Pancharatna Kritis, even today. (for instance, one is from Mangalampalli Balamurali Krishna https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EisOcw2MKq4.) Much noted is one of his masterpieces, “Jagadanandakaraka,” which enumerates the 108 names of the lord, each describing the unique characteristics of Ram.
That was Sadguru Tyagaraja, the saint-poet, born on May 4 (but some say on 5th May), 1767. Tyagaraju lived from the village of Thiruvayaru of Thanjavur, from a gifted person. Tyagaraja’s parents are Kakarla Ramabrahmam and Sitamma. This family was said to be Telugu Mulakanadu Smartha Brahmins (traditionally from one of four classes called Varnas) from Prakasam in Andhra Pradesh.
“An Indian composer of Karnatak songs of the genre kirtana, or kriti (devotional songs), and of ragas. He is the most prominent person in the history of southern Indian classical music, and he is venerated by contemporary Carnatic musicians. Tyagaraja is said to have composed the music and words of thousands of kriti. In concert life he remains dominant; rarely does a concert of southern Indian music omit his works. He spent much of his life at the court of Tanjore (now Thanjavur), where the official language was Telugu; thus, most of his songs have Telugu texts”.
The Britannica further explained:
“Tyagaraja became a devotee of Vaishnava at an early age and is regarded as an exponent of gana-marga—i.e., salvation through devotional music. The music of Tyagaraja’s songs is transmitted orally. He is credited with various musical innovations, including the use of a structured variation of musical lines within the performance, a practice that may have been derived from improvisatory techniques”.
Indian Express wrote: As Suddhananda Bharathi, an Indian philosopher and poet, noted, “Tyagaraja is the temple of Ram Nam – Ram Kokilam – who warbles the glory of Rama from honey-dropping arbor of music. He is a Mira in motion, a Kabir in devotion, a Purandara Dasa in music, and a Nammalwar in vision.”
In the book The Spiritual Heritage of Tyagaraja, the author Dr V Raghavan wrote extensively on Tyagaraja’s compositions or kritis. He said:
“Tyagaraja’s compositions are well-known and remarkable not only for their immense volume but also for their variety and quality. Raghavan furtherly explained: “The highest musical excellence is found in his compositions, which we have come to call kritis, in which he captured and effectively picturised the essence of ragas… There is a wide variety of form and type from metrical compositions and settings to creations like ‘Koluvaiyunnade’ (Devagandari) where sangatis are heaped and the sahityas are moulded like Pallavis.
Dr Raghavan further wrote:
“The age of Chaturdandi, of Gita, Prabandha, Thaya, and Alapa had to give place to the age of Pada, Kirtana, and Krithi. In achieving this, Tyagaraja stands foremost with his marvellous contribution… In sheer volume of output, he essays in the direction of Purandara Dasa and Kshetragna; In devotion, religious fervour, reformatory zeal and spiritual realisation, his songs approach those of Purandara Dasa; when we think of him singing to his Rama in anguish, we find in him a second Ramadas of Badrachala; in his lyrical moods he takes a page off Kshetragna; in his Pancharatnas and some of his heavier compositions, he treads the path of the earlier prabandha-karas and later varna-karas; in turning out pieces now and then in the language of the Gods, he seems to beckon his contemporary Dikshitar; when he sings of Mother Tripurasundari, it appears as if Syama Sastri of Tanjore was sojourning at Tiruvotriyur; and he could sustain himself through the task of a dramatic composition like Narayana Tirtha or Merattur Venkatarama Bhagavathar and pay his homage to a sampradaya sanctified by Jayadeva.”
In addition to individual pieces and Pancha Keertanas, he composed ‘Uthsava Sampradaya Kirtanas’ and ‘Divyanama Sankirtanas’ for adoption in bhajans and festivals. Dr Raghavan said, “If gold could be found with fragrance, it is Tyagaraja, Kshetragna, Purandara Dasa, or Jayadeva.”
Twice, Telugu producers made films on Tyagaraja’s life. First, Chittor V Nagaiah made ‘Thyagaiah’ in 1946. Again in 1981 by Bapu renowned director, also referred to as Ramana, who penned the story. (Old movie is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCetF0JrHbI)
