PAPER 5 DANCE, POETS AND POETRY, RELIGIOUS PHILOSOPHY AND INDIAN CLASSICAL DANCE MODULE 17 THE MUSICAL TRINITY: TYAGARAJA Saint Tyagaraja / 配यागराज is the most popular composer of the of the Carnatic music trinity. He was born in 1767 at Tiruvarur to Kakarla Ramabrahma and Sitamma in a Telugu Brahmin family. He was named Tyagaraja after Tyagaraja, the presiding deity of the temple at Tiruvarur. Tyagaraja's paternal grandfather was Giriraja Kavi who was a poet and musician in the Tanjore court. Tyagaraja's maternal grand father was Veena Kalahastayya a veena player. Tyagaraja learned playing veena in his childhood from Kalahastayya. Tyagaraja’s father Rama Brahman was also attached to the court. Tyagaraja began his musical training under Sonti Venkata Ramanayya, a music scholar, at an early age. He felt music was the path to attain God. His objective while practicing music was purely devotional and the technicalities of classical music did not interest him greatly. He also showed flair for composing music and while still in his teens, composed his first song, Namo Namo Raghavayya / नमो नमो राघवय्या, in Desika Todi / देशीक तोड़ी and inscribed it on the walls of the house. Soon after his training Tyagaraja rendered his song, 'Dorakuna Iduvanti Seva / दोराकु ना इदवु नटी सेवा' (Bilahari / बिऱहारी) before a congregation of musicians and poets. In the house of Sonti Venkatasubbiah at Tanjavur and in the presence of 1 samasthanam / समस्थानम artistes, he sang an elaborate raga Kambhoji / काम्िोजी and sang his 'Mari mari nine / मरी मरी नीने' (Adi tala) which moved all present. Thus young Tyagaraja revealed his innate ability as composer and musician even while very young. It is said that he studied kavya / का핍य, alankara / अऱंकार and nataka / नाटक under Govinda Dikshitar for four years and that Ramayana attracted him the most. At another time, he sang at the request of his guru, beginning at 8 p.m. and finishing only at 4 a.m. Sonti Venkataramanayya informed the king of Thanjavur of Tyagaraja's genius. The king sent an invitation, along with many rich gifts, inviting Tyagaraja to attend the royal court. Tyagaraja, however, was not inclined towards a career at the court, and rejected the invitation outright, composing another kriti / कीर्ति, Nidhi Chala Sukhama / र्नधध चऱ सुखम meaning, does wealth bring happiness? Dr. S.Radhakrishnan, former President of India writes: "The name Tyagaraja means the prince of renouncers, of those who give up worldly desires. In the case of Tyagaraja, renunciation is the result of undistorted devotion to God. He was a person of great humility, utter self-effacement. He expressed the truths of the Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita in simple and appealing language. He had deliberately chosen a life of simple living by unchavritti taking what is voluntarily given." Tyagaraja's compositions are remarkable not only for their immense volume but also for variety and quality. Tyagaraja in his lifetime is believed to have composed about 24,000 devotional songs. Many of the songs however, are lost due to poor documentation. The highest musical excellence is found in 2 his compositions which are called kritis, in which he captured the essence of ragas. There is a wide variety of form and type from metrical compositions and settings to creations like O Rangasay / ओ रंगसे in Kambodi or Dharini Telusukonti / धाररणी तऱे ुसुकⴂती which have progressively complicated sangatis, built step by step. Some are plaintive outpourings reflecting his desire to obtain the grace of Lord Rama. In addition to these masterpieces he composed 'Utsava Sampradaya Kirtanas / उ配सव सम्रदाय कीतिन ' and 'Divyanama Sankirtanas / दद핍यनाम संकीतिन' for adoption in bhajans and festivals. Tyagaraja composed musical plays 'Prahalada Bhakthi Vijaya / रह्ऱाद भक्तत ववजय' and 'Nauka Charitra / नौका चररत्र'. The songs of Nauka Charitram which consists of only one act have a flowing cadence and simple rhythm. 'Prahalada Bhakthi Vijayam' is of five Acts with 45 kritis in 28 ragas and 132 verses. Tyagaraja, with over 800 documented kritis to his credit, is considered to have been the single largest contributor to Carnatic Music on account of the quality and enduring popularity of these compositions. He was prone to composing songs spontaneously on the occurrence of various incidents on different provocations and this has led to a large number of kritis in a wide variety of moods. Tyagaraja has composed not only in many rare ragas, but also in many major ragas like Sankarabharanam / शंकराभरणम (30+ compositions), Todi / तोडी (30+), Arabhi / आरभी (13), Devagandhari / देवगंधारी (12), Saveri / सावेरी (20), Saurashtram / सौराष्ट्रम (18), Varali / वराऱी (14), Pantuvarali / ऩंतुवराऱी (13), Madhyamavati / मध्यमावती (15), among others. In addition to this, only his compositions existed 3 in some rare ragas like such as Suddha Seemantini, Simhavahini etc. An outstanding contribution of Tyagaraja is his defining compositions in the raga Karaharapriya / राग कर हरवरया and Harikambhoji / हररकाम्भोजी – both of which are major ragas today, solely due to his compositions (12 in each). Tyagaraja has also composed in Hindusthani ragas and some of his compositions include ‘Haridasulu / हररदासुऱू’ (Yamunakalyani), ‘Kamalaptakula / कमऱाऩताकु ऱू’ (Brindavana Saranga) and ‘Manamuleda / मनामुऱेदा’ (Hamirkalyani). Tyagaraja also has several compositions in the Western style to his credit. These include ‘Sara sara samarai / सारा सारा समरे ’, ‘Chentana sada / चेतना सदा ’, ‘Kalinarulakai / कलऱना셁ऱाकई’ in Kuntalavarali / कंु ताऱावारऱी and ‘Raminchuvarevarura / रालमन्छु रेव셁रा’ in Suposhini / सुऩोलशनी. Of these, ‘Sara sara samarai’, seems to be the one most similar to Western music, with its quick racy tempo perfectly matching the topic of Rama's mastery over archery and mimicking the sound of the shooting of arrows in its very first line. Tyagaraja travelled on pilgrimages to many temples in the area from Tanjore to Tirupati and composed songs on deities in these places. He had many disciples who would commit his compositions to memory and then note them down. Many of these kritis have been grouped into various Pancharatnas / ऩंचर配न by musicologists. For e.g. the Thiruvottiyur Pancharatna Kritis in praise of Goddess Tripurasundari / बत्रऩुरसुन्दरी, the Kovur Pancharatna Kritis in praise of Lord Sundaresa / सुंदरेसा 4 and Goddess Soundaryanayaki / स㄂दयिनायकी of Kovur. His Pancharatna kritis are indeed musical gems. The Pancharatna kritis are written in praise of Lord Rama. They are set to Adi tala and each raga represents the mood of the song and the meaning of its lyrics. All the kritis have a pallavi / ऩ쥍ऱवी, anupallavi / अनुऩ쥍ऱवव followed by a charanam with several swaras. They are in Nata, Goula, Arabhi, Varali and Sri raga,which constitute the five Ghana ragas of Carnatic music also called the ghanapanchaka / घनाऩंचक. In Sri ragam, Endaro Mahaubhavulu / इन्दरो महौभावुऱू is believed to be one of the early kritis of Tyagaraja composed in Telugu. The song is a salutation and sings the praise of all the great saints and musicians down the ages. Tyagaraja clearly delineates and lists the 'Mahanubhavalu / महानुभावऱू', or great ones, in the kriti itself, mentioning the saints Narada and Saunaka, among others. In this poem, Tyagaraja describes the greatness of devotees of the Lord. In the Pancharatnas, Tyagaraja has given guidelines as to how to systematically and scientifically develop a raga. The two fundamental conditions that must be satisfied for a systematic development of a raga are the arrangement of the solfa swaras in the natural order of Arohanam / आरोहणम and Avarohanam / अवरोहणम of the ragas so as to satisfy the sound principles of harmony and continuity. Pancharatnas satisfy these scientific principles in an unparalleled manner. The swaras in the Pancharatnas are composed in perfect sarvalaghu / सविऱघु pattern. 5 His devotion and love of God, is akin to that of a doting child to its mother or the suckling calf to the cow. In his songs he runs to his Rama to report, explain, complain, appeal, solicit, beg or lament. At other times, he protests and even gets angry with his favourite Lord. Tyagaraja clearly saw that he was born with a mission of singing of Rama. Either he soliloquizes or is in inspired, intimate conversation with Rama, who constitutes his parent, brother, sister, friend and God all in one. Though he was an advocate of Rama Nama Taraka Mantra / राम नाम तारक मंत्र, Tyagaraja has taken time out to deviate from this theme, to compose several beautiful krtis in praise of other Gods and Goddesses of the south Indian Hindu pantheon. Besides Lord Rama, he has composed and sung in praise of Lord Ganesa, Lord Siva, Lord Vishnu, Goddess Parvati (in several forms), and the sacred river Kaveri, in addition to a large number of songs glorifying Nadabrahmam / नादब्र्हमम, the medium of saptaswara through which he expressed his feelings toward God. No description of Tyagaraja compositions will ever be complete without mentioning his numerous kritis on the theme of eulogising music, which praises the glory of divine music, the Nadabrahmam. He echoes the Vedic dictum that Lord Siva is Nada tanu, and praises Lord Sankara in the Chittaranjani song Nadatanum Anisam Chintayami / नादतनुम अर्नसम धचन्तयालम ! He describes Lord Siva as the essence of Samaveda, the one who delights in the art of the seven Svaras which are born of his five faces. In the Sri raga song, Namakusuma / नामकु सुम, he asks us to place the supreme Lord on the bejewelled pedestal of Nada and Swara, and worship his feet. Mere knowledge of music without bhakti or devotion does not lead us to the right path, says Tyagaraja in the Dhanyasi 6 kriti Sangita Jnanamu / संगीत ज्ञानमु.