Tyagaraja

Sadguru Tyagaraja Swami (Telugu: సద్గురు త్యాగరాజ స్వామి) (4 May 1767 – 6 January 1847), also known as Tyagayya, and in full as Kakarla Tyagabrahmam, was a saint composer and of Carnatic music, a form of Indian classical music. Tyagaraja and his contemporaries, Shyama Shastri and Muthuswami Dikshitar, are regarded as the Trinity of Carnatic music. Tyagaraja composed thousands of devotional compositions, most in Telugu and in praise of Rama, many of which remain popular today. However, only 720 of these are in vogue. Of special mention are five of his compositions called the Pancharatna Kritis ( "five gems"), which are often sung in programs in his honour. Tyagaraja composed Utsava Sampradaya Krithis ( Festive ritual compositions), which are often sung to accompany temple rituals and Divya Nama Sankeertanas ( Divine name compositions) which are sung as a part of concerts and in daily life.

Tyagaraja lived through the reigns of four kings of the Maratha dynasty – Tulaja II (1763–1787), Amarasimha (1787–1798), Serfoji II (1798–1832) and Sivaji II (1832–1855), although he served none of them.

Personal life and background
Tyagaraja was born Kakarla Tyagabrahmam in 1767 to a Telugu Vaidiki Mulakanadu Brahmin family in Tiruvarur in present-day Tiruvarur District of Tamil Nadu. There is a school of thought led by musicologist B. M. Sundaram that contests this and proposes Tiruvaiyaru as his birthplace. He is a famous musician and his family name 'Kakarla' indicates that they were originally migrants from the village of the same name in the Cumbum taluk of Prakasam district, Andhra Pradesh. His family belonged to the Smarta tradition and Bharadvaja gotra. Tyagaraja was the third son of his parents, and Panchanada Brahmam and Panchapakesha Brahmam were his elder brothers. He was named Tyagabrahmam/Tyagaraja after Tyagaraja, the presiding deity of the temple at Thiruvarur, the place of his birth. Tyagaraja's maternal uncle was Giriraja Kavi. Giriraja Kavi was a poet and musician. Giriraja was born in Kakarla village, Cumbum taluk in Prakasam district, Andhra Pradesh. He is believed to have belonged to the Kasalanadu sect. Tyagaraja's maternal grandfather was named Kalahastayya, but was frequently addressed as Veena Kalahastayya as he was a noted veena player. Tyagaraja learned to play the veena in his childhood from Kalahastayya. After Kalahastayya's death Tyagaraja found Naradeeyam, a book related to music. Tyagaraja hero-worshipped the celestial sage Narada; a reference to this is Tyagaraja's krithi Vara Nārada (rāga Vijayaśrī, Ādi tāḷam). Legend has it that a hermit taught him a mantra invoking Narada, and Tyagaraja, meditating on this mantra, received a vision of Narada and was blessed with the book Svarārnavam by the sage. During his last days, Tyagaraja took vows of Sannyasa.

Sri Tyagaraja took siddhi on a Pushya Bahula Panchami day, 6 January 1847, at the age of 79, a day after he was initiated into the order of Advaita Dasanami sanyasis. His last composition before his siddhi was Giripai Nelakonna (raga Sahana, Adi talam). He was interred on the banks of the Kaveri river at Thiruvaiyaru the very next day.

Musical career


Tyāgarāja began his musical training at an early age under Sonti Venkata Ramanayya, a music scholar, after the latter heard his singing and was impressed by the child prodigy. Tyagaraja regarded music as a way to experience God's love. His compositions focused on expression, rather than on the technicalities of classical music. He also showed a flair for composing music and, in his teens, composed his first song, "Namo Namo Raghavayya", in the Desika Todi ragam and inscribed it on the walls of the house. His compositions are mainly of a devotional (bhakti) or philosophical nature. His songs feature himself usually either in an appeal to his deity of worship (primarily the Avatar Rama), in musings, in narratives, or giving a message to the public. He has also composed krithis in praise of Krishna, Shiva, Shakti, Ganesha, Muruga, Saraswati, and Hanuman.

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. He was said to have composed the krithi Nidhi Chala Sukhama (నిధి చాల సుఖమా) ( "Does wealth bring happiness?") on this occasion. He spent most of his time in Thiruvaiyaru, though there are records of his pilgrimages to Thirumala and Kanchipuram. When he was in Kanchipuram, he met Upanishad Brahmayogin at the Brahmendral Mutt at Kanchipuram.

Tyagaraja, who was immersed in his devotion to Rama and led a spartan way of life, did not take any steps to systematically codify his vast musical output. Rangaramanuja Iyengar, a leading researcher on Carnatic music, in his work Kriti Manimalai, has described the situation prevailing at the time of the death of Tyagaraja. It is said that a major portion of his incomparable musical work was lost to the world due to natural and man-made calamities. Usually, Tyagaraja used to sing his compositions sitting before deity manifestations of Lord Rama, and his disciples noted down the details of his compositions on palm leaves. After his death, these were in the hands of his disciples, then families descending from the disciples. There was not a definitive edition of Tyagaraja's songs.

The songs he composed in pure Telugu were widespread in their popularity because of the ease with which they could be sung in those days. Musical experts such as Kancheepuram Nayana Pillai, Simizhi Sundaram Iyer and Veenai Dhanammal saw the infinite possibilities for imaginative music inherent in his compositions and they systematically notated the songs available to them. Subsequently, researchers like K. V. Srinivasa Iyengar and Rangaramanuja Iyengar made an enormous effort to contact various teachers and families who possessed the palm leaves. K. V. Srinivasa Iyengar brought out Adi Sangita Ratnavali and Adi Tyagaraja Hridhayam in three volumes. Rangaramanuja Iyengar published Kriti Mani Malai in two volumes. He also composed songs in Sanskrit.

Furthermore, Musiri Subramania Iyer, the doyen of Bhava Sangitam, had a vast collection of books in his library. T. K. Govinda Rao, his disciple, brought out a volume of Tyagaraja's songs in English and Devanagari script. T. S. Parthasarathy, a leading scholar on Tyagaraja, published the text and meaning of Tyagaraja's songs. There are also many less comprehensive publications in Telugu.

About 720 songs remain of the 24,000 songs said to have been composed by him; however, scholars are skeptical about numbers like these, as there is no biographical evidence to support such claims. In addition to nearly 720 compositions (kritis), Tyagaraja composed two musical plays in Telugu, the Prahalada Bhakti Vijayam and the Nauka Charitam. Prahlada Bhakti Vijayam is in five acts with 45 kritis set in 28 ragas and 138 verses, in different metres in Telugu. Nauka Charitam is a shorter play in one act with 21 kritis set in 13 ragas and 43 verses. The latter is the most popular of Tyagaraja's operas, and is a creation of the composer's own imagination and has no basis in the Bhagavata Purana. Tyagaraja also composed a number of simple devotional pieces appropriate for choral singing.

The 20th-century Indian music critic K. V. Ramachandran wrote: "Tyagaraja is an indefatigable interpreter of the past... but if with one eye he looks backward, with the other he looks forward as well. Like Prajapati, he creates his own media and adores his Rama not alone with jewel-words newly fashioned, but also with jewel-[like]-music newly created. It is this facet of Tyagaraja that distinguishes him from his illustrious contemporaries." In other words, while Tyagaraja's contemporaries were primarily concerned with bringing to audiences the music of the past, Tyagaraja also pioneered new musical concepts at the same time.

Remembrance
Tyagaraja Aradhana, the commemorative music festival is held every year in Thiruvaiyaru in Thanjavur district of Tamil Nadu, during the months of January to February in Tyagaraja's honor. This is a week-long festival of music where various Carnatic musicians from all over the world converge at his resting place. On the Pushya Bahula Panchami, thousands of people and hundreds of Carnatic musicians sing the five Pancharatna Kritis in unison, with the accompaniment of a large bank of accompanists on veenas, violins, flutes, nadasvarams, mridangams and ghatams.

A sports complex in New Delhi, Thyagaraj Sports Complex, was named after him. A crater on the planet Mercury was named after Tyagaraja in 1976.

Films on Tyagaraja (biographical)
Apart from references to his works, using the kirtanas as songs, two films were made on his life. V. Nagayya made a biographical epic on Tyagaraja titled Tyagayya in 1946 which is still treated as a masterpiece of Telugu cinema. In 1981, Bapu–Ramana made Tyagayya with J. V. Somayajulu in the lead role. Another attempt is being made by Singeetam Srinivasa Rao to picturise Tyagaraja's life. Apart from these, Bombay Gnanam made a short film known as Endaro Mahanubavulu on Tyagaraja. The short film was released on 27 February 2021, on the 174th Tyagaraja Aradhana festival.

Raga on Tyagaraja (Musical scale)
Carnatic kriti 'Sri Ramachandram Bhajami' in raga 'Sri Tyagaraja' created and composed by named after Saint Tyagaraja sung by Priyadarshini was released on 10 January 2023 at SriTyagaraja Samadhi during 176th Tyagaraja Aradhana festival

Compositions
The term Pancharatna in Sanskrit means "five gems": The Pancharatnas are known as the five finest gems of Carnatic music. All of the Pancharatnas are set to the adi talam. So far as Pancharatnas are concerned, a stable text has been handed over by the earlier musicians to the present day. All the compositions of Tyagaraja show the way for the systematic development of the respective ragas. In the Pancharatnas, Tyagaraja offers parameters as to how to systematically and scientifically develop a raga. The two fundamental conditions that must be satisfied for the systematic development of a raga are the arrangement of the svaras in the natural order of arohanam, and the avarohanam of the ragas so as to satisfy the sound principles of harmony and continuity. Pancharatnas satisfy these scientific principles. The Pancharatnas are composed in perfect sarvalaghu svaras.


 * The first Pancharatna kriti is Jagadanandakaraka, sung in the raga Nata. It is composed in Sanskrit. It praises Rama as the source of all joy in the universe. Originally, there were only six charanams for the song. When the disciples examined the song, it contained ninety names of Rama in Sanskrit. The disciples requested Tyagaraja to slightly expand the song by adding two charanas containing eighteen more names of Rama. The saint acceded to the request of the disciples and that is the reason why the song Jagadanandakaraka contains three mudras containing the name of Tyagaraja while the other four songs contain only one mudra each.
 * The next is Duduku gala in the raga gaula set to adi talam. It is composed in Telugu. In this song, Tyagaraja takes the blame upon himself for all the misdeeds of men and ruminates on who would come and save him from this deplorable situation.
 * The third is Saadhinchene in the raga Arabhi, set to adi talam. It is composed in Telugu. In this song, Tyagaraja lovingly criticizes Krishna for his cleverness in getting what he wants to be done.
 * The fourth kriti, Kana Kana Ruchira is in the raga Varaali set to adi talam. It is composed in Telugu. In this song, Tyagaraja describes the infinite beauty of Rama.
 * The fifth Pancharatna kriti is the Endaro Mahanubhavulu in the sri raga. It is composed in Telugu. It is said that a great musician from Kerala, Shatkala Govinda Maaraar, visited Tyagaraja and performed before him. Tyagaraja was enchanted with his performance and then was born Endaro Mahanubhavulu, regarded to be a great work of Carnatic music.

No discussion of the tyAgarAjas ghana rAga panCa ratna can ignore the corresponding panCa bhUta mudras embedded in the 5 kritis by the tyAgarAja.

panCa bhUta refer to the five fundamental elements..jala agni vAyu AkASa bhu i.e. water, fire, wind, sky and earth.

The panCa bhUta within the tyAgarAjas ghana rAga panCa ratna was discovered in 2023.

See for example the linked posts for details

https://www.rasikas.org/forums/viewtopic.php?p=380298#p380298

https://www.rasikas.org/forums/viewtopic.php?p=382150#p382150

The panCa bhUta mudras (AS EMBEDDED by the tyAgarAja) appear as

1. vAyu as samira/prAna for wind in "jagadAnanda kAraka" – rAga nAta

Carana 2

nigama nirajAmrutaja pOSakA nimiSavairi vArida samIrana

2. Apa for water in "duDuku gala" – rAga gaulA

Carana 8

janula kOri paritApamulacE dagili nogili durvisaya durAsalanu rOyalEka

3. agni for fire as Arka in "kana kana rucirA" – rAga varAli

Carana 3

bAlArkAbha sucEla maNimaya mAlAlankrta kandhara

4. AkASa for sky as ambara in "sAdhinCanE O manasA"- rAga Arabhi

Carana 7

kanakAmbara dhara lasan-makuTa kuNDala virAjita harE

5. prthvi for earth as bhU in "endarO mahAnubhAvu"- rAga Sri

Carana 7

sarOjabhava bhUsuravarulu

Indeed, the tyAgarAja ALSO gives a clue to this panCa bhUta pujA in one of the five kritis

In the Carana 2 of the duduku gala gAula rAga kriti appears the line

sakala bhUtamula andu nI vaiyuNDaga

translation

the deity who EXISTS in ALL the (5) bhUtas.

The words and choices made by the composers cannot be ignored and should not be ignored, if the true legacy of the singing saints is to be comprehended.

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Other compositions by Tyagaraja include Samajavaragamana in the hindolam raga, Adamodigaladhe in the charukesi raga, Raju vedale in the hanumatodi raga, Ninne nammi nanura in the todi raga, Kamalapthakula in the brindavana saranga raga, Kshira sagara shayana in the devagandhari raga, Marubalka kunna vemira ma manoramana in the Sriranjani raga, and Nagumomu kanaleni in the abheri raga.