ABOUT THIYAGARAJA :

FRAGRANT GOLD :
"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 marvelous 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", observes Dr.V.Raghavan in a superb succinct sum-up of the life of the saint-composer Tyagaraja.
The most popular of the Trinity, Tyagaraja is one of the great immortals of the world. His compositions are prodigious, the range of ragas vast and staggering and the mode of appeal to his Lord Rama absorbing, poignant and soul-stirring from the most intimate and endearing to the most philosophical. The diction is superlative yet simple; the delivery and flow are easy yet captivating. His personal life symbolises fervent piety, absolute devotion, total surrender and gentle affability. His heart is with the Lord and his mind overflows with bhakthi. His compositions are outpourings of love, prayer and appeal. His life is an epitome of the excellence of nobility and virtue. As Suddhananda Bharathi said, '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."
His large compositions and rich ragabhava are so pronounced that Carnatic music is a second name for Tyagaraja. It is difficult to visualise a full-scale concert without resort to his songs. Dr.V. Raghavan said that 'If gold could be found with fragrance, it is Tyagaraja, Kshetragna, Purandara Dasa or Jayadeva.'

Life:
Tyagaraja was the grandson of Giriraja Kavi, a sanskrit poet in the Tanjore Court and son of Rama Brahman also attached to the Court.
His mother was Santamma or Sitamma. When he sang his 'Sitamma mayamma - Sri Ramuduma tandri' (Lalitha), one could appreciate the dual relevance of the piece. Rama Brahman was a vocalist and veena player. Giriraja came from Kakarla village, Cumbum taluk in
Kurnool district (AP). Tyagaraja was born on May 4, 1767 according to one tradition (Sarvahit, Chitra, 27th Monday), and in 1759 according to another at Tiruvarur.
Subbarama Dikshitar gives the age of Tyagaraja as 77 while Panju Bhagavathar mentions it as 88. Fortunately Venkata Suri, his disciple's disciple had noted the dates of birth of Tyagaraja and of his own guru on a cadjan leaf and it is accepted by scholars. Further Syama Sastri, senior to the composer in age, was born in 1762. Hence 1767 would be correct. Of the other two of the Trinity of Carnatic music, Syama Sastri was five years older and Muthuswami Dikshitar was to follow. '1750-1850 AD was the high noon of the glory of Carnatic music.' Tyagaraja had the good fortune of getting trained in music under Sonti Venkataramanayya. Tyagaraja refers to himself in his 'Atukaradani' (Manoranjani) as one learned in vedas, sastras, upanishads, etc. He was good in Telugu and Sanskrit. His compositions are mainly in Telugu, some in Sanskrit and a few bilingual. Sage Narada appeared as a sanyasin, presented him with the work 'Swararnava' and initiated him into the intricacies of higher music.
In praise of Narada, he has composed...
Narada Guruswamy -Durbar raga
Sri Narada Nada Saraseeruha - Kanada raga
Narada Gana Lola - Atana raga
Soon after his training Tyagaraja rendered his song, 'Dorakuna Iduvanti Seva' (Bilahari) before a congregation of musicians and poets. In the house of Sonti Venkatasubbiah at Tanjavur and in the presence of samasthanam artistes, he made an elaborate raga alapana in Kambhoji and sang his 'Mari mari ninne' (Adi tala) throwing the audience into ecstasies - a delightful dip in the ocean of ganarasa. Thus young Tyagaraja revealed his innate ability as composer and musician even while very young. It is said that he studied kavya, alankara and nataka under Govinda Dikshitar for four years and that Ramayana attracted him most even then confirming the message of his advent in this world.
"His father was Rama Brahman; his book was the immortal epic of Valmiki, Ramayana; his mantra was Rama; his God was Rama and his life was a stream of Rama Consciousness." - Suddhananda Bharati
During his travel to Tirupati (1839) Madras, Kanchipuram, etc., he met the noble Upanishad Brahman at Kanchipuram. It is relevant to note that Muthuswami Dikshitar too met that great Sanyasi.
Tyagaraja was 'tall, brown, chest broad, eyes sparkling, voice sweet, tulsi garland in neck, dressed like a vedic scholar, sandal mark on his forehead, tambur (drone) in hand and lived by unchavritti - rice collection'. He married Parvati first and on he death, her sister, Kanakamba or Kamalamba. Later his only daughter, Sitalakshmi had a son called Tyagaraja who died at the premature age of thirty issueless.

His Philosophy:
The composer completed chanting of Ramanama 96 crore times in his thirty-eighth year and had a full vision of Sri Rama in Coronation.
His piety, poetical eminence and musical greatness attracted the notice of the ruler of Tanjavur, who invited Tyagaraja to his court but the poet declined and sang, 'Nidhi Chala Sukhama' (Kalyani) meaning :
"Oh my mind, Tell me truly, which conduces greatly to happiness - wealth or the sight of the Lord?
Which gives more happiness - flattery of mere men bound up in their own conceit or the singing of the Lord who has been praised by the wise Tyagaraja? (Translation by C.Ramanujachari)
He set his face against 'narastuti', praise of men for profit or benefit - a philosophy and principle underlying Hindu thought not to debase learning and knowledge. In fact this principle was responsible for the old system of 'gurukulavasa' - of disciples learning at the feet of the master and the master imparting knowledge but not for money. In fact there is an incident or two where the disciples came to grief for insisting on the payment of tuition fees (guru dakshina).
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...was a person of great humility, utter self-effacement. He expressed the truths of the Upanishads and Bhagavat Gita in simple and appealing language...He had deliberately chosen a life of simple living by unchavritti taking what is voluntarily given."
In the context of his pre-eminence in the fields of devotion, composition and singing and in personal life, he would have been flooded with honours, receptions, grants and gifts. But the Bard of Tiruvaiyaru would have none of them and he chose to live in the 'Empire of Rama Consciousness' - Rama Bhakthi Samraiyamu' (Suddha Bangala). And he chose to accept but one gift unexpectedly brought by his own disciple, Wallajah Venkataramana, viz., a picture of Rama, which with the rosary exists still.

Compositions:
Tyagaraja's compositions are remarkable not only for their immense volume but also for variety and quality. '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.V.Raghavan). 'In addition to individual pieces, he composed 'Uthsava Sampradaya Kirtanas' and 'Divyanama Sankirtanas' for adoption in bhajans and festivals.
In the line of Jayadeva (Gita Govinda), Narayana Tirtha (Krishna Lila tarangini) and Merattur Venkatarama Bhagavathar (Prahalada Charitra), Tyagaraja brought out his musical plays 'Prahalada Bhakthi Vijaya' and 'Nauka Charitra'. The songs of Nauka Charitram (one act) are of simple melody. A flowing cadence and simple rhythm are their distinguishing features. 'Prahalada Bhakthi Vijayam' is of five Acts with 45 kritis in 28 ragas and 132 verses. Tyagaraja gives biographical notes in several songs. In his 'Varanarada', he says he is a "Bavuka" meaning that he is a musician who thrills one's heart and steals it ! Can anyone blame him as egoistic?
It is as a 'bavuka' he created Nauka Charitram which has no authority behind it even as Gopala Krishna Bharati wrote the opera 'Nandanar Charitram'. While less than a thousand pieces are available, tradition has it that he composed 24,000 songs on the glory of Rama. He has availed of 250 ragas and he was the first to use over sixty ragas for kirtanas.

The Glory:
"Every Kirtana is a beautiful temple in which the great composer has installed the God of his heart for worship by those who sing and those who hear." - Rajaji.
"It may sound surprising that even familiar ragas like karaharapriya, Harikamboji and Devagandhari are his gifts. His magic touch could transform any scale into a raga." - T.V.Subba Rao.
The glory, spiritual eminence, creativity, imagination, emotional appeal to diverse sections of the public, enthralling treatment of emotions as well as the wide coverage of ragas, techniques, artifices and subtleties have been summed up in his own song 'Ragaratna malikache' (Ritigaula) (which is composed in third person) translated by Dr.V.Raghavan with conceptual fidelity as under:
"Come one and all and sing the hundreds of gem-like melodies which Tyagaraja composed for the salvation of humanity; songs which contain the essence of Vedas, the six Sastras, Puranas and Agamas, which the Bhagavatas congregate and sing forth and which show the right path to attain the bliss realised by the yoginis"
"Oh come, one and all, sing them well and be blessed".
He was all air and fire, the nobler elements and the base elements of earth and water were not in him nor in his presence or reach.
Group singing and bhajan gathered impetus and popularity from his time and the dignity of bhagavathas (bhajan performers) was re-established by him.
Sangita Kalanidhi G.N.Balasubramaniam wrote, 'Tyagaraja has composed songs in such a manner as to give ample scope to the singer to bring out the essence in ragas in a pleasing and satisfying manner giving abundant scope for manodharma.' Though he composed 26 songs in Todi, 20 in kalyani, 14 in Kamavardini, 12 in Varali, etc., one does not feel any staleness but there is invigorating freshness in each. 'Tyagaraja spoke to the simple man and woman without any great learning and couched his music in easy melody and rhythm.
The extent of the hold of his music can be gauged from the fact that his songs, though in Telugu, superseded almost everyone else's in a land where the language was not known.' A.V.S.Sharma points to the close similarity 'between the inspired kirtanas of Ramdas, the poetry of Potana and the devotional songs of Tyagaraja.'

Humanity:
A word about his devotion and love of God. Like a doting child to its mother or the suckling calf to the cow, he runs to his Rama to report, explain, complain, appeal, solicit, beg, weep or to protest and get angry with. Rama was the warp and woof of his very existence.
Either he soliloquizes or is in inspired, intimate conversation with Rama, who constitutes his parent, brother, sister, friend and God all in one. This led him to recognize excellence wherever it be as excellence meant God. As Y.Mahalinga Sastry in his 'Poetry of Tyagaraja' states,
"Tyagaraja strove for a spiritual goal and in the end was happy in the realisation. But it is the effort and the struggle, and the hope and the disappointment which it is given to us to follow...the ardent passion, the happy visions during day-dreaming, the acute misery, the abject helplessness, the indignant challenge, the pliant submission, the perverted rejection, the sweet recollections, the bitter regrets, the eloquent praise, the incensed invective, the proud interest, the interim indifference, the ecstatic delights and the painful vacuity."
His 'Prahalada Bakthi Vijayam' draws up an impressive list of illustrious predecessors. His 'Endaro Mahanubhavulu' is a salutation to noble contemporaries. When Gopala Krishna Bharati composes his 'Sabapatikku Veru Deivam' (Abhogi), he turns ecstatic. When Tirubhuvanam Swaminatha Ayyar renders Ananda Bairavi he is captivated and makes a 'gift' of the raga itself accepting a self-imposed ban on his use of that raga. When Dasari, a disciple of Syama Sastri and nagaswaram artiste renders 'Suddhasaveri' raga with captivating brilliance, he runs to the street and seeks to embrace him. Did not his Lord Rama do it to Guhan, Sugriva and Vibishan? As was the Lord, so was the devotee.
Thus lived the immortal saint of Tiruvaiyaru, the soul of Carnatic music and of Indian Culture. He entered on renunciation (sanyasa) and attained immortality on January 6, 1847 (24th Margasira, Parbhava) on the Pushya Bahula Panchami Day, which is celebrated annually ever since by a grateful nation. The world will agree with Dr.V.Raghavan when he says Tyagaraja clearly saw that he was born with a mission of singing of Rama even as sage Valmiki did of yore and in his song in Ganavaridhi "Daya Juchutakidi Velara", he gives expression to this supreme gratification of a self-conscious artiste, born to fulfill a noble mission entrusted to him by the Lord.
"Come, We shall sing well And attain all the blessings."

CARNATIC MUSIC

Carnatic music originated in the fertile plains of the Cauvery delta and flourished through the ages. Vaggeyakaras are the persons who composed many songs which are rendered in its original form to date.
The Trinities of Carnatic Music, Saint Thyagaraja, Muthuswamy Dikshithar and Syama Shastri were all born in Thiruvarur near Thanjavur and the songs composed by them have explored & exhibited the depth and the rich feeling in this form.
The other notable composers are Patnam Subramaniya Iyer, Papanasam Sivan, Raja Swathi Thirunal, Annamacharyar, Purandaradasar.
The subject matter of the songs mainly dealt with the various Gods and Goddesses, extolling their lives, their virtues, reflecting the varied moods of humans like happiness, gratitude, fear, sorrow. Though Composers have also dealt with subjects like patriotism, natures bounty etc., their soul and heart were to a very great extent limited to the deities they considered prime. Music was also looked upon as a means of attaining Moksha ( Salvation ).
Sa Re Ga Ma Pha Dha Nee are the seven basic notations called the Sapthaswaras. The swaras Sa & Pa help select the sruthi/pitch of the singer. Re (Rishaba) & Gha (Ghandaram) are of three types each, Ma (Madhyamam) of 2 types, Dha (Dhaivatham) and Nee (Nishadham) of three types each and when grouped together these variations (6,2,6) combined to form the 72 main ragas, the Melakarthas. The Melakarthas are divided as Suddha Madhyama and Prathi Madhyama ragas based on their madhyama(ma) variations by Venkata Mahi as Venkata Mahi Chakra.
Ragas born from Melakartha Ragas are aptly termed as Janya Ragas. Janya Ragas are classified into three categories viz., Sampoornam - seven swaras, Shadavam - six swaras and Oudavam - 5 swaras. Janya ragas follow the Kartha raga ie., they contain the same swaras of the original raga in various permutations and 483 variations becomes apparent to form 34,766 Janya Ragas.
The Janya Ragas gets further subdivided as Upanga Raga, Bhasanga Raga and Vakra Raga. Upanga Raga allows for deletions and additions of swaras. Bhasanga Raga has swaras in addition to swaras from its original raga and the Vakra Raga has swaras in a non-sequential order.
The Ragas either follow an ascending order, " Aarohanam" or a descending order the "Avarohanam" and the composers took great care to adhere to the various rules when composing a song.
The song composed are set to thala depending on the number of beats. The thalas are divided into Thisra - three, Misra - four, Kanda - five, Sadhusra - seven, Sankeernam - nine and the song composed fits into one of the above. Aadhi, Rupakam and Chapu are some of the Thalas.

The confluence of the Ragas and the Thalas have from early times been providing us with melodious patterns which when rendered with bhava (feeling) is an experience that has to be had to be believed.
Unnai thudhikka arul tha innisayudan
Bless me, O Lord! to praise thee through Music
Music is an ocean and I am singing praises of it, but from the shore. We are sure that maestros will join us to lead us through this ocean to glean the richness and beauty of this timeless traditional art that lives with us from the days of the vedas.

Contact Details:

The Secretary,
Sri Thyagabrahma Mahotsava Sabha, 31,
Thirumanjana Veedhi,
Thiruvaiyaru 613204

The Pancharatna Kritis are:

1.Jagadananda Karaka – Raga Naata,

2. Dudukugala – Raga Gaula,

3. Sadhinchene – Raga Arabhi,

4. Kanakana Ruchira – Raga Varali,

5. Endaro Mahanubhavulu – Raga Sri

Thyagaraja Aradhana – 2011

Thyagaraja Aradhana or Thyagaraya Aradhanotsavam is a tribute to saint composer Sri Tyagaraja swamy. Thiruvaiyaru Thyagaraja Aradhana 2011 date is 24 January. It is 164th Thyagaraja Aradhana utsavam. Thyagaraja Aradhnotsavam is held for 5 days in Pushya month every year. It is celebrated worldwide but Thiruvaiyaru Thyagaraja Aradhana is the most famous celebration which observed as Pancharatna Kriti festival. The music festival begins on 21 January and ends on 25 January 2011.
Sri Thyaraja swamy was the saint composer who composed many kritis or sankeerthanas in carnatic music. He lived in Thiruvaiyaru, Thanjavur district in Tamil Nadu in 19th Century. The famous Thyagaraja Aradhana Utsavam is held at his Samadhi on Pushya Bahula Panchami, the fifth day in second half of Pushya masam.

Also ..,

The 164th aradhana of saint composer Sri Thyagaraja will be held on January 24 2011 (Monday). The main event of Pancharatna Kritis will be held on January 24 2010 morning.


Thyagaraja Aradhana begins on January 21 2011 and continues till January 25 2011. Union Minister Mr. Jairam Ramesh will inaugurate the function.


Tyagaraja Aradhana is an annual Carnatic music festival held in January and February. Many exponents of Carnatic music come to perform and are watched by thousands of ardent fans of Indian classical music


Pancha Ratna Kritis will be sung every year on Pushya Bahula Panchami day when the saint attained samadhi under the auspices of Sri Thyagabrahma Mahotsava Sabha at the saint's samadhi at Thiruvaiyaru, Tamilnadu


The Pancharatna Kritis are: 1) Jagadananda Karaka - Raga Naata, 2) Dudukugala - Raga Gaula, 3) Sadhinchene - Raga Arabhi, 4) Kanakana Ruchira - Raga Varali, 5) Endaro Mahanubhavulu - Raga Sri


Saint Tyagaraja lived in the late 18th century and early 19th century in Tiruvayyaru in Tanjore district in Tamil Nadu. His compositions are considered to be some of the finest in Carnatic music.

About Thiruvaiyaru

Thiruvaiyaru is a small, quiet town. However, its modesty belies its importance as a pilgrim centre. On the highway from Thanjavur, you pass five bridges ' over the Vadavar, Vettar, Vennar, Kudamurutti and Cauvery, the five rivers from which Thiruvaiyaru gets its name (thiru = sacred; ai = five; aaru = river). The presiding deity of the Shiva temple here, Panchanatheesvarar (in Tamil, Ayyarappan ' both mean the same thing, `the Lord of the Five Rivers') also gets his name from them. Thiruvaiyaru is considered as holy as Varanasi and bathing in the Cauvery here is as guaranteed to rid devotees of sins as bathing in the Ganga.

Samadhi of Sri Thyagaraja

Thiruvaiyaru has been, and still is, home to many enlightened siddhas and ascetics. The 18th century saint-composer, Sri Thyagaraja, whose life was characterised by the ceaseless and divine music that flowed from him, was a resident of Thiruvaiyaru. His samadhi on the banks of the Cauvery is one of the reasons why people visit the place today.

Thyagaraja's family lived all his life in a house in Tirumanjana Veedhi (a kilometre south of the samadhi), given to the family by the Maratha royal family of Thanjavur. It is preserved for the public to visit even today (a good time to visit is around 11 am; the house is not kept open right through the day). The worship of Rama became the keynote of the boy's life, and he composed his first kriti, Namo namo Raghavaya' when he was 13, spontaneously, while worshipping the deity. Bhakti and music thereafter became his only interests in life. Thyagaraja composed more than 800 songs on Rama alone, apart from kritis praising other deities, including Aiyarappar. Saint Thyagaraja's music was a true example of nadopasana, worship through music.

The samadhi of Thyagaraja is housed in a small shrine in the middle of a shady stretch of land on the river banks. The view from here, of the river, the ghats (there are 24 in the town), and the many mansions built along the river by the Marathas, is pretty. There is something peaceful about this shrine, a feeling worth experiencing.

Every year the death anniversary of Saint Thyagaraja is commemorated on Bahula Panchami (mid-Jan) at his samadhi in Thiruvaiyaru with, appropriately, a music festival, the Thyagaraja Aradhanai. The best known Carnatic musicians join lesser known voices in singing the pancharatna kritis, the five compositions that are considered Thyagaraja's gems or ratnas. Listening to their voices soar in unison is a spiritual and emotional experience.

*Location 2 km north of the Panchanatheesvarar Temple Timings 7 am-noon, 4-8.30 pm Nearby Thingalur (the Navagraha Sthala for Moon or Thingal) is 6 km north-east