Tyagaraja

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Tyagaraja’s Concept of Music

It is indeed fortunate that Tyagaraja has left to posterity, apart from his
legendary musical output, his intimate philosophical musings also. There
may be people who insist that musical compositions are mere musical
compositions, and not poetry. They are free to nurse their fancy notion
that music is to be evaluated exclusively on the basis of the dhatus, and
about the literary content, the less said, the better. This philosophy
unfortunately can do little justice to the beauty of the compositions of master
minds like Tyagaraja and Diksitar. In the case of Tyagaraja, who
documented his turbulent, lyrical and spiritual mindscape through his intense
musical outpourings, the lyrical outpourings are as intense as their musical
manifestations. Fortunately, thousands of connoisseurs of music having
some literary ingenuity continue to be sensitive to the message he sought to
convey through his compositions, though it will be unjust to separate the
dhatu from the matu from the organic whole which constitutes his musical
legacy. Both of them are complementary to each other.

If we analyse the thought content of Tyagaraja’s compositions, one


important point which will strike to our mind is his self reflexive thought,
wherein he ponders over his own devotion, his life and his attitude to music
as such. Here we learn about thee travails and torments the great saint had to
undergo in his quest of the ultimate reality .The life of Tyagaraja were not a
path strewn with roses all the way. He had his great disappointments, doubts
and agonies which tortured his soul. Often, he was filled with distress at the
selfishness and greed of the human beings. Tyagaraja often quarrels with
and complains to Rama, his ishtadevata and muses over the human nature
with its inherent weaknesses. And he occasionally speaks about music.
Probably, the most philosophical aspect of his thought centers around his
own reflections about music .Here he clarifies what music means to him and
what in his concept falls short of his lofty ideals. This is done time and
again, and deserves our close analysis, as a full appreciation of the colorful
personality of Tyagaraja will be impossible if we leave aside his precious
philosophical deliberations.

The famous Sankarabharana piece, Svararagasudha yuta bhakti contains in


gist Tyagaraja’s very philosophy of music. It is composed like an inner
monologue of the saint to his own mind. Tyagaraja here records that he
possesses the deep knowledge of Swararnava, imparted by Lord Siva to
Parvati .He declares that music is not a means of salvation; it is the salvation

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itself. The realization of the principle of Nada, originating from the
Muladhara itself, according to him creates the supreme bliss. That is the
reason why he equates music combined with devotion with both svarga
(heaven) and apavarga(salvation). It may be recalled that in Indian tradition,
the ultimate salvation through philosophical knowledge is difficult to attain.
The Bhagavadgita says: bahunam janmanamante jnanavan mam
prapadyate: A person opting Jnanamarga has to wait for several births to
attain the God. On the other hand, through the path of devotion, a person can
attain salvation the very moment he realizes Ragas.

The same philosophy of music is time and again repeated in many other self-
reflexive krtis also. In the Kalyanavasanta piece nadaloludai, Tyagaraja
exhorts his mind to attain the highest spiritual bliss by losing itself in Nada,
which is associated with various Ragas, manifested by the seven notes. In
his Devagandhari piece, Sitavarasangita, he says that music is a gift of god
which qualifies a person to become a realized soul. In Moksamu galada, his
Saramati piece, Tyagaraja asks if it is possible to anybody, except the
Jivanmukta to attain salvation. It is indeed difficult to reach the higher
realms of divine consciousness without a proper knowledge of divine music
combined with true devotion, he asserts. The Andolika piece Ragasudharasa
contains the exhortation “O mind! Drink the nectar of the Ragas and attain
the fruits of Yaga, Yoga, Tyaga and Bhoga.” Here he asserts that a person
who comprehends the nature of Nada, Omkara and Svara as Sadasiva
himself is a realized soul (Jivanmukta).The Jaganmohini song, Sobhillu
saptasvara exhorts the mind to worship the “beautiful goddess presiding over
the seven svaras’. She is manifested through navel, heart, throat tongue and
nose. She is embodied in Rgveda and Samaveda and the heart of Gayatri
Mantra .She shines in the minds of gods, holy persons and Tyagaraja.

It is therefore not surprising that Tyagaraja cannot conceive of musical skill


which does not surrender in all humility to the Absolute .Music without
devotion is like body without a soul. In the song Svararagasudharasa,
Tyagaraja spurns vulgar musicians as cranes and frogs (bakabhekamu) who
sit on the lotus of supreme bliss without knowing the least what it is. In
Maryadagadura, another Sankarabharana piece, he asserts that those
Bhagavatas who have no knowledge of Raga and Tala, and more
importantly, no love and devotion and no knowledge or Yogic practice are
condemned to be born again and again. In his, Dhanyasi piece,
sangitajnanamu, he declares that music without devotion will lead one

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astray.1 True spiritual music is a great art practiced by sages and saints like
Bhrngi, Natesa and Hanuman. The worth of music is known only by a
person who knows right and wrong, the worthlessness of worldly wealth,
and who has conquered his inner enemies like passion and anger. It may be
recalled that Indian philosophical systems like Yoga and Vedanta also
underline the importance of ethical purity for a person desirous of attaining
spiritual salvation.

It is remarkable that Rama, Tyagaraja’s Istadevata, is portrayed as the very


embodiment of music. According to Dr.Raghavan “there seems to be a
peculiar approproateness in Tyagaraja’s selection of the Saguna form of Sri
Ramachandra for his Bhakti”2.He refers to the fact that Valmiki himself
mentions the musical accomplishments of Rama in Valmikiramayana
Gandharve ca bhuvi sresthah
babhuva bharatagrajah.3
Rama’s love of music is referred to in expressions like Sangita lola,
Ganalola, Samaganalola, Gitapriya, Ragarasika, Saptasvarachari, and the
like. In his Sadhincene, the Pancaratna piece, set in Arabhi, Tyagaraja refers
to Rama as the maintainer of musical tradition (sangitasampradayakudu).In
Nadasudharasa, another Arabhi piece; he makes Rama the very embodiment
of the nectar of Nada and Rasa. Another deity who is referred to as the
embodiment of music is Siva himself. In Nadatanumanisam, his remarkable
Sanskrit piece, in Chittaranjini, Tyagaraja describes Siva as the very
embodiment of Nada .He is described as the essence of Samaveda. The
seven svaras are here described as born from his five faces like sadyojata.

It is not surprising that Tyagaraja has recorded his own perceptions of music
in many of his compositions. He defines Krti or Kirtana in his song
Sogasugamrdangatalamu. In the words of Dr.V.Raghavan, Kritis, as
conceived by Tyagaraja expound the true words of the exalted Upanisads,
and are marked by correct placements of Svaras, and rhythmic turns and
pauses, and reflect true devotion and detachment( vairagya) 4. Rich in nine
Rasas, they are like grapes rich in juice .

1
V.Raghavan, Saint Tyagaraja(Introductory thesis to The spiritual Heritage of Tyagaraja), p. 42
2
Ibid, p.40.
3
Ayodhyakanda, II 2.34.See Raghavan, op.cit, p. 40
4
Raghavan, op,. cit .p.36.

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Raghavan also attempts a free paraphrase with an irresistible
contemporaneous touch of the interesting song of Tyagaraja
Kaddanuvariki, the Todi piece, which, to him, insists on a “well trained
voice, perfect Sruti, spotless personal character, and faithfulness to tradition”
Cast off your sleep, get up very early in the morning and
practice;culture your voice well in the still early hours of the
morning(we may add –do not sleep till 9.00A.M and allow your
voice to sink to half a kattai or quarter of a kattai and then
requisition the other limbs of your body to make sancharas
which your voice cannot execute).Take a beautiful Tambura for
your Sruti(we may add-cast off your Sruti box) Let your mind
be pure, intone the svaras correctly and well, and stick to the
sampradaya.5

In Tyagaraja’s world, even the trinity follows the path of Nadopasana to


attain the supreme bliss. He says , in his garudadhvani piece, srinayaka that
one that does not float on the ocean of muisic which is Brahmananda
itself ,adored by the gods and Vedas , is a burden to the earth.

To sum up Tyagaraja’s concept of music, we cannot miss the fact that it was
a way of life to him. He could not think about any compromises for it or for
the values he cherished. The story goes that he politely declined the
invitation of the King to sing in praise of him .He had a mystic’s mind and
explored the higher secrets of the universe through his devotional music.
True to his lofty concept, he never allowed his songs to degenerate into
verbal or acoustic acrobatics .They deserve a reverential handling from the
sensitive artist. Each Kriti of Tyagaraja has a soul, to realize which, we have
to go beyond mere technical mastery.

5
Ibid, p.38

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