Biography of Sri Thyagaraja Swami JULY 16 2020 OK PM

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Compiled, Edited and Circulated by P. MADHUSUDAN
Biography of Sri Thyagaraja Swami

(1767 - 1847 AD)
The Musical Trinity - Sankara, Narayana and Vidhi - outshine the other Gods. thanks to their
Sadhana of Nada, - divine OMKARA, a facet of you, as Brahman.
The Trinity - Sankara, Narayana and Vidhi - outshine the other Gods. Thanks to their
Sadhana of Nada, - divine OMKARA, a facet of you, as Brahman.
Saint Thyagaraja, the more popular among the musical trinity. Born on May 4 th 1767 in
Tiruvarur in the Thanjavur district, was named as Thyagaraja after the presiding deity of
that temple town. Thyagaraja was the last son of Ramabrahmam, a musical
philosophic scholar, who gave discourses on Ramayana at the Royal Court and
Seethamma, the daughter of the Asthana Vidwan Veena Kalahastayya. Before the
birth of Thyagaraja, it is believed that the deity of the temple in Tiruvarur. Thyagaraja
Swami i.e, Lord Siva as the dancing yogi ascetic appeared in a dream to the parents,
informing them that a brilliant son will be born to them and that he would be an avatar or
incarnation of Narada and should be named as ·'Thyagaraja".
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His parents called him ''Thyagabrahmam" when he was born, at noon in the year
4868 of the Kali Era, i.e, May 4 th 1767, on the Sukhla Saptami day of the Chaitra
month.
THE NAME "THYAGARAJA
In the name Thyagaraja, certain interesting details concerning the great composer are
revealed. The Katapayadi formula when applied to this name, results in the number
1328. This when reversed gives the number 8231. The sum of all these numbers is 14,
which is twice seven. Seven is an important musical number, immortalised in the
concepts of Saptaswaras and Saptatalas.
The most important factor determining the life

of a person is the asterism in which he is
born. Thyagaraja's birth star is Pusam which
is the 8th amongst the twenty seven stars.
Number 2 stands for the month Vaisakha and
the number 1 at the end stands for the first
fortnight of the month. The numbers 2 and I
taken together, and gives the name of the
year of his birth Sarvajittu, which is the 215th
year in the Hindu cycle of sixty years.
The number 2 stands for Monday, the second
day of the week in which he was born.
The sum of the last two figures 3 and I results in 4, which indicates the Kataka lagna in
which he was born. The number 3 refers to the fact that he is the third son of his father.
All these may seem accidental coincidences but nevertheless they are facts worthy of
being pondered over.
Even when their son was a baby, the parents noticed that he stopped drinking milk fed
by his mother, whenever he heard any music being played or sung during that time.
Thyagaraja belonged to a family of pious and highly scholarly Telugu brahmins whose
family name "Kakarla” indicates that they were originally migrants from the village of the
same name in the Cumbum taluk of Andhra Pradesh. He was a Smarta, Mulakanadu
speaking Vaidiki, brahmin family who migrated from, what is now Andhra Pradesh, to
Tamil Nadu sometime during the Nayak reign, possibly as early as 1600.
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Thyagaraja belonged to the Bharadvaja gotra and the black Yajur Veda sect and the
Apasthamba Sutra.
He belonged to the group Cherukkuruvallu. Ramabrahmam, son of Giriraja Kavi,

was a distinguished exponent of Ramayana and was patronised by Tulajaji, the ruler of
Thanjavur. Thyagaraja, in his formative years, must have listened to his father's
scholarly exposition of Valmiki's great epic "Ramayana".
Intense devotion to Lord Rama became ingrained in him from his youth by
Ramabrahmam who taught him to worship Rama daily, and the boy used to compose
songs as part of the worship. Thyagaraja was initiated into the recitation of the six
syllable Ramataraka Mantra by a sanyasin or wandering ascetic named
Ramakrishnananda Swami.
The Ramataraka Mantra was recited by him continuously for twenty years. The
composer had his occasional doubts in musical science cleared by this Yatindra.
It is recorded that Narada, his Atmiya Guru, appeared before Thyagaraja and
presented him the musical treatise "Swaramavam" i.e, "Ocean of Musical Tones".
Thyagaraja, is said to have learnt and mastered all that his guru could teach him. After
that he was on his own, perfecting his technique.
Kakarla is a village in the Cumbam Taluk of Kumool District. The remote ancestors of
Thyagaraja who lived in that village were encouraged during the reign of Vijayanagar
kings to go and settle down in the South and propagate Hindu culture, by immersing
himself in the study of musicology, from various treatises.
Amazed at the phenomenal progress made by his gifted Sishya, Sonti

Venkitaramanayya arranged for his arangetram where the Vidwans of the palace were
assembled and there, Thyagaraja sang his own composition "Dorakuna Ituvanti" in
Bilahari raga. Composing his first song "Namo Namo Raghavayya" in his early teens,
Saint Thyagaraja also showed a flair for composing kritis. This composition was
composed in the raga Desyatodi and he himself inscribed it on the walls of his house.

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Thyagaraja was also a linguist and was proficient in the six languages-Sanskrit,
Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Hindi and Marathi.
Born with an exceptional scholarship and musical talent in his blood, Thyagaraja
completed the study of Sanskrit, Telugu, the Sastras, Mathematics, Astrology and
Music. Seethamma, his mother, had a collection of the padas of Purandaradasa and
Vijayagopala and she used to teach them to her beloved son. He had two brothers,
Panchapakesan alias Jalpesan and Ramanathan and they did not show much interest
towards music.
Under the guidance of his father, Thyagaraja also mastered the Valmiki
Ramayana, Potana Bhagavatham and other religious literature.
The kritis "Sitamma Mayamma" in Vasantha raga and "Girirajasutha" in Bangala raga
bear references to his parentage. He was introduced to the Sangita Pitamaha -
Purandaradasa, at a very early age and worshipped him as Adiguru. After Thyagaraja
displayed his gifted talent as a lyricist, Ramabrahmam took him to Sonti
Venkitaramanayya, the famed Thanjavur Court musician, to learn music.
Thyagaraja learned conventional Karnataka Sangeeta, but to learn the deeper secrets,
he developed devotion to Sage Narada, the mythical wandering Vaishnava bhakti
singer and his own maternal grandfather's musicological manuscripts.
PURANDARADASA, the "Kamataka Sangita Pitamaha" was the main inspiration for
him. Thyagarajaswami was also great admirer of Kshetrajna, Bhadrachalam Ramdas,
Yati Narayana Theertha and Jayadeva and the influence of these composers can be
seen in his krithis. He infused a new dynamism into this tradition which had come down
through the ages.
Thyagaraja started his career at a time when there was a wealth of musical genius in
the district of Tanjore, the brightest spot on the musical map of South India. Tanjore
has to its credit having the largest number of lakshanakaras, musicians and composers
too.

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Early in his life, Sri Thyagaraja mastered all the available works on music of the time.
The thorough mastery of the science of music enabled him in the later years to
compose with a certain amount of self-confidence.
His intensive study of musicology enabled him to compose a number of kritis on the
theme of the greatness of music and on the value of a knowledge of the Sangita sastra.
THYAGARAJAASA VAGGEYAKARA
Saint Thyagaraja's compositions are outpourings of love, prayer and appeal and
his life is an epitome of the excellence of nobility and virtue. Thyagaraja Swami
was the most illustrious composer among the trinity and bhakti was the keynote of his
compositions. His works are of delicate spirituality, full of melodic beauty and in the
highest sense artistic. Sri Thyagaraja firmly believed that nadopasana can lead one to
salvation only if it was combined with bhakti. He mastered selfless devotion without any
desire and it was Nishkama Bhakthi. He visualised only Lord Rama in everything in
and around. The lyrics of Thyagaraja's songs are supremely worth mentioning from the
spiritual and aesthetic points of view. They are not only a guide to the spiritual aspirant
but also the record of the experience of one to whom Sri Rama was the giver of bliss
par excellences as well as the gracious Lord with an infinity of auspicious attributes Lord
Rama is said to have appeared to Thyagaraja on numerous occasions to give comfort
and to show his approval of the Saint's songs.
Swara raga and bhava are the essential; components of siddha sangeetam and
with bhakti it elevates the soul from the cycle of births and deaths.
Sadguru Thyaga Brahman has enriched his kritis with all these three aspects,
emphasizing bhakti and bhava. The outburst of his inner yearnings and surrender to the
Paramatma has earned the approval of Sri Rama himself.
Thyagaraja lived during a period of intense musical activity and his age,·in fact the
brightest period in the history of South Indian music. The Thanjavur court is stated to
have had since three hundred musicians of repute under its patronage and many of
them had already proved their mettle both as performing musicians and as composers.
it was in the midst of these giants that Thyagaraja was called upon to take up his
challenging role.

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Vidwans of calibre who were devoting all their time to the rendering of alapanas,
discovered the alluring beauty and charm of Thyagaraja's kritis and began to study them
in detail.
Indian music, being a fathomless system, Sri Thyagaraja dwelved deep, into its
mysteries, and brought out, the rare gems, of resplendent beauty.
A true spiritual singer, he offered his music to God and none else and the
consummate mastery of the technique of compositions is revealed in his kritis.
Thyagaraja Swami's compositions are full of life and some of his songs have a bearing
on the problems of life. During the 18 th and 19th centuries he exerted the greatest
influence upon musical art in south India and revolutionised the very nature of
Karnataka Sangeetha or Karnatic Music. Thyagaraja kritis are accepted today as the
most adequate interpretation of the classical Carnatic music, from both the music and
sahitya points of view.
Thyagaraja Swami actually led a life what he preached. His music, in which rasa
dominates throughout, by the apt application of the most appropriate raga has been
compared as Drakshapaka, i.e., there is a common saying that his pieces can be
learned quite fast, just like chewing a grape fruit. Sri Thyagaraja's contributions to
Carnatic music consists of individual kirtanas, Divyanama Kirtanas, Utsava
Sampradaya kirtanas, kritis, Samudaya or group kritis, operas like Prahlada
Bhakti Vijayam, Nowka Charitram and Sitarama Vijayam. A true sahaja
vaggeyakara i.e., a born composer, Thyagaraja is an example of a composer who
provided both Sahitya and Sangeeta for his pieces. A composer both in Telugu, and
Sanskrit, the verses adorning his operas testify to his poetic genius. Thyagaraja was
the supreme architect of the 'kriti' form. This form was handled by him lavishing on it all
his gifts as a composer. He did not compose varnams, swarajatis, padas, javalis,
ragamalikas and the like but made kriti the sole vehicle for all the spices of music
current in his time and with that he wove patterns of geetams, varnams, svarajatis
etc. in the looms of Karnataka Sangeeta.
Sri Thyagaraja is the only composer who has clearly defined the lakshanas of a
kriti, but in common parlance we use the terms 'kirtana' and 'kriti' in a somewhat
loose manner.
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Thyagaraja's Pancharatna group in the Ghana ragas is called by both names but
his Utsava Sampradaya and Divyanama songs are called kirtanas.
Thyagaraja was a non believer in extensive pilgrimages but certain engagements took
him to a few holy places where he utilized the opportunity to sing the praise of the
deities enshrined there. These group kritis on holy places are among the most mature
of his compositions from the music and sahitya point of view
Thyagaraja composed a series of songs referred to as Utsava Sampradaya Kirtanas

and Divyanama Kirtanas which are in simpler metrical setting to facilitate
congregational singing, but it is in them that he gives out his profound thoughts and also
exhibits his command over Sanskrit and Telugu.
Thyagaraja, the greatest and the most prolific composer of "kriti" occupies an
honoured place amongst the composers of group kritis.
His poetic skill, his gift at melody, his capacity to wield the language of music the
fecundity and exuberance of his musical imagination are all revealed in an amazing
manner in his group kritis which are flooded with their sangita madhurya and sahitya
bhava.
The 'Pancha Ratnam', or 'five gems' in the traditional Ghana ragas. Natta, Gaula,
Arabhi, Varali and Sriraga is Thyagaraja's most scholarly contribution to South Indian
music. There is nothing to surpass them from the point of view of richness of musical
conception or the flowing character of their sahitya. It is noteworthy that all the five
pieces are in the Aditala, the tempo of which has however been varied by Thyagaraja
in different ways to suit the mood of each song in the group. Decorative angas like
swara sahitya, yati, prasa, swarakshara etc lend an additional charm to these kritis.
Gamakas and Sangatis too add beauty to them and they are rich in rasabhava. Sri
Thyagarajaswami took delight in singing these pieces during the Unchavritti bhajanas
and this belongs to his middle period. They are set in the ghana panchaka ragas which
were used by vainikas of past for playing tanam on vina. This Pancharatnam has
earned for Sri Thyagaraja universal admiration and it has found a prominent place in the
list of songs sung during the morning of the Annual festival day of the Aradhana
Mahotsavam in Tiruvaiyyar for years.

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Once when Sri Thyagaraja visited Tirupati, the shrine was closed. In deep sorrow he
sang the kriti "Teratiyagarada" in Gaulipantu raga in front of the sanctum sanctorum
and the doors opened miraculously for him.
He was thrilled to have a darshan to his hearts’ content of the Lord and he at once sang
another composition "Venkatesa Ninnusevimpa" in Madhyamavati raga, Adi Tala.
Thyagaraja has also composed certain kirtanas givmg highly valuable messages. The
kriti "Siva Siva Siva Yenaradha" in Pantuvarali raga and the Divyanamavali
"Raghunandana Raghunandana Raghunandana" in Kedaragaula raga are distinct. In

these pieces he remarks that the chanting of the Lord's name thrice will remove all sins.
SATARAGA RATNAMALIKA OR KIRTANA SATAKA
This consists of hundred Divyanama kirtanas composed by the Saint and offered as a
garland to Lord Krishna. Some songs included in Kirtana Sataka are "Sri
Ramajayarama" in Madhyamavati raga and "Pahikalyana" in Karnataka Kapi. The
main intention behind these compositions was singing in congregation by devotees of
the Lord. In the kriti "Raga Ratnamalikache" in Ritigaula raga, the reference to this is
obtained. Sri Thyagaraja may be called the "Geyanataka marga darsi" since he is the
first composer to write a regular geyanatakam or opera. Prior to him there were some
nrityanatakas or dance dramas.
His three operas- Prahlada Bhakti Vijayam, Nowka Charitram and Sitarama
Vijayam in Telugu are splendid compositions and are precious gifts to the music world.
Sri Thyagaraja's genius as a playwright, his powers at effective characterization, his
dramatic instinct, his literary and poetic skill, knowledge of sacred, insight into human
nature, talents for conceiving musical dialogues, capacity to introduce fictitious
characters and incidents to heighten the interest in the play and his gifts at melody
making are fully revealed in these three operas.
HIS SISHYA PARAMPARA
Sri Thyagaraja's Sishya Parampara can be classified into three - Umayalpuram,

Tillaisthanam and Walajapet.
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His Umayalpuram disciples were those who learned directly from him. These disciples
worked tirelessly to preserve and record his popular as well as rare kritis for posterity.
Umayalpuram Venkita Ramayyar and Umayalpuram Sundara Bhagavathar were his
famous disciples. The Tillaisthanam disciples presented his kritis in bhajanas.
Narasimha Bhagavathar, Panju Bhagavathar and Tanjavur Krishna Bhagavathar

were the prominent disciples in this parampara. Narasimha Bhagavathar has collected
and published around 514 kritis of Thyagaraja Swami in his book "Thyagaraja Swami
Kirthanalu". The Walajapet Sishyas have collected and notated his largest number of
kritis.
Sri Venkataramana Bhagavathar and his son-in-law Krishna Swami were the chief
votaries of this parampara. Venkataramana Bhagavathar used to visit Thyagaraja
Swami daily and became his disciple. He has composed the kriti "Gurucharanam
Bhajare" in praise of Thyagaraja. He contributed around eight hundred Thyagaraja
kritis to be published in Chinnaswami Bhagavathar's "Oriental Music in European
Notation".
HIS END
Sri Thyagaraja was very much aware of his end and he was able to foresee it. Ten
days before his Siddhi day, he had a dream wherein Sri Rama, surrounded by all his
parivaras or retinue, promised that he would take him back in ten day's time. He
immortalised this dream in his last pieces "Giripai" in Sahana raga and "Paritapamu" in
Manohari raga. In the Sahana kriti he says, "Giripai nelakonna ramuni guri dappaka
kanti" - "Unerringly I have seen Sri Rama who is installed on the hill. My body was
thrilled, tears of joy rolled down my cheeks and I merely mumbled 33 unable to
give expression to my thought".
The day of the dream was dasami. A day before his demise, the Saint requested
Paramahamsa Brahmanandendra Swami to initiate him into Sanyasa ashrama.
There was no need to initiate him as he had already led a saintly life. But on his
repeated requests, the Swamiji agreed to do so and he was named
"NADABRAHMANANDA".

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On the following day, towards the close of the Ekadasi bhajana, he made the
euphemistic statement that on the coming Babula Panchami day, an adbhuta or
miracle will take place and that all can come and witness it. He did not directly say that
he was going to quit the mortal coil on that day, lest that should create a stir. On the
morning of the siddhi, he sang the two famous songs "Paramatmudu", in
Vagadeeshwari raga, Aditala and "Paritapamu' m Manohari raga, Rupaka tala. After
that he sat in the pose of Yoga Samadhi. As the predicted moment approached all
singing there gradually stopped and the crowd assembled there just heard a mysterious
nadam emanating from the Saint's head. Soon they saw a bright flash of light flying off
from his head and proceeding skywards in a northerly direction. He thus attained
Samadhi in his 80th year on the 6th of January 1847 on the auspicious Pushya
Bahula Panchami day, in the month of Prabhava.
He was laid to rest near the Samadhi of his beloved Guru Sonti Venkataramanayya
with all honours as per his wish.
The Thyagaraja Aradhana Mahotsavam, celebrated every year with great pomp and
splendour at Tiruvarur, where his Samadhi is situated, reveals the greatness of the
Saint. Renowned musicians participate whole heartily in this musical confluence and
today this festival has gained popularity internationally also.
Sri Thyagaraja's contributions to music is so great, that his kritis have dominated the
field of Camatic music for over a century and they have formed the basis of education
for successive generations of musicians in South India. His compositions are the most
widely known, most popular and they predominate in musical concerts too. "Saint
Thyagaraja is believed to be the combined incarnation of Valmiki, Vyasa, and
Narada, and his kritis comprise a triveni of Sangita, Sahitya, and Vedanta". To a
true practitioner of Carnatic music, Saint Thyagaraja, through his songs, inspire,
instructs and arouses bhakti in all aspects. In this respect his pieces deserve to be
adored, sung with utmost devotion and passed on to the future generation also.
Thyagaraja kritis are stunning forms of Sri Rama placed on a musical pedestal for the
attention of artists and rasikas to learn and adore.
He led a life of spirituality, simplicity and piety and therefore his kritis are treated as
musical UPANISHADS and the entire collection of compositions is referred to as
"THYAGOPANISHAD".
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New Street – The house where Saint Thyagaraja was born

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Kamal Haasan on Sri Thyagaraja Swami: The triple
burden of ignorance, arrogance and Hinduphobia
The recent blasphemous remark on Sri Thyagaraja Swami by actor and to-be
politician Kamal Haasan, is part of the Breaking Bharat grand narrative, rooted in
the regional socio-political-cultural ecosystem of Dravidanadu.
Kamal Haasan whose real name is Parthasarathy Srinivasan was born to a

middle class Brahmin family in Paramakudi, Tamil Nadu. His father was a
lawyer, and mother, a homemaker. His several marriages have all ended in
divorces. He has two daughter – Shruti and Akshara, who too are actresses.
I have lived in Chennai since the late 1970s, when it was still Madras. I still remember
an elderly Brahmin who often visited our street, clanging his cymbals rhythmically, in his
hands, and sang bhajans rapturously. His bhakti (devotion) and bhavyam (humility)
was unselfconscious. The grandmothers and mothers offered him rice and prostrated
before him to seek his blessings.
That was my first experience of UNCHAVRITHI – a sacred act in which a

BHAGAVATA (a bard or devotee of the Divine) accepts offering of rice grain from
people.
UNCHAVRITHI is a code of conduct for a GRAHASTA BHAGAVATHA

(householder devotee) prescribed in the dharma shastras. No, we never
perceived it as “begging.” On the contrary, it was a privilege; an honour to give
unasked.
Given this backdrop, the recent rant by actor, and second rate politician, Kamal
Haasan on Sri Thyagaraja Swami (1767-1847), reeks of arrogance, ignorance and
presumptuousness. For those even with an elementary knowledge of Carnatic
music, like me, Sri Thyagaraja needs no introduction. The iconic, prolific, and
divinely inspired composer and musician is unanimously acknowledged as one
of the Trimurtis or Trinity of musical pioneers in the Carnatic music tradition.
BREAKING BHARAT GRAND NARRATIVE

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Whipping up controversies, sensationalizing and stirring a hornet’s nest is nothing new
for Kamal Haasan and others of his ilk, in the public space in Tamil Nadu. This also
closely follows another widely publicised remark by one of his colleagues on the
BRHADEESWARA temple and the ANDAL controversy led by Tamil lyricist and
poet Vairamuthu last year, who is just a second rate film lyrist. No great
achievement!
However, when one connects the dots, the pixilation morphs into a well-defined image –
lack of serious scholarship grounded in Bharatiya knowledge systems and traditions,
rootlessness, criticizing and attacking cherished beliefs and whitewashing Hindu
dharma traditions, rituals and practices; all this etched on a canvas of Left Liberalism
that revels in denigrating or demonising one particular faith and community. This is part
of the Breaking Bharat grand narrative rooted in the regional socio-political-cultural
ecosystem.
MISCHIEVOUS MALICIOUS ANALOGY
The trigger for Haasan’s absurd observation was a live interaction with another samall
time actor Vijay Sethupathy on Instagram on May 4, 2020. There could not have been
a more disparate context in which the remark was made. The two actors were
discussing, among other things, the relative merits and demerits of art and commercial
cinema.
Haasan, who straddles both worlds, used the analogy of Sri Thyagaraja Swami
“begging” on the streets of Thanjavur.
The analogy highlighted his stance of choosing to launch his own film production and
distribution company and thereby avoid grovelling before the portals of art cinema.
As reported in the media, when asked by Sethupathi on chalking his own style in the
Indian film industry, the veteran actor, who dabbles more in politics these days, said that
he wouldn’t have launched Raaj Kamal Company had he not acted in the out and out
commercial Tamil film “Sakala Kala Vallavan” (roughly translated as Master of all arts)
in 1982.

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“People criticised me for acting in that movie after having acted in Moondram Pirai
(remade as Sadma in Hindi). Even I was angry with myself. But had I not touched that
route; I would not have launched Raaj Kamal. We are in a trade (profession) in which
we sell tickets. This is not singing seeking charity, the way how Thyagaraja Iyer (Saint
Tyagaraja) sang about (Lord) Rama and begged on the streets of Thanjavur. I don’t
have any interest in such an art like that.
My desire is that tickets should sell, I want to become like MGR (late matinee idol and
founder of the AIADMK – All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam – M G
Ramachandran), Sivaji (Ganesan). Then, why should I be adamant that I won’t make
people happy? If they (people) don’t understand my art, I have to bring them to that
level. Instead of that I can be living in a forest as a saint or live there itself bathing in
slush or not having a bath…”
Surprisingly, the actor’s remarks were also widely reported in mainstream media.
SPARKING A FURORE
Carnatic musicians, and rasikas or connoisseurs of Carnatic music revere Sri

Thyagaraja as “Thyaga Brahmam;” an amsa or spark of Brahma himself. The
actor’s denigration and out of context reference to the life of the composer and a
reductionist view of Hindu practices sparked off a furore among the Carnatic musical
community.
UNITED FOR A CAUSE
In an unprecedented show of solidarity, several Carnatic musicians, led by

Palghat Ramprasad, grandson of the late iconic mridangam vidwan Palghat T S
Mani Iyer, launched an online petition seeking an unconditional apology from
Kamal Haasan, who is also the founder of a political outfit MAKKAL NEEDHI
MANDRAM (MNM), for his blasphemous reference to Sri Thyagaraja “begging in
praise of Lord Rama’.”
“The specific reference to Thyagarajar and Lord Rama, also suggests the negatively
pointed target on a specific religion / caste, which is indeed an insult to the followers of
this faith:

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because we all know that in the past and present, there have been several saints and
scholars from various religions who have earned a livelihood – cannot stoop to lows of
mentioning that as ‘begging’ – in praise of Gods of the religions they belong to. Also,
the UNCHAVRITHI he did was owing to his Bhakti, and not agendas outside of that.
While no one can tarnish the image of a holy soul such as Thyagaraja, least of all by
people who conveniently and selectively oppose certain faith-based ideologies, the
remark on him is extremely hurtful to an entire section of the society, which perhaps,
you may care least about. However, we artists from the Carnatic music fraternity
strongly object to the pointed reference of a holy saint whom we all revere, and demand
an apology for your malignant and despicable remarks against him carried out
intentionally or otherwise.”
Gayathri Venkataraghavan, Carnatic musician and one of the petitioners

concurred with the tone and tenor of the petition. She said –
“Absolutely well said and I fully and completely stand by every word written in
this petition! Unchavrithi is a form of worship in itself bringing together the
Lord’s devotees in a very unique way. And those who welcomed Thyagaraja
Swami (during his Unchavrithi), who has done more than a crore Rama namas
knew that they were welcoming one of the one of the greatest devotees. Such
derogatory comments should be condemned.”
Since the last count, the online petition has garnered more than 27,000
petitioners and the numbers continue to swell.
MIND MATTERS
“Nidhi sala sukhama ramudu sannidhi seva sukhama…” (Oh! My mind! Tell me,
truthfully, whether wealth is comforting or is the holy presence of Sri Rama more
comforting?) sang Sri Thyagaraja, who spurned the offer by the Maharaja of
Thanjavur Serfoji II Bhonsle to be part of his court.

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RECLAIM THE NARRATIVE
UNCHAVRITHI is not “art” as Kamal Haasan alleged. It is a SADHANA (spiritual

practice) that involves dissolution of the AHAMKARA (ego).
Sri Thyagaraja infused his kala (art) with sadhana. Unfortunately, for many
ignoramuses like Kamal Haasan, their art is denuded of sadhana.
AND ART WITHOUT SADHANA LACKS ESSENCE.
To carry spiritual profundity and musical genius is a rare boon. Sri Thyagaraja
embodied it in body and soul. However, to be swayed by the intoxication of
arrogance, ignorance and rootlessness, is an asuric manifestation and a curse.
Voices of Hinduphobia manifest this in both letter and spirit. Its time, however, to
reclaim the narrative of SANATANA DHARMA from ADHARMIC forces
masquerading as the voice of reason, iconoclasm and so-called progressive and
liberal thought.
THE TRIAD

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Biography of Sri Thyagaraja Swami JULY 16 2020 OK PM

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COVAI MUSINGS

July 17, 2020

Biography of Sri Thyagaraja Swami

# 53 Covai Shenbagam Estate

THE NAME "THYAGARAJA

The most important factor determining the life

He belonged to the group Cherukkuruvallu. Ramabrahmam, son of Giriraja Kavi,

Amazed at the phenomenal progress made by his gifted Sishya, Sonti

# 53 Covai Shenbagam Estate

# 53 Covai Shenbagam Estate

# 53 Covai Shenbagam Estate

Thyagaraja composed a series of songs referred to as Utsava Sampradaya Kirtanas

# 53 Covai Shenbagam Estate

"Raghunandana Raghunandana Raghunandana" in Kedaragaula raga are distinct. In

SATARAGA RATNAMALIKA OR KIRTANA SATAKA

HIS SISHYA PARAMPARA

Sri Thyagaraja's Sishya Parampara can be classified into three - Umayalpuram,

Narasimha Bhagavathar, Panju Bhagavathar and Tanjavur Krishna Bhagavathar

# 53 Covai Shenbagam Estate

New Street – The house where Saint Thyagaraja was born

# 53 Covai Shenbagam Estate

Kamal Haasan whose real name is Parthasarathy Srinivasan was born to a

That was my first experience of UNCHAVRITHI – a sacred act in which a

UNCHAVRITHI is a code of conduct for a GRAHASTA BHAGAVATHA

BREAKING BHARAT GRAND NARRATIVE

MISCHIEVOUS MALICIOUS ANALOGY

# 53 Covai Shenbagam Estate

Carnatic musicians, and rasikas or connoisseurs of Carnatic music revere Sri

UNITED FOR A CAUSE

In an unprecedented show of solidarity, several Carnatic musicians, led by

# 53 Covai Shenbagam Estate

Gayathri Venkataraghavan, Carnatic musician and one of the petitioners

# 53 Covai Shenbagam Estate

UNCHAVRITHI is not “art” as Kamal Haasan alleged. It is a SADHANA (spiritual

AND ART WITHOUT SADHANA LACKS ESSENCE.

# 53 Covai Shenbagam Estate

# 53 Covai Shenbagam Estate

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