श्री त्यागराज आराधना

माणिक्य कृति पुष्प मोदितम् परम् 

साहित्य दळ लावण्य नन्दितं देवम् 

विविध राग सुगन्ध मोहितमनन्तम् 

अनन्य भक्ति मधुधाराभिषिक्तमच्युतम् 

भक्तिज गानाराधितम् नादब्रह्मम् 

भ्रिङ्गीकृत  पट्टाभिरामम्  पावन मूर्तिं 

निश्शंक निर्मोह निलयीकृत परभ्रह्मम् 

श्री त्यागराज हृद्सदनं साकेतसदनम् ||

अहं वन्दे, अहं वन्दे, अहं वन्दे |

ThyAgarAja ArAdhanA-meaning.

I bow down to that SriRAmA, again and again. That SriRAmA was ruling over  koshala country from the capital Ayodhya. It was also known as SAketha puram.

      Sri ThyAgaarAja swamigal was dedicatedly devoted to Sri RamA.  The bhakthi of Swamigal forms the very grammar (ilakkaNam of Bhakthi itself )as codified by Prahladha in BAgavatham.  

PrahlAdha says to his father HiraNya kaShipu, when the latter asked his son to tell him the best thing that he had learnt at school-:”That I consider as the best lesson, worthy to be learnt, if man could practice devotion to the Lord’ characterized by nine forms: listening to the Lord’s song and glory, singing of the Lord, contemplation of the Lord, worshipping His feet especially saluting Him, serving Him like a servant, moving with Him as a friend, and offering oneself to Him”. Our SwamigaL,  dedicatedly followed this ‘Ananya Bhakthi’ , single minded devotion ,  (not having attachment to any other fields that attract the five senses).Saint singer, Sri thyAgaraja SwamigaL offered all of the breathing moments of his life to the loving service of his heart’s deity, SriRama of Ayodhya.

     All the karnAtaka sangeetha kruthis of  our Swamigal are worthy treasures of our BhArath. It is the bounden duty of this generation of musicians, music lovers and parents to handover this unique wealth in it’s prestine glory to our posterity. House, gold, cash are not worthy treasures before “The Bhakthi pravAham of ourSwAmigaL’s kruthis.

     I never learnt music-karnataka sangeetham. But I had my natural love for the Sanskrit language and by god’s gace I started going through all the kruthi’s of Swamigal with meaning . A world of supreme happiness was expanding before me I felt. It was a perennial happiness that was expanding. That is how I understood it to be. I composed the poem given above as an ARADHaNA of our swamigaL.

     I am saluting and prostrating to that SriRAma, who was adored by our swAmigaL through “NADHOPASANA”. Songs drenched with Bhakthi, are the very flowers with which our SwamigaL worshipped SriRama.

     MaNikya Kruthi-pushpa modhitham Param:- SwamigaL’s kruthis  are gems of kruthis’.Sri Rama is extremely delighted by these Ruby-like kruthis.We should also not forget that The Deity pleased and delighted is not just SriRama of Ayodhya, but the very Supreme Being, Brahman, creator Himself. In many kruthis, SwamigaL himself draws our attention to the fact, the basic truth revealed in Ramayana  that the supreme Vishnu offers solace to Brahma and the Devas that He Vishnu himself will be born as Sri Rama, Dasaratha’s son  to annihilate RAvaNa.

     SAhithya daLa lAvaNya nanditham DEvam:-The literature of  the kruthis are compared to the beautiful petals of flowers, by which Rama is gladdened. All the kruthis are feeding with details of the themes inculcated through the Vedas, puraNas, epics, shasthras etc. The kruthis are gold mines of references to related events and upadesas. Sri Rama is the Deity Deva(God) extremely pleased by  our SwamigaL’s  weaving of beautiful bakthi literature.

     Vivida rAga sugandha santhushtamanantham:-The excellance of the ragas in which the kruthis flowed from the bhakthi drenched consciousness of our Swamigal  is unique.Rama himself is a sangeetha Rasika-enjoyer of sangeetham,  The different ragas lend elegance of sweet fragrance to these kruthi flowers. Srirama extremely enjoys  the Ragas’ fragrance. Anantha is another epithet for Brahman which tells Brahman is endless.

     Ananyabhakthi- dhArAbishikthamachyutham:- Achyutha is another epithet for Vishnu.The Deity Rama/Brahman is given sacred bath-abhishekam of unique, singleminded devotion by our SwamigaL. The flow of bhakthi and sangeetham from the consciousness of Sri ThyAgaraja swamigaL, was a breakless continuous flow of bhakthi gAnam , with which Swamigal performs abhishekam for his beloved Deity. Achyutha means that  the supreme Being does not undergo any change.

     Bhakthija-gAnAraditham NAdaBhrahmam:- From the fountain of Rama-bhakthi of Sri SwAmigaL, is born the honey- river of ThyAgarAja kruthis,which many FORTUNATE SOULS ENJOY. Through karnAtaka sangeetha -based kruthis in various soul-touching ragas ,SwamigaL worshipped RamA, also the very Supreme Being, Brahman.

       

 The sound form or the sweet melody ‘s source –form , worshipped is  NADABRHMAM. The source and base of all knowledge is only “The Supreme Being”. The supreme Being is the only fountain-source of all branches of science, art or any other branches of learning, all emanate  from and merge only in the Supreme Being. Brahman is omniscient or all knowing.This melody- form of the Supreme Being, NAdabrahmam is worshipped by SwamigaL through his “honey-river of “gAna pravaham”.-

     Brungikrutha  PattAbirAmam PAvanamUrthym:-Pattabirama is made a honey bee while enjoying the madhura-bhakthi-gAnam of our SwAmigaL. This PattAbi- Rama was not only the crowned king of Koshala country, but he is also “ the SuguNa SamrAjya’s Crowned emperor”. All good qualities that a man should possess, find their abode in Sri Rama. He is the very form which supreme purity     has taken, PAvana Murthy. The very Name “RAMA” is super purifier, which is initiated in the ear of the dead bodies, in The holy Ganga, at Kasi-kshetram. These bodies are held by Parvathy Devi, and Lord Shiva gives the upadesam(intiation) of “TAraka Nama”, “RAMA”.  This Rama nAma is capable of transporting the departed souls to salvation. SwAmigaL himself has offered a kruthi in which he adores Shiva as the one who knows the supreme efficacy of the RamanAma. Saint SrirAmakrishNa , a devotee of KaLi Devi , had Darshan of this unique scene on the river ganges.

     Nishshanka nirmoha nilayikrutha para Brahmam:- ThyAgarajaSwamigal had gained the knowledge of the Supreme Being, Brhma gnanam, thoroughly through his studies of all the holy scriptures. He did not entertain even an iota of doubt about a brahmagnani attaining salvation by worshipping Brahman with singleminded God’s love; he established Brahman in his soul’s depth and worshipped the Supreme Being who was Rama the Hero of our epic, RamAyaNa.

     SrithyAgaraja-hrud-sadanam saketasadanam:-Parabrahmam born as Dasaratha Rama  had taken joyously his abode in the very heart of our Swamigal. In  not less than four kruthis we find Swamigal explaining his manasa puja for Sri Rama. Different metaphysical approaches help swamigal to build a gemdecked alter for his beloved deity and  mentally offers total worship upto mangaLa hArati to Sri Rama. They are soul satisfying and soul elevating when we go through the meaning and the soulstirring bakthi bhavas in them. One is bound to shed tears of bliss (Ananda kaNNeer), if one is really a rare, fortunae soul. I have no better way to convey the spiritual upliftment one is to be blessed with  if they are able to merge with the frame of bhakthi drenched consciousness of our SwamigaL. This Sri Rama is also known as Saketha sadanan, whose abode is Ayodhya.

      In my concluding line I offer my humble prostrations  to that sriRama, the Supreme Being, who has taken his alter in Sri TyAgaraja Swamigal’s  heart of hearts . I also offer my humble prostrations to Sri SwamigaL himself for blessing us a bit of his spirit of singleminded devotion.

       Note. SwAmigal’s  father sri RAmabrahmam, was also a devotee of SrirAma.When the father was in deathbed, Sri SwamigaL, as a boy enquired his father, “ How can I get Darshan of Sri Rama?”. The father replied,” Do 96-crores of Rama-japam and Sri Rama will bless you with his Darshan.” The boy ThyagaarAja did perform 96-crores of Rama-japam and had Darshan of SriRama.