Saint Sri Thyagaraja (1767 -1847 AD) was one of the most important composers of Carnatic music. He is regarded as one of the "trinity" of Carnatic music composers, along with Muthuswami Dikshitar and Syama Sastri. He was a devotee of Rama. Sri Thyagaraja, the most celebrated Carnatic Music saint was a great devotee of Lord Sri Rama.
A son was born to Kakarla Ramabrahmam and his wife Seethamma under the Pushya nakshatram [star], that is on May 4, 1767, and they named him Thyagaraja. Thyagaraja's father Rama Brahmam taught him to worship Rama daily. Even as a boy, Thyagaraja composed his first song on Rama, Namo Namo Raghavaya when he was only 13 years old. Sri Thyagaraja continued to recite the Rama Nama every day and had many darsans of Sri Rama, which inspired him to write songs on his beloved Lord, Sri Rama.At 18 years of age, Thyagaraja married Parvati, who died when she was only 23. He then married Kamalamba (sister of Parvati). They had a daughter named Sitamahalakshmi, through whom he had a grandson. Seetalakshmi's only child, also named Thyagaraja, died progeniless at a very young age; with that, the line of direct descent from Thyagaraja came to an end.
Thyagaraja had an elder brother, Japyesa, whose descendents still abide in the same area of Tamil Nadu. Japyesa is often made the villain in stories about Thyagaraja, in the role of the brother who could not understand Thyagaraja's devotion to Sri Rama.
Being a great devotee of Lord Rama, the only things that mattered to Thyagarajawere Music and Bhakti. Much later in life, his guru, Sonti Venkataramanayya, wanted to listen to Thyagaraja's new talent and invited him to perform at his house in Thanjavur. On that occasion, Thyagaraja presented Endaro Mahaanubhavulu,the fifth of the Pancharatna Krithis. Intensely pleased with Thyagaraja's song, Sonti Venkataramanayya told the king about the genius. The king sent an invitation, accompanied as was traditional with many rich gifts, to Thyagaraja, inviting him to grace the royal court. To the unworldly Thyagaraja, the prospect of wealth or fame was no incentive; he clearly had no inclination for a career life at court, which doubtless in that age. He rejected the kings invitation outright, composing another gem of a kriti, Nidhi Chala Sukhama on this occasion.
Angered at his rejection of the royal offer, Thyagaraja's brother took revenge by throwing his idols of Rama Pattabhisheka in the nearby River Cauvery. Thyagaraja, unable to bear the separation with his Lord, made a pilgrimage to all the major temples in South India and composed many more songs in praise of the deities of those temple. Once a sage named Haridas asked him to recite the name of Rama 960 million times. After doing so, Thyagaraja went to offer his prayer when he heard a knock on his door. Raama, Seeta, and Hanumaan were entering his prayer room and he was blessed to see the coronation of Raama. Moved with wonder and devotion, he sang "Baalakanagamaya". Mr. Shyama Rao, one time thasildar of Thiruvayaru, records that after Swami sang this kriti, an Omkara Naadha was heard and a jytoi was seen to emanate from the head of Swami and travelled upward. Swami then slumpted on the thambura he was holding, and become one with the Lord.
In 1847 Thyagaraja became a hermit, and the next day, on January 6, he died in the presence of his disciples at the age of 80. He is said to have finally found the idols with the help of Rama himself. Thyagaraja attained Moksha on a Vaikunta Ekadasi.During his lifespan Sri Thyagaraja has composed more than 800 songs in his long devoted life to Lord Rama, most of them written in his Mother tongue Telegu, but a few in Sanskrit.
Some Famous Compositions of Sri Thyagaraja Swami are
A daya shri - Ahiri
Adamodi galade - Charukeshi
Adavaramella Gudi - Yadukula Kamboji
Ananda Sagara - Garudadhvani
AnandamAnandamAyenu - Bhairavi
Aragimpave - Todi
AbhishhTa Varada - Hamsadwani
AbhimAnamennadu galgura - Vivardhani, Kunjari
AbhimAnamu Iedimi - Andhali
Adi kadu Bhajana - Yadukula Kamboji
Adigi sukhamu - MadyamAvati
Adugu varamula - Arabi
Alakalalla - MadyamAvati
Allakallola - Sowrashtram
Amba Ninnu Nammiti - Arabi
P.S. Prj done by Archita Sai
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