A Tribute to Saint Tyagaraja !! Part I !!

Jai Sriman Narayana !!
 
 
Saint Thyagaraja was composed several krithis and each one of them are revered as the gems of Carnatic Music.  All his compositions were abundantly praising the glories and matchless qualities of Lord Rama’s kindness, compassion, brotherly hood, righteousness, valor, love and respects towards his family, an ideal husband to his wife, wise ruler to his Kingdom and its people, divine marriage of Lord Rama with Goddess Sita etc… .  Lord Mahavishnu has countless incarnations and Lord Rama was one amongst them as treated as Poorna Punya Avathara.   Saint Tyagaraja insists to be a devotee of Lord Rama, who lived as an ordinary human being on the Earth during Treta Yuga and whoever follows Lord Rama and his qualities will be benefitted in their life.  
 
Azhwars, prominent Vaishnavite saints praised the glories of Lord Rama in their simple words:
 
 ‘Karparai Ramapiraniai Allal Mattrum Karparo’.  
 
Saints and holy men affirm to follow each and every qualities of Lord Rama for a successful life.  Thyagaraja with his deep devotion asks Lord Rama  ‘ Oh Lord ! You saved Gajaraja (Gajendra Moksham) why can’t you save this Thyagaraja’.   In all his compositions, he had a special inclination towards the usage of words and construction of unparalleled phrases.   His ability to play with the words was remarkable and was perfectly appropriate for the situation.    
In the 16th century, the Kingdom of Vijayanagara has collapsed and many of the army men, artists and musicians were left Andhra Pradesh and migrated to Tamil Nadu.  Among them was an Andhra Smartha Brahmin family of Rama Brahmam & wife Santha /sita arrived at  Thiruvarur.  There was a famous temple of Lord Tyagaraja.    Rama Brahmam was highly religious and a great devotee of Lord Sri Rama.  As an ardent devotee of Lord Rama, he engaged himself in the worship of lord Rama from dawn to dusk.    Rama Navami rituals were celebrated widely in his home.   He had an elder son Japyeshan who was not at all interested in the worship of any deities and he has chosen magic as his field.    It worried his father a lot, he was dearly wanted a son to worship Lord Rama.  His second son was Sundaresan, there was not much information available about him, it is believed that he had ill health and left the family.  Rama Brahmam was concerned about who would continue the worship of Lord Rama after his life and it brought severe grief in him.  One day, Rama Brahmam had a dream in that Lord Shiva appeared before him and declared that the couple would have a son like Sage Valmiki.   This son would resolve all the problems of Rama Brahmam and follow his father’s worship of Lord Rama and all his righteousness.  It brought Rama Brahmam boundless joy and informed his wife Sita about the same. As predicted by Lord Shiva, a beautiful son resembling to golden idol was born to the couple.    Tyagaraja was born in Tiruvarur, in the year Sarvajit/ 1767 on a Sukla Saptami Day of 27th Monday in the month Chaitra /Chithirai, with the birth star Pushya.   The child was named Tyagaraja, who was born with the blessings of Lord Tyagaraja of Thiruvarur.



Jai Sriman Narayana !!

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