Of Kritical Importance: Towards an Ideal Mind
Devotion seeks divine avenues to express itself. This is how Shri Thyagaraja(1767–1847 AD) the great saint-composer and an ardent devotee of Lord Rama, wove soulful compositions with the versatile fabric of Carnatic Music. Born in a family bearing musical heritage, he learnt Telugu, Sanskrit and Carnatic Music right from a young age.
His father, Shri Ramabrahmam was a Harikatha performer and singer who recited the epic of Ramayana. This played a major role in initiating Shri Thyagaraja into classical music and instilled his devotion towards Lord Rama. In one of his compositions, he exclaims:
rama bhakti saamraajyam emanavula kabbeno manasa
amanavula sandarshanam atyanta brahmanandameMeaning: O mind! Who are the blessed souls who have attained the kingdom of devotion for Sri Rama? Even beholding those persons, is supreme bliss!
Having composed nearly 24,000 songs during his lifetime (unfortunately, out of which only about 700 songs are known today), the subject of his compositions have been diverse. A majority of them are sung in praise of various Gods and Goddesses, while others plead to the Supreme for help during his times of sorrow and suffering. Yet aside from these two, Thyagaraja deals with a third category in his music, an indeed peculiar one. This subject in his music elaborates on spirituality and human life through a dialogue Thyagaraja strikes with his own mind. The saint throws light upon the need for one to contemplate on the divine with uninterrupted focus. This exactly is the essence of the second composition out of his popular Ghana Pancharatna Kritis (the five gems) where Thyagaraja starts with an impersonation and a plea to Shri Rama to save him from the sinner he is.
dudukugala nanne dora koduku brochuraa
Meaning: O Rama, son of Dasharatha! Would you ever save me? For I am a sinner.
This is the second article in a five-part series, Of Kritical Importance, that delves into each of the Pancharatna Kritis. Here is the preceding article on the kriti Jagadaananda Karaka - Creator of All Happiness.
Save this Sinner
The second Pancharatna Kriti, Dudukugala Nanne, is composed in Telugu and is set to Gowla raga, Adi tala. It triggers a sense of regret, as the Saint puts himself into the shoes of a sinner who, bereft of devotion towards God, has indulged himself in materialistic and sensual pleasures.
kadudur vishaya krushtudai
gadiyaa gadiyaaru nindaaruMeaning: My sins are mounting every moment by my enticement to the evil deeds.
(Anupallavi)
Thyagaraja lived an ascetic life. He practiced Unchavirthi (received alms for the day’s meal), completely refrained from all worldly distractions and wholeheartedly dedicated his life for Rama bhakti. But, perhaps, it was the degree of perfection in bhakti (devotion) that he wanted to achieve, the highest of all, that led him to compose this piece from the perspective of a common man and address his unfruitful way of life.
He furthers on to testify his deeds as culpable as he describes:
paradhanamulakora ku norula madi
karaka baliki kadupu nim pa thirigi nattiMeaning: I am a sinner who went astray and repeatedly hurt people’s feelings for the sake of coveting their wealth.
(Charanam 4)thana madhini bhuvini soukyapu jeevana me
yanuchu sada dinamulu kadipeMeaning: I am a sinner who whiled away the time thinking that everything happening in this materialistic world is happy living.
(Charanam 5)
The sinner feels guilty for failing to pray to the Almighty while racing to seek comfort and wealth. The song intends to make the common man realize that devotion towards God is necessary. Material wealth and comforts are perishable and do not deserve all the attention that they get.
drushtiki saarambhagulala naa sada naar bhaka sena mithadhanaadulanu de vaadide va nera nammithini gaakanu padaabja bhajanambu marachina
Meaning: I was carried away by outward appearances, women, land, property, children, servants and wealth thinking that these were permanent. Moreover, I have sinned by forgetting to worship your lotus feet.
(Charanam 7)
The flow of lyrics of the song certainly coaxes its listeners to rethink their lifestyle and incorporate essential practices for their overall well-being.
The Soulful Style
Thyagaraja’s compositions are linguistically simple yet semantically powerful. The common man, with some effort, of course, can certainly empathize with the scenario described and reap at least a drop of the elixir of philosophical knowledge that his compositions have to offer. The sensitivity of the subject is aptly dealt with in all his kritis, and this one is no exception. Moreover, the vaggeyakara’s strong expertise in Carnatic Music added to the charm and aesthetic beauty of his compositions, which greatly enhanced the treasury of South Indian Classical Music. In fact, his style of composition popularized the concept of sangathis, i.e., singing the same phrase multiple times in different ways, that highlights the phrase and also gives the musician the liberty to portray the numerous facets of the raga.
The Raga Gowla, the Janya Raga of the 15th Melakartha called Mayamlavagowla is an ancient raga, that finds its mention in ancients texts on Classical Music. It is considered as an auspicious raga and is usually sung in the early stage of a concert.
Here is a complete rendition of the kriti:
The road to be taken
This second Pancharatna Kriti of Saint Thyagaraja emphasizes on the need to control the senses and engage in devotional service for attaining liberation.
The Saint believed that Sangeetha (Music) was a path to bhakti (Devotion) and salvation. Thus, his kritis carry the priceless essence of Vedantic principles despite being fairly easy to comprehend by the listener. Another striking feature is the extreme relevance of this song, composed about two centuries ago, to the present lifestyle of people from all walks of life. We are so preoccupied with numerous petty things in our lives that we find no time for worship and prayer, leave alone fulfilling the true purpose of this birth, which, according to Thyagaraja, is to free ourselves from materialistic attachments, give up our ego and attain the abode of the Almighty. In today’s context, the composition takes a stance against the lack of mindfulness and inner-reflection within people- purely a result of the blinding bustle of the materialistic life. We must venerate this musical genius, who, through this work of art, constantly reminds us of the right road to tread upon.
There have been numerous instances when Thyagaraja has addressed the Mind (Manasa) and conducted ‘self-checks’ on whether one is on the right track during one’s spiritual journey. Such compositions are very similar to Dudukugala Nanne. For instance, his composition in Raga Mararanjani opens with:
manasA SrI rAmuni daya lEka
mAyamaina vidhamEmEMeaning: O My Mind! How has the compassion of Sri Rama vanished without a trace?
Another kriti in Raga Vivardhini is in the form of an advice that the Saint gives to the mind to follow the right path of devotion:
vinavE O manasA ! vivarambuga nE tElpEda
manasEringi kumArgamuna — mari pOralutsu cEDavaladEMeaning: Will you not listen O mind? I will explain it clearly! Despite knowing what is right, do not wander in evil paths, bringing yourself to ruin.
Saint Thyagaraja is indeed a source of inspiration who has kindled the spirit of righteousness and devotion through his entrancing music, for generations to come. Stay tuned to further explore the Saint’s life and works in the next article on the next Pancharatna kriti, Sadhinchane O Manasa.
This article was written in collaboration with Shashvat Jayakrishnan.
