Of Kritical Importance: Creator of all Happiness

Thyagaraja, saint and composer | Source: Carnatic Vidyalaya

December is a time for goosebumps. It may be caused by the frosty nip in the air. It could also be due to a string of cascading swaras, deftly executed and taking the listener for a nail-biting ride and hurtling towards a swift conclusion. During the Tamil month of Margazhi (mid-December to mid-January), Carnatic music enthusiasts pour into Chennai for the Music Season, where they are swept away by enthralling concerts and lecture-demonstrations.

Let’s move away from Chennai now, and to Thiruvaiyyaru, Tanjavur district, Tamil Nadu. Every year in January, the Thyagaraja Aradhana is held here. It’s a way of paying homage to the great vaggeyakkara (a composer who could set their songs to apt ragas and also sing them) through his music. Spanning five days, several musicians perform Thyagaraja’s works, and over a thousand of them congregate on the final day. In splendid unison, they sing the Ghana Raga Pancharatna Kritis, the subject of this series. Before we look at what that means, let’s catch a glimpse of their composer.

The house in Tiruvarur, where Thyagaraja was born | Source: Tamilnadu Tourism

Thyagaraja was a prolific composer in both Sanskrit and Telugu. A staunch devotee of Rama, he wrote several songs about the lord and many other gods and goddesses. The saint lived through the reign of four different kings of Tanjavur, but declined all offers to grace their court with his presence, for he would not consider eulogizing a mortal. Indeed, there is a possibly apocryphal tale which talks of the then Maharaja, Serfoji II, asking Thyagaraja to sing his praises in a song, to which the irate saint responds

mamata bandhana yuta nara stuti sukhamA
su-mati tyAgarAja nutuni kIrtana sukhamA
nidhi chAla sukhamA rAmuni sannidhi sEva sukhamA nijamuga balku manasA

Is extolling humans bound by egotism comforting or singing songs of the pure minded Lord praised by this Thyagaraja comforting?
Does wealth bring comfort or does service in the presence of Lord Rama bring comfort? Tell me truthfully, o mind!

From the Kriti named Nidhi Chala Sukhama (Does wealth bring comfort?)

Thyagaraja’s works not only pay homage to the musical traditions he was schooled in, but also set foot in new domains of music. He set compositions to then lesser-known ragas like Kharaharapriya and Harikambodhi, which popularized them. Perhaps, his most renowned pieces, are the Ghana Raga Pancharatna Kritis (the five gems). Known to laypeople as just the Pancharatna Kritis, they are set in the ragas Nattai, Gaula, Arabhi, Varali and Sri (which favour manodharma, or exposition and improvised creativity). Of Kritical Importance is a series that explores the pieces, and tales of the saint behind them.

Lord Rama, as seen in a vision by Thyagaraja | Source: AV Devan Times (blog)

The Lord of Janaki’s soul

Considered the first of the Kritis (though chronological data is insufficient) and the only Pancharatna Kriti in Sanskrit (the other four are in Telugu), Jagadanandakaraka is a piece listing the 108 names of Rama. Literally meaning “creator of all happiness”, this piece is set in Nattai raga, Adi tala.

jagadAnanda kAraka jaya jAnaki prANa nAyaka

Creator of happiness in the world and sovereign of Sita’s soul, may victory ever be yours!
(Pallavi)

Nattai is considered auspicious, and typically sung in the opening piece of a concert. As mentioned above, it also comes under the class of Ghana, or weighty ragas. They lend themselves well to improvisation, and are well suited for playing tanam on the veena. To know more about how ragas are classified, check out Ravishing Ragas: an Overview by Jayamathangi Srinivasan.

Characterizing a Thyagaraja Kriti

The Trinity left an indelible mark on music. They also left a literal one on each of their compositions. Known as a Mudra, the particular phrase is unique to the composer. For Thyagaraja, it is ”Thyagaraja” or a declension of the word. Muthuswami Dikshitar used “Guru Guha,’’ an epithet of Muruga while Syama Sastry went with “Syamakrishna”.

The Carnatic trinity: Muthuswami Dikshitar, Thyagaraja, Syama Sastry | Source: Pinterest

In Jagadanandakaraka, there are not one, but three mudras of Thyagaraja. Though a typical kriti has only one mudra, the anomaly here can be explained as follows. Until the first mudra charanam, there are 88 names of Rama listed, while the entire kriti has 108 names, falling in line with the Hindu tradition of 108 being considered auspicious. Perhaps upon finishing the kriti, Thyagaraja himself may have decided to add more charanas, bringing the total to 108, or he may have been persuaded by his disciples to do so.

Grandeur? Pathos? He’s got them all

This composition is filled with elaborate phrasing and well-chosen words. Describing Rama in all his divine splendour, Thyagaraja waxes eloquent on Rama’s virtues, the various gods who pay obeisance to him and the heroic deeds he performed.

indra nIlamaNi sannibhApa ghana candra sUrya nayanApramEya vA-gIndra janaka sakalEsha subhra nAgEndra shayana shamana vairi sannuta
jagadAnanda kArakA jaya jAnaki prAna nAyaka

You have a body that is as bright and blue-hued as the sapphire. The Sun and Moon repose in your eyes. You are the father of the great Brahma whose glory cannot be encompassed by human knowledge. Oh, all-powerful one! Resting on Adisesha, you are worshipped by Lord Siva who humbled the god of death.
Creator of happiness in the world and sovereign of Sita’s soul, may victory ever be yours!

Charanam 3, Jagadanandakaraka

Composers sometimes tend to portray a single emotion in the majority of their writings. For instance, the Ashtapadi written by Jayadeva in the 12th century are centred around Shringara, translating to romance or beauty. Thyagaraja, however, explored several hues of emotion in his kritis. Shantamu leka depicts tranquility, while kshira sagara sayana describes the deeds of valour performed by the lord (gambhira). In keeping with listing the exploits of Rama, jagadanandakaraka is written in the veera rasa.

karadhrta sharajAlA sura madApa haraNa vanIsura surAvana
kavIna bilaja mauni krta caritra sannuta shrI tyAgarAjanuta
jagadAnanda kArakA jaya jAnaki prAna nAyaka

With the arrows in your hand, you curb the rage present in demons. You protect the Devas and brahmins. You have been praised by Valmiki, who is like a sun among other poets and you are worshipped by Tyagaraja.
Creator of happiness in the world and sovereign of Sita’s soul, may victory ever be yours!

Charanam 8, Jagadanandakaraka

Totaling 10 charanas, this kriti is a scholarly exercise, heartfelt emotion expressed in elegant poetry. It is a marked deviation from Thyagaraja’s poems of fervent devotion, that pleaded Rama for liberation, expressed grief at the lord’s mercy being withheld or upheld the path of devotion as key to salvation.

The idol of Thyagaraja, worshipped at the Aradhana each year | Source: The News Minute

Thyagaraja Today

Of all of Thyagaraja’s compositions, the Pancharatna Kritis are perhaps the most popular, even among those uninitiated in music. Here’s a version of jagadanandakaraka sung by Dr. Balamuralikrishna. Do listen to it, and stay tuned for our next piece, dudukugala nanne (Saving a Sinner).

Written in collaboration with R.Aaditya Rangan.