“Tradition is the
foundation. Build your own musical mansion on that foundation.” The great contribution
given to the music world with the abundant melodious compositions by saint Thyagaraja
constitutes a precious part of our national heritage. The great traditional
style and sampradaya of saint Thyagaraja were preserved and brought to the
music world by his devoted and ardent disciples like Sri WalajapetVenkatramanaBhagavather,UmaylpauramBrothers,Manamluchavadivenkatasubbaier
and veenakuppayyar. It is these sishyas of Swami Thyagaraja brought to the
music world the melodious compositions in the exact original pattern that they
learnt from him.
Swami Thyagaraja died 134 years
ago. Walaja-pet VenkatramanaBhagavather was one of the most distinguished disciples
of thyagaraja. He was a musician and a great composer also. Sri Bhagavathar was
born in Ramachandrapuram also known as Iyyampettai in Tanjore Dist.., in the
year 1781. Like thyagaraja, though he was born in Tiruvarur lived and Spent his
last days at Tiruvarur, VenkatramanaBhagavathar also spent his last days at
Walajapet village in North Arcot District and attained Mukti there. Since he
stayed at Walajapet and popularaisedmany of his Guruji’s compositions through
his sishyas he was called WalajapetVenkatramanaBhagavathar.
WalajapetVenkatramanaBhagavathar hailed from a distinguished family of scholars
and musicians. His grandfather was a musician and he was the first teacher to
VenkatramanaBhagavathar. His mother tongue was sourashtra. He learnt Sanskrit
and Telugu from his boyhood days and became an ardent devotee of ShriRajagopalaswami.
The elders in the family were very happy and pleased to see the rapid interest
and vigonr in the young boy to learn music and decided tosend him to Tiruvaiyar,whereThyagaraja
was living at that time. He was with thyagaraja for a long period and learnt
many of his compositions. He also learnt the art of musical compositions from
him in a manner which had not been the privilege of many of his (Thyagaraja’s)
disciples. His renderings of Thyagaraja’scomposition’s were true to the
original versions. He had made a thorough study of the compositions of the
saint and understood truly his style. This later on enabled him to compose
faithfully in the very mouldof the great composer. He was equally learned in
Lakshna and Lakshya. VenkatramanaBhagavathar lived with Thyagaraja at Tiruvaiyar
for 30 years, which bespoke of a unique guru-sishya relationship. Thyagaraja
loved him and blessed him whole heartedly by singing his Shadvidhamargini Raga
composition. “Jnanamosagarada Garuda gamana-Vada”. Whenever Thyagaraja starts
singing VenkatramanaBhagavatharimmediately writes down them with Svara and
Sahityaand put the tala division. His creative powers were of a very high order
but he kept it secretly until he got the permission from his Guru to write down
his own compositions.
When Thyagaraja Swamicomposed the opera
”NowkaCharitam” there was lot of criticism from the orthodox music world. The
them the love story of Krishna and Gopies going for a boating—was not
appreciated by many, but the disciple, an ardent devotee of Krishna,wrote the
entire opera in Sanskrit and preserved it as a treasure completely ignoring the
people who criticised. It was Thyagaraja blessed him to become a composer
saying
“NivuMadhavuduParamugakonniKirtanalucheyyaotchunu—meaning you can
compose songs on Srec Krishna Paramatma”.
WalajapetVenkatramanaBhagavathar
spent nearly 30 years with his Guruji and spent his last days at Walajapet
village in North Arcot Dt. He was 53 years old then. To continue the tradition
and to keep the sishyaparamparaBhagavather sent his son- Krishna swamy also to
Tiruvaiyaru to become a sishya of Thyagaraja. Before attaining Mukti or
salvation Thyagaraja handed over the entire musical manuscripts written by
himself as well as by his disciples along with the Puja idols, the Tamburas,
galavas, the chipplas, the Puja articles to his ardent and loyal sishya.
Bhagavather’s son was with Thyagaraja in his last days. He safely kept them in
his house at Walajapet and turned it a temple of learning. Thyagaraja himself
once visited this village while on pilgrimage to the holy shrines and spent a
day in the small house of his disciple.
There may be same doubts from
all corners regarding these incidents, since people trace down the history and the
connected anecdotes from the available background; now all these monumental
works and things are kept in the Sourashtrasabha Museum at Madurai in
Tamilnadu. The Svaranavamand the Telernavam given to Thyagaraja by Narada Himself
and the PotanaBhagavatham in Telugu are also kept there. The Padukas of
Thyagaraja are worshipped there by devotees.
As a composer VenkatramanaBhagavathar
has composed many Varnams, Swarajatis, Kritis and tillanas. His own manuscripts
are also preserved by the museum authorities. His puja articles including the
sree Krishna Vigraha are in the SourashtraSabha.
Among the most remarkable disciples
of WalajapetVenkatramanaBhagavathar,MysoreSadasivaRao was the most remarkable.
He stayed with him in his
old days at Walajapet and through him Bagavathar’s compositions were
popularized. To thyagarajaVenkatramanawas a “Boswell”. He had a very peaceful
life till his death. He passed away in the year 1874.
He devotion to his Guru has been
portrayed in the composition “Guru charanamBhajarejHe ManasaDurithaGunamThyagaiah”. In this he has
described the characteristic features and qualities of thyagaraja in the most
beautiful Telugu. The best Guru Dakshina is offered to his Guru by this
Kirtana. In another Kriti ”Guru varuMahimaluNemaniBhuvilokoniyadudura”. The
style and diction and the musical flow are on the lines of Thyagaraja. Recently
a few of his pieces are published with notation in Tamil. Many of his
padavarnas,Swarajatis andtillanas are now taken for Bharathanatyamperformance.
His bi-centenary falls this year
and let us pay homage to this great soul. Nasopasana is the distinct pathway to
god. May Lord Venkateswara shower his Blessings on the art lovers to keep up
the tradition by always remembering the great souls of our music.
Smt. JAYA PASUPATI
Thanku : Sapthagiri _/\_
THE BIRTH BI-CENTENARY
OF THIS GREAT MUSICAL GENUS IS CELEBARTED THIS YEAR
Vol.XI May 1981
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