Thyagaraju's Life :
Thyagaraju hails from a Telugu family
belonging to Kakarla village in Kurnool district Andhra Pradesh who have
migrated to Thiruvaiyaru of Tamilnadu during the Vijayanagara Empire due to the invasion
from the North. He was born to the couple of Kakarla Ramabrahmam and Santhamma
on Sarvajit Chaitra Soma Sukla Saptami in Pushyami star that fell
on the 4th of May. There however is a controversy as to his
year of birth as to whether it is 1767 or 1759.
Named after the presiding deity of
Thiruvarur, Thyagaraju had inculcated the habit of worshipping Lord Rama under the
instructions of his father. At the age of 13, Thyagaraju composed his first song "Namo
Namo Raghavaya…" on Lord Rama. Thyagaraju unlike his brother was a genius
both in literature and musical perspective. Apart from his mother tongue, he also studied
Sanskrit and Astrology and was a disciple of Sonthi Venkataramanayya, one
of the foremost singers of the day. He is said to have been preached of Rama Taraka
Mantra by the divine sage Narada in his dream.
To him Music and devotion were synonymous
and thus have composed a huge number of songs including those, which he has composed while
on the pilgrimages all through his lifetime of 88 years. He who thus believed in Nadopasana
and the concept of complete surrender to Him whom he called Rama, lived on "Uncha
Vritti", a sacred way of collecting alms for one’s livelihood. He is
also known to have rejected the king’s offer for singing in his praise as he declined
Narastuti (praising human) after singing eulogies for the Almighty.
At the age of 18, he got married to a girl
called Parvati who soon died without leaving any children. He then
married her sister Kanakamba. They had a daughter named Sitamahalakshmi,
through whom he had a grandson who died with no progeny and thus came to an end the direct
lineage of the composer. And his disciples were thus the only propagators of his
compositions.
Tyagabrahmam took sanyasa towards the end
of his life on the advice of Sri Rama and attained samadhi on Pushya
Bahula Panchami (6th January 1847) as he is believed to have been blessed with Moksha
by Lord Rama. He says in one of the most moving songs, "Unerringly I saw Sri Rama
installed on the hill...Thrilled with ecstasy, with tears of joy, I tried to speak. He
promised to bless me in five days." And so it happened. |
