THE NADA YOGA OF TYAGARAJA
T.
C. A. RAMANUJAM
“He
that hath no music in himself or is not moved by concord of sweet sounds is fit
for treasons, strategems and spoils,” wrote
Shakespeare in one of his famous plays. In his famous kriti
in the Raga Saramati, the greatest of the Trinity of Tiruvayyar, Tyagaraja, asks:
Mokshamu
galada, bhuvilo jeevanmuktulu ganivaralaku
Sakshatkara sadbhakthi sangeetajnana viheenulaku?
Is
it possible for any but the realised souls to attain
salvation? Is it possible for one who is devoid of real devotion and knowledge
of divine music to attain salvation?
While
Tyagaraja’s fame as a great composer is widespread,
it is not so widely known that he was a great philosopher in his own right. He
had, through his innumerable kritis, propounded and
elaborated what has now come to be known as the Nada Yoga or the Gana Yoga. In fact, devotion through systematical music is
not unknown nor is it new to Hinduism. We have the authority of “Yagnavalkya’s Smriti” III, 115:
Veena
vadana thathvajnah, sruti visaradah,
Thalajnascha
prayasena mokshamargam niyaschathi
“One
who is versed in Veena play, one who is an adept in
the varieties of sruties and one who is an adept in tala, attains salvation without effort.” One of the most
pleasing conceptions of God is the concept of Nada Brahma–Embodiment of
(musical) sound–“The Vishnu Sahasranama” refers to
God as “Sangeeta Narayana”,
Lord Shiva is known as “Sama Gana Priya.”
As Tyagaraja testifies in his Atana
piece, Sage Narada is popularly known as Narada Gana Lola. In countless
beautiful kritis, Tyagaraja
refers to the concept of Nada Brahma and develops it as an independent
philosophy of life. In the beautiful Hindolum piece–“Samajavaragamana”–he refers to Krishna as shining like a
beacon light on the
Sama
nigamaja Sudhamaya gana vichakshana…
Veda
Siro matrija saptaswara nadachaladhipa
In
another delightful Piece–“Nadatanumanisam”–set
to Chittaranjani Raga, he refers to Sankara delighting in the art of seven swaras–Sa-Ri-Ga-Ma-Pa-Dha-Ni–born
of his five faces–“Sadyojata”
etc. In his Arabhi Kriti–“Nada
Sudharasambilanu”–
he describes how the nectar of Nada took a human form in Ramachandra,
taking the sapta swaras as
the seven bells of the bow, the Ragas as the bow itself, the styles Dura, Naya, Desya
as the three strings of the bow, the steady pace as the arrow.
The sages, says Tyagaraja, attained divinity only by Nadopasana–“Nadopasanache
Sankara Narayana
Vidhulu Velasiri O! manasa!”–(Begada)
Tyagaraja has, however, no use
for music that is not anchored to Bhakti–
Sanmargamu
galada, manasa! (Dhanyasi)
But
if it is joined to devotion, it is bliss itself–see his Sankarabharana
Kriti–“Swara
raga sudharasa yuta bhakti Svargapavargamura, O Manasa!”
As
a corollary, Tyagaraja condemns all flattery and
praise of the vain glorious rich and well-to-do mortals. Having realised God as the only wealth worth aspiring for, he
cannot bring himself to flatter low fellows, wallowing in the mire of life–see
his moving Ranjani piece–
Durmargacharadhamulanu
Dora
neevana jalara
Dharmatmaka!
dhana dhanya
Daivamu
neevai yundaga–
In
his famous Kalyani Kriti he asks again–
Nidhi
chala sukhama, Ramuni sannidhi
Seva sukhama, nijamuga balku manasa
“Tell
Me, in truth, O mind, which conduces to happiness–material
wealth or the enjoyment of the presence of the Lord?” For wise Tyagaraja (sumati Tyagaraja) the choice has been made once for all: He gives
the answer in a moving kriti in Kanada–“Nityamena suswarapu
ganamuto nirantaramu, Tyagarajanuta, sukhi yevarao Ramanama”–“There
is none happier than one who with flawless music keeps ceaselessly singing the
Lord’s name.”
Tyagaraja describes at
great length true devotion and points out how it is free from all desires for
wealth, progeny, fame, hypocrisy etc. His Varali
piece, “Karuna elangante”
is reminiscent of the “stitaprajna svarupa” described in the Bhagawad
Gita and brings to our mind Mahatma Gandhi’s favourite
‘Vaishnava Janato.’ He
unreservedly condemns all outward show of religion like rituals, empty rites
and thirthayatras as of no meaning as long as the
mind is not purified and anchored to the Lord. The beautiful Abhogi Kriti–Manasunilpa–runs
as follows:
Manasu
nilpa sakti lekapote
madhura
ghanta virula puja emijeyura
Kaveri,
Mandakini yetu brochunu!
“If
one has not got the power to control one’s mind, of what avail is ringing the
bell and doing puja? If one is a scamp, how will a
bath in the Kaveri or the
For
Tyagaraja it is inconceivable that anyone can choose
the byelane of mundane pleasures when the royal path
of Rama Bhakti is open–“Chakkani rajamargamu
lundaga sandula duranela? O manasa” (Kharaharapriya). Rama bhakti is
the greatest kingdom that one can wish for “Ramabhakti
samrajyamu manavula kabbeno manasa”. In the divine
love for Rama is the summum bonum of human existence
reached–
Nama kusumamulache pujinehe
His
love for Rama is expressed in a number of forms. He conceives himself as the
servant (“Banturiti koluva”–in
Hamsadhvani) as the son (“Sitamma
ma amma”–in Vasanta) and as
the bride in love. In line with his illustrious predecessors like Purandaradasa and the Alwars of Tamilnad, he gives beautiful expression to the delicate
theme of love in a number of kritis sung in the madhura bhava.
In his Yadukula Kambhoji
piece–“Dayaseyavayya
sadaya Ramachandra”–he
prays to Rama to bestow the joy that Sita had at the various stages of her Svayamvara–“dalachuchunna
Sita sukhamu”. There is a delightful line in his
“Rama Rama Ramachandra” in
the Ghanta Raga which brings to our mind some of the
scenes in the great literatures of the world–“When
my look and yours come together who can know the happiness that I then desire”–“Na
chupu ni jupu sarigajesite jeyu na sukhamu
yevariki yeruka.”
It
is natural that one in such divine ecstasy like Tyagaraja
should have nothing but contempt for those who are engrossed in petty feuds and
lose themselves in the cares of daily routine. Like the great Acharya Ramanuja of old, his heart goes out in compassion for such
people and he asks poignantly-
Evaraina
lera peddalu ilalona
deenula
brova–
“Are there no great men
here to protect these people?” (Siddhasena Kriti) Every little incident in his life was an occasion
for him for introspection and the story is told of how when he once went to the
Tirupati Hills, he found the curtain being drawn as he was approaching the sanctum
sanctorum. The result was the famous Kriti “Tera teeyagarada” in the raga Gowlipantu where he asks: “O! Tirupati Venkataramana,
Supreme Being! could you not remove the screen of
anger, arrogance and jealousy, which, taking firm roots in me, keeps me out of
the reach of Dharma and other purusharthas, including
moksha.” He realises that
happiness, born of quietude, self-restraint and contentment is a blessing
bestowed by the Lord Himself–“dama
samadhi sukhadayakudu” (see
his Pancharatna in Arabhi).
Tyagaraja’s philosophical quest in
search of the eternal truth makes poignant reading. Echoing the famous
assurance of the Lord in the last chapter of the Bhagawad
Gita he asks “why he should brood having surrendered himself to the Lord
completely.” (“Makelara ee vicharamu” in Ravichandrika and “Ni chittamu Na
Bhagyamu” in Vijayavasantam).
It looks as if he was in great doubt as to the correct philosophical path he
should choose–for he asks in a Ritigowla Kriti–“Dvaitamu
sukhama? advaitamu
sukhama?” The Jnana Yogi that
he is, he gives the result of his quest in his beautiful kritis
composed in the fag end of his life. In two sedate kritis whose ragas Vagadhiswari
and purvikalyani breathe an air of serenity and
wisdom, Tyagaraja expounds the great Advaitic Truth–“Know all well how Paramatma,
the Lord shines in glory in everything, in Hari,
Hara, Devas, human beings and
in the innumerable worlds–in all the species of
creation made of the five elements, in the good and the bad and always in the holy
devotees like Tyagaraja.” (“Paramatmudu” Vagadhiswari.)
Again
“Won’t you bless me with the divine wisdom which will enable me to realise that I am myself Paramatma,
Jivatma, the fourteen worlds and the species of
inhabitants thereof and sages like Narada?” (“Jnana mosagarada” in Purvikalyani) In another song in Garudadhvani
Raga “Tattvameruga tarama”
he asks: “Tattvamasi
yanu vakyarthamu, Rama, nivanu paratattva meruga tarama?” Is it possible, O
Rama! to realise the great
truth that Thou art the meaning of that Upanishadic
declaration–“Thou art That (Tattvamasi)?” Adi Sankara stated the
quintessence of all the teachings of the sastras in
half a sloka–
Brahma
satjam jagat mithya jiyo brahmiva
kevalam
“Brahmam is the Truth, the world is non-existent and Jiva is Brahmam.”
The
great merit about Hindu art is the underlying idea that the
purpose of all art is sacramental. Whether it be the music of Tyagaraja or the dance of Shiva, the paintings of Ajanta or the sculpture of Mahabalipuram,
the literature of Kamban or Kalidas, there is an under
current of philosophic contemplation in the art. As Dr. Radhakrishnan
points out, the arts are for the refinement of the
soul–“Atma Samskriti”. In
the disinterestedness of aesthetic contemplation, the human spirit is
momentarily freed from the inconsistencies and confusion of temporal life.
Music and dance, literature, sculpture and paintings are intended to purge the
soul of its defects and lead it to a vision of the Eternal–“Mokshayate
hi samsarah”. No wonder, Tyagaraja
concludes that the nectar of Nadarasa gives one the
blessings of Yoga, Yaga, Tyaga
and Bhoga, and hearkens us
to drink deep that Ragarasa and delight, for Nada Svara and Pranava are the very
form of Shiva.
Raga
sudharasa panamu jesi rajillave manasa
raga yoga tyaga bhoga phala
mosange–
Sadasiva
mayamagu nada omkara svara vidulu
Jivanmuktulani tyagaraju deliyu. (Andolika)