Pancharatna Kritis - Saint Thyagaraja's Masterpiece

The 174th Thayagaraja Aaradhanai took place in Thiruvaiyar on 2nd February 2021. Who is Thyagaraja and what is the significance of this programme?

Saint Thyagaraja is one of the three Mumoorthis of Carnatic music. He has composed thousands of devotional songs, mostly in Telugu. A staunch devotee of Rama, he sings praises of the King of Ayodhya. Aaradhana is a Sanskrit term which means the act of glorifying a person. To celebrate the life and contributions of Saint Thyagaraja, the Aaradhanai is conducted every year in Thiruvaiyar, where he attained Samadhi. A puja is conducted in his honour and his statue is anointed during the ceremony. Many renowned Carantic musicians, vocalists and instrumentalists alike, attend the programme and render his most well-known piece of work, the Pancharatna Kritis. Let us look at the Kritis in detail.

The Kritis are composed in the style of Ragam Tanam Pallavi. All of them have a similar structure or format of Pallavi, Anupallavi and Charanam. The Pallavis and Anupallavis are similar across the Kritis and have a couple of Sangadhis, slowly increasing in complexity. The Saint has also employed punctuations or pauses to add a rich and exquisite element to the songs. All songs, except for the first one, is composed in Telugu. The first Kriti is composed in Sanskrit. The ragams chosen for each Kriti was done so, keeping in mind the mood of the song. Saint Thyagaraja also undertook challenges such as omitting one of the most distinctive swarams of the ragams in three compositions without losing the Raga Swaroopam. Such a keen thought process made the Pancharatnams the crown jewels amongst all of his compositions.

The first Kriti is called Jagadanada Karaka. It was composed in the ragam Nattai and talam Adi. It is a very popular Kriti and a crowd favourite as well. Nattai, being a vakra ragam due to its avarohanam, lends itself to beautiful and ear-pleasing compositions. The meaning of the song is “O, Creator of Happiness in the World, the Beloved of Janaki, let victory be yours!”. It is a fantastic start to the Aaradhanai every year.

The second Kriti is called Dudukugala Nanne. It is composed in the ragam Gowla and talam Adi. Gowla is a Janyam of Mayamalavagowla, which is the ragam in which students start their musical journey. Thus, the Kriti also sounds very auspicious as it reverberates around the hall and produces divine vibrations. In this composition, the Saint pleads to Lord Rama to absolve him of his sins.

The third Kriti is called Saadhinchane. It is composed in the ragam Arabhi and talam Adi. This composition is particularly famous as it featured in the 2005 Tamil movie, Anniyan. Arabhi is a ragam which lends itself to fast paced beats more than gamakams. It is a pleasant change from the other traditional songs. This song alone sings the praises of Lord Krishna instead of Lord Rama. Its tone is playful and mischievous.

The fourth Kriti is called Kanakana Ruchira. It is set to the ragam Varali and talam Adi It is probably the toughest Kriti to master as teachers will not guide the students with it. This is because there is a belief that teaching songs composed in Varali would cause fights between the teacher and student. Nevertheless, it is a beautiful and haunting piece of work that describes the transcendental beauty of Lord Rama.

The fifth and final Krithi is called Endharo Mahanubavulu. A personal favourite of mine, it is set to Sri ragam and Adi talam. Sri ragam is also a vakra ragam and lends itself to a delightful composition. The song was written to honour all the devotees of Lord Rama, who had sung His praises, before Thyagaraja. It is the perfect conclusion to an epic carnival of music.

Hundreds of fans attend this programme every year. Many more tune into the live coverage from the comfort of their homes. Though the celebrations were somewhat muted this time around, we can definitely rejoice in the fact that our culture and tradition continue to flourish despite barriers.

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The credits to this beautiful artwork goes to my friend. You can find her artwork on @justsketchesss on Instagram.