The Pancharathna Kritis of Thyagaraja
By T. S. Parthasarathi Thyagaraja was the greatest among the music composers of South India and one of the musical prodigies of all time. His works are of delicate spirituality,…
Divya Nama Kirtanas – A Bhajana Tradition
“I dwell not in Vaikunta, nor in the hearts of great Yogis; Know O: Ye Neared, Where my Devotees sing, There I dwell.” By P. Sreenivasan Of the Nava Vidha…
Sangeetha and Bhakthi
P. Sreenivasan Sangeetha and bhakthi should be acquired and practiced with humility. Genuine humility brings with it detachment, suppression or conquest of the baser instincts of Man and, ultimately annihilation…
Are Mythologies Relevant Today?
With the advancement of science, many individuals have become disillusioned with religion and mythology. Skeptics, particularly in the West, who now characterize religion and mythology as fiction and falsehood, are…
A Secular Flagellum
By Venkat Ramanan Humberto Maturana and Francisco Varela liken evolution, in their book, “The Tree of Knowledge: The Biological Roots of Human Understanding”, to a sculptor with wanderlust: the sculptor…
KSHETRA KIRTANAS
P. Sreenivasan Kshetra kirtanas refer to compositions in praise of the deity of a specific town or place. Usually, great composers, when they visit a temple town compose songs in…
The Music of Hindostan
By Fox Strangways THYAGAYYAR OR THYAGARAJA OF TANJORE Thyagayyar or Thyagaraja of Tanjore (early 19th century) more is known. He was revered by his contemporaries as a perfectly sincere and…
Music and Morality
By Ram S. Sriram I hope our past discussions on music, dance, and other arts have been exciting and fascinating to you. This month I want to share two stories…
NADOPASANA FOR SALVATION
By Dr. R. Krishnaswami Nadopasana is bhakthi, worship, and devotion through music. As the article on Thyagaraja’s musical plays points to, Sri Thyagaraja Swami used his compositions to energize our…
Nava Rasas and Proverbs in his compositions
P. Sreenivasan Emotions: To justify his being hailed as one of the foremost poets of his time, Thyagaraja Swami has brilliantly captured all rasas in his compositions. Many people think…