| Muthuswami Dikshitar | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Born | March 24, 1775 |
| Origin |  Tiruvarur, Thanjavur, India |
| Died | October 21, 1835 |
| Genre(s) | Carnatic music |
| Occupation(s) | Carnatic vocalist |
Muthuswami Dikshitar (Tamil: முத்துஸ்வாமி தீக்ஷிதர்; March 24, 1776 – October 21, 1835) is the youngest of the Carnatic music composer trinity. Events 1401 - Mongol emperor Timur sacks Damascus. 1603 - James VI of Scotland Year 1775 ( MDCCLXXV) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Tiruvarur ( Tamil:திருவாரூர் (also spelt as Thiruvarur) is a city and a Thanjavur ( Tamil: தஞ்சாவூர் also known by its Anglicised name Tanjore, and it is the Eleventh largest city in Tamil Nadu (after India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Events 1512 - Martin Luther joins the theological faculty of the University of Wittenberg. Year 1835 ( MDCCCXXXV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Carnatic music (also spelled Karnatak music or Karnatik music, and originally called Karṇāṭaka sangīta or Karṇāṭaka sangītam in India Tamil (ta தமிழ்; t̪əmɨɻ is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. Events 1401 - Mongol emperor Timur sacks Damascus. 1603 - James VI of Scotland Year 1776 ( MDCCLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Events 1512 - Martin Luther joins the theological faculty of the University of Wittenberg. Year 1835 ( MDCCCXXXV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Carnatic music (also spelled Karnatak music or Karnatik music, and originally called Karṇāṭaka sangīta or Karṇāṭaka sangītam in India
He was born in 1775 to Ramaswami Dikshitar and Subbamma, as the eldest son, in Tiruvarur(of Thanjavur district in Tamil Nadu). WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Tiruvarur ( Tamil:திருவாரூர் (also spelt as Thiruvarur) is a city and a Thanjavur ( Tamil: தஞ்சாவூர் also known by its Anglicised name Tanjore, and it is the Eleventh largest city in Tamil Nadu (after Tamil Nadu ( Tamil:, Country of the Tamils, t̪ɐmɨɻ n̪aːɽɯ is one of the 28 states of India. Muttuswami is said to have born to the couple after they prayed for a child in the temple of Vaitheeswaran Koil.
According to the account of Subbarama Dikshitar, Muttuswami Dikshitar was born in the manmatha year, in the month of Panguni under the asterism Krittikaa. He was named after the temple deity, Muttukumaraswamy. He also had two younger brothers Baluswami, Chinnaswami and a sister Balambal.
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Early years
Consistent with the education of Brahmin boys of that time, Muttuswami learnt the Vedas, Sanskrit and other important religious texts. Brahmin ( Brāhmaṇa, sa ब्राह्मणः is the class of educators scholars and preachers in Brahminical Hinduism. "Veda" redirects here For other uses see Veda (disambiguation. Sanskrit (sa संस्कृता वाक् saṃskṛtā vāk, for short sa संस्कृतम् saṃskṛtam) is a historical He also obtained his preliminary musical education from his father.
While he was still in his teens, his father sent him on a pilgrimage with a wandering monk named Chidambaranatha Yogi, to gain musical and philosophical knowledge. Yoga ( Sanskrit: योग, IAST: yóga, joːgə refers to traditional physical and mental disciplines originating in India, to the Over the course of this pilgrimage, he visited many places in North India, and acquired a broad outlook that is reflected in many of his compositions. Composition can refer to Composition (logical fallacy, a fallacy of ambiguation in which one assumes that a whole has a property solely because its various parts During their stay in Kashi (Varanasi), his guru Chidambarantha Yogi, presented him with a unique Veena, and died shortly thereafter. Varanasi ( Sanskrit: वाराणसी Vārāṇasī, pronunciation) also commonly known as Benares ( or Banaras (बनारस Veena (also spelled 'vina' Kannada: ವೀಣ Malayalam: വീണ Tamil: வீணா Telugu: వీణ is a Plucked stringed The Samadhi of Chidambaranatha Yogi can still be seen in the Hanuman Ghat area in Varanasi. Samadhi ( Sanskrit: sa समाधि is a Hindu and Buddhist technical term that usually denotes higher levels of concentrated meditation or
Muttuswami Dikshitar attained mastery over the Veena, and the influence of Veena playing is evident in his compositions. As per his guru's orders, he went to Tiruttani (a temple town near Chennai). Tiruttani Murugan Temple There, while he was immersed deep in meditation, an old man appeared and asked him to open his mouth. He dropped sugar candy into his mouth and disappeared. As he opened his mouth, he had the darshana of the God Muruga and the composer burst forth into his first composition "Shri naathaadi guruguho" in the raga Maayaamaalavagaula.
This song addressed the Lord (and/or the guru) in the first declension in Sanskrit. In Linguistics, declension (or declination) is the occurrence of Inflection in Nouns Pronouns and Adjectives indicating Dikshitar later composed kritis in all the eight declensions on the Lord. These are mostly with epithets glorifying the guru and have very few references to Lord Muruga or specifically to the God in the saguna form, or to the form at Tiruttani. An epithet (from Greek ἐπίθετον - epitheton, neut of ἐπίθετος - epithetos, "attributed added" is a
He then went on a pilgrimage visiting and composing on temples at Kanchi, Arunachalam , Chidambaram, Tirupathi and Kalahasthi, before returning to Tiruvarur. Kanchipuram, Kanchi, or Kancheepuram is a city and a Municipality in Kanchipuram district in the Indian state of Arunachalam is a Film about a village hero ( Rajnikanth) who has 2 brothers and a sister and a happy family WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Chidambaram is a Municipality and taluk ( Tehsil) headquarters in the Cuddalore district Tirupati ( Telugu: తిరుపతి is the richest pilgrimage city (of any religious faith in the world located in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India Sri Kalahasthi ( Telugu: శ్రీ కాళహస్తి Tamil: திரு காலஹஸ்தி is a temple town in the state of Andhra Pradesh WikipediaWikiProject Indian cities for details --> Tiruvarur ( Tamil:திருவாரூர் (also spelt as Thiruvarur) is a city and a
Dikshitar's prime
On his return to tiruvarur, he composed on every deity in the Tiruvarur temple complex including Tyagaraja, the presiding deity at Tiruvarur, Nilothpalambal, his consort and the Goddess Kamalambal an independent deity of high tantric significance in the same temple complex. Thyāgarāja (శ్రీ త్యాగరాజ స్వామి May 4, 1767 - January 6, 1847) was a composer of Carnatic music This is when he composed the famous "kamalamba navavarnams" filled with exemplary sahityams which proved to be the showcase of his compositions. Sahityam literally means Literature, and is used to refer to the Lyrics of a Carnatic music composition These navavarnams were in all the eight vibhakthis and are sung as a highlight of guruguha jayanthi celebrated every year. He continued to display his prowess by composing the "Navagraha krithis" in praise of the nine planets. The sahitya of the songs reflect a profound knowledge of the mantra and jyotisha shaastras (astrology). The Nilotpalamba krithis is another classic set of compositions which revived dying ragas like Narayanagowla.
Compositions
His total compositions are about 450 to 500, most of which are very widely sung by musicians today in Carnatic music concerts. The music of India' includes multiple varieties of folk, popular, pop, and classical music. The origins of Indian classical music can be found from the oldest of Scriptures part of the Hindu tradition the Vedas. Hindustani Classical Music ( Hindi: हिन्दुस्तानी शास्त्रीय संगीत Urdu: ہندوستانی شاستریے سنگیت Carnatic music (also spelled Karnatak music or Karnatik music, and originally called Karṇāṭaka sangīta or Karṇāṭaka sangītam in India The Carnatic classical music tradition gained impetus in the 15th century through the works of Purandara Dasa, one of the foremost Haridasa Saints of the Vijayanagara Carnatic music is the classical music of South India Some of the more popular carnatic singers are Alathur Brothers Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyengar Rāga ( Sanskrit, lit "colour" or "mood" or rāgam in Carnatic music) refers to melodic modes used A thaat (ঠাট also transliterated as that) is a mode in Hindustani music. Melakarta is a collection of fundamental Ragas (musical scales in Carnatic music (South Indian classical music The Katapayadi sankhya is a way of determining the number of a Melakarta Ragam from the first two syllables of the name of the Raga. The śruti ( Sanskrit "thing heard" "sound" written also sruti or shruti is the smallest interval of the tuning system in for the town in Nepal see Swara Nepal The notes or swaras, of Indian music are shadja rishabh gandhar madhyam pancham dhaivat and nishad Saptak means "gamut" or "the series of seven notes" In Indian classical music, Tala ( Sanskrit tāla literally a "clap" is a rhythmical pattern that determines the rhythmical structure of a composition Mudra is the unique signature of a Carnatic music composer which is woven into some or all of their respective compositions In Hindustani music, a gharānā is a system of social organization linking musicians or dancers by lineage and/or apprenticeship and by adherence to a particular Carnatic music (also spelled Karnatak music or Karnatik music, and originally called Karṇāṭaka sangīta or Karṇāṭaka sangītam in India Most of his compositions are in Sanskrit and in the Krithi form i. Kriti is also a spelling of Crete, Greece "Kriti" is also the Hindi word for "creation" e. poetry set to music. Muttuswami Dikshitar traveled to many holy shrines throughout his life, and composed krithis on the deities and temples he visited.
Each of his compositions is unique and brilliantly crafted. The compositions are known for the depth and soulfulness of the melody - his visions of some of the ragas are still the final word on their structure. His Sanskrit lyrics are in praise of the temple deity, but Muttuswami introduces the Advaita thought seamlessly into his songs, resolving the inherent relationship between Advaita philosophy and polytheistic worship. Advaita Vedanta ( IAST Advaita Vedānta; Sanskrit अद्वैत वेदान्त əd̪vait̪ə veːd̪ɑːnt̪ə is a sub-school of the His songs also contain much information about the history of the temple, and its background, thus preserving many customs followed in these old shrines.
Muttuswami also undertook the project of composing in all the 72 melakartha ragas, (in his asampurna mela scheme) thereby providing a musical example for many rare and lost ragas. Melakarta is a collection of fundamental Ragas (musical scales in Carnatic music (South Indian classical music Rāga ( Sanskrit, lit "colour" or "mood" or rāgam in Carnatic music) refers to melodic modes used Dikshitar was a master of talas and is the only composer to have krithis in all the seven basic talas of the carnatic scheme. Dikshitar shows his prowess in Sanskrit by composing in all the eight vibhakthis(cases).
For richness of Raga Bhava,sublimity of their philosophic contents and for the grandeur of the Sahithya, the songs of Dikshitar stand unsurpassed.
Disciples
Muttuswami Dikshitar was approached by four dance masters, Sivanandam, Ponnayya ,Chinnayya and Vadivelu. They expressed their desire to learn music from him and entreated him to accompany them to Tanjavur. There, Dikshitar imparted to them the 72 mela tradition handed down by Venkata Vaidyanatha Dikshita. The students showed their gratitude by composing a set of nine songs called navaratna maala glorifying their guru. These four disciples became what is known as the "Tanjore quartet" and are revered as the prime composers of music for bharatanatyam
Samadhi
On Deepavali, the day of narakachaturdashi, Dikshithar performed puja as usual and asked his students to sing the song "meenaakshi me mudam" in the raga Poorvi kalyani. Bharatanatyam (பரதநாட்டியம்is a classical Dance form originating in Tamil Nadu,
As his students sang the lines "Meena lochani paasa mochani" he raised his hands and saying "sive paahi" left his mortal coil.
Other
Baluswami Dikshitar, brother of Muthuswamy Dikshitar is believed to be the pioneer who introduced violin to Carnatic Music, an instrument now an integral part of almost any carnatic ensemble. Muthuswamy Dikshitar also shows influence of the Baroque style of western classical music in some of his compositions ( Varashiva Balam ) - which is pretty incredible as there were no record players in his age and it is hard to imagine how he managed that!!!
Descendants
Muthuswami Dikshitar died on 21 October 1835. Although Muthuswami Dikshitar did not have any children of his own, his Brother Baluswami's descendants have preserved his musical legacy, and his compositions have been popularised due to the efforts of people like Subbarama Dikshitar and Ambi Dikshitar.
Shri. Baluswamy Dikshithar, the sixth descendant in the line, a well known Vainika by his own rights, was residing in Trichy and then moved to Chennai in 1957. He died in November 1985. He has two sons and two daughters. The eldest son Shri. Muthuswamy the seventh descendent in the line, retired as a top executive in the State Bank of India Group of Banks and then was the Mg. Director and CEO of a private sector Bank. He now resides in Coimbatore. The younger son runs his own small scale industry near Madurai. Both the daughters are married and well settled in Chennai.
The Raja Rajeswari, Vallabha Ganapathi, Sree Chakra, BanaLingam, Saligramam and other idols, given to Shri Muthuswamy Dikshithar by his Guru Chidambaranatha Yatheendra is in the family with the eldest son Shri Muthuswamy as also the Divine Veena (with the upturned Yaali Mukha) with the sanskrit inscription "Sree Ram" given to Shri Dikshithar by Goddess Saraswathi, when he bathed in the river Ganges, as indication of his having attained Manthra Siddhi.
Important Krithi Groups
- Guruguha Vibhakti krithis - Songs in praise of the guru;
- Kamalamba Nava Varnams - Songs in praise of Kamalamba;
- Navagraha Krithis - In praise of the Sun, Moon and other planets;
- Nilotpalamba vibhakti Krithis;
- PanchalingaKshetra kritis;
- Rama vibhakti Krithis;
- Tiruvarur Pancalinga kritis;
- Thyagaraja vibhakti Krithis;
- Abhayamba vibhakti Krithis
- Madhuramba vibhakti Krithis
External links
- Compositions of Dikshitar, with meanings.
- Muthusamy Dikshithar - A Creative Genius.
- Statistics on Dikshitar's Compositions
- Keertans of Muthusamy Dikshithar
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