Influence of Lord Rama on Tyagaraja

Influence of Lord Rama on Tyagaraja has remained for most part of his life. Lord Rama, the epic hero of the Ramayana had played a considerable part in the politics and private life of saints like Tyagaraja. Tyagaraja chose Lord Rama as his personal deity. Structures of music and structures of emotion are analogous. Products of art are emotional representation of facts and ideas. The development of the practice adoption of a personal deity belongs to the sector of popular practical religion of daily life.

Muthuswamy Dikshitar, a contemporary of Tyagaraja adopted Subramanya (Murugan of the Tamils) and another contemporary Syama Sastri adopted Bangaru Kamakshi as Ishtadevatas. Contemporaries of this trinity such as Marimuthapillai, Muthuthandavar and Gopala Krishna-Bharathi were admirers of Lord Nataraja of Chidambaram. Adoption of deities is a rediscovery.

The people of Maratha Tanjavur were struggling with ideological and social problems similar to those with which the originators of the Bhakti movement of Tamil Nadu were engaged. The Bhakti movement did not stand to propagate any extraordinary or new religious beliefs and dogmas to their followers. In this sense they were reformers and not revolutionaries. The interval A.D. 1763 to 1850 in the history of Thanjavur is a `time synthesis in the philosophical and learned traditions. Maratha Thanjavur is still remembered as a kind of last golden age of pre-colonial culture. As indicated earlier there was no social harmony. Social scientists have tried to estimate the impact of religion on society. Tyagaraja was of the firm conviction that he was born with the mission of singing Lord Rama even as sage Valmiki did. His reformist zeal had been illustrated in earlier contexts. Common historical and social origin of Tyagaraja is beyond doubt. He displays the capacity of finding a definite attitude in the midst of contradictory motives

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