The Life of Sri Muthuswamy Dikshitar

S. Krishnamurthy

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    Muthuswamy Dikshitar contributed immensely to the repertoire of Karnatik

music. The credit of introducing the violin to south Indian music also goes to

his family.

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escence when art and literature struck new forms and rose to high peaks of

glory. This is rightly regarded as the golden age of Karnatik classical

music. Many eminent musicians and composers flourished during this period. Of

them, Shyama Sastri, Tyagaraja and Muthuswamy Dikshitar stand out prominently.

RAGA SUPREME

    Muthuswamy Dikshitar was the youngest of the celebrated trio of composers,

revered as the Trinity of Karnatik music. Their compositions form a class by

themselves: those of Shyama Sastry excel is intricate rhythmic patterns;

those of Tyagaraja in the happy blend of emotion and melody; and those of

Muthuswamy Dikshitar in their richness in the portraiture of melodic beauty

and variety.

    There lived in the beginning of the 18th century a Brahmin couple -

Venkateswara Dikshitar and Bhagirathi - in a place called Virinchipuram.

They had a son called Ramaswamy. In 1742, there was a political upheaval in the

region, following which there was a huge exodus. The Cauvery delta, which was

under the administration of the enlightened Maratha kings of Tanjore, was

comparatively peaceful and prosperous. Venkateswara Dikshitar and his family

migrated to the State of Tanjore and settled down in a village called

Govindapuram. By about 1751, Venkateswara Dikshitar and his wife passed away,

leaving the young Ramaswamy to carve out his own future.

    Ramaswamy Dikshitar had by then received extensive training in the Vedas. As

he was gifted with a rich and sonorous voice, he was advised by his wellwishers

to take to the study of music. Ramaswamy Dikshitar accordingly went to Tanjore

and learnt music from Veerabhadrayya, an eminent musician who enjoyed royal

patronage. Ramaswamy Dikshitar believed that no music could be perfect unless

it was based on a firm foundation of theory. Accordingly he studied the

theory of music under the guidance of Venkata Vaidyanatha Dikshitar, a well

known vainika of the times whc belonged to the family of Govinda Dikshitar and

Venkatamukhi, the Panini of Karnatik music.

WIDE FAME

    Ramaswamy's reputation as a concert artist spread far and wide. He

enjoyed the liberal patronage of the king of Tanjore and the landed

aristocracy. Ramaswamy Dikshitar earned fame as a versatile composer as well.

    He has to his credit a large number of tana varnas, pada varnas, darus,

ragamalikas and kirtanas. The ragamalika in 108 ragas and talas (Ashtottara

Satha Raga Tala Malika) is the magnum opus not only of his creative genius but

of the whole world of Karnatik music as well. This is an outstanding

composition not merely for its sheer magnitude but also for its technical

grandeur and for its melodic and rhythmic charm, enshrined in some uncommon

ragas and talas.

    Raga Hamsadhwani is the creation of Ramaswamy Dikshitar. In fact, his

compositions would have received far greater recognition and wider popularity

had his son Muthuswamy Dikshitar not overshadowed him.

    Ramaswamy Dikshitar was childless till his 40th year. He and his wife

Subbammal performed rigorous tapas at the Vaideswaram shrine. They offered

'avarana' poojas to Kartikeya for 40 days. It is said that on the last day of

the pooja, the Devi appeared to Ramaswamy Dikshitar in his dream and presented

him with a muktaharam (pearl necklace). He related the dream to the elders of

the place who assured him that a gem (mukta) of a son would soon be born to

him.

    It was the month of Phalguna. The annual Vasantotsava was being celebrated

in the temple of Sri Tyagaraja Swamy with great eclat. The entire town was

resounding to the Vedic chanting and the music of the nagaswaram.

    It was in this divine atmosphere that Ramaswamy Dikshitar was blessed with a

baby boy. He named the child Muthuswamy, after god Kartikeya. After Muthuswamy,

two sons - Chinnaswamy and Baluswamy - and a daughter - Balambika - were born

to Ramaswamy Dikshitar.

    The boyhood of Muthuswamy was one of total dedication to studies. He

acquired profound scholarship in the ancient sastras. Ramaswamy Dikshitar

gave him intense training in the 'lakshya' and 'lakshana' aspects of Karnatik

music. The lakshana geethas and prabandhas of Venkatamukhi formed an important

part of the training.

    Manali near Madras was a prominent principality in those days. Its proprietor

Muthukrishna Mudaliar was a person with a religious bent of mind. He was a

munificent patron of art and letters. He once happened to visit the famous

shrine of Tyagarajaswamy at Tiruvarur. He heard Ramaswamy Dikshitar singing

bhajans and was so captivated that he invited Ramaswamy to go over with him to

Manali. Ramaswamy Dikshitar agreed and shifted to Manali with his family.

Muthukrishna Mudaliar looked after him with utmost respect and honoured him

profusely.

PATRONAGE

    Venkatakrishna Mudaliar, who succeeded his father, was even more liberal in

his patronage. Venkatakrishna Mudaliar was also an agent (Dubash) of the East

India Company at Madras and in that capacity used to visit Fort St George quite

often. He had several opportunities to listen to Western music played by the

band. He of- ten took with him Muthuswamy and his younger brothers to listen to

the band. The association of the development of south Indian music.

    On the suggestion of Col Browne who was in the service of the East India

Company, Dikshitar composed the text in Sanskrit for English tunes. A far more

important benefit that accrued from the association of the Dikshitar family

with Western music was the adoption of the violin as a regular concert

instrument. Ramaswamy Dikshitar and his sons who listened to the orchestral

music played by the band, were deeply impressed by the important role assigned

to the violin in the concert. They wondered why the violin could not replace

the veena as an accompanying instrument.

WESTERN MUSIC

    Since Muthuswamy had already taken to the veena, it was decided that Baluswamy

should learn playing on the violin. Venkatakrishna Mudaliar engaged a European

tutor for this purpose. Before long Baluswamy acquired such mastery over the

instrument that he accompanied Muthuswamy ina veena concert. What began as an

experiment soon became a permanent feature of Karnatik music concerts.

    Chidambaranatha Yogi, who had earlier initiated Ramaswamy Dikshitar into

the Sri Vidya Cult and taught him the tantric mode of worship, was on a

pilgrimage to Benaras. On his way from the south, he made a brief halt at

Madras. Ramaswamy Dikshitar invited the guru for a bhiksha. The yogi accepted

the invitation and went to his house at Manali. Muthuswamy and his brothers sang

while the yogi performed the pooja.

    The yogi, who visualised the eventful future ahead of Muthuswamy, asked

Ramaswamy Dikshitar: "I have a request to make, will you care to comply?"

"You are my revered guru. Command me, Sir," said Ramaswamy Dikshitar.

"So then, send your son Muthuswamy with me to Kasi."

    Ramaswamy Dikshitar was stunned and sat speechless. At this very juncture,

Venkatakrishna Mudaliar appeared on the scene. He told Ramaswamy Dikshitar:

"King Dasaratha was nervous when Viswamitra desired to take young Rama with him

to the forest. Didn't Rama derive immense good by accompanying the sage?"

Ramaswamy Dikshitar agreed, though reluctantly, to send Muthuswamy with

Chidambaranatha Yogi.

    Muthuswamy lived with the yogi for about six years in Kasi. This is the

period that must be reganded as the most signfficant in moulding the

personality of Muthuswamy Dikshitar. The yogi gave him the 'upadesa' of

Shodashakshari Mantra and trained him further in the tantric form of worship.

He taught him yoga and Vedanta as propounded by Shankaracharya. This is why we

find in Muthuswamy Dikshitar a synthesis of Veda, Purana, Alankara, Jyotisha,

Agama, Yoga, Mantra, and Tantra which is abundantly reflected in his compo-

sitions.

    During his stay at Kasi, Muthuswamy Dikshitar had splendid opportunities of

listening to Hindustani music in all its purity. This had a profound influence

on his creative genius, which becomes apparent not only in his handling of

the Hindustani ragas but in the portrayal of ragas in general as well.

    Muthuswamy Dikshitar has composed a number of kirtanas in Yamuna Kalyani

(Yaman of Hindustani music) and among them special mention is to be made or the

kirtana Jambupathe mam pahi, which stands unrivalled its regard to the richness

of ragabhava and grandeur of style. Parmala Ranganatham in Hamir Kalyani is

again a brilliant composition that brings out the salient features of the raga

as delineated in Hindustani music. Chetha Sri Balakrishnam in Dwijavanthi is a

magnificent edifice portraying the charming raga in all its varied hues.

YOGI'S AFFECTION

    Muthuswamy Dikshitar was to leave for his home town Chidambaranatha Yogi was

offering worship to Devi Annapoorneswari, and Muthuswamy Dikshitar was beside

him. The yogi told Dikshitar that the Devi would not only grant his desires in

this life but moksha thereafter and that he should worship her all his life.

    The next day, while going to the Ganga for bathing, the Yogi said to

Dikshitar: "Go down three steps in the Ganga and tell me what takes place".

Dikshitar stepped down the Ganga and to his greal amazement. a veena with the

sacred name of Rama inscribed on it drifted into his arms. "This is the prasada

of Ganga Devi. May you grow to become a great vainika and celebrated

vaggeyakara," blessed the guru.

Muthuswamy Dikshitar is a prolific composer. His compositions run into

hundreds and consist of kirtanas mainly. Besides, there are five ragamalikas, a

pada varna and a daru. Dikshitar's compositions are mostly in Sanskrit. A few

of them are what are known as Manipravala compositions, the Sahitya being in

multiple languages. The most outstanding feature of his compositions is their

rich ragabhava. If, for instance, a composition is hummed, leaving out the

sahitya, it can easily be mistaken for a ragalapana. His kirtanas can be

described as ragalapana dressed in sahitya and artistically accommodated in the

framework of tala.

MODEL COMPOSER

There are many old ragas such as Mangala Kaisiki, Narayana Gaula and Gopika

Vasantha for which we have to fall back on Dikshitar's compositions to

understand the lakshana aspects. There are again ragas like Saranga Nata,

Chhaya Gaula, Mahuri and Kumudakriya which have been handled only by Dikshitar.

Muthuswamy Dikshitar was a vainika-gayaka. He sang to the accompaniment of

the veena. It is this combination that distinguishes Dikshitar's compositions

from those of others. His kirtanas are in slow tempo, ideally suited for the

portrayal of ragas in all their beauty. The veena is the best suited to bring

out the gamakas. Accordingly, rich gamaka prayogas are another outstanding

feature of Dikshitar's compositions.

    Dikshitar is also reputed for his composition in groups based on particular

themes. One set among these group compositions is the Navagraha Kirtanas

devoted to the nine planets.

    According to legend, one of his disciples, Tambiyappan, is said to have

developed a serious ailment. His astrologer assured him of a cure if he

worshipped the Navagrahas. But Tambiyappan could not worship as ordained in the

Vedic tradition because he did not belong to the class of the twice-born.

Touched by the plight of his disciple, Dikshitar found a way out.

    All the essentials and attributes of the grahas were moulded into musical

compositions. This enabled Tambtyappan to propitiate the Navagraha with

music. Thus Dikshitar has shown the way to earn the divine grace of the

Navagrahas through music as an alternative to the age-old mode of tantric

worship.

    Another set of group compositions of Dikshitar is the most famous

Navavarna kirtanas based on the adoration of Sakthis through the worship of Sri

Chakra. These compositions are called Kamalamba Navavarna Kirtanas, even though

they are devoted to the worship of Sri Chakra. This is because Dikshitar

identified the Supreme Mother with Kamalamba, the consort of the presiding

diety of Tiruvarur.

    The year was 1834. In the month of Aswija, on the Chaturdashi preceding

Deepavali, Muthuswamy Dikshitar woke up in the early hours, as was his

practice, and after yogic practices went to take his bath.

    He had a vision of Kasi Annapoorneswari. Even as he was gazing on it, the

vision vanished. Dikshitar remembered what Chidambara yogi had told him at

Kasi: "She will give you not merely feed in this life but 'moksha'

thereafter".

    Dikshitar felt his end was nearing. He performed Navavarna pooja to the Devi

and sang the kriti Ehi Annapoorne. After the pooja, Dikshitar moved on to the

drawing room where his disciples had assembled. "Today is Chaturdashi, a day

sacred to the Devi. May you all sing kirtanas in her praise," said Dikshitar to

disciples. They began singing Meenakshi me mudam dehi in raga Gamakakriya.

    "It looks as though the Devi is liberating me from the bonds of this world.

Sing the kirtana again," said Dikshitar. They did so. Even as they were singing

the sahitya of the anupallavi Meena lochani Pasha mochani, he cast off his

mortal coils.