Jnanamosagarada - Raga: Purvikalyani - Composer: Tyagaraja - Dr. M Balamuralikrishna

🔸Walajapet Venkataramana Bhagavatar (WVB) was an illustrious and devoted disciple of the Saint Tyāgarāja, born in Ayyampettai of Thanjavur district in Tamil Nadu. Besides Sourashtram, his mother tongue, he became highly proficient in the languages Telugu and Sanskrit.

🔸Right from his childhood, he showed keen interest in music and he trained under his father. His longing for music drove him to Thiruvayyaru to the house of Tyāgarāja. Initially, he stood outside Tyāgarāja’s house and listened to him singing. However, this was noticed by Tyāgarāja who asked Bhagavatar if he would like to learn music from him.

🔸The life of WVB is illustrious of his faith in God and sincere devotion towards Him and his Guru. When he started learning music from Tyāgarāja, he was a bit slow in grasping the lessons. So Tyāgarāja prayed to Lord Sri Rama and composed “Jnānamosagarādā”, emphatically rendered by Dr. Balamuralikrishna (BMK) uploaded here based on a request by a distinguished rasika.

🔸This Pūrvikalyāñi composition rendered here is complete in every sense – rāgalāpana, kriti, sahitya-vinyāsam, svara-vinyāsam, laya-vinyāsam and most importantly the right measure of qualified emotion to mirror the intent of the composer.

🔸BMK, in this rendition also prefixs the word “su” to “jnāna” – sujnānamosagarāda, seeking the Divine to bestow that knowledge because of which all other knowledges are possible.

🔸Remembering WVB through this Tyāgarāja composition not only guides the serious seeker in his spiritual journey, but also from the point of view of the history of Carnatic music about his contribution. WVB preserved in writing and handed down the largest number of Tyāgarāja-kritis and carried forward his Guru’s tradition. His palm-leaf manuscripts, artefacts, and other items ; and, his notes on many of the incidents concerning Saint Tyāgarāja’s life, work, art etc., form a large collection , which is named ‘Walajapet Manuscripts’ . These collections have been of immense value, serving as source material, for the later scholars in their study of the life and works of Saint Tyāgarāja.

🔸We sincerely hope through Muraliganam, the earnest seeker in each one us would be inspired to tread the spiritual path, as expounded in this kriti, and to explore the works of Saint Tyāgarāja in more detail.

💐Please Note:
🌹The objective of this specific upload is in response to a query and a request made by a distinguished rasika for highlighting the role of Walajapet Venkataramana Bhagavatar in Carnatic music and a composition of Tyagaraja believed to have been made for the former.

🌹The purpose of sharing this album on this platform is mainly for study and discussion in the realm of classical music.

🌹This upload is not for any commercial gain.

🌹Neither do I have a copyright or intention to disrespect the same. If anyone has an exception to this upload, kindly let me know. I will remove the same instantly.