Talk:The Āḻvār Saints:Sant Tyāgarāja
By Vishal Agarwal
Many Hindu sants have said that there is nothing more precious than the name of Rāma, just as Hanumān showed that even expensive pearls are worthless if Rāma is not within them. For a true bhakta, there is no greater joy than singing the glories of Bhagavān. No treasure of this world can equal the worth of chanting Rāma’s name.
A beautiful story is told from the life of Bhakta Tyāgarāja (1747–1847), who lived in Tamil Nadu. He composed exquisite devotional poetry in praise of his chosen deity, Rāma. Hearing about his musical genius, the local king of Thanjavur sent him an invitation to become the royal musician of his court, along with numerous costly gifts.
Had Tyāgarāja accepted the invitation, he would have become very wealthy, but he would have had to sing the praises and glories of the king instead of Rāma. Therefore, Tyāgarāja declined, replying in the form of a beautiful song in which he said that sannidhi (closeness to Rāma) is far more valuable and joyful than the royal nidhi (treasure).
Tyāgarāja’s brother was deeply upset at his refusal of the royal court position. In anger, he threw the mūrtis that Tyāgarāja had worshipped into a river. Tyāgarāja was heartbroken to see the disappearance of his beloved mūrtis. He then went on a religious pilgrimage across South India, composing numerous songs in praise of Rāma.
By a miracle, one day Rāma appeared to him in a dream and asked him to recover the mūrtis from the banks of that same river. Tyāgarāja discovered his original mūrtis exactly where Rāma had indicated and brought them home. His brother and sister-in-law were astonished at the miraculous reappearance of the mūrti and never again troubled the saintly musician.
Tyāgarāja lived a long life and composed thousands of bhajans in praise of Rāma. Many of these were preserved by his listeners along with the musical melodies in which he sang them. Even today, people sing them and remember Rāma and His great bhakta Tyāgarāja.