Remembering the Great Muthuswami Dikshithar On His 250th Birth Anniversary

Muthuswami Dikshitar, popularly known as Dikshithar, is one among the trinity of Carnatic music (the other two being Tyagaraja and Syama Sastri). He called himself a ‘vainika gayaka’, the one who sings while playing the veena. This year marks the 250th birth anniversary of a gifted musical genius and mystic. Numerous interesting incidents, no shorter than what can be called miracles, are associated with life; let’s contemplate some of them. 

Any student or admirer of Carnatic classical music would have undoubtedly come across his popular compositions, such as “Vathapi Ganapathim”, “Sree Saraswathi”, and “Kamalambam Bhajare”, among others. He introduced the Hamsadhwani raga, played a major role in popularising the violin as an apt accompaniment for Carnatic concerts, and composed keerthanas in all the 72 melakarta ragas. 

He is also known as Mudduswamy Dikshitar, the only composer to have composed krithis in all 7 basic talas of the Carnatic music system. Dikshithar’s exposure to Western classical bands at a young age paved the way to the beautiful nottuswaras like ‘Sakthi Sahitha Ganapatim’ and ‘Vara Shiva Balam’.

The Birth of a Legend

Dikshithar’s father, Ramaswamy Dikshithar (who was indeed his first Guru), is said to have prayed to Goddess Balambika for begetting a son, worshipping her for 40 days continuously. On the 40th day, the Goddess came in his dream and blessed him with a ‘mukthaahara’ (a garland of pearls).

Soon, his wife conceived, and when a son was born, he was named Muthukumara Swami (“muthu” in Tamil means pearl). It also has a reference to the deity of Subrahmanya, the same deity worshipped in the temple where his father prayed for a son. 

Dikshitar was associated with an ascetic named Chidambaranatha yogi, who guided him spiritually and later took him to Benaras. Yogi initiated him into the Sri Vidya cult and was intuitively aware of the tremendous potential his disciple was blessed with and the eternal fame that would be his lot. It was from Benaras, also known as Varanasi, that Dikshithar was exposed to the depths of Carnatic and Hindustani music, as well as philosophy, yoga, and astrology. 

He was especially drawn to the Drupad style of music, the influence of which is evident in most of his compositions set to slow to medium tempos (Vilamba to Madhyama kala).

He was also inspired to adopt ragas like Hameerkalyani, Dwijavanthi, and Yamunakalyani in his krithis. After Yogi’s passing away, he miraculously pulled out a veena from the Ganges during his bath. It was a unique instrument with the name “Rama” inscribed on it.  

Miracles Associated with Dikshitar’s Life and Compositions 

Returning to the South, legend has it that while Dikshithar was in Tiruttani, a town in Tamil Nadu, Lord Subrahmanya came in the guise of an old man, placed a sugar candy in his mouth, and commanded him to sing. The man then vanished into the temple shrine. Recognising it as none other than the lord himself who came to bless him, Dikshithar burst into his first composition “Sree nathaadhi guruguho jayathi” with brimming devotion to the Lord. 

He adopted the mudra ‘guruguha’ (another name for Subrahmanya) in all his compositions, following it. This is also said to uphold the concept of Guru, here, Chidambaranatha Yogi. Incidentally, this composition is in Mayamalavagowla, the raga in which musical lessons are traditionally begun. 

Aa: S R1 G3 M1 P D1 N3 S

Av: S N3 D1 P M1 G3 R1 S

Another unique feature of this composition is that it starts with the arohanam-avarohanam of the raga. Choosing Sanskrit as his medium, he composed 8 Guruguha-vibhakti krithis. Most of his compositions were born while he traveled to different temples, including Chidambaram, Seerkazhi, Kancheepuram, Tiruvarur, and Mayavaram. 

Other Prominent Krithis

The Kamalamba Navavarana krithis can be referred to as the magnum opus of Dikshithar, dedicated to Goddess Kamalambika of Tiruvarur. The Navagraha krithis, a set of nine compositions dedicated to each of the nine planets in the solar system, reflect Dikshithar’s depth of knowledge in the science of astrology. It is interesting to note that they were not just rich in musical brilliance, but singing them with devotion is said to alleviate the adverse effects caused by the planets in a person’s life. 

During his stay in a town named Ettayapuram, Dikshithar composed the kriti “Anandamritakarshini” in the raaga Amritavarshini, praying to the goddess for rain. It is said that when he finished writing and while sharing the song with a disciple, a sudden heavy downpour began the moment he sang “Salilam varshaya, varshaya”, bringing an end to the long-time drought that had occurred in the region.

In Keezhvelur, Dikshithar wanted to present his new composition at Lord Siva’s shrine but was denied entry into the temple because the doors were being closed after the day’s rituals. He sat outside and sang his new composition “Akshayalinga vibho” set to raaga Sankarabharanam. At the song’s climax, the temple doors miraculously opened, and Dikshithar was overjoyed to have received the choicest blessings of the Lord. 

Diwali and Dikshithar 

Diwali is one of the most anticipated festivals in India, celebrated with lights, sweets, and crackers. It marks the return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya and the victory of Krishna over the demon Narakasura. But a lesser-known fact is that this day happens to be the death anniversary of Dikshithar. 

The way Dikshithar embraced death requires a special mention. On that day, Dikshithar asked his disciples to sing one of his compositions, ‘Meenakshi memudam’ in Gamakakriya raga. He sat calm, listening and meditating, and while the line ‘Meenalochani pashamochani’ from the charanam was being sung, he breathed his last. 

This holds great significance as it refers to Goddess Minakshi as the one who releases her devotees from the bondage of the world. Musicians and music lovers from all over the world come to pay tribute to his ‘samadhi’ (tomb) in Ettayapuram every year, singing and reminiscing about his great compositions. 

Paying Gratitude To The Saintly Genius 

There might be more miracles associated with Dikshithar; the above are but only a few. Learning and singing his compositions with reverence and trying to assimilate the ‘bhava’ or emotion with which Dikshithar approached each one of them is what we, as students of music, can do to pay our respects to him. Leaving a legacy that transcends time, Dikshithar and his compositions will continue to shine as brightly as ever.

At Artium, an academy dedicated entirely to music education, our goal is to instill in each student a sense of reverence and sincerity when learning music. Only when they realise how blessed they are to learn and sing the compositions of legends do they get genuinely interested in it. 

One might compare it with the Guru-disciple system prevalent for Carnatic music classes even today. However, in the modern world where everyone is busy, scheduling classes at their convenience and attending them from the comfort of their homes really matters. Online music classes can prove to be efficient when the student’s potential is channeled in the right direction. 

The online Carnatic music course at Artium, particularly in the area of Indian classical music, combines theory and (riyaz) practice; the structured curriculum aims at the holistic development of the learner.  

Every teacher assures that this divine art is passed on to their students as effectively as the offline system of teaching music. The tradition is never compromised, while you enjoy the advantages of learning from a global standard online music learning platform from the comfort of your own home.