guru guha vaibhavam - The Music

Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar was a versatile intellect. He was open to a variety of influences. His works reflect some of those influences rather explicitly while some others shine through in a subtle way. Before we get into a discussion about Dikshitar’s creations, we need to recognize a few features that influenced him.

*.Muthuswami Dikshitar was a vainikagayaka, a musician who sang as he played on the Veena. He was well trained both in vocal and instrumental music. Naturally, the graces, the rich gamaka prayogas of his compositions structured in slow tempo shine in mellow glow when played on the Veena.

*.In his childhood he received training in the lakshya and lakshana aspects of Carnatic music. The lakshana gitams and prabandhas of Venkatamakhi formed an important input of his training. Later, as a composer, he chose to follow Venkatamukhi’s system of Mela _classification of ragas.

*.He spent seven years at Varanasi, in the prime of his youth. He was captivated by the grandeur, the spaciousness and the purity of the ancient Druphad School. He learnt Dhrupad diligently; and that left a lasting impression on his works.

*.Earlier in his teenage he gained familiarity with Western music; and traces of its influence can be noticed in the movement of his songs.

*.He had a good command over Sanskrit; and learnt to use it to express his ideals and aspirations in pristine poetry. He had a fascination for sabdalankara, beautifully turned phrases and wordplay. He had the composure of a yogi and the heart of a poet. Dikshitar's kritis are therefore adorned with poetic imagery, tranquil grace, a certain majesty steeped in devotion.

*.Dikshitar had acquired a fair knowledge of Jyothisa, Ayurveda, and iconography and of temple architecture.

*.He was unattached to possessions or to a place (jangama). He was a virtual pilgrim all his life. He visited a large number of shrines and sang about them and the deities enshrined there.

 *He was intensely devotional yet not overly affiliated a particular deity. He composed soulful songs in praise of a number of gods and goddesses.

*He had a fascination for composing a set of kritis exploring the various dimensions of on a particular, as if he had undertaken a project.

*He was an Advaitin well grounded in Vedanta.

And above all,

*Dikshitar was an ardent Sri Vidya Upasaka; a Sadhaka, an intense devotee of Devi, the divine mother .He was a master of Tantra and of Yantra puja. The Tantra ideology permeates all through his compositions.

It is the harmonious confluence of these influences that one finds in Dikshitar’s music. 

P.S.Padithadhil pidithadhu 

courtesy: http://creative.sulekha.com/sri-muthuswami-dikshitar-and-sri-vidya-4-of-7_333001_blog