Thyagarajar is the most versatile and prolific amongst the composers of India. His Ghana Raga Pancharatanamm his scholarly kritis, his Divyanama kritinas and Utasava Sampradaya kritinas and his three Operas will be remembered by posterity.

It is in his operas that we see his fully blossomed genius in the realm of music and letters. 'Geyanataka' is the term for opera in India. The music in this form is an integral part of the play. It serves as a powerful commentary on the several situations. To witness as opera is a veritable audio-visual treat. In the opera we find the happy consummation of all the fine arts.

Thyagarajar is the leading pioneer amongst writers of opera. There were dance dramas or nritya natakas during his time. The element of dance in the dance drama easily served to please an audience. At the time when Merattur Venkatarama Sastri flooded the stage with his scholarly dance dramas and captured the imagination of the rasikas; it required tremendous courage on the part of a composer to write plays bereft of the element of dance. Dance in an opera is only incidental and not an integral part of it. Abhinaya is of course included but not the elaborate footwork of variegated well in his attempts and made history with his three operas.

He had in him all the requisite equipment required of an ideal writer op operas. He had the genius a playwright, insight into human nature; power of effective characterisation; dramatic instinct; literary and poetic skill; imagination; knowledge of the sacred lore; the gifts of composing captivating melodies; a natural talent for conceiving musical dialogues; gifts at creating situations for musical soliloquies; knowledge of different literary and musical forms and the technical ability to compose in them, a natural gift to choose appropriate ragas, a capacity to introduce fictitious characters and incidents for heightening the interest for heightening the interest in the play without going against its spirit; and family, the mind's ear and the mind's eye to see how the whole thing would shine when performed on the stage.

As a pioneer, he has defined the lakshana of a geya nataka in a clear manner. He enunciated the rule that in opera, the opening and the closing songs should be an auspicious raga. Accordingly we find that the opening song SRI GANAPATINI and the closing song NINAMA RUPAMULAKU in prahlada Bhakti Vijiya are in the same raga, i.e., Saurashtra. Incidentally it may be pointed out that Thyagaraja was the first to compose a mangalam in Saurashtra raga. Likewise the opening and closing songs of NOWKA CHARITRAM- SRIGHARINCHUKONI and MAKULAMUNAKIHA are both in Surati raga and Surati is an auspious raga. His kanda padyas, sisa padyas, utpalamalas, champakamalas, sardulas and utsahas rise to the level of high toned literature. He has instilled life into his operas by introducing appropriate, fictitious incidents and characters. All the songs in his opera bear his signature.

PRAHLADA BHAKTI VIJAYAM

Of the three operas of Thyagaraja, Prahlada Bhakti Vijayam, Nowka Charitram and Sita Rama Vijayam, the first one is the longest. It consists of 5 Acts. Forty-five songs figure in this opera. Some in the style of DIVYANAMA KIRTANAS. There are also beautiful kanda padyas, sisa padyas, utpalamalas champakamalas and dvipadas. The occasional prose passages explains the connecting links in story. The famous churnika JAYATUJAYATU SAKALA NIGAMAGAMA describing the greatness of Vaikuntha, figures in Act II of this opera. This churnika picturising the divine glory of Vaikuntha is grand in its construction. Its high sounding panegyrics have a telling effect.

The name of the opera is PRAHLADA BHAKTI VIJAYAM and NOT PRAHLADA BHAKTA VIJAYAM. It is the triumph of Prahlada's Bhakti that is significantly sought to be conveyed in this opera and not the life story of Prahlada. Appropriately enough, Thyagaraja has introduced some incidents not found in the original story, Prahlada Charitram. It is open to poet to introduce in a play, fictitious incidents for the purpose of heightening the interest in the drama and to sub serve the purpose he has in view. Bhava pushti, Artha pushti and sangita pushti are abundantly found in this opera.

Throughout the opera, Prahlada refers only to Rama. The significance of this can be understood only when it is remembered that to Thyagaraja, Rama was Parabrahma. In the kriti, 'Telisi Rama Chintanato (Purna Chandrika raga) Thyagaraja equates Rama with Brahman. It is not that the composer was not aware of the fact that Ramavatara took place after Narasimhavatara. Through Prahlada Thyagaraja tells us what is true bhakti and what will be the reactions of an ideal bhakta to particular trials, tribulations and ordeals. Thyagaraja had been a shrewd observer of men, manners, customs and human foibles. Not only does he reveal these in the opera but also gives his own views, concerning some of the controversial problems besetting our society. Both in the introductory dvipada and in the phala sruti at the end, he refers to himself as the son of Ramabrahma. The composer's ankitam(signature) is found also in some verses.

In Act I on P. 2 line 8, Thyagarajar says that his object in writing the opera was to elucidate the nature of Jnana Vairagya Vijnana Sad-bhakthi i.e. unalloyed, stead-fast devotion born out of true jnana, vairagya and Vijnana.

He uses the phrase Gana rasa i.e., pure aesthetic emotion, unconnected with the navarasa emotion, unconnected with the navarasa and uparasa, in an authoritative manner. We come across the passage Ragataladiyuta gana rasamu cheta.

Song 21 in Devagandhari raga contains high philosophy. It is mentioned here that one should meditate so as to merge with the inner self. One should perceive the abode of the self within the body.

NOWKA CHARITRAM

The Nowka Charitram is an opera in one Act. It consists of five scenes. It tells the story of a boat excursion on the River Jamna, the party consisting of Krishna and twenty Gopis. Krishna in this play is a boy of about 7 years of age. The story which is of captivating interest in a creation of Thyagaraja's own imagination. Rasa Krida and Jalakrida figure in the sacred lore but not Nowka krida. Through Nowka Charitra, Thyagaraja wanted to communicate to mankind the supreme teaching that there is one Eternal force-ever watching and guiding the destinies of man. If one becomes oblivious to it troubles arise. Some aspects of madhura bhakti are portrayed in the Nowka Charitram. Both Prahlada Bhakti Vijayam and Nowka Charitra have now been published with a critical introduction notes and notation.

SITARAMA VIJAYAM

The bare text of this opera was published in 1868 in Madras by Narayana Sastrulu. Not a single copy of it is now traceable. This is the first opera to be attempted by the great composer. It pertains to the story of the Uttara Ramayanam. After writing this opera, the idea occurred to him, that he must write an opera pertaining to an avatar prior to Ramavatar and another opera pertaining to an avatar subsequent to Ramavatar. The result was the Prahlada Bhakti Vijayam and Nowka Charitram.

The famous kriti in Kambhoji raga 'MaJanaki chettabettaga' belongs to the Sitarama Vijayam. It is sung by a character addressing Rama thus:'Oh Rama! you attained the greatness of being called Ravanari, because you married out sita. If the Lokamata had so desired, she could have reduced Ravana to ashes by her mere thought. But she patiently bore the insults and stayed in the Asoka Vana. In the opera again Rama gives brother Satrugna a long sermon on yuddha dharma prior to the letter's departure with the horse on the eve of the performance of Asvamedha yaga. Amongst other things Rama said that he (Satrugna) must not fight an enemy during the night that he must not kill an enemy when the latter is sleeping. Lakshmi nidhi, a fictitious character immediately accosts Rama in a sarcastic manner says 'As if you yourself practiced these dharmas! How did you kill Vali? What was the justification for killing Tataki' etc. The portions comprising this episode offer delightful reading.

The well-known song in Keadaragaula raga, Adi tala 'Vanajanayanudani' belongs to this opera. It is addressed to sita by her sakhi when Sita is made to go to the forest after the Pattabhisehka. It is a very moving song and Rama is rebuked - for his adamant attitude.

Reference:
The Operas of Thyagaraja by P. Sambamoorthy