#15 (Thyagaraja) Gift From Sage Narada Poem by Rajaram Ramachandran

It was morning time
An old hermit came
And heard the songs
When the saint sang.

He said, “Thyagaraja, listen,
I’ll be coming back soon
After my bath in the River,
Cauvery, for my food here.”

While going he had left
Music related notes,
But never came back,
Those books to take.

Saint Thyagaraja waited
Without taking food,
But there was no sign
Of the hermit’s return.

That night, in his dream,
The same hermit came,
And said, “Thyagaraja,
I’m the Sage Narada.”

“To give you those books,
The hermit role I took.
New experience, a lot,
From them you’ll get.”

He woke up at once,
And turned the books.
Many secrets of tunes
Were in those notes.

(He sang in praise of Naradhyam:
Sri Narada Muni Guru Rayakandi
Menadi Thapamo Gururaya in
Raga: Bhairavi)

“Oh Narada Sage!
Oh My great Guru!
Out of my past penance
I saw your appearance.”

“I surrender to you.
After meeting you
Our attachments here
In this world are no more.”

“In the spiritual knowledge
You’re the supreme sage.
To burn any ignorance, ever
You’re the razing fire.”

“The Veena in your hand
Always give soothing sound.
Oh My Great Master,
Save this Thyagaraja,
Oh My Great Guru! ”