Narayana Teertha


Sri Narayana Teertha was a great saint, devotee of Sri Krishna and sang many songs on him.

Brief lifesketch

Narayana was born in South India in the region covered by the present-day Andhra Pradesh. He lived in Kaza, Guntur district near Mangalagiri. They belonged to Tallavarjula family. His birth name was Govinda Sastrulu. They eventually moved to Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu.
While there is significant dissention as to his exact time, historians
place him between 1610 and 1745 AD. An extensive research done with the help of archives preserved in Saraswati Mahal Library has helped place the time closer to 1650 AD – 1745 AD, and he reportedly lived a long life.
He mastered music at a very early age and studied Puranas, Bhagavata Purana and other Sanskrit works. He renounced family at a very early age and took on a life of a religious devotion. He went to Varanasi to spread his philosophy.
Teertha was very well versed in Music and, Natya Shastra, and a great scholar in Sanskrit. He used at least 34 popular ragas. He used Triputa, Adi, Rupaka, Chapu, Jampa, Matya, Vilamba, Eka and Ata taalams. Many of the songs are structurally well set for direct use as nritya or natya padams. He carefully avoided complex usages and utilized easy expressions. His Gadyams and Padyams are exquisite in beauty. He used 17 different Chandas or meters such as Anushtup, Arya, Indravajra, Bhujangaprayadam, Shardula vikriditam, Vasanta tilaka, Prithvi.
He wrote 15 books and some of them are available in Benares Hindu University and Parijatapaharanam at Saraswathi Mahal in Tanjore. He is also credited with composing two other operas, Parijaa Apaharanam and Haribhakti Sudharnavam.
Sri Narayana Tirtha received divine blessings at Varagur in Thanjavur Dist.. His mukthi sthalam is at varagur.Though he lived in Varahur, Sri Narayana Tirtha attained Siddhi in 1745 at a nearby village called Thirupoonthuruthy under a huge mango tree, on the banks of river Kudamurutti, on the Masi Sukla Ashtami, Guruvaram, Krithika Nakshatram day. It is said that he attained `Jeeva Samadhi’. A small shrine has been constructed on this hallowed spot, under the sprawling mango tree.

Sri Krishna Leela Tarangini

Narayana Teertha was the author of a Sanskrit opera called Sri Krishna Leela Tarangini on the life of the Hindu god Lord Krishna. It deals with the life story of Krishna starting with his birth, childhood pranks and ending with his marriage to Rukmini. Narayana Teertha uses various literary and musical forms such as songs, prose passages, Slokas, Dwipadis, etc. The songs are popularly called "Tarangas" means waves. The lyrics are simple yet beautiful and effective. The Astapadis of Jayadeva are said to be the inspiration.
Legend has it that the inspiration to compose this piece occurred when he was along the banks of Naducauvery. He was suffering from a serious stomach ailment and prayed that he should be given the strength to go back to Tirupati, where it all started. A divine voice asked him to follow a boar to wherever it led him. The varaha led him to Bhupatirajapuram, which came to be known as `Varahur' later. The people of the village knew that a maha-purusha was coming. With their help, he raised the temple for Sri Lakshmi Narayana and Lord Venkateswara and settled down on the banks of river `Kudamurutty' the name by which the Cauvery was known at this place.
Tarangini is an opera highly suitable for dance drama and it has been very well utilized by Indian classical dancers, especially in Kuchipudi over the last two centuries. Tarangini consists of 12 Tarangams and encapsulates 153 songs, 302 slokams and 31 choornikaas. Teertha followed Veda VyAsa’s Bhagavatam and concentrated on the 10th skandam.

Other works

Some of the popular compositions are listed here:
  1. Jaya jaya swāmin jaya jaya
  2. Jaya jaya ramā nātha
  3. śaraṇaṃ bhava
  4. Nārāyaṇāya
  5. Maṅgalālayāya mamava deva
  6. Jaya jaya durgē jitavairivargē
  7. bAla gOpAla kRSNa pAhi
  8. Mādhava Mādhava
  9. Ehi mudam dehi krishna
  10. Ehi mudam mama
  11. KriShnam kalaya
  12. Kalaya yasode
  13. Damodara tavaka
  14. Govinda ghataya paramanandam
  15. Alokaye
  16. Pasyata pasyata
  17. Jaya jaya gokula
  18. Deva deva praseeda
  19. Neela megha sareera
  20. Pahi pahi jagan
  21. Deva kuru Siksham
  22. Sree Gopalaka
  23. Ayahi vraja
  24. Govardhana
  25. Nanda nandana
  26. Parama purusha
  27. Pūraya mama kāmaṃ
  28. vada kiṃ karavāṇi
  29. Madhava māmava
  30. Govindaṃ iha
  31. Nanda nandana
  32. Kathaya kathaya
  33. Bhavaye
  34. Vijaya Gopala
  35. Pahi pahi mam
  36. Shiva shiva bhava sharanam
  37. Vedadri
  38. Vekshe kada
  39. Re re Manasa
  40. Gopala Meva
  41. Kalyanam bhavatu
  42. jaya jaya bala gopala
  43. Alokaye rukmini kalyanam
  44. jaya mangaLam
  45. Kshemam kuru Gopala
  46. param karunaya mam palaya

    Aradhana

Sri Narayana Teertha Trust of Kaja, at the birthplace of Saint Narayana Teertha celebrated his 264th aradhana. As a part of the celebrations, guru pooja, morning worship, sahasranama chanting, vedic renditions and tarangam singing were conducted. Bhajan troupes from various parts of the State rendered tarangams with devotion.
Specially residents and devotees of Varagur village celebrate Tharangini Mahotsav every year on 25TH & 26TH JANUARY, all popular artists are performing Tharangam in front of Lord Venkateswara Perumal who has given Darshan to Sri Narayana Theerthar. Later on Sri Narayana Theerthar, the composer of Krishna Leela Tharangini, attained mukti at Varagur. The devotees of Thirupoonthuruti have been organising music festivals at the Samadhi shrine for over 300 years, at Tirupoonthuruti on Masi Sukla Ashtami Day.