Thiruvasagam - A Synopsis

"(Thiruvasagam) is an excellent collection of hymns of fruits dipped in honey."

'Few of the world's biographies are more interesting than that of this man of rare genius.' says G.U. Pope, of Manicka-vachagar, (660 - 692 C.E.) the fourth of the four grandmasters. In his early youth he was the favourite chief minister of a great Pandya king of Madura. He met a Saiva guru - whom he then and always believed to be Lord Siva Himself - and was converted by him to become an utterly self-renouncing ascetic and Siva mendicant. When the King perceived that his minister had become a man of God he relieved him of his duties. The saint visited several places, all the while giving out in song his spiritual experiences. Finally while in retirement, the call came to him from his king to meet the aggressive disputations of the Buddhist emissaries from Ceylon. He answered their arguments but they were not convinced. Finally he turned to His Lord Siva for help. The King pleaded that his dumb daughter should be made to speak. Acting on the suggestion and to the wonder of the audience, the daughter spoke. The Buddhists were convinced. Manickavachagar's unique bridal mysticism, undivided loyalty and exclusive devotion to the Lord, find immortal expression in his exquisite poems like Tiruvachagam which is a work of devotion-and-wisdom par excellence, known to melt even the hardest of hearts.

For more Thiruvasagam reading, visit Siddhanta Shaivam.org.

The Launch

"Thiruvasagam in Symphony - A trailblazer"

"Bold undertaking that has crossed barriers of language and ethnicity"


For photos of the audio CD launch program, visit Photo Gallery section.

Thiruvasagam - A Symphonic Oratorio", the musical magnum opus was launched on 30th June 2005, at Music Academy, Chennai, India. At 7 pm, IST, carnatic music virtuoso Dr M Balamuralikrishna, received the first copy of the CD from the Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting, S Jaipal Reddy. A DVD on the making of the album was also released and actor Kamal Hassan received the first copy from Ilaiyaraaja's music guru, Sri Dakshinamurthi Swamigal.

Here are the excerpts from the the rich tributes by the chief guests, on the occasion...

  "Thiruvasagam in Symphony" is a bridge between two kinds of music and it had moved me immensely. -- Dr M Balamuralikrishna, Carnatic Musician.

  The venture represents creation and versatality...It is not easy to fuse carnatic music with western classical music ,to combine Thyagaraja with Beethoven, but credit must go to Ilaiyaraja for achieving this through his "outstanding" composition. Besides, the work combines ancient Tamil poetry with contemporary Englsih text, establishg his symphony as a cultural crossover too.. He is exploring and extending the frontiers of classical music. he wil go a long way and blaze a -- trail for all of india. There are no limits to the heights Ilaiyaraaja can rise to. --S Jaipal Reddy, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting.

  The album is an expression of "secular spirituality" which is the need of the hour. --Peter Alphonse, Congress party leader.

  The composition is a huge service to Tamil and it transceded the boundaries of religion, caste and geography. -- Kamal Haasan, Actor, Director and Film Producer

  IR is a musical genius, whose journey is in search of peace. -- Rajnikanth, Actor

  Thiruvasagam in Symphony is unique as a "seamless classical crossover". This bold undertaking has crossed the barriers of language, nations and ethnicity. It is a representation of the pluralistic character of the country. The involvement of the catholic church in the project is a great service to India. -- N Ram, Editor-in-Chief, The Hindu.

  Ilaiyaraaja's rendition is in character - going beyond religion and caste. Ilaiyaraaja's work will last as long as there are sound waves... -- Vai Ko, General Secretary, Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam.