SrI:

Sri ThyAgarAja Swamigal has composed number of moving Krithis
in AsaavEri Raagam :

1) Lekanaa ninnu
2) DasaraTa Nandana
3) Janakajaa samEta
4) NammakanE Mosa pODu
5) Ye Paniki
6) Maam palavElasitaa
7) Raa Raamaa IndithAkaa
8) Samayumu Telisi
9) SarivEdalina

Most of them are set in Adi TaaLam . Two are set in Roopaka
TaaLam and one in Misra Chaapu ( Samayamu Telisi).

Sri Dikshithar's Navagraha Kruthi , " Chandram Bhaja Maanasa "
is a famous one in AsaavEri Raagam known for its KaaruNya
and Bhakthi rasam .

AsAvEri is a Janya Raagam of the 8th MeLam , Hanuma ThOdi
with Chatusri Rishabham as the BhAshAnga Swara . The GhAndhAram
is sung with Gamakam .

Let us enjoy one of the AsvaEri krithis of this great Raama BhakthA today .

Today's Krithi :
*******************
Pallavi : Lekanaa ninnu juDDukOnnAru ?

Anupallavi : SrIkara ! KaruNAsAgara ! nirupama
chinmayaa ! Sritha chinthAmaNi ! neeyEDa

CharaNam 1: SoundharyamulalO sukhamu Seethammaku ,
Soumithriki ganalu jaaDala sukhamu

CharaNam 2 : Sundara mukhamuna sukhamu Bharathuniki ,
Suj~nAna roopamuna sukham Ripugnuniki

CharaNam 3: CharaNa yugamanandhu sukhamAnjanEyuniki
varaguNa ThyagarAja varadhAnandhamu (
lEkanaa)

Commentary and Introduction :
****************************************
One day , Sri ThyAgarAja SwamigaL was ready to perform
his daily aarAdhanam for the Lord at his house in Thirumanjana Veethi of
ThiruvayyARu . He saw the Raama ParivAram around the throne of
Lord Raamachandra . He was very happy to see there the Bhaktha-
BhAgavatha GhOshti enjoying the Soundharyam , Soulabhyam ,
Swamithvam and Jn~Anam of Lord Raamachandra .

ThyAgarAja SwamigaL began to speculate on what was it
that served as the magnet for each of those dearest to his Lord
that so intensively attracted them . One by one , this great Raama BhkthA
figured out the distinct reasons for each of them ( SeethA DEvi ,
LakshmaNa , Bharatha , Shathrugna and AnjenEya ) to be so captivated
by the KalyANa guNAs of Sri Raamabhadra and shared his reasonings
in a delightful AsAvEri Raaga Krithi .

The Meaning of the Saahithyam ( as per Sri C.Ramanujachari)
************************************************** *******************************
" Otherwise , Will they always be hovering about You with one heart
(yEka hrudhayamulai) and deriving everlasting bliss ( nithyAnandhamu ) ?
Oh bestower of prosperity ( SrIkara) ! Ocean of Mercy ( KaruNA Saagara) !
Incomparable embodiment of knowledge ( nirupama chinmayaa ) !
the wish-yielding gem to the devotees ( sritha ChinthAmaNi ) !

In Your beautiful form , SitA PirAtti derived Her happiness ( SoundaryamualO
Sukhamu Seethammaku ) . In Your commands conveyed through
the movement of Your eyes ( Soumithriki ganalu jaaDalu sukhamu) ,
LakshmaNa derived pleasure . In Your charming face , Bharata found
joy ( Sundara mukhamuna sukhamu Bharathuniki ) . In Your personality
beaming with knowledge , Satrugna derived bliss ( Su-jnA~na roopamuna
sukhamu Ripugnaniki ) . In Your holy feet , AnjanEya found his happiness
( CharaNa yugamanandhu sukhamaanjanEyayuniki ) " . Oh delight of
Thyagaraja and the grantor of boons for him ! Why would otherwise
Your ParivAram be hovering around You with one heart and deriving
such manifest bliss ?

Additional Observations
********************************
The athyantha Raama Bhakthi of Saint ThyagarAja is revealed
by the choice of NaamAs by which he addresses his dear Lord
in the anupallavi sectin :

" SrIkara , KaruNAsAgara , Nirupama chinmaya , Sritha ChinthAmaNi ! "

A . Srikaran : Our Lord is SrIkaran , the bestower of every kind of prosperity .
He is SrIkaran because He is Sridharan , Sriya: Pathi .

He blesses one with any one of the four kinds of PurushArTams : Dharma ,
arTa , Kaama and Moksham . What he can give is hinted by the VedAs :

1. Courageous sons and grandsons (brave progeny ) -- Rg Vedam : VIII. 102.8

2. Abundance of food : Aa vaajiroopa nO gamath ( May He come to us
with abundance of food)--- Rg Vedam : VIII.102.9

3. Strength to win over enemies --Saama vedam : UttharArchikam 516.
Both Internal and External enemies are implied here .

4. He grants the ultimate Sukham of Moksham , the freedom from
the cycles of births and deaths. He is SaraNAgatha Vathsalan .

B. KarunNAsaagaran : He is a shoreless Ocean of Mercy . His wish
( icchA ) is always to remove the dukkham of His devotees . He will rush
from Sri Vaikuntam in a trice to remove the dukkham of the GajEndhran ,
who was losing in the struggle with the crocodile at the lotus pond .

C. Nirupama Chinmayan : He is the possessor of limitless Jn~Anam .
He is ChidhAnandha Moorthy . He instructed Brahma on the four Vedams
and their meanings and how to use the VedAs to engage in the VyApAram of
Creation of the entities of the Universe. He is HayagrIvan , Jn~Anandhamayan .
He is the base for all VidhyAs and Nivrutthi dharmams .

D. Sritha ChinthAmaNi : He is like the ChinthaaMaNi gem that can grant
all wishes of those that have sought its protection : " Vaari Vazhangum VaLLal ".
For KuchEla , Sabari , PrahlAdha , Droupathi and those who sought His rakshaNam ,
he blessed them with the boons that they sought .

CharaNa Vaakyams: SithA Devi's bliss
*************************************************
SithA PirAtti is overtaken by the Unparalleled soundharyam
of Her Lord . She describes Her status of being totally under the spell of
the asAdhAraNa soundharyam of the Lord this way :

Indhiraneelamum otthu iruNDa kunchiyum
chandira vadhanamum thAzntha kaikaLum
Sundara MaNivarait-thOLUmE alamunthi
Yenn uyirai ammuRuval uNDathE ----Kamba RaamAyaNam : Baala KaaNDam

The beautiful blue color of His body reminding the lustre of Indhra Neela gem ,
the dark black tresses , the blemishless Full Moon-like Face , the long arms reaching
down to His knees , the rounded and strong shoulders resembling a mighty
mountain and the enchanting smile on the lips make me lose my senses .
So says SithA PirAtti .

LakshmaNan's aanandham
************************************
" LakshmaNO Lakshmi Sampanna: " is the astute summing up of LakshmaNan .
The Lakshmi referred to is the Kaimkarya Lakshmi . LakshmaNan is the one ,
who remonstrated against Raama , when latter expressed disinterst in
LakshmaNa accompanying Him to the forest . At that time , LakshmaNan
overcame his brother's reluctance with the moving plea:
"aham sarvam karishyAmi jAgrataH svapatatt ca te " . Oh Raama !
KaruNA Saagara ! SrIkara ! Sritha chinthAmaNi ! I will perform every
kaimkaryam for You , whether You are awake or asleep. Through the facial
gestures alone , LakshmaNa was able to read the mind set of his brother and
engaged in those kaimkaryams that Lord Ramachandra wishd . That made
hima krutArTan and gave him bliss.

Bharata's Joy :
*****************
" Sundara Mukamunu sukamu " . The Bhakthi that Bharata had for his brother Raama
was exemplary . He is the PraTmOdhAharaNan for Raama Bhakthi : " BharathAya Param
namOasthu tasmai praTamOdhAharaNAya BhakthibhAjAm " says Swamy Desikan
in his Sri RanganAtha PadhukA Sahsaram . Bharathan was the first among those
who possessed Raama Bhakthi (BhakthibhAjAm PraTamOdhAharaNan ) . Any thing
associated with Raama evoked Parama Bhakthi in Bharata . His reverence for
the PaadhukAs as the representative of Lord Raamachandra and ruling AyOdhya
in the name of the Paadhukais is a claasical example of BharathA's bliss , while
his brother had to be away in the forest for 14 years .

Shathrugna"s bliss:
*************************
Shathrugna has been saluted as a MahA Jn~Ani : " ShathrugnO nithya Shathrugna:"
( One who is eternally vigilant against the temptations of his senses ) . His Bhakthi
for a Bhaagavatha like Bharatha instead of BhagavAn (Raama) has been compared to
the Bhakthi of Madhura Kavi AzhwAr , who dedicated himself to Swamy NammAzhwAr
and placed Bhagavaan as not so important . Shatrugna's Bhaagavatha Seshathvam
is legendary . While his brother Bharathan stayed at Nandigram ( outside AyOdhyA ) ,
Shatrugna looked after the day to day operations of the kingdom to spare Bharatha
from distractions that would affect his meditations on Raama and PaadhukA
aarAdhanam . After the coronation , Shathrugna's ( this Jn~Ani's) bliss was
the overpowering Jn~Anam of Lord Raamachandran .

HanumAn's Bliss:
***********************
Paadha Sevanam of the Lord was HanumAn's aanandham . Meditation on
the CharaNa yugaLam ( sacred pair of feet ) of the Lord is the Aanandham of
HanumAn. That is why He hovers around the Lord as a Chiranjeevi .

Thus ThyAgarAja SwamigaL figured out the specific bliss derived by
Sri Raama ParivAram and linked himself to that Raama Bhaktha ghOshti .

Sri Raamachandra ParabrahmaNE Nama:
Daasan , Oppiliappan Koil VaradAchAri Sadagopan