Muthuswamy Dikshithar

Muthuswamy Dikshitar's portrait, over 170 years ago..

Muthuswami Dikshitar was born in Tiruvarur, He was named after the temple deity, Lord Muthukumaraswamy of Vaideeswaran Kovil.

As a young man, Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar went through rigorous training in vocal music and veena playing. He soon embarked on his first pilgrimage to Kashi along with his spiritual teacher, Sri Chidambaranatha Yogi. Prior to leaving Kashi, he entered the river Ganga and a veena fell onto his outstretched hands. This veena, which has 'Sri Ram' inscribed on it in Devanagari script, is still there in the house of Balaswamy Dikshitar, a descendant of Sri Muthuswami Dikshitar.

His first brilliant composition of Sri Nathathi Gurugoho, in Mayamalava Gowlai has a scintillating story behind it :

On his way back from Kashi, Dikshitar stopped at Thiruttani, the abode of Lord Karthikeya. Here, it is said that Lord Subramanya appeared in front of Dikshitar, asked him to open his mouth and presented him with a piece of sugar candy. With this, Dikshitar burst forth the brilliant krithi "srI nAthAdi guruguhO". Since Guha (Lord Subramanya) came as Guru and initiated him into Sangeetha Kavitvam, Dikshitar uses guruguha as his mudra (signature) in all his compositions.



On Deepavali day,in the year 1835, Dikshithar performed puja as usual and asked his students to sing the song "Meenakshi Me Mudam" in the raga Gamakakriya.As his students sang the lines "Meena lochani pasa mochani" he raised his hands and saying "Sive Pahi" left his mortal coil.

Listen to MSS's soulful rendering in this link -
http://popup.lala.com/popup/937030201816665443