The Servant of Lord Muruga  – Pithukuli Murugadas

Tonight’s bhajans were something special in several ways. As Amma arrived on stage there was an elderly sagely looking man waiting for her there.  Many might have been wondering who this person was. He was no other than the great bhakta, composer and singer Pithukuli Murugadas.

For those who don’t know, he is a living legend in Tamil Nadu and beyond. He was born in 1920 as Balasubramaniam and showed great devotion towards God from a very young age onwards. When he was 15 years old he took part in some anti British demonstrations in Bangalore and was severely beaten by the police leaving him blinded in the other eye. That’s why even today he wears his trademark sunglasses on stage. During a pilgrimage in his early twenties, Murugadas had a spiritual experience that changed his life. Meditating on the banks of the Saraswathi river in North India, he heard an inner voice telling him in the Tamil language that he should, “Go to South India. You have work to do there.” Cutting short his pilgrimage, he immediately left for Tamil Nadu to live the life of a singing saint.  He studied under the guidance of the great Siddha and Yogi Brahmananda Paradeshiyar , reputed to have great powers and who gave him the name Pithukuli and Swami Ramadas, the head of Anandashram in Kanjangad, North Kerala, added the title “Murugadas,” which means “the servant of Lord Muruga.” He has been granted many awards during his life including the Sangeetha Samrat by Swami Sivananda in 1956 and has also established a charitable trust called Sri Jyothir Maya Devi Trust. He has composed thousands of devotional songs that are sung far and wide. Many songs that are dear to Amma’s devotees have been composed by him, including Amma Amma Taye, Sri Krishna Saranam, Skanda Muruga etc.

As Amma came to the stage and saw Murugadasji sitting there she requested the Brahmacharis to bring him a seat and a harmonium so everyone could hear him perform some of his classic songs. He treated the audience to a kind medley of songs that lasted perhaps 45 minutes during which Amma sat playing the cymbals and clapping, occasionally glancing lovingly at the aged maestro who was so lost in his song that perhaps those in the audience who did not know who he was started wondering if he would let Amma sing at all. But finally he wrapped up his session with a prayer and a few words about Divine Motherhood. I felt very happy watching the old man – such a beautiful figure dressed in a most traditional way resembling an ancient sage and who has been singing the name of God throughout the years and has the great blessing that a Mahatma like Amma has popularized a number of his songs making them perhaps more immortal than anybody even realizes at this point.
After the set of Sri Murugadas Amma sang the following songs:

• Sri Krishna Saranam
• Nilambuja Nayane
• Om Namah Shivaya
• Kanna Ni Yenne
• Sarvavyapiye
• Jinki Karuna Hai Apar

5.8.2008
Vishwanath