His father had three sons. <br />Jalpesan was the eldest one. <br />The second remained unknown. <br />Thyagaraja was the last one. <br /> <br />In pursuit of a religious order, <br />Jalpesan wasn’t like his father. <br />He was dull, short tempered, <br />Jealous and money minded. <br /> <br />So, his father considered it <br />The Saint was God’s gift. <br />In the father’s daily routine <br />He helped as a dutiful son. <br /> <br />He joined his father daily <br />In every chorus party <br />That went round the streets <br />Singing Rama Bhajan songs. <br /> <br />Devotees around offered <br />For their daily food <br />Handful of raw grains <br />To win their grace. <br /> <br />Thus went their happy days <br />In pursuit of divine ways <br />Much to their satisfaction <br />In their holy profession. <br /> <br />It was no wonder, therefore, <br />He learnt from his father <br />All the arts and culture <br />Perfectly well, sooner or later. <br /> <br />He sang with his father <br />All the songs of Jayadevar, <br />Purandaradas, Ramadas, <br />And those of Tulsidas. <br /> <br />His mother daily taught <br />And from her he had learnt <br />Purandaradas’s songs, every bit, <br />That she knew well by heart.<br /><br />Rajaram Ramachandran<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/05-thyagaraja-the-saint-s-parents/
