Svāti Tirunāḷ Rāma Varmā (1813–1846) belongs to the royal lineage of Travancore palace. A descendent of a family filled with artists, art lovers and connosiers, Svāti Tirunāḷ wears the recognition as one of the most prolific composers in both Carnatic and Hindustani classical music traditions.

He was born in Tiruvanantapuram, the capital of the present state of Kēraḷam. During Svāti Tirunāḷ's time, it was the grand  crown city of the Travancore kingdom. He ascended the throne at a very young age and became noteworthy by taking steps to modernise the society, update education and inculcate scientific temper in the population of the state. 

A child prodigy, Svāti was fluent in multiple languages including Sanskrit, Malayalam, Telugu, Hindi, and Marathi. As an inevitable result, his court became a major center for music, literature, and scholarship.

Svāti Tirunāḷ is credited with composing over 400 compositions, including varṇa-s, kīrtana-s, pada-s, jāvali-s and tillānā-s. His works are known for their lyrical beauty, devotional depth (mostly dedicated to Lord Padmanābha). They exhibit an exquisite mastery over poetic melody and intricate rhythm. He composed in a wide range of ragas including rare ones like Kadanakudūhalam, Bhūṣāvali etc. He was ahead of his times in attempting to bridge Carnatic and Hindustani styles by blending rāga-s as well as by exchanging compositional forms.

For the ordinary Malayāli, devotion and spirituality is closely connected to Rāmāyaṇam, especially the version by Ezhuthachan called Ādhyātma Rāmāyaṇam. This work is of special significance in the history of Malayāḷam language and literature in that it represents an intellectual mixing up of lyrical Malayāḷam with intellectual Sanskrit. It is against this background that the Rāmāyaṇa Kīrtana composed by Mahārājā Svāti Tirunāḷ acquires musical as well as literal significance. Originally conceived in the soothing rāga Sāvēri, one of the gentle rāga-s conducive to mental peace, this composition has six stanzas. Later, the great maestro Semmaṅguḍi Śrīnivāsa Ayyar transformed it into a highly melodious rāgamālikā (a garland of rāga-s).

In 1970, the “Mahārājā Svāti Tirunāḷ Kṛtigaḷ, Part 1,” published in Thiruvananthapuram by the Svāti Tirunāḷ Kṛti Publication Committee, included this rāgamālikā along with 57 compositions and 42 verses, presented with meanings and notations in Devanagari, Malayalam, and Tamil scripts.

The pallavi and anupallavi of this composition are set in the rāga Sāvēri:

“Bhāvayāmi Raghurāmam, Bhavya Suguṇā Rāmam Bhāvuka Vitaraṇa Para Apāṅga Līlā Lasitam”

Meaning: “I contemplate Lord Rāma, the abode of noble virtues and beauty; one who is ever engaged in doing good and is adorned with graceful, benevolent deeds.”

Notably, all the stanzas are meaningfully connected to this pallavi and anupallavi.

The Bāla Kāṇḍa section beginning with “Dinakarānvaya Tilakam” is set in the rāga Nāṭakuṟañji. The Ayōdhyā Kāṇḍa section “Vihata Abhiśekha Matha” is composed in Dhanyāsi. The Āraṇya Kāṇḍa section “Vitaṭa Daṇḍakāraṇya Gata Virādha Dalanam” is in Mōhanam—each deeply pleasing. The way these stanzas merge with the pallavi “I contemplate Lord Rāma” highlights the literary genius of Svāti Tirunāḷ.

The Kiṣkindā Kāṇḍa (in Mukhāri) begins with “Kanaka Mṛga Rūpa Dhara Khalamārīca Haram.”
The Sundara Kāṇḍa stanza “Vānarōttama Sahita Vāyu Sūnu Kara Arpita” is set in Pūrvikalyāṇī, while the concluding Yuddha Kāṇḍa stanza “Kalita Vara Sētu Bandham Khala Nissīma” is composed in Madhyamāvati, a rāga that signifies conclusion.

This Rāgamālikā is set in the simple Rūpaka tāla, consisting of 12 Akṣara-s. A distinctive feature is that at the end of each stanza, after singing the svara-s of the respective rāga, one must render a beautiful svara passage in Sāvēri. Such an idea could only have come from a mature musical genius like Semmaṅguḍi.

To appreciate the beauty of the composition, let us glance at the meaning of the Sundara Kāṇḍa stanza:

“Vānarōttama sahita vāyusūnu kara arpita, bhānu śata bhāsvara bhavya ratna aṅgulīyam tēna punarānīta cūḍāmaṇi darśaṇam śrīnidhim udadhi tīrē śrita vibhīṣaṇa militam”

Meaning: “I contemplate Lord Rāma, who entrusted Hanumān (son of Vāyu), along with Sugrīva; who caused the vision of the radiant ring, shining like a hundred suns, and the cūḍāmaṇi brought back by Hanumān; and who united with Vibhīṣaṇa, who sought refuge at the seashore.”

The widespread popularity of this rāgamālikā is largely due to the famous LP record by M. S. Subbulakshmi. This record, which broke sales records, featured Veṅkaṭēśvara Suprabhātam on one side and “Rāmāyaṇa Rāgamālikā” and “Raṅgapura Vihāra” on the other.

However, in the humble opinion of this author, the YouTube recording of “Bhāvayami Raghurāmam” by M. D. Ramanathan conveys the meaning even more deeply. Meanwhile, a CD prepared by Dr. Omanakutty includes detailed analysis that is especially helpful for music students.