His father had three sons.
Jalpesan was the eldest one.
The second remained unknown.
Thyagaraja was the last one.

In pursuit of a religious order,
Jalpesan wasn’t like his father.
He was dull, short tempered,
Jealous and money minded.

So, his father considered it
The Saint was God’s gift.
In the father’s daily routine
He helped as a dutiful son.

He joined his father daily
In every chorus party
That went round the streets
Singing Rama Bhajan songs.

Devotees around offered
For their daily food
Handful of raw grains
To win their grace.

Thus went their happy days
In pursuit of divine ways
Much to their satisfaction
In their holy profession.

It was no wonder, therefore,
He learnt from his father
All the arts and culture
Perfectly well, sooner or later.

He sang with his father
All the songs of Jayadevar,
Purandaradas, Ramadas,
And those of Tulsidas.

His mother daily taught
And from her he had learnt
Purandaradas’s songs, every bit,
That she knew well by heart.

Rajaram Ramachandran

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/05-thyagaraja-the-saint-s-parents/