The Pancharatna Kritis are a set of compositions by the maestro Shri Tyagaraja in Telegu and Sanskrit.​

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They are written in praise of the Hindu deity Lord Rama. Set to Adi Talam, one of the most frequently used meters in Carnatic music, the Kritis are set to different Ragas, each Raga representing the mood of the song and the meaning of its lyrics.

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The title of the Kritis are as follows:
 

1. Jagadananda Karaka - Nattai

2. Duduku gala - Goula

3. Sadhinchane - Arabhi

4. Kanakana Ruchira - Varali

5. Endaro Mahanubhavulu - Shree

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Nattai and Varali ragas are notable in that they are one of the oldest ragas in Carnatic music, dating back over a thousand years ago. 

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Jagadānanda kārakā

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In this song, Tyagaraja praises Ramachandra, one of the incarnations of Lord Vishnu. He eulogizes Ramachandra as one who is the cause of all bliss in the universe. This is the only Pancharatna Kriti that was composed in Sanskrit. All the other kritis were composed in Telugu, which was used in the court of the Maratha king Sarabhoji who ruled this area in the 18th century. Rama was Tyagaraja's favorite god.

Duḍukugala nannē dora koḍuku brōchurā yentō

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In this second Pancharatna Kriti composed in Telugu, Tyagaraja lists all the errors he has committed in his life and asks who but Rama could redeem such a sinner. The sins described include: just wandering around as though being satisfied with a full meal, giving sermons to people who are really not interested in listening or who do not have the capability to understand, self-styling oneself as a great person, and mistaking the dross for the real thing. Interestingly he lists four categories of people to whom he has made the claim of greatness; the ignorant, the riff-raff, the low social folk and women. In a play on words, he reproaches those who desire wives and progeny.

Sādhinchane ō manasā

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This Pancharatna Kriti was composed in Telugu and has been set to Arabhi raga. This kriti is written in a playful tone, rich with metaphor and simile without a surfeit of adjectives - all the while arresting the attention of the singers. In this kriti, Tyagaraja sings the greatness of the lord Krishna in a lucid manner. The style adopted in this kriti is very sweet in comparison with the other four.

Kana kana ruci rā kanaka vasana ninnu

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This is the least sung or performed of the five Pancharatna Kritis composed in Telugu, but it is considered by some to be the most haunting and beautiful. This composition is rarely taught, and rarely heard in concerts, owing to the Raga it is set in, Varali. Songs in Varali raga are never taught directly because the teaching of this raga is said to cause a rift between the teacher and the student.

Endarō mahānubhāvulu

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Endarō mahānubhāvulu is believed to be one of the early kritis of Tyagaraja composed in Telugu. The song is a salutation to and praise of all the great saints and musicians down the ages. Tyagaraja clearly delineates and lists the 'Mahanubhavalu', or great ones, in the kriti itself, mentioning the saints Narada and Saunaka, among others. In this poem, Tyagaraja describes the greatness of devotees of the Lord. The belief in Kerala and Tamil Nadu is that Tyagaraja composed the kriti spontaneously in his joy upon hearing the divine music of the Malayali singer Shadkala Govinda Marar. But according to the Walajapet disciples' version of the origin of the kriti, it was composed and learnt by Tyagaraja's disciples before the arrival of Marar. This, according to P. T. Narendra Menon, was the legendary, historically significant meeting between two great musicians. Since the kriti Endharo mahanubhavalu is said to have been composed by Tyagaraja at a young age, it is possible that after hearing Marar sing and in appreciation of the greatness of Marar, Tyagaraja could have asked his disciples to sing the kriti on this occasion.