Carnatic Music is like a huge tree with fruits of divine music for easy picking. For this, we owe a debt of gratitude to Purandara Dasa who sowed the seed and to the Trimurti- Tyagaraja, Muthuswamy Dikshitar and Shyama Shastri who lovingly watered and nurtured it.
It is a nice imagery used in one of the music lec-dems. It reminds us of a similar metaphor in the Vedas (Katha Upanishad) and the Geeta (Chapter 15). If this universe is like a huge "ashwatha vriksha" (peepal tree), the root is the Lord Himself - "oordhwa moolam"- He is the substratum of the universe and sustains the entire fabric in an unseen way.
Purandara Dasa is the "oordhwa moolam" and aptly called the "sangeeta pitamaha"- the grandsire of Carnatic music. Not that Carnatic Music originated from him- Matanga Muni and his text Brahaddeshi existed well before, but Purandara Dasa was the one who systematized the Carnatic Music teaching tradition. Starting from the "Swaraavali" (corrupted as "sarali" in some books), Dasa created the step-by-step instruction 'sampradaya' which even present day students follow. What Bheeshma pitamaha is to the Mahabharata- the pivot around whom the story revolves, Dasa is to Carnatic Music.
Tyagaraja was born almost 250 years after Purandara Dasa. His initiation into music was through Dasa's Devara-naamaas, sung by his mother Seetamma. Tyagaraja begins his "Prahlada Bhakti Vijayam", a musical opera, with obeisance to Purandara Dasa- his "maanaseeka guru".
Purandara Dasa's Life and Times:
Purandara Dasa was born in 1484 at a place close to Hampi (present day Karnataka). He was born with the grace of Lord Srinivasa at Tirupati. His parents named him Srinivasa. Srinivasa Nayaka grew up to be a well known diamond merchant. He personally knew King Krishnadeva Raya of Vijayanagar and Queen Manjuladevi. He was married to Laxmibai. Srinivasa was a normal householder with children.
His house was striking- 9 'kalashas" (pots) adorned the roof- for Srinivasa's fortunes added up to 9 crores (1 crore = 10 million) ! It earned him the title 'nava koti (9 crores) Narayana' - truly a multi-millionaire of those days!
Srinivasa Nayaka was interested in his trade, in multiplying his bank-balance and little else. How he wished he could add one more kalasha to his roof so that people could now call him 'dasha koti (10 crores) Damadora'! He was a miser and this knowledge was common-place. Laxmibai was a pious lady- but Srinivasa ensured that no money from the family was spent on charity. If at all she wanted to observe any religious practices, she could very well do it with no money spent- Laxmibai could always worship the Tulasi-plant at home or probably fast and thereby save some daily expenditure!
He had a shop in his town where people could pledge their ornaments and get cash in return.
The turning point:
Srinivasa was 30 years old. One Friday, as Srinivasa opened his shop for the day, an old man appeared. "I am poor and old. I need to arrange for my daughter's wedding and son's upanayana. Can you please donate some money and help me? After all, people call you 'Kaliyuga Karna'!"
Srinivasa expressed his contempt openly- "Whoever told you I am Karna? I don't believe in charity. If you have any gold or silver, I can give you money in return. I can't help you in any other way! Go away and don't waste my time!"
The old man was adamant. Srinivasa too stuck to his guns. By noon time, Srinivasa could not tolerate the nuisance anymore- he called for the guards and had the man beaten up.
The old man picked himself up. He went to the neighbouring street in search of another donor. Looking at an impressive house with 9 kalashas on top, he knocked on the door. Laxmibai was pleased to see him. Here was an ideal opportunity for charity and earn some "punya"-today was a Friday, an auspicious day. She could not find anything appropriate to donate; the keys for the safe were after all safely with Srinivasa.
Laxmibai took out her diamond nose-ring and handed it over to the old man.
The old man was back at Srinivasa's shop. He spoke with a new-found confidence, "I don't need any charity from the likes of you! Here you go- take this diamond nose-ring and just give me the money!"
One look at the nose-ring and Srinivasa's jaw dropped- "This is Laxmibai's! How did you get it? How could she give it to you without my permission? You wait here. I will definitely give you the money for this! But first, I need to deal with my wife. I will be right back!" Srinivasa carefully secured the nose-ring in the locker of his shop, took the keys and walked to his house- all worked up and angry!
"Laxmi! Where is your nose-ring? Why are you not wearing it?" screamed Srinivasa as soon as Laxmibai opened the door. Laxmibai was clearly intimidated. She instinctively lied- "I just left it at the Tulasi plant! Let me go and get it!"
Embracing the Tulasi plant, Laxmi cried helplessly. Suddenly,..... her hands felt something. She opened her eyes and was wonderstruck to see her nose-ring! There was no time to even acknowledge the miracle! She quickly went and handed it to Srinivasa.
Srinivasa was bewildered. He took the nose-ring and dashed to his shop. As he opened the locker, the nose-ring was missing. Something was clearly amiss. He knew he had secured it in the locker himself... but now it was gone. The old man was gone too. It was all too terribly confusing. He ran home and asked Laxmibai to come clean.
The story was now out. Dumbstruck, Srinivasa stared at the nose-ring. In the glitter of the diamond, he discerned an image now- Lord Vishnu elegantly reclining on Adi Sesha in the Milky Ocean.
It brought back memories of a previous life. Lord Vishnu called Narada and asked him to go down to the earth to spread His word. Narada was hesitant- "What if I get so caught up in the world and completely forget your mission? 'Maya' (ensnaring nature of the world) is so powerful!" Lord Vishnu assured him, "Don't worry Narada! If you forget your agenda, I will myself come and remind you!"
Everything was as clear as crystal now- more than the diamond and its chiselled faces! Srinivasa was born for a divine mission and he had lost the plot completely... for 30 years. Diamonds, money, his trade, the palatial home- everything seemed inconsequential now. He told his wife and children to pack up. They went to Vyasaraya, King Krishnadeva Raya's spiritual guru. Vyasateertha or Vyasaraya was an acknowledged master of the time- in Madhwacharya's parampara (lineage). Vyasaraya gave Srinivasa his new name- Purandara Dasa!
Vyasaraya's other famous disciples include Vadiraja Teertha and Kanaka Dasa. (Incidently, the famous Carnatic Music composition "Krishna nee begane baaro" is attributed to Vyasaraya.)
His Contribution:
Purandara Dasa composed more than 400,000 keertanas or 'Devara-naamaas' as they are called. In fact, it is through one of his Devara-naamaas that we learn that he composed so many- he says that he had no background whatsoever and attributes his entire body of work to Ishvara's anugraha (grace). It is through them that Purandara Dasa gives an insight into his earlier life as well.
At Pandharpur and a miracle:
Purandara Dasa visited Pandharpur and had Panduranga Vittala's darshana. It is rightly said about Lord Vittal- Through one ear, He hears the abhangs in Marathi- of Namdev, Tukaram and Gnyaneshwar and through the other ear- He enjoys the Devara-naamaas of the Dasas in Kannada!
Purandara Dasa taught music to one servant lady at Pandharpur- this provoked the orthodox people. One day, Lord Vittala's bangle was missing. It was traced to the lady's house who confessed that she got it from Purandara Dasa.
The king had Purandara Dasa tied to a pillar in the temple. Purandara Dasa was silent and would not accept the allegation. He only prayed to Vittala silently. The king was angry and drew out his whip. As the whip was about to strike Purandara Dasa, it disappeared! To their wonder, it was seen in Vittala's hand at the temple! Everyone fell at Purandara Dasa's feet and begged forgiveness.
It was all Lord Vittala's doing- His bhaktas want to lead a quiet, lonely and simple life. But Vittala ensures that their fame cannot be contained!
Purandara Dasa lived to be 80 years old and passed away in 1564.
Always a koteeshwara:
Initially, King Krishnadeva Raya was concerned with the sudden turn in Srinivasa's life. As Purandara Dasa sat on the floor, so removed from the trappings of the diamond merchant he had once known, he asked him whether he was sick in body or ill in mind! Soon, the King was convinced and said, "Purandara Dasa, you will always be a koteeshwara (multi-millionaire). Earlier, with abundant money and now...... with the boundless, spiritual wealth!"
Some samples of his compositions:
1. Venkatachala nilayam (composed by Purandara Dasa at Tirupati, raga- Sindhu Bhairavi, artiste- Unnikrishnan)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CttY2H15SEA
2. Innudaya Bharathe, raga- KalyanaVasantam, artiste- Sudha Raghunathan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BaOQXQTYyU
3. Jagadodharana, raga- Kapi, artiste- Bombay Jayashree
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MixifDghCO0
4. Rama mantrava japiso, raga- Jonpuri, artiste- Neyveli Santhanagopalan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4SaeadoE9U
5. Sakala graha bala neene, raga- Atana, artiste- Sankaran Namboodiri
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeTMdzTh_lM
6. Smaraney onde saaladey, raga- Malayamarutam, artiste- Prashanth Krishnamoorthy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=466gRM9TtQY
P.S: The next weekend, we plan to have a "Tyagaraja Day and Purandara Dasa Jayanti". I need to ensure that I am sufficiently prepared to introduce the programme.
The above write up is loosely based on Vishakha Hari's "harikatha discourse". She is brilliant in all aspects- in music, in narration... and keeping the audience simply mesmerized! Mistakes, if any, are mine.... if the article is worthwhile in any way, you know to whom the compliment has to be extended!
It is a nice imagery used in one of the music lec-dems. It reminds us of a similar metaphor in the Vedas (Katha Upanishad) and the Geeta (Chapter 15). If this universe is like a huge "ashwatha vriksha" (peepal tree), the root is the Lord Himself - "oordhwa moolam"- He is the substratum of the universe and sustains the entire fabric in an unseen way.
Purandara Dasa is the "oordhwa moolam" and aptly called the "sangeeta pitamaha"- the grandsire of Carnatic music. Not that Carnatic Music originated from him- Matanga Muni and his text Brahaddeshi existed well before, but Purandara Dasa was the one who systematized the Carnatic Music teaching tradition. Starting from the "Swaraavali" (corrupted as "sarali" in some books), Dasa created the step-by-step instruction 'sampradaya' which even present day students follow. What Bheeshma pitamaha is to the Mahabharata- the pivot around whom the story revolves, Dasa is to Carnatic Music.
Tyagaraja was born almost 250 years after Purandara Dasa. His initiation into music was through Dasa's Devara-naamaas, sung by his mother Seetamma. Tyagaraja begins his "Prahlada Bhakti Vijayam", a musical opera, with obeisance to Purandara Dasa- his "maanaseeka guru".
Purandara Dasa's Life and Times:
Purandara Dasa was born in 1484 at a place close to Hampi (present day Karnataka). He was born with the grace of Lord Srinivasa at Tirupati. His parents named him Srinivasa. Srinivasa Nayaka grew up to be a well known diamond merchant. He personally knew King Krishnadeva Raya of Vijayanagar and Queen Manjuladevi. He was married to Laxmibai. Srinivasa was a normal householder with children.
His house was striking- 9 'kalashas" (pots) adorned the roof- for Srinivasa's fortunes added up to 9 crores (1 crore = 10 million) ! It earned him the title 'nava koti (9 crores) Narayana' - truly a multi-millionaire of those days!
Srinivasa Nayaka was interested in his trade, in multiplying his bank-balance and little else. How he wished he could add one more kalasha to his roof so that people could now call him 'dasha koti (10 crores) Damadora'! He was a miser and this knowledge was common-place. Laxmibai was a pious lady- but Srinivasa ensured that no money from the family was spent on charity. If at all she wanted to observe any religious practices, she could very well do it with no money spent- Laxmibai could always worship the Tulasi-plant at home or probably fast and thereby save some daily expenditure!
He had a shop in his town where people could pledge their ornaments and get cash in return.
The turning point:
Srinivasa was 30 years old. One Friday, as Srinivasa opened his shop for the day, an old man appeared. "I am poor and old. I need to arrange for my daughter's wedding and son's upanayana. Can you please donate some money and help me? After all, people call you 'Kaliyuga Karna'!"
Srinivasa expressed his contempt openly- "Whoever told you I am Karna? I don't believe in charity. If you have any gold or silver, I can give you money in return. I can't help you in any other way! Go away and don't waste my time!"
The old man was adamant. Srinivasa too stuck to his guns. By noon time, Srinivasa could not tolerate the nuisance anymore- he called for the guards and had the man beaten up.
The old man picked himself up. He went to the neighbouring street in search of another donor. Looking at an impressive house with 9 kalashas on top, he knocked on the door. Laxmibai was pleased to see him. Here was an ideal opportunity for charity and earn some "punya"-today was a Friday, an auspicious day. She could not find anything appropriate to donate; the keys for the safe were after all safely with Srinivasa.
Laxmibai took out her diamond nose-ring and handed it over to the old man.
The old man was back at Srinivasa's shop. He spoke with a new-found confidence, "I don't need any charity from the likes of you! Here you go- take this diamond nose-ring and just give me the money!"
One look at the nose-ring and Srinivasa's jaw dropped- "This is Laxmibai's! How did you get it? How could she give it to you without my permission? You wait here. I will definitely give you the money for this! But first, I need to deal with my wife. I will be right back!" Srinivasa carefully secured the nose-ring in the locker of his shop, took the keys and walked to his house- all worked up and angry!
"Laxmi! Where is your nose-ring? Why are you not wearing it?" screamed Srinivasa as soon as Laxmibai opened the door. Laxmibai was clearly intimidated. She instinctively lied- "I just left it at the Tulasi plant! Let me go and get it!"
Embracing the Tulasi plant, Laxmi cried helplessly. Suddenly,..... her hands felt something. She opened her eyes and was wonderstruck to see her nose-ring! There was no time to even acknowledge the miracle! She quickly went and handed it to Srinivasa.
Srinivasa was bewildered. He took the nose-ring and dashed to his shop. As he opened the locker, the nose-ring was missing. Something was clearly amiss. He knew he had secured it in the locker himself... but now it was gone. The old man was gone too. It was all too terribly confusing. He ran home and asked Laxmibai to come clean.
The story was now out. Dumbstruck, Srinivasa stared at the nose-ring. In the glitter of the diamond, he discerned an image now- Lord Vishnu elegantly reclining on Adi Sesha in the Milky Ocean.
It brought back memories of a previous life. Lord Vishnu called Narada and asked him to go down to the earth to spread His word. Narada was hesitant- "What if I get so caught up in the world and completely forget your mission? 'Maya' (ensnaring nature of the world) is so powerful!" Lord Vishnu assured him, "Don't worry Narada! If you forget your agenda, I will myself come and remind you!"
Everything was as clear as crystal now- more than the diamond and its chiselled faces! Srinivasa was born for a divine mission and he had lost the plot completely... for 30 years. Diamonds, money, his trade, the palatial home- everything seemed inconsequential now. He told his wife and children to pack up. They went to Vyasaraya, King Krishnadeva Raya's spiritual guru. Vyasateertha or Vyasaraya was an acknowledged master of the time- in Madhwacharya's parampara (lineage). Vyasaraya gave Srinivasa his new name- Purandara Dasa!
Vyasaraya's other famous disciples include Vadiraja Teertha and Kanaka Dasa. (Incidently, the famous Carnatic Music composition "Krishna nee begane baaro" is attributed to Vyasaraya.)
His Contribution:
Purandara Dasa composed more than 400,000 keertanas or 'Devara-naamaas' as they are called. In fact, it is through one of his Devara-naamaas that we learn that he composed so many- he says that he had no background whatsoever and attributes his entire body of work to Ishvara's anugraha (grace). It is through them that Purandara Dasa gives an insight into his earlier life as well.
At Pandharpur and a miracle:
Purandara Dasa visited Pandharpur and had Panduranga Vittala's darshana. It is rightly said about Lord Vittal- Through one ear, He hears the abhangs in Marathi- of Namdev, Tukaram and Gnyaneshwar and through the other ear- He enjoys the Devara-naamaas of the Dasas in Kannada!
Purandara Dasa taught music to one servant lady at Pandharpur- this provoked the orthodox people. One day, Lord Vittala's bangle was missing. It was traced to the lady's house who confessed that she got it from Purandara Dasa.
The king had Purandara Dasa tied to a pillar in the temple. Purandara Dasa was silent and would not accept the allegation. He only prayed to Vittala silently. The king was angry and drew out his whip. As the whip was about to strike Purandara Dasa, it disappeared! To their wonder, it was seen in Vittala's hand at the temple! Everyone fell at Purandara Dasa's feet and begged forgiveness.
It was all Lord Vittala's doing- His bhaktas want to lead a quiet, lonely and simple life. But Vittala ensures that their fame cannot be contained!
Purandara Dasa lived to be 80 years old and passed away in 1564.
Always a koteeshwara:
Initially, King Krishnadeva Raya was concerned with the sudden turn in Srinivasa's life. As Purandara Dasa sat on the floor, so removed from the trappings of the diamond merchant he had once known, he asked him whether he was sick in body or ill in mind! Soon, the King was convinced and said, "Purandara Dasa, you will always be a koteeshwara (multi-millionaire). Earlier, with abundant money and now...... with the boundless, spiritual wealth!"
Some samples of his compositions:
1. Venkatachala nilayam (composed by Purandara Dasa at Tirupati, raga- Sindhu Bhairavi, artiste- Unnikrishnan)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CttY2H15SEA
2. Innudaya Bharathe, raga- KalyanaVasantam, artiste- Sudha Raghunathan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BaOQXQTYyU
3. Jagadodharana, raga- Kapi, artiste- Bombay Jayashree
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MixifDghCO0
4. Rama mantrava japiso, raga- Jonpuri, artiste- Neyveli Santhanagopalan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4SaeadoE9U
5. Sakala graha bala neene, raga- Atana, artiste- Sankaran Namboodiri
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeTMdzTh_lM
6. Smaraney onde saaladey, raga- Malayamarutam, artiste- Prashanth Krishnamoorthy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=466gRM9TtQY
P.S: The next weekend, we plan to have a "Tyagaraja Day and Purandara Dasa Jayanti". I need to ensure that I am sufficiently prepared to introduce the programme.
The above write up is loosely based on Vishakha Hari's "harikatha discourse". She is brilliant in all aspects- in music, in narration... and keeping the audience simply mesmerized! Mistakes, if any, are mine.... if the article is worthwhile in any way, you know to whom the compliment has to be extended!
It is really fantastic to learn the life sketch of Purandara Dasa. He is really an ocean in music. Only Narada muni can do this feat. Perhaps Swara+aawali (stirng of swaras) got corrupted to sarali, like deepa+ aawali (string of lights) got corrupted to Diwali.'Venkatachala nilayam' & 'Jagadoddharana' cannot be thought of separate from MS amma. Her rendering is soaked in bhaava and bhakti.
ReplyDeleteGreat reading it was.
appa
appa
Appa, you're right. Dasa's life is really interesting and his contribution immense.
DeleteI tried looking for MS's rendition on youtube but didn't find it. I'm sure it's somewhere and will get to it and add the link here.
i am searching for exact jayanthi details of Panduranga Dasar.. Can someone help me? Shreejyothi360612@gmail.com
ReplyDelete