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Kanaka Dasa (Kannada: ಕನಕ ದಾಸ) (1509–1609)[1] was great poet, philosopher, musician and composer from Karnataka. He is known[2] for his Kirtanes and Ugabhoga compositions in the Kannada language for Karnataka Music. Uniqueness of his compositions is that he embedded common people's day-to-day language into the complicated classical Karnataka music which was mostly limited to scholarly language. He is also known for propagating Dwaita philosophy of Shri Madhvacharya through poetry and music to the masses in the Karnataka region of South India.
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Biography
Thimmappa Nayaka was his original name and he belonged to chieftain (Kuruba) family of Kaginele in Haveri district. He was born to the Kurubagowda couple Biregowda and Beechamma at bada. Kanaka Nayaka being of the warrior community(Kuruba) his defeat in the field of battle, directed him to the path of devotion. He came to be called Kanaka Nayaka as he found a treasure-trove of gold ( kanaka means gold in Kannada). Kanaka Dasa was well educated and capable of analyzing the society microscopically. In his early age he acquired deep knowledge about poetry and understood the nuances of Karnataka Music that was just founded by Purandara Daasa. Based on one of his compositions it is interpreted that after he severely got injured in a war and was miraculously saved, he gave up his profession as a warrior and devoted his life to composing music and literature with philosophy explained in common man's language. It appears that he started traveling to places a lot to gain more knowledge. Though he came from Shaivism community followed by Kurubas, he became a follower of Vaishnavism. However he had maintained a balanced view about all faiths[citation needed]. At a young age he authored poetries Narasimha stotra, Ramadhyana Mantra, and Mohanatarangini. (See Ref 2)
His writing started showing his innovativeness in using day to day activities of common man. For e.g. Ramadhyana Mantra is a poetic expression of conflicts between rich and poor classes where he uses ragi ( staple food of poor and high in nutrients) and rice(main food of rich but not as rich in nutrients) to synonymously to represent poor and rich. He joined Haridasa movement and became a follower of Vyasaraja who named him as Kanakadasa. His poems and krithi deal with many aspects of life and expose the futility of external rituals. They stress the need for cultivation of moral values in life. Similar to Purandara Daasa, Kanaka Daasa’s compositions addressed social issues in addition to devotional aspect. Kanaka Daasa was very aggressive and straight forward in criticizing evils of society such as superiority claims using caste system. His poem "Kula Kula Kula vendu hodedhada dhiri" asks humans not to segregate themselves from one another, because every human is born the same way, everyone eats the same food and drinks the same water, hence none is superior or inferior to one another.
The deity he worshiped was Adhikeshava of Kaginele, presently in Haveri district of Karnataka. Kaginele, now a village, was a prosperous place and trading center in the Middle Ages. Out of the many of his compositions, about 240 (see Ref 2) are fully accountable today. All his Karnataka Music compositions end with mudra (signature) Kaginele Adhikeshava. In addition to being a poet he worked as a social reformer by down playing dogmatic communities that were suppressing the disadvantaged communities. Kanakadasa made extreme effort in reforming the disadvantaged communities by convincing them to give-up their age old obsolete social practices and adapt to the changing world. He effectively used music to convey his philosophy. He lived at Tirupathi in his last days. He is one of the greatest musician, composer, poet, social reformer, philosopher and saints that India has ever seen.
Major works
- Nalacharitre
- Haribhaktisara
- Nrisimhastava
- Ramadhanyacharitre, a rare work on class struggle
- Mohanatarangini
Kanakadasa wrote about two hundred forty Karnataka Music compositions (Kirtane, Ugabhogas, padas and mundiges or philosophical songs)[3] besides five major works. His compositions are published in many languages. For example about 100 songs in Kannada[4] and 60 songs in English [5] are published in popular books.
His writings were unique in style. In Ramadhanyacharitre, an allegory on the conflict between the socially strong and weak castes and classes, presented as an argument between two foodgrains, rice and ragi, is a most creative literary piece with a powerful social message,In the work, rice represents the socially powerful and ragi (millet) represents the working people. The two grains come before Rama to argue their case and establish their superiority. In the end Rama sends both of them to prison for six months. At the end of the period, rice has turned rotten while the hardy ragi survives, earning Rama's blessings. This shows the intelligence of Kanaka Daasa in trying to reform the society. He was blunt in criticizing those who opposed the good practices. In one his compositions he says,"Eternal hell is for those who criticize noble men, for those who condemn teachings of jagadguru Madhvacharya...".
Nalacharitre (Story of Nala)
Haribhaktisara (crux of Krishna devotion)
Nrisimhastava (compositions in praise of Lord Narasimha)
Ramadhanyacharite (story of ragi millet) and an epic
Mohanatarangini (Krishna-river).
Kanakadasa rationalized bahkti (devotion) by giving worldly similes. His writing has intimate touch that identifies the reader with the poet himself. His two famous compositions in translation are given below. One condemns caste system in a refined poetic way and the other wonders, at the colorful and baffling creation of God Almighty in child-like wonder.
His Nalacharite is based on the famous love-story of Nala and Damayanti, which appears in Mahabarata. Though a great devotee of Lord Krishna, Kanakadasa gives his own interpretation. Nala who is in love with Damayanti, exercises restraint svayamvara (choosing bride/bridegroom) ceremony to win over Damayanti by allowing Indra and other gods a chance to win over her. When he loses everything in a dice-game and gets exiled to the forest, stubbornly followed by Damayanti, he deserts her in sleep, hoping that she may go back to her parents and have a better life. He later drives king Rituparna to the second svayamvara of Damayanti, to see his wife married to a suitable person and be happy! Lord Krishna appears only once casually to rescue the caravan in which the hapless Damayanti was traveling and was attacked by wild elephants.
Haribhaktisara is the essence of devotion to Lord Krishna as the name indicates. A work of one hundred and ten verses with chorus line 'deva rakshisu nammananavarata', it is a prayer song, sung by Madhva men and women in Karnataka while performing everyday chores. It teaches complete surrender to God.
Nrisimhastava is a work dealing with glory of god Narasimha (half human and half lion).
Kanakadasa's Ramadhanyacharite has quite an unconventional theme. It is about a battle of words between ragi (millet) and rice, each claiming superiority. They go to lord Rama for justice. With the help of the sages, Rama proves the superiority of ragi over rice. Ragi becomes blessed by absorbing the qualities of Raghava, another epithet of Rama. It is interpreted as poverty and humility being upheld by the poet above material wealth. Even today ragi is food of the poor which has high nutrition value compared to rice. Ragi is a good source of nutrition for people with diabetes for its low sugar content and nutrition value.
Mohanatarangini, although a kavya (poem in classical style) written with all conventional eighteen descriptions, deals with eroticism. Pleasure-based eroticism of Shri Krishna with the consorts. The eroticism between Aniruddha and Usha form the main theme.
It excels in depicting contemporary life. The description of Shri Krishna's Dwaravati (Dwaraka) is very similar to that of Vijayanagara, under Krishnadevaraya as noticed by foreign travelers. The market place with colorful stalls with various commodities, well demarketed lanes brimming with craftsmen, clients and merchants, royal garden parties and glory of the palace find their place in Mohanatarangini. It echoes the contemporary Portuguese travelers' accounts. A drinking bout of men and women of working class is very picturesque. The reader feels as if Kanakadasa is providing a commentary of a live event. It is for such unconventional and down-to-earth descriptions as also for social awareness that the great poet-saint has become immortal.
English Translation of Nee Mayeyolago
Are you a creature of illusion? or illusion your creation? Are you a part of the body? Or is the body a part of you?
Is space within the house? Or the house within space? Or are both space and the house within the seeing eye? Is the eye within the mind? Or the mind within the eye? Or are both the eye and the mind within you?
Does sweetness lie in sugar, or sugar in sweetness? Or do both sweetness and sugar lie in the tongue?
Is the tongue within the mind? Or the mind within the tongue? Or are both the tongue and the mind within you?
Does fragrance lie in the flower? Or the flower in fragrance? Or do both the flower and fragrance lie in the nostrils? I cannot say, O Lord Adikeshava of Kaginele, O! peerless one, are all things within you alone?
ನಾನು ಹೋದರೆ ಹೋದೇನು - I shall go (to heaven) if my-self (my selfishness) goes (away)
This was a famous phrase Kanakadaasa is quoted to have said in front of all vedantists, when asked who will attain Moksha in Kaginele peetha. Kanakadasa humbly but assertively tells that no one here will attain moksha. Only he can attain Moksha who has lost the Naanu ("Self"/"I") in himself
Kanakadasa in Udupi
Kanakadasa has special association with Udupi and as he was the follower of Sri Vyasaraja Swamiji. On the advice of Vyasaraja Swamiji he had come to Udupi. But it a time when the discrimination based on the caste was at its peak in the society. The Brahmin fundamentalists did not let him enter the temple as he was from a lower cadre of the society. He stood outside the temple and was lost in his prayers to Lord Krishna by singing songs in praise of the Lord. Owing to the call of his devotee Lord Krishna gave darshan to Kanaka through a window.The idol of Lord Krisha turned around and a crack appeared in the western granite wall of the temple, making it possible for Kanadadasa to have a glimpse of the Lord.
The crack in the wall was replaced with a smalll window, which stands as a tribute to Kanakadasa.All devotees who visit Udupi Krishna temple take a peek at Lord Krishna throgh the small window, wishing to relive the ecstasy of Kanakadasa. It is also a memorial to Kanakadasa and a testimony to the eclectic Hindu belief that devotion, poetry and sainthood are above caste and creed and certainty above orthodoxy.In all Hindu temples the deity and the main door of the temple face the east, but in Udupi the deity faces the west which is not along the lines of the Hindu vasthu shastra of temple architecture, which gave credence to the belief that something strange and unexplainable happened here which caused the main deity to face west.
Kanakana Kindi
There are many popular legends regarding Lord Krishna's revelation to saint Kanakadasa. We can unravel the mystery of this episode on the basis of the available historical documents as follows. Kanakadasa came to Udupi as a pilgrim. Sri Vadiraja teertha who was in charge of Udupi Mutt, at that time, knew about this pious devotee of the Lord, and made arrangements for his stay in a hut in the roadside in front of the temple. Kanakadasa used to play on his tambuura and sing in the hut, but the wall of the temple was there between the icon and himself. Being of a lower class than the superior Brahmins, by tradition he was forbidden to enter the temple and have darshana of Sri Krishna. The wall of the shrine was, of course, a barrier to the physical eyes, but who could prevent the vision of his inner eyes? They were fully open and the Sri Krishna was visible to Kanakadasa.
Some time passed and one day, when Kanakadasa wanted to have the Darshan of Sri krishna he was refused to do so by the authorities of the temple and when he was reluctant to hear their words, they dragged him, tied him behind the temple and started beating him ruthlessly. At this point, of time Kanaka started to sing the song "Bagilanu teredu, Seveyanu kodo hariye....." which means, "Oh Lord, Open the doors and serve me with your divine blessings...". Satisfied by his prayers, Lord Sri Krishna gives him darshan by miraculously creating a crack in the backside of the temple and turning his face towards the window. Instead of having the crack plastered over again, Sri Vadiraja enlarged it and turned it into a window. To commemorate Lord Krishna's darshana to Kanaka Dâsa, the window has been designated as 'Kanakana Kindi'.
From that time onward, Kanakadasa could have the darshana of Sri Krishna with his physical eyes as well as his inner eye. To perpetuate this sacred memory, the tradition of looking at the icon of Sri Krishna through this window before entering the shrine started.
Not only pilgrims, but even the peethadhipati's of the eight Mutts who go to take charge of the temple at the time of paryaaya comes in procession, to this window. It is only after looking at the icon through this window that they enter into the temple. This tradition has been going on since the time of Sri Vadiraja Teertha.
Kanakadasa offers rice gruel to Lord Krishna
There is another incident connected with him which is not known to many people. But for Sri Vadiraja Teertha, it would have been forgotten a long time ago. That interesting episode can be stated thus: It was noon and Kanakadasa had baked rice cake for his lunch. Suddenly, his attention was drawn towards a small hole on the Northern side of the discourse hall. From the kitchen inside, some rice gruel (teLi) was flowing out through the hole. Kanakadasa took the shell of a coconut and filled it with some gruel. He then took the cake and the gruel to the front of the temple and prayed for Krishna to accept the offerings, and then ate it.
Sri Vadiraja teertha came to know of this due to his divine vision, summoned his attendants and said, 'Kanaka is a great devotee. Krishna is more pleased with his gruel water than with our costly dishes. He may be a shepherd by caste, but he does not lag behind in his devotion and enlightenment. He is like pure gold (`kanaka' means "gold"). From this day onwards we will also offer rice gruel and cake to Sri Krishna to perpetuate the memory of Kanaka's great devotion.'
This tradition continues even today. Rice gruel and cake are offered, along with other dishes, except that the coconut shell has been replaced by a silver goblet. Sri Vadiraja teertha has thus immortalized this episode in the history of Udupi.
Links
References
- ^ Karnatakada Mahasant Kanakadasa by M. Basavaraj,(2007) The Publications Division of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt of India, http://www.publicationsdivision.nic.in/b_show.asp?id=857
- ^ Medieval Indian Literature, A Anthology (1997) by Shiva Prakash H.S., edited by Ayyappapanicker, Sahitya Akademi ISBN= 8126003650, pages 198-200
- ^ Kanakadasa-The Golden servant of Lord Hari (2001)by Basavaraj Naikar, National Book Trust ISBN 8123736649
- ^ Kanaka Daasara Padagalu (1997) By S Rudramurthy Shastri, Bhagya Laksmi Publishers, Bangalore
- ^ Songs of Three Great South Indian Saints by William J. Jackson (2002), Oxford India Paper, ISBN 0-19-566051-X
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