a song by Sri Purandara dasa

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Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada!

 

What follows is a beautiful song glorifying the holy name of the Lord. It's

written in Kanada language by Purandara dasa, a great Vaisnava from the Sri

sampradaya. Get a South Indian devotee to sing it for you.

* * *

 

O Vithala, I might be a crooked person, but Your name is not so.

The course of the river might be crooked, but the water is not so.

The shape of the sugarcane might be crooked, but the sweet taste is not so.

The flower might look crooked, but the fragrance is not so.

The body of the cow might be crooked, but her milk is not so.

The bow might be crooked, but the arrow is not so.

I might be an untouchable, but Your name is not so. O Purandara Vithala,

my worshipable Lord, please protect this foolish devotee of Yours.

 

* * *

PURPORT: This is a beautiful devotional song by Purandara dasa, a pure

devotee of Lord Krishna. He affirms the divine potencies of the Lord's

names. Being an uttama-adhikari devotee, Purandara dasa takes the liberty to

question Lord Vithala, "Just because I am a crooked person, does it mean

that Your name is also crooked?"

 

Since the Lord is Absolute, there is no difference between His name and

Himself. In the material world, the name and the nominal are different, but

in the spiritual world, the name and the nominal are same. The name of the

Lord is so potent that it washes away the sinful reactions of many, many

births, irrespective of who chants it.

 

Purandara dasa gives a number of examples to illustrate this point:

a) The course the river takes might be crooked. It may travel in

various directions before it reaches the sea, but the water is pure and

tasty.

b) The shape of the sugarcane may be bent or crooked. It may look

ugly but the sweet taste of the juice is relished by all.

c) The flower may look curved or ugly, but the fragrance is

pleasant.

d) The bow is curved in many places, but the arrow emanating from it

hits its target.

 

Here, the river, sugarcane, flower, cow and bow represent the neophyte

devotee who chants offensively due to various flaws and weaknesses in the

form of material conditioning.

 

Water, the sweetness of sugarcane, the fragrance of the flower, milk and the

arrow represent the Almighty Lord, the purest, the sweetest, the most

fragrant, most palatable, the Supreme.

 

Purandara dasa calls himself an untouchable and questions the Lord's name,

"I am an untouchable, but is Your name untouchable, O Vithala?" Sri

Purandara dasa is a highly elevated soul, but he takes the position of a

fallen person in order to make us understand as to how humble we must be.

He concludes by begging for the protection of the Lord. He says that he is a

foolish man calling for the protection of his worshipable Lord.