Contribution of Sri Gopaladasaru towards the Daasa Sahitya

[Guest guest]

Namaskara to all Haribhaktaas.

 

Contribution of Sri Gopaladaasaru to Daasa Sahitya.

Sri Gopaladasaru has a prominent place among the the Haridaasaasor the servants

of the Lord who spent their lifetime in chanting the myraid glories of the

Almighty. The songs sung in soul stirring music are characterised by deep

devotion,making deep devotion to the Lord a living faith , instilling

in the listeners an abiding devotion to God. The compositions are pregnant with

deep meaning and the subjects relate to the entire gamut of man's existence ,

acivities,morality,ethics.religious faith and philosophy. They are beacon light

for man's progress towards all time happiness all around. The

literature of the Daasaas ie. Daasa sahitya could be broadly classified into

three groups:

1. literature meant for and relating to all classes and communitiies ingeneral

in other words for the common man.

2.literature pertaining to religion and religious practices and

3.literature pertaining to the philosophy of upanishads,vedanta,metaphysics and

other such categories appealing to higher intellect and in depth study of how

and why of things. Thus,daasa sahitya is a helpful and useful guide to a wide

spectrum of humanity.

After Sri Purandaradasaru,Sri Vijayadasaru the guru of Sri Gopaladasaru had

enriched the dasa sahitya with innumerable number of suladis,padas and

keertanas. Sri Gopala dasaru followed the footsteps of His Guru reverentially

and enriched the daasa sahitya . He enrolled His three brothers into the

fold and His disciples continued this tradition and further took the dasa

sahitya to its pinnacle.

However,at present the singing of the suladis as envisaged by the composers in

the Ragas and Talas has been very rare and people seem to context witha prosaic

study of the subject matter of the compositions which might probably give an

intellectual satisfaction but would be lacking in attaining the

state of emotional rapproachment and pleasure thereof . Some effort in this

direction would be useful contribution to daasa sahitya.

Some important compositions of Sri Gopaladaasaru.

Sri Gopaladaasara compositions belong mainly to the second and third groups

mentioned above. Tradition avers that one has to propitiate Sri Ganapathi before

commencement of any good work that includes singing and what to say of the

compositions of Sri Gopaladaasaru an amsha of Sri Ganapati?

The Vijayarayara karuna kavacha stotram or the modakastutti is consideredto be

the magnum opus of Sri Gopaladasa. It is in Saurashtra raaga in 21 nodis.

(Smarisuve.......)

In this work he sings the vijayaraayara mahima and attributes of the avesa of

Sri Narada and Sri Vaayuh in Him and that He is always prostrated by brahmins.

He praises His Guru who had paid three religious piligramages to Kaasi,

countless visits to Tirupati and other places.

In this song He mentions Duryoni bandha vamsasthar guru.....

It is said that the grandfather of Sri Vijayadasaru was born as a dog due to

praarabdha and the saint allowed it to follow Him. At Gaya pinda daana was

performed and the dog instantanoeusly died. After the incident Sri Vijayadasaru

conveyed this to his brother Anandadasa at Chikalaparvi from there

itself stating that their grandfather had been relieved from that janma .

Once Sri Vijayarayaru was meditating on the banks of the Tungabhadra and Mother

Ganges made to think of Her and he immediately composeda song on

Her.(Bhaageerathi thaya Sringara Subataaye Sri Bhoo Ramana Thanaye...) and

instantaneously the water could be distinguished with two layer with different

colours.

This Sri Gopala dasaru mentions in the stuti as under:

Tungabadradalli kolidu melakke gnage uthisidiyo Gururaayaa...

Thestuti ends with

Paramapurusha ...........nimma karuna kavacha stotra niruta maaduva bhaktarige

Sri Mahaaraja gopala vitala ranga karedu kai pidivanayaa

 

When Srinivasacharya was to be cured he composed a song on Dhanvantrai which is

till today a panacea to all ailment.

Yenna binnappa kelu dhanvantri......

 

At Kolhapur the daasa was enchanted by the darshan of Sri Mahalakshmi and out

came an outpouring in Arabi Ragaa.

Kapadale sakalaabad hare.......

 

He also visited the Ahobilam shrine (near Cudappah on the Chennai -Mumbai

railway line)where there are nine shrines to Sri Narasima. Here the daasa

composed a song in the kaapi raagaa.

Kaayo Sri Narasimha.....

 

At Srimushnam(On Chennai-Tiruchy chord Railway line near the station

Virudaachalam) there is a beautiful temple for Sri Varaha swami and this place

boasts of many scholars who have upheld the Madhva tradition. Near this place

is a lake called Danda teertha which was created By Srimadaachaaryaru on

his visit to the south.The moorthy here is Swayambhu and is called Sri Swayambhu

varahaswamy and is really a treat to the eyes though the stature is very

small.(In Tamil there is a saying Murthy sirisanalum keerthi perisu meaning even

if the statue is small the keerthi is great)Naturally the great

saint went into raptures on seeing the Lord in Bhoopaalaa.

Devi Ambuja valli Ramanane.

 

Like His Guru He had gone many times to Tirupati to worship Sri Venkatanaatha

and prominent among his songs to the Lord is the one in the Bilahari raagaa.

Paalisayya Pavananayya......

In another song in Saveri Nadadu Barayyaa.......

the daasaru compares the drinking of the ocean in three sips by the sage Agastya

to the Lord who is ready to drink our bhava saagara.

 

Pandarapur.

His visit to Pandar pur is very interesting. At Uddanur when His was picking

thulasi dala for the Lord a horseman gallpped passt Him saying " Aale Naahi " in

marathi language meaning why you have not come.He gets permission from His Guru

who blesses Him with a song and helps him to have the darshan

ofPanduranga Vittala. He composed a suladi with the same words told by the

horseman who was none other than the Lord of Pandarpur in disguise.

In the modakastuti He mentions that once when His guru had gone to Pandarapur

festival some of the people left behind at Chikkalaparvi were beholding the

darshan of Aswatnarasimha(installed by Sri Padarajaru) but were sad that they

could not see the naada brahmam. Vijaya daasaru appeared on the

scene and asked them to cover their faces with musuku or cloth and lo behold

they could see the Lord at chikalaparvi itself. The saint is thrilled with the

miracle of His Guru and sings

Angada musuku tagayalu kshetradi Panduranga..Aniruddavagi mamathake kavana

maadida vijayaraayaaa.

 

Thus, with a short coverup of the sahitya contribution of Sri Gopaladasaru

itself we can comprehend the greatness of the saint.

Only 89 keertanas,70 suladis and 20 ugabhogas of this saint have been published.

It is anticipated that much progress will be made in this direction.

 

This article on Dasa Sahitya contribution is based on two articles written by by

Sri Srinivasa Rao a scholar in Madhva philosophy and Sri Nagaraja Rao a treasure

House of knowledge on the Daasa Sahitya. The article of the former was a very

old one and smudged at various places and hence any mistake

must be due to my interpretation of the same.

 

I wish that the two articles on Sri Gopala dasaru on the poorvaaradhana and

madhya aradhana of the saint by this humble soul and this abridged version of

the Dasa Sahitya by two great stalwarts during the uttaraadhanaawould have

induced an iota of bhakti towards Sri Harih Gopala Vitala and His dear

daasas, amongst the madhva devotees of the list.

 

Sri Gopaladaasantargata Sri Gopala Vitala Preetiyartam,.

Sri krishnaarpanam.

Yours in the Service of Sri Harih,

Dr. B. Basker.