Bhaganna becomes Sri Gopala Daasaru.

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Bhaganna becomes Sri Gopala Dasaru.

Namaskara to all Haribhaktaas.

 

Today 17-1-2001 is the aradhane of the great saint Sri Gopala Dasaru.

On this auspicous day let us try to picturise the scene that took place

a couple of centuries ago at the hanuman temple(mangarayadevastana ) at

adoni.

The sanctified spot for the of bhaganna dasaru by his Guru ,Sri

Vijayadasaru was overflowing with people. Vedic mantraas,sankeertanas,harinaama

bhajanas and musical instruments of various kinds rent the air and made

the atmosphere electrifying.

When an ankhita is to be given to a disciple a number of homas are

to be performed and sudarshana homa is a must and that was performed and

the kavi shaati was kept before the lord and pooja was done to the Lord.

The Guru blessed the shishya by fondly placing his hand on the head and

conducted the mantropadesha with the shishya instructed to do dyaana on

the bimba roopa. Then the master ties the gejje to the ankles of the student

and starts to go into ecstacy singing a song.

This song must start with the ankita of the shishya and end with the

ankhita of the guru. The divine composition is as under:

Gopaala vittala ninna puje maaduvenu, kaapaadu yi jagava,

aparajanmadalli ivana mele nee preetiyanu maadi nijadaaasanolyidu,

ankhitavaanaanidde ninna prerarane yinde............

and ends as follows:

sankatagala athidaagaa venkatakrishnana neene vijayavitthala

yendu ankuravu pallaisi,phalapraapti aagali.

(The raaga is aarabi set to aadi taalaa)

This song highlights the scholarliness and the humility of the great

saint Sri Vijayadaasaru. He simply states that the ankhita is given

by him onlyby the prerane of Sri Vijaya vithala(reminds us of the phrase

tvat prasaadat,tvat prerareneya,tvat preetyartam of Pratas sankalpa gadya

of Sri Rayaru). In the end He not only ends with His ankhita Sri Vijaya

Vithala but also that of Bhaganna that is venkata krishna (when he composed

songs before becoming gopala daasaa).

What a great vaibhava and how fortunate were the people who assembled

there and witnessed the great incident of Bhaganna becoming Sri Gopala

dasaru and started to serve Sri Harih with the ankhita of Gopala Vithala

from then onwards.

bhoopala noota paadaabjam paapaani parihaarinam/

gopaala daasa eedeham gopala haridarshanam.

Sri Gopala daasaantargata Sri Gopalavittala preetyartam

Sri Krisnaarpanamasthu.

Yours in the Service of Sri Harih.

Dr. Balakrishnan Basker.