Purandara Dasa

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Purandaradasa lived in Purandaragadha, a small town in present-day Maharashtra (India), but belonging to the then Vijayanagar dynasty. His earlier name was Srinivasa Nayaka. He was engaged in the family business - dealing in precious stones. He was very rich and popularly known as navakOti (9 Crores) nArAyaNA. He was a miser by nature, and cared

for nothing except money.

 

Lord Vishnu decided that it was time for Srinivasa Nayaka to give up his love of money, and take his rightful role among saints. So, He took the form of a poor brahmin and approached Srinivasa Nayaka for money in order to perform the thread ceremony of his son. Even though days

rolled by, Nayaka did not give anything, but the brahmin too did not relent. He visited Srinivasa Nayaka's shop again and again. Six months passed by in this fashion. Finally, Nayaka decided that he had to do something to get rid of the brahmin. He had a collection of worn-out

coins that were more or less worthless. He poured this in

front of the brahmin and asked him to take one and never come back. The brahmin went away, seemingly crestfallen.

 

Gift of a Nose-stud

 

Saraswathi, Nayaka's wife, was a kind hearted soul who in her own way, tried to make amends for her husband's miserliness. The brahmin, who knew this, went directly from Nayaka's shop to his residence. He told her his story and how her husband had sent him away with nothing.

 

Saraswathi was appalled by her husband's behaviour. She wanted to help the poor brahmin, but felt helpless since she could not give anything without her husband's permission. When she explained her helplessness, the brahmin asked if she had something given by her parents

(which, presumably, she could give without asking for her husband's permission). She agreed and gave him the diamond nose-stud that her parents had given her.

 

The vanishing ornament

 

The brahmin took the ornament straight to Srinivasa Nayaka's shop. When Nayaka became angry with the brahmin for coming back, despite his instructions to the contrary, the brahmin clarified that he was there not to beg, but to pledge an ornament and take a loan. Nayaka was skeptical and asked the brahmin to show him the ornament. When he saw the ornament, he was perplexed because he immediately

recognized it as the one belonging to his wife. When questioned about the ornament's antecedents, the brahmin told him that it was a gift from a benefactor.

 

Asking the brahmin to come back the next day, Nayaka safely locked away the ornament in a box and went home. When he saw his wife without her ornament he questioned her about it. She tried to stall him with non-committal answers, but he insisted on seeing it immediately.

He was angry because he thought she had given away a valuable ornament to a beggarly brahmin.

 

Saraswathi felt the ground giving way under her feet. She knew that her husband would punish her if she told him the truth. Unable to think of an alternative, she decided to commit suicide. She poured poison into a cup and lifted it to her lips. Just as she was about to drink the poison, she heard a metallic sound. Lo behold, wonder of wonders, the

ornament was right there in the cup. She could not believe her eyes. Her heart filled with gratitude, she prostrated before the idol of Krishna and took the ornament to her husband. Nayaka was astounded as it was the very same ornament that he had safely locked away in his shop. He quickly excused himself and ran back to the shop to check.

The box in which he had safely locked away the ornament was empty! He was now completely and totally dumbfounded.

 

The renunciation

 

He want back to his house, and pressed his wife to tell him the truth. She told him everything that had transpired. This put his mind into a turmoil.

 

After deep thought, he came to the conclusion that the brahmin was none other than God Himself. He recalled all the incidents that had transpired in the previous six months. He was disgusted with himself, and his miserliness. He felt that his wife had conducted herself far more

decently and generously than himself. Since it was his love of money that had made him ill-treat the Lord, he gave away all of his wealth with the Lord's name on his lips.

 

>From that day onwards he became a devotee of Sri Hari. navkOti nArAyANa became a nArAyANa Bhakta; the hands which sported gold and diamond rings now played the tamboora, the neck which used to be resplendent with golden chains now housed the tulasi mAla. The man who had turned away countless people away, now himself went around

collecting alms and living the life of a mendicant. The

Nayaka who would have lived and died an inconsequential life became PurandaradAsa, loved and revered even centuries after his death. Just as the philosopher's stone turns everything it touches to gold, the Lord took a wretched miser and made him into the doyen of all haridAsas.

Such was the magic wrought by the Lord!

 

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After Srinivasa Nayaka became the saint-singer celebrating Sri Hari, he sourght a teacher for guidance and was received as a disciple by Sri Vyaasaraja. Sri Vyaasaraja who had been accepted as a great saint had composed verses both in sanskrit and Kannada. He bestwoed the name of 'Purandara Vittala' on the unattached Srinivasa Nayaka and blessed him heartily. Purandaradasa has expressed his

gratitude to Sri Vyaasaraja in one of his verses thus: "My only refuge is the feet of Vyaasaraja. I was able to understand Purandara Vittala by his grace"..

 

Srinivasa Nayaka who had earned the name of Navakoti Narayana, became a devotee of Narayana, the protector of the mankind and started a new life along with his wife and children. Purandara Dasa's wife and children appear to have composed verses like him.

 

In course of time Purandaradasa came to Hampi and settled down with his wife and children. He had four sons-Varadappa, Gururaya, Abhinavappa and Gurmadhvapathi. Every morning Purandaradasa went into the town wearing bells on his ankels and tulasi mala around his neck. He carried a tamboori in the hand and sang his Hari-keertanas sounding the tamboori with his fingers. The verses he sang were

his own compositions. They were on a variety of themes. Some of them described Sri Krishna's adventures in this world. Some others sang about God's kindness to man. A few more verses were simple compositions expounding the philosophy contained in the Vedas, Upanishads

and Bhagavadgita in simple words. In yet other verses Purandaradasa praises Lord Krishna affectionately. In some verses Purandaradasa has even made fun of the Lord. He sang these songs to the accompaniment of tamboori and the bells tied to his ankles and went about the streets of the town. The people admired the listened to his songs. Purandaradasa accepted alms given to him during the wandering and led a life of renunication. He who had been called Navakoti Narayana now had willingly accepted the life of a saint and

begged for his food.

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Even though Purandardasa had taken the vow of Haridasa, his mind had not yet acquired equipoise (peace/restfulness). He feels unhappy over the state of his mind which was still unable to reach a stage of complete restfulness. He bemoans in a verse: "I did not think of you during the day, I failed to do so during the night also because of thirst and

hunger. I am the victim of these two desires. O Purandara

Vittala."

 

Again he gives expression to the conflict in his mind about his inability to give up his house, wife and children in a verse: "the love of my house and my wife on the one hand and the longing and anziety for the children on the other hand..". The all-too-human weakness and conflict are

beautifully depicted in this verse. The sole object of Purandaradasa was to be victorious over these desires and to win God's blessings. This problem was constantly before him. Sometimes he dreamt that Sri Hari appeared before him because of his constant preoccupation with the Lord. At times he appeared to him (at a mental level) the screen of his mind. The Lord seemed to test the depth of his longing and his sincerity. Purandardasa seems to have been disturbed and upset because of the severe test to which he was subjected.

 

Hence he complains in a bannering verse "who was ever rescued by you, Sri Hari having placed complete trust on you!" The next moment there is complete surrender to the Lord as the verse indicates "No one who trusted you was ever ruined"

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Purandaradasa went on singing and praying for God's grace and finally he realised God's grace. He felt the ectsasy of God realisation and at such moments he broke into song delcaring "I saw Achyuta with my own eyes". He often became unconscious on account of the joy of God realisation and sang: "I am saved, I have conquered life. The good fortune

of serving at the feet of Padmanabha has come to me".

 

Each stage of Purandaradasa'a growth and development as a pious man moving towards the higher stages of God realisation is significant. The greatness of his divine nature can be compositions (Suladis and Ugabhogas). The conflicts, anxieties, his hopes, fears and despair have

been expressed in simple Kannada very eloguently and clearly. Purandaradasa bcame great because of his success in living the life of piety and proving the superiority of the soul over the wordly success. He has created a world of his own with his preoccupation with the life of the

spirit and the strength of his devotion. We can read his

verses and understand how the boy Dhruva and the sinner Ajamila reached the highest places as devotees by their devotion and piety. Krishna's advetnures as a boy have been beautifully recoreded and sung in his verses. If his playfulness, mischief and cleverness endear

themselves to us in a particular way, the picture Purandaradasa gives about the coquetries and the passionate attachment of Gopis for krishna, their lover may please the readers in quite a different way. There are vivid pictures of the Gopis complaining to Yashoda about her son's mischief

in these verses.

 

There is also the picture of the other Gopis taking the boy Krishna in their arms, kissing him with materanl affection and solicitude and propititing the evil powers in various ways so that nothing evil should happen to him. We can enjoy such pictures described beautifully by purandaradasa in his verses.

 

Purandaradasa has expressed his devotion to Lord Krishna,(Panduranga Vittala) his personal deity, imagining him in so many ways and had relationships with him. His pure love and devotion came out very clearly in all his verses. He admits that he has erred in hundred ways which he ties his tongue making it different for him to ask for forgiveness. He sings again -"you are the God who can kill and save. I have not seen gradeur like yours in any other God". Before a God Purandaradasa surrenders completely and asks for refuge. His love and devotion and the stages by which he travelled before coming to the summit can be understood by us according to each one's ability to understand such spiritual development

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Purandaradasa set the highest value on good conduct. The strength and greatness of Sri Hari's name have been beautifully enshrined and sung in this world. People who do not know Sanskrit find it hard to understand the vedas and upanishads. But Purandaradasa has explained the whole essense of these scriptures in simple kannada and show the way that one should live. He practised in his life what he

preached. It is important to note ths aspect of his life. He gifted away all his wealth and lived the life of renunciation which he preached to others. Although he took to the life of renuciation and asceticism he did not desert his wife and children. He lived with them.

 

He made it clear to others by his conduct how it ws possible to achieve purity of thought, word and deed regardless of caste, religion or creed. He did not believe that man could understand God by mere external purity unless it was accompanies by purity of mind.

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Dear Sir,

For the benifit of tamil singers i have translated over 50 songs of the great saint Sri Purandara dasa and my boolet will be realeased next month.

It would have on the left hand side songs in kannada in tamil letters and on the right hand side songs in tamil in tamil letters.

As i do not know how to creatye a web site,can you include the availability of such a book for first time.

I would be obliged.

TKJagannathan

2533/2,28th cross,BSK 2nd Stg,

Bangalore 560070

India

080-26711976