A BRIEF NOTE ON SRI VIJAYADASA’s “ನಿನ್ನ ಒಲುಮೆಯಿಂದ”
INTRODUCTION:
Sri Vijayadasa, second only to the great Sri Purandaradasa, was born in c.1687 and left the mortal world in c.1755 on Thursday, 10th day of bright half of kArtika month.
Sri Vijayadasa said to have written 25,000 kIrtanA-s most of them being suLAdi-s. Legend has it that he was the son of Purandaradasa in previous birth & wrote kIrtanA-s with ‘guru purandara viTThala” ankinta.
Legend also says that Sri Purandaradasa wished to write 5,00,000 kIrtanA-s as a worship to God Narayana. But could write only 4,75,000. Sri Vijayadasa, to fulfill his mentor-father’s wish, wrote 25,000 kIrtanA-s. But not many of them are available today.
Notwithstanding the numbers and their exactness, the available kIrtanA-s are sufficient enough to throw light on the simplicity and subliminal grandeur of Vijayadasa’s poetry.
Here I’m providing my chintana (mental reflection) on one of my most favourite kIrtana.
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CHINTANA OF “ನಿನ್ನ ಒಲುಮೆಯಿಂದ ನಿಖಿಳ ಜನರು ಬಂದು…”
This kIrtana begins with these lines “ninna olumeyinda nikhila janaru bandu mannIsuvarO maharAya – enna puNyagaLinda ee pari unTEnO ninnadE sakala sampattu”
“O Great Lord! It’s because of Your grace alone the world accepts me. This [acceptance] is not because of my merit & all the virtues belong to You only.” The entire kIrtana is nothing but the short auto-biography of Vijayadasa.
But the ensuing charaNA-s [stanzas] are filled with deep mysticism and symbolism. The whole kIrtana goes beyond the life account of Vijayadasa and at its core becomes the soliloquy of every sAdhaka.
Chintana of 1st stanza: ‘evening’ symbolises the fag end of life. Ladle of porridge – wisdom. Delicacies – Tattva. Thus a jIvi pursuing worldly desires can’t get an ounce of wisdom. If He bestows grace then the delicious tattva becomes the staple food.
Chintana of 2nd stanza: Wife symbolises buddhi. anna – Its needs. Stumptuous feast – Oplence of jnAna. With His grace, jIvi can feed his/her buddhi with righteous knowledge & thus satisfy the deities dwelling in various parts of the body.
Chintana of 3nd stanza: Torn & soiled cloth symbolises tiryag yOni-s i.e. animals. Colourful cloth – Human body (that too of virtuous qualities). By His grace, even an animal can attain exalted place.
Chintana of 4th stanza: Noon symbolises the half way through sAdhana. Guests – tattvAbhimAni dEvatA-s. When the jIvi travel half of the path to mOksha, He bestows with His prasAda [jnAna] through great jnAnis.
Chintana of 5th stanza: House [after house] symbolises jIvi moving from body to body. Dime – meritorious qualities. If jIvi pursues short lived desires alone, it gets tired of the pursuit & no body could give the everlasting happiness. Once His grace is attained, by dwelling in one body [charama dEha] jIvi enjoys perinnial happiness.
Chintana of 6th stanza: Falling at feet – Falling from higher position [in sAdhana]. Realisation – Realisation of self. By not begging for His grace, if jIvi begs with other mortals that’s the real fall. Whence it realises this mistake & seeks the alms from Him, the very feeling of such [blissful] ‘begging’ is inexplicable.
Chintana of 7th stanza – This is self explanatory & the phalashRuti of the sAdhana explained in previous stanzas.
Thus Sri Vijayadasa skillfully links his biography [of present life] to the eternal pursuit of jIvi to attain mOksha. This kIrtana is nothing but the ‘song of the soul’ for every Astika.
May Guru Vijayadasa bestow his choicest blessings on all sAdhaka-s and help them in realising the goal. May Vijaya Vitthala Maharaya shower His grace endlessly up on all sajjanA-s.
ಅಜ್ಞಾನತಿಮಿರಚ್ಛೇದಂ ಬುದ್ಧಿಸಂಪತ್ಪ್ರದಾಯಕಮ್|
ವಿಜ್ಞಾನಂ ವಿಮಲಂ ಶಾಂತಂ ವಿಜಯಾಖ್ಯ ಗುರುಂಭಜೇ||