SRI PURANDARADASA – A SHORT BIOGRAPHY
Pushya Bahula Amavasya is the puNyatithi of Sri Purandaradasa (c.1484-1564).
Sri Puranadara is the luminous star of Kannada Haridasa movement and most part of his life was spent during the heydays of Vijayanagara Empire.
Sri Purandaradasa vigraha at Purandara Mandapa in Hampi
BEFORE BECOMING A DASA:
Purandaradasa was born to Varadappa Nayaka & Leelavati couple as Srinivasa Nayaka. There are varied opinions on his place of birth. Some say its near Tirthahalli or Purandaraghatta (both in K’taka) while some felt Purandaragadh near Pune as his birth place.
Srinivasa Nayaka engaged himself in business of precious stone & soon became navakOTi nArAyaNa (Owner of wealth worth nine crore rupees). Such opulence & success in business turned him into a miser.
Meanwhile, God Narayana had different plans for this pious soul trapped in mundane matters. He came to Nayaka’s shop as a poor Brahman seeking alms. Nayaka drove away the lord of wealth (Sripati) without giving any alms.
Srihari, still in His poor Brahman form, went to Nayaka’s home where Saraswati Bai, the devout wife of Srinivasa Nayaka, gave her valuable nose-ring as alms. The ever playful Hari returned to Nayaka’s shop to sell it.
Nayaka was not only a shrewd businessman but had sharp memory. He recognised wife’s ornament instantaneously. Asking the God to wait for him at shop, he rushed to home & demanded the wife to bring her nose-ring. Saraswati was rattled to the core.
She decided to end her life than lying to husband. She took a cup & put poison in it. As a last deed, she prayed to Srihari & lo, to her surprise something fell into the cup making a noise.
Saraswati checked the cup & found her nose-ring. Thanking the god profusely in her heart, she returned to husband with nose-ring in hand. A deeply shocked Srinivasa Nayaka rushed back to speak to the poor man but to no avail. He was already gone (vanished).
Later both Srinivasa & Saraswati pondered over the incident only to conclude that it is none other than God of Seven Hills who tested them. Nayaka was overwhelmed with the very thought of it & attained complete transformation – from riches to rags, so to say!
Thus, Srinivasa Nayaka became Purandara dasa who will start one of the greatest devotional movements in Bharata bhUmi i.e. haridAsa movement. He, as the guiding force, will be writing 4,75,000 songs (kIrtanA-s) that will change the Kannada literary landscape.
LIFE AS A HARIDASA:
Purandara was in his 30s when God tested him. He shunned his wealth by donating to needy & took to ‘yAyavAra’ vRutti i.e. begging for alms everyday. If he gets alms beyond his day’s need, that will be donated to the poor. Thus, he will not store anything for tomorrow.
Saraswati happily accepted the new lifestyle & her readiness caused to compose a song on her – “AdaddellA oLatE Ayitu” (Whatever happened has happened for good). In this song, he blesses his pious wife by saying “henDati santati sAviravAgali” (may her creed grow in abundance).
Purandaradasa met with Sri Vyasaraja Tirtha at Hampi & became his disciple. From then on what they did together to the upliftment of society is well known in history. Kanakadasa joined them, thus completing the Triveni Sangama.
THE TEACHINGS:
But his greatness is beyond creating literature.
Many musicians & composers during the days of Purandaradasa might have been patronised by the emperors, queens & nobles. They all would have become rich by submitting their talents to the pleasures of the mortals. Whereas Purandaradasa didn’t praise a king or queen. Nor he received grants or pensions from nobles.
He never craved for royal patronage. Yet his literature became famous by reaching to the ends of Vijayanagara empire.
Though there was an economic distress on his living, revered Dasa cured it by singing the glory of Vishnu. He was bold enough to say “hADidare enna oDeyana hADuve, bEDidare enna oDeyana bEDuve” [If I have to sing, will sing for my Master. If have to beg, shall beg my Master.]
Few lesser souls might have mocked him as “the navakOTi nArAyana [Owner of 9 Crores] who became daridra-nArAyaNa [poorest of poor]. Yet Purandaradasa didn’t loose the vision of ultimate truth. Thus by showing unfettered & deliberate intention to raise above the mundane factors that drive the life, Sri Purandaradasa has outlived all his contemporary musicians & lyricists for the last 500 years. His songs still reverberate in all directions.
I offer my humble namana to the avatAra of nArada who inspired the next generations of saint-singers to say “nidhi chAlA sukhamA” & uphold sangIta as a stepping stone towards mukti.
ಮನ್ಮನೋಭೀಷ್ಟ ವರದಮ್ ಸರ್ವಾಭೀಷ್ಟಫಲಪ್ರದಮ್|
ಪುರಂದರಗುರುಂ ವಂದೇ ದಾಸಶ್ರೇಷ್ಟಂ ದಯಾನಿಧಿಂ||
