Purandara Dasa (1484 – 1564) (Kannada:ಪುರಂದರ ದಾಸ) is one of the most prominent composers in Carnatic music. His contribution to music is immeasurable, and he is often called the "Karnataka sangeeta pitamaha" (Father of Carnatic Music).^[1][2][3] The dasas, among them Sripadaraya, Kanaka Dasa, Jagannatha Dasa, Vijaya Dasa, and Kamalesha Vittala and others, propounded bhakti to the Lord through music over several years.

Purandara Dasa, who always concluded his songs with a salute to Lord Purandara Vittala, is believed to have composed as many as 75,000 - 475,000 songs. However, only about 1000 are known today.^[4][1] All his musical compositions are in Kannada, the state language of Karnataka. Purandara Dasa is among the great saints of India in his understanding of the power of music and its appeal to illiterate common folk.

Life of Purandaradasa

Inscriptional evidence shows Purandaradasa was born in 1484 AD in Ksemapura, near Tirthahalli, Shivamogga district.^[5]Some scholars had proposed that Purandaradasa was born in Purandaragad near Pune, but this is considered a historical mistake - connecting the "pen name" (ankita) of the dasa with a location that mainly served as a military encampment in the 15th and 16th century, and where neither Kannada could have been popular nor any commercial activity would have flourished.^[6] The only son of Varadappa Naik, a wealthy merchant, he was named Srinivasa, after the Lord of the Seven Hills. He received a good education in accordance with family traditions and acquired proficiency in Kannada, Sanskrit, sacred lore, and in music.

When he was sixteen years old he married Saraswatibai, a pious god-fearing girl. He lost his parents when he was 20. He inherited his father's business (in precious stones and pawn-broking), rapidly expanding it and amassing immense wealth. This earned him the appellation 'Navakoti Narayana'.

When he was at the zenith of his business, Providence enacted the now-famous 'nose-ring' episode, to make the greedy and miserly merchant realise the worthlessness of his attachment to worldly possessions. The shock treatment marked a turning point in his life. Giving away all his wealth to charity, he left his house with his wife and children to lead the life of a wandering minstrel to spread the gospel of God. He was only 30. In his very first song after the incident, he laments his wasted life of indulgence.

In the course of his wandering he met the holy sage Vyasatirtha. According to Prof. Sambamoorthy, Srinivasa had his formal initiation at the hands of Vyasatirtha in 1525 when he was about 40 years old, with the name Purandaradasa bestowed on him by Satyadharma Teertha, a later occupant of the Vyasatirtha Matha (or Vyasaraya Matha).

Purandaradasa travelled extensively through the length and breadth of the Vijayanagara empire, composing and rendering soul-stirring songs in praise of god.

Purandaradasa spent his last years in Hampi. The mandapa in which he stayed is known as Purandaradasa Mandapa. He took sanyasa towards the close of his life. He joined his Maker in 1564.

Purandara dasa and Carnatic music

Purandaradasa was one of the foremost Haridasas, a saint-composer and a mystic. He is credited with having consolidated and structured the teaching of Carnatic music. He systematised the teaching method by framing a series of graded lessons such as swaravalis, janta swaras, alankaras, lakshana geetas, prabandhas, ugabhogas, thattu varisai, geetham and sooladis.^[7] He introduced the Mayamalavagaula as the basic scale for music instruction. These are followed by teachers and students of Carnatic music even today.^[8] Another of his important contributions was the fusion of bhava, raga and laya in his compositions.

For the first time Purandara Dasa started commenting in his songs on the daily life of the people. He incorporated in his songs popular folk language and introduced folk ragas in the mainstream. The most important contribution he made was the fusion of bhava, raga and laya into organic units.^[9]

He also composed a large number of lakshya and lakshana geetas, many of which are sung to this day. His sooladis exhibit his mastery of the techniques of music, and are considered an authority for raga lakshana. Scholars attribute the standardisation of varna mettus entirely to Purandaradasa.

Purandaradasa's era was probably the beginning of Carnatic music's movement towards krithi based classical music (one of its distinguishing characteristics compared to Hindustani). The peripatetic dasas who followed him are believed to have followed the systems he devised, as well as orally passing down his compositions.

Purandaradasa was a vaggeyakara(performer), a lakshanakara(musicologist) and the father of musical pedagogy. He is credited with having elevated Carnatic music from merely religious and devotional music into the realm of a performing art. For all these reasons and the enormous influence that he had on Carnatic music, musicologists call him the "Sangeeta Pitamaha" or the grandfather of Carnatic music. ^[10] Some scholars believe that for Purandara Dasa giving it a strong foundation and a clear sense of direction we would not be having Karnataka Sangeetha today.^[9]

Compositions

Purandaradasa was a prolific composer who is been said to have composed around 4,75,000 songs. However, only around 1000 compositions have been found to date. Most of his compositions are written in simple Kannada,but he has also written in Sanskrit. He set most of his compositions in popular tunes/ragas of his time so that even a common man could learn and sing them. His compositions are also popular as 'padas' and 'devarnamas'.His keertanas are generally in Adi tala and Madhyama kala. His songs touch almost every aspect of spiritual life such as devotion, morality, ethics, good behaviour and compassion to all living beings. Purandaradasa's devaranamas occupy an honoured place in the devotional music of south India.

Philosophy

Purity of heart, devotion to God and compassion towards all living beings form the core of Purandaradasa's philosophy. A householder's life was no impediment to spiritual progress, as his own life was an example.

According to him, mere accumulation of knowledge, repetition of formulas and observance of rituals are worthless if the heart is not pure. Equally useless is the wrangling over the 'nature' of God. Trust in God is far superior to beliefs in astrology and horoscopes.

Notes

References

• Sharma, B.N.K [1961] (1981,2000). History of Dvaita school of Vedanta and its Literature. Bombay: Motilal Banarasidass. ISBN 81-208-1575-0. 
• Iyer, Panchapakesa A.S. [2006] (2006). Karnataka Sangeeta Sastra. Chennai: Zion Printers. 
• Nilakanta Sastri, K.A. [1955] (2002). A history of South India from prehistoric times to the fall of Vijayanagar. New Delhi: Indian Branch, Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-560686-8. 
• Kamath, Suryanath U. [1980] (2001). A concise history of Karnataka : from pre-historic times to the present. Bangalore: Jupiter books. LCCN 809-5179. OCLC 7796041. 
• Arthikaje. The Haridasa Movement - Part 1. History of karnataka. OurKarnataka.Com. Retrieved on 2006-12-31.
• Arthikaje. The Haridasa Movement - Part 2. History of karnataka. OurKarnataka.Com. Retrieved on 2006-12-31.
• Rao, Madhusudana C.R.. History of Haridasas. Haridasas of Karnataka. Haridasa@dvaita.net. Retrieved on 2007-05-30.
• http://www.sruti.com/June06/bbook.htm

See also

• Haridasa
• Shri Madhvacharya
• Vyasathirtha
• Kanakadasa
• Dvaita Philosophy

External links

• Biography of Purandara Dasa
• Story showing how Purandara Dasa became Bhakta
• Lyrics of songs by Purandara Dasa
• Purandaradasa by Dr. Jyotsna Kamat