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Al Gore was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for the year 2007, for supporting the cause of the environment. His film “An Inconvenient Truth” has won an Academy award as well. I got to watch this movie a few months ago. This is a real eye-opener. If you get an opportunity to watch this, do not miss!
What is this ‘Inconvenient Truth’? It is something that most of us know, but not willing to acknowledge. Our tendency is to push the mess under the carpet, unseen until it gets so big, and can not be concealed anymore. Well, the unpleasant, inconvenient truth is that the global warming caused by human activity has harmed the earth’s environment in the last 4 decades, probably more than what had happened in the previous forty centuries. And worse, we are turning a blind eye to that even after knowing the consequences of global warming.
The harm done to the environment is nowhere more visible than in the melting ice sheets and the receding glaciers. Over the years, glaciers are receding, and ice sheets in the Arctic and the Antarctic are melting away. In the last 25 years almost 20-30% of the arctic ice sheet has melted. Between 1850 and 1980 the glaciers in Europe have lost about a third of their landmass. Parts of the Arctic Ocean and the Antarctic Ocean are actually warming up at a rate twice or thrice that of the other regions in the world. The ice cover in Greenland has about 10% of the world’s supply of fresh water, and if all that melts, the sea level will increase by about 20 feet. In The frozen continent of Antarctica has about 99% of the land covered in thick ice sheets. If this would melt, the sea level would increase by about 200 feet. Overall, the sea level has increased by about 6 inches in the 20th century. This may further increase by about a foot in the 21st century. Considering a large population of the mankind lives on or near the coastal regions, any impairment would be of great consequence.
Glaciers on all the 6 continents have been receding and melting away. The glaciers on the Kilimanjaro in equatorial Africa have receded to less than 60% of what was there in 1975. In Glacier National part in Montana, more than 40 of the 137 glaciers have disappeared in the 20th century. In Greenland, new islands are breaking away from the mainland due to melting ice. Several pacific and Indian ocean islanders are always living is fear of being overtaken by the sea.
I know many people who visited the town of Gangothri in Uttaranchal, expecting the headwaters of the river Ganga to be there and being surprised to find a free-flowing river instead. The headwaters are actually at Gomukh, several kilometers up the river at the terminus of the Gangothri glacier. The Gangothri glacier, source of river Ganga, is receding averaging to an alarming 83 feet every year. Gomukh is getting farther off from Gangothri every year, and it is 3 kilometers farther away from Gangothri than it was a century ago.
In general, the glaciers in the Himalayas are found to be drying up faster than those in the rest of the world. In case of Gangothri glacier, the rate of receding has been shown to be much higher in the last 3 decades. NASA pictures have shown that Gangothri glacier has receded about 850 meters in the last 25 years. If the same rate of depletion continues, it is feared that the glacier may totally disappear by the end of the 21st century.
If Gangothri glacier melts away, it will affect more than 1.5 billion people in India and Bangladesh directly. How does that affect others? The financial meltdown of 2008 has shown that in the current world economic scenario, no country is shielded from the events happening elsewhere. Billions of more people around the world will be affected by a slow catastrophic event of this nature. When the glaciers recede, the oceans will swell and cities and mangroves near the coast will face the threat of getting submerged.
So, should we care about climate change? Yes, we should! Every one of us can, and has to do something to slow the negative impact on the environment. In Kannada there is a saying “ಹನಿ ಹನಿಗೂಡಿದರೆ ಹಳ್ಳ” – “Water drops gather together to form a stream”. Even if individually small, collectively we can achieve large goals. Here are some things that we can do as individuals to reduce our impact on the environment.
Mother Earth has been so kind to us. Isn’t time for us to be kind to her?
-neelanjana
(Posting a modified version of an earlier post I made in 2008 – For the Blog Action Day -2009)
I find this title song of T N Seetharam’s teleserial Mukta Mukta quite catchy, in spite of not being very upbeat.
The song is written by H S Venkatesha Murthy, and is quite powerful. I like the last stanza which tells about the never-ending battle between the good and the evil.
ಮಣ್ಣ ತಿಂದು ಸಿಹಿ ಹಣ್ಣ ಕೊಡುವ ಮರ ನೀಡಿ ನೀಡಿ ಮುಕ್ತ
ಬೇವ ಅಗಿವ ಸವಿಗಾನದ ಹಕ್ಕಿ ಹಾಡಿ ಮುಕ್ತ ಮುಕ್ತ
ಹಸಿರ ತೋಳಿನಲಿ ಬೆಂಕಿಯ ಕೂಸ ಪೊರೆವುದು ತಾಯಿಯ ಹೃದಯ
ಮರೆಯುವುದುಂಟೆ ಮರೆಯಲಿ ನಿಂತೇ ಕಾಣುವ ಕರುಣಾಮಯಿಯ
ತನ್ನಾವರಣವೇ ಸೆರೆಮನೆಯಾದರೆ ಜೀವಕೆ ಎಲ್ಲಿಯ ಮುಕ್ತಿ
ಬೆಳಕಿನ ಬಟ್ಟೆಯ ಬಿಚ್ಚುವ ಜ್ಯೋತಿಗೆ ಬಯಲೇ ಜೀವನ್ ಮುಕ್ತಿ
ಇರುಳ ವಿರುಧ್ಧ ಬೆಳಕಿನ ಯುಧ್ಧ ಕೊನೆಯಿಲ್ಲದ ಕಾದಾಟ
ತಡೆಯೇ ಇಲ್ಲದೇ ನಡೆಯಲೇ ಬೇಕು ಸೋಲಿಲ್ಲದ ಹೋರಾಟ
The tune is quite similar to the title song for Mukta, earlier teleserial from T N Seetharam. But to me, this song has shades of Shree; Shree of Hindustani kind, that is – particularly in the abrupt transitions from Panchama to Rishabha 
. It also reminds me of another well known Kannada bhaavageethe, deepavu ninnade, gaaLiyu ninnade by Ke Es Na.
The singers are M D Pallavi, and Vijay Prakash – Yes, the same Bollywood singer who comes from Mysore, and is known for ‘Jai Ho’; I definitely prefer this voice to C Ashwath’s (who sang the title song for the first Mukta series).
-neelanjana
No! This post is not about the famous story ರಂಗನ ಹಳ್ಳಿಯ ರಾಮ by Masti Venkatesha Ayyangar! Masti is one of the finest short story writers Kannada has seen. May be I will talk about Masti some other time – but today, I will sing a totally different tune
Sometime ago, I was listening to a talk show on the radio, where Papanasam Ashok Ramani was talking about different composers from Tamizh Nadu.
Arunachala Kavi (Birth:1711AD), and his well-known “En PallikonDIrayya” was one of the compositions he spoke about.
Click here to listen to ‘yEn paLLikkonDeer ayya’ sung by N C Vasantakokilam – On Sangeethapriya
Bird’s Eye View of Srirangam Temple (Courtesy: Google Maps)
Watch Neiveli Santhanagopalan singing this composition:
Here is my translation (of the mOhana section) of the song in Kannada. My Tamizh vocabulary is not in line for this composition of 18th century, and so no wonder I had to take the help of the lyrics and meanings of this song posted on www.karnatik.com to do this translation!
ಏಕೆ ನೀ ಪವಡಿಸಿದೆಯೋ ಶ್ರೀ ರಂಗನಾಥಾ
ಏಕೆ ನೀ ಪವಡಿಸಿಹೆಯೋ? || ಏಕೆ ನೀ ಪವಡಿಸಿಹೆಯೋ? ||
ಅರಳಿದ ಕಮಲದ ಕೊಳದ ಬದಿಯಲಿ
ಹರಿಯುವೆರಡು ಹೊಳೆಯ ನಡುವೆ ||ಏಕೆ ನೀ ಪವಡಿಸಿಹೆಯೋ? ||
ಕೌಶಿಕನ ಆಣತಿಯನಾಲಿಸಿದಕೋ? ಕಡು
ರಾಕ್ಷಸಿಯ ಅಂಬಿನಲಿ ಕೊಂದುದಕೋ?
ಈಶನ ಬಿಲ್ಲನು ಮುರಿದುದಕೋ?
ಪರಶುರಾಮನ ಗರುವವನಳಿಸಿದಕೋ? || ಏಕೆ ನೀ ಪವಡಿಸಿಹೆಯೋ? ||
ಜನಕ ಸುತೆಯೊಡನೆ ಕಾಡುದಾರಿಯ ಸವೆಸಿದಕೋ?
ದೋಷವಿರದ ಗುಹನೊಡನೆ ಗಂಗೆಯ ದಾಟಿದಕೋ?
ಚಿತ್ರಕೂಟ ಮಲೆಯಲಿ ನೆಲೆ ನಿಂದುದಕೋ? ಮಾರು
ವೇಷದ ಮಾರೀಚನ ಬೆನ್ನಟ್ಟಿದುದಕೋ? ||ಏಕೆ ನೀ ಪವಡಿಸಿಹೆಯೋ? ||
ಮಡದಿಯ ಎಲ್ಲೆಡೆಯೂ ಹುಡುಕಿದಕೋ? ಏಳು
ಗಿಡಗಳನೊಂದೇ ಬಾಣದಿ ಬೀಳಿಸಿದುದಕೊ?
ಕಡಲಿಗೆ ಸೇತುವೆ ಕಟ್ಟಿ ದಾಟಿದುದಕೋ? ಲಂಕಾ
ಕೆಡಹಿ ಲಂಕೆಯ ರಾವಣನ ಸದೆಬಡಿದುದಕೋ? || ಏಕೆ ನೀ ಪವಡಿಸಿಹೆಯೋ ||
(The song is about Sri Ranganatha in Srirangam and it could as well apply to Ranagatha at Sriranga pattana – Both temples are located on islands in river Kaveri)
The moment I set up translating ‘En paLLikondeerayya’, I could not help noticing the striking similarity with a song of Purandara Dasa (Birth – 1485 AD).
Vitthala of Pandharpur
(Image taken from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Syayambhuvithoba.jpg)
This song ponders on why Vitthala in Pandarapur, on the banks of river Bheema, is left standing with his hands on his waist. He wonders, if it is becuase he is too tired after playing with friends; Or tired running around homes of gopikas to steal butter at their homes or is it due to the fatigue after killing wicked demons. The list goes on.
Listen to Vidyabhushana sing kaTiyalli karaviTTanu:
ಕಟಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಕರವಿಟ್ಟನೊ ಪಂಢರಿರಾಯ ಕಟಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಕರವಿಟ್ಟನೊ ||ಪಲ್ಲವಿ||
ಗೊಲ್ಲ ಬಾಲಕರೊಡಗೂಡಿ ತಾ ಬಂದು
ಗೊಲ್ಲತಿಯರ ಮನೆ ಕದ್ದು ಬೆಣ್ಣೆಯ ತಿಂದು
ಬಲ್ಲಿದ ತೃಣಾವರ್ತ ಮೊದಲಾದ ಅಸುರರ
ಮೆಲ್ಲನೆ ಕೊಂದಾಯಾಸದಿಂದಲೋ ?
ಮುದದಿಂದ ವ್ರಜದ ಹದಿನಾರು ಸಾವಿರ
ಸುದತಿಯರಾಳಿದ ಮದದಿಂದಲೊ
ಮದಗಜಗಮನೆಯರ ಮದದಂತಕ ಕೃಷ್ಣ
ಒದಗಿ ಮಾವನ ಕೊಂದ ಆಯಾಸದಿಂದಲೊ?
ರಾಜಸೂಯಯಾಗದಲ್ಲಿ ರಾಜೇಶ್ವರ
ರಾಜರು ಮೊದಲಾದ ಸುರರೆಲ್ಲರು
ಭೋಜನವನು ಮಾಡಿದೆಂಜಲು ಮೊದಲಾದ್ದು
ರಾಜೀವಾಕ್ಷನು ಎತ್ತಿದಾಯಾಸದಿಂದಲೋ ?
ಸುರಪ ತನಯಗೆ ಸಾರಥ್ಯವ ತಾ ಮಾಡಿ
ಭರದಿಂದ ಚಕ್ರವ ಹಿಡಿದುದರಿಂದಲೋ
ಪರಿಪರಿ ವಿಧದಿಂದ ಕುದುರೆಗಳ ತಾ ತೊಳೆದು
ಪರಿಪರಿ ಕೆಲಸದಿಂದಾಯಾಸದಿಂದಲೋ ?
ಪ್ರೇಮದಿಂದಲಿ ಬಂದ ಭಕ್ತರು ತನ್ನ ಚರಣ
ಕಮಲಯುಗ್ಮವ ಮುಟ್ಟಿ ಭಜಿಸುತಿರೆ
ಮಮತೆಯಿಂದಲಿ ಅವರ ಭವವ ಕಳೆವೆನೆಂದು
ಕಮಲನಾಭ ಶ್ರೀ ಪುರಂದರ ವಿಠಲನು ||
While Purandara dasa came in couple of centuries before Arunachala Kavi, here is another song which came in after Arunachala Kavi, but sharing the same theme.
Yes, I am refering to ‘ElAvatAramettitivo’ of Tyagaraja (Birth- 1747 AD). In this composition, Tyagaraja wonders why Rama might have taken an incarnation, and took birth as a human.
Listen to Ariakudi Ramanuja I singing this composition on Music India Online:
Here is my attempt in translating this song to Kannada:
ಏಕೆಂದವತಾರವನೆತ್ತಿದೆಯೋ?
ಏನದು ಕಾರಣವೋ? ರಾಮನೆಂ||ದೇಕವತಾರವನೆತ್ತಿದೆಯೋ?||
ಕಾಳಗವನು ಮಾಡಲಿಕೋ? ಅಯೋಧ್ಯಾ
ಪಾಲನವ ಮಾಡಲಿಕೋ? ರಾಘವ ನೀ ||ನೇತಕವತಾರವನೆತ್ತಿದೆಯೋ?||
ಯೋಗಿಗಳಿಗೆ ಕಾಣಿಸಲಿಕೋ? ಭವ
ರೋಗಗಳ ದೂಡಲಿಕೋ? ಶತ
ರಾಗ ರತ್ನ ಮಾಲಿಕೆಯ ರಚಿಸಿದ ತ್ಯಾಗ
ರಾಜನಿಗೆ ವರವೀಯಲಿಕೋ ನೀ || ನೇತಕವತಾರವನೆತ್ತಿದೆಯೋ?||
These three composers were separated in space, and time – but the commonality of the theme is definitely striking.
This post started off with a song on Ranga, and ended with a song on Rama – making the title quite apt 
What do you think?
-neelanjana
Today is February 13th, Friday. Ever since Jesus was crucified, the poor Friday, and the number 13 have been become associated with misfortune. Jesus had 12 of his disciples with him on his last supper (that makes it 13 at the table) and the day he was put on the cross was a Friday. So Friday the 13th is seen as an indication of evil by many believers.
Anyway, I do not fall into the category of those who are worried about what might happen on Friday the 13th. I wonder if there are people who are already associating last nights’ plane crash at Buffalo as one of the Friday the 13th effect.
In many of these beliefs, it is the human psych that is at work. If you are worried that something would go wrong, there is probably a good chance that your mind is somewhere else worrying, rather than concentrating on what you are supposed to be doing. Right? In that case, probably you would end up making more mistakes than you normally would, and perhaps the outcome would not be what was desired.
For those who are worried about Friday the 13th, I prescribe this dose of Purandara Dasa:
This is a small composition (ugaabhoga):
ಇಂದಿನ ದಿನವೇ ಶುಭದಿನವು
ಇಂದಿನ ವಾರ ಶುಭವಾರ
ಇಂದಿನ ತಾರೆ ಶುಭತಾರೆ
ಇಂದಿನ ಯೋಗ ಶುಭಯೋಗ
ಇಂದಿನ ಕರಣ ಶುಭ ಕರಣ
ಇಂದು ಪುರಂದರ ವಿಟ್ಠಲ ರಾಯನ
ಸಂದರ್ಶನ ಫಲವೆಮಗಾಯಿತು!
इंदिन दिनवे शुभदिनवु
इंदिन वार शुभवार
इंदिन तारॆ शुभतारॆ
इंदिन योग शुभयोग
इंदिन करण शुभ करण
इंदु पुरंदर विट्ठल रायन
संदर्शन फलवॆमगायितु!
Today is an auspicious day;
Today is the best day of the week;
Today’s star is a good star;
Today’s yoga is good;
Today’s karaNa is good too.
Now that I have seen the
Good Lord Purandara Vitthala,
Today, indeed is a very good day!
Purandara Dasa was a Haridasa. His ultimate aim was to have a darshana of his Lord. We are mere mortals, may not be so blessed.
But, I am sure if we just do what are supposed to do with right spirit and effort, I have no doubt this would be a good day as any other day could be.
-neelnajana
(Pictures from Google images)
It is time time to think of Lord Tirupati Timmappa, once again.
Did you ever wonder how the temple became so rich?
Tirupati temple
Tirupati, no doubt is the richest temple. We all know the story of Srinivasa repaying the money he borrowed, with interest to Kubera. But how on earth did the temple get so rich?
A comment on my previous post made me look for the words for a song of Kanaka Dasa (1509 AD- 1609 AD, as per Wikipedia). Kanaka Dasa is one of the very prominent dAsas in the haridasa tradition of Karnataka.
I had heard about this song before, but never heard anyone sing it. As always, Sri Lakshman provided the lyric in an instant!
If Purandara Dasa praised Tirupati Timmappa for selling dOse, and rice dishes, here is Kanaka Dasa is turning it into a complaint! Kanaka Dasa gives a much longer list, and criticizes the business practices followed by his lord!
ಬಂದೆವಯ್ಯಾ ಗೋವಿಂದಶೆಟ್ಟಿ
ಬಂದೆವಯ್ಯಾ ಗೋವಿಂದಶೆಟ್ಟಿ!
ಇಂದು ನಿಮ್ಮ ಹರಿವಾಣ ಪ್ರಸಾದವುಂಟೆನಲಾಗಿ|| ಬಂದೆವಯ್ಯ ಗೋವಿಂದ ಶೆಟ್ಟಿ ||
ಆ ಪಾಲು ಅತಿರಸ ತುಪ್ಪ ಕಜ್ಜಾಯವು ಒಪ್ಪುವ ಯಾಲಕ್ಕಿ ಶುಂಠಿ ಮೆಣಸು
ಅಪರೂಪವಾದ ಕಜ್ಜಾಯ ರಾಶಿಗಳ ಛಪ್ಪನ್ನದೇಶಕ್ಕೆ ಮಾರುವ ಶೆಟ್ಟಿ ||ಬಂದೆವಯ್ಯ ಗೋವಿಂದಶೆಟ್ಟಿ||
ಒಡೆದ ಮಡಕೆಯೆನ್ನು ಬಿಡದೆ ನಾಮವ ಮಾಡಿಕೊಡುವೆ ನೀ ಕಾಸಿಗೆ ಒಂದೊಂದನು
ಒಡಲು ತುಂಬಿ ಮಿಕ್ಕ ಅನ್ನವ ಮಾರಿಸಿ ಒಡವೆಯ ಗಳಿಸುವ ಕಡುಲೋಭಿ ಶೆಟ್ಟಿ ||ಬಂದೆವಯ್ಯ ಗೋವಿಂದಶೆಟ್ಟಿ||
ಶೇಷಗಿರಿಯಮೇಲೆ ಇಪ್ಪ ತಿಮ್ಮಶೆಟ್ಟಿ ದೇಶಕೆ ಪ್ರಸಾದವ ನಡೆಸುವ ಶೆಟ್ಟಿ
ಆಶೆಯಿಂದ ಹಣಕಾಸು ಗಳಿಸುವ ಆದಿಕೇಶವ ನಾರಾಯಣನೆಂಬ ಶೆಟ್ಟಿ ||ಬಂದೆವಯ್ಯ ಗೋವಿಂದಶೆಟ್ಟಿ ||
For those, who can’t read Kannada script, here it is transliterated into dEvanAgari:
बंदॆवय्या गोविंदशॆट्टि*!
इंदु निम्म हरिवाण प्रसादवुंटॆनलागि ॥ बंदॆवय्य गोविंद शॆट्टि ॥
आ पालु अतिरस तुप्प कज्जायवु ऒप्पुव यालक्कि शुंठि मॆणसु
अपरूपवाद कज्जाय राशिगळ छप्पन्नदेशक्कॆ मारुव शॆट्टि ॥बंदॆवय्य गोविंदशॆट्टि॥
ऒडॆद मडकॆयॆन्नु इडदॆ नामव माडि कॊडुवॆ नी कासिगॆ ऒंदॊंदनु
ऒडलु तुंबि मिक्क अन्नव मारिसि ऒडवॆय गळिसुव कडुलोभि शॆट्टि ॥बंदॆवय्य गोविंदशॆट्टि॥
शेषगिरियमेलॆ इप्प तिम्मशॆट्टि देशकॆ प्रसादव नडसुव शॆट्टि
आशॆयिंद हणकासु गळिसुव आदिकेशव नारायणनॆंब शॆट्टि ॥बंदॆवय्य गोविंदशॆट्टि ॥
(Click here to listen to this song. There are some minor changes in the text between this version, and what is posted on this page.)
Shetty – This Kannada word is derived from the samskrita word ’shrEShTi’ , generally refers to a merchant/trader.
Kanaka Dasa calls Tirupati Timmappa as Govinda Shetty. Why?
Here is a loose translation of the devaranaama:
Pallavi:
We have come here, Oh Govinda Shetty!
Anupallavi: Hearing that there is a plate full of offerings today || we have come here , oh Govinda Shetty||
charaNa 1:
You are the miser merchant selling everything from heaps of atirasas made of milk, kajjaayas made of ghee to spices like cardamoms, ginger and pepper all around in all fiftysix countries! Oh Govinda Shetty, here we come!
charaNa 2:
You don’t even throw broken pots, but turn them into ‘nAma’s (colored sticks) , and sell each piece for a ‘kAsu’ (a denomination of money). When your stomach is full, you don’t hesitate to sell the leftovers for buying some more jewellery! Here we come, Oh Govinda Shetty!
charaNa3:
Oh Timmappa Shetty, you reside in Sheshagiri (which is another name of Tirumala hill) and grace this country. You are none other than Adikeshava Narayana, the great trader whose only desire is to earn money! Govinda Shetty, Here we come!
I’ll let you draw your own conclusions about commercialization of temples from this song, several centuries old.
-neelanjana
ದಾಸರೆಂದರೆ ಪುರಂದರ ದಾಸರಯ್ಯ!
ವಾಸುದೇವ ಕೃಷ್ಣನ್ನ ಸೂಸಿ ಪೂಜಿಸುವಂಥ ||ದಾಸರೆಂದರೆ||
ಗ್ರಾಸಕಿಲ್ಲದೆ ಪೋಗಿ ಪರರ ಮನೆಗಳ ಪೊಕ್ಕು
ದಾಸನೆಂದು ತುಳಸೀಮಾಲೆ ಧರಿಸಿ
ಬೇಸರಿಲ್ಲದೆ ಅವರ ಕಾಡಿಬೇಡಿ ಬಳಲಿಸುತ
ಕಾಸು ಗಳಿಸುವ ಪುರುಷ ಹರಿದಾಸನೇ? ||ದಾಸರೆಂದರೆ||
ಯಾಯಿವಾರವ ಮಾಡಿ ವಿಪ್ರರಿಗೆ ಮೃಷ್ಟಾನ್ನ
ಪ್ರೀಯದಲಿ ತಾನುಂಡು ಕೊಡದ ಲೋಭಿ
ಮಾಯ ಸಂಸಾರದಲ್ಲಿ ಮಮತೆ ಹೆಚ್ಚಾಗಿಟ್ಟು
ಗಾಯನವ ಮಾಡಲವ ಹರಿದಾಸನೇ? || ದಾಸರೆಂದರೆ||
ನೀತಿಯೆಲ್ಲವನರಿತು ನಿಗಮವೇದ್ಯನ ನಿತ್ಯ
ವಾತಸುತನಲ್ಲಿಹನ ವರ್ಣಿಸುತಲಿ
ಗೀತ ನರ್ತನದಿಂದ ಕೃಷ್ಣನ ಪೂಜಿಸುವ
ಪೂತಾತ್ಮ ಪುರಂದರ ದಾಸರಿವರಯ್ಯ ||ದಾಸರೆಂದರೆ||
dAsarendare purandara dAsarayya
vAsudEva kRShNana sUsi pUjisuva ||pallavi||
grAsakillade pOgi parara manegaLa pokku
dAsanendu tuLasI mAle dharisi
bEsarillade avara kADi bEDi baLalisuta
kAsu gaLisuva puruSha haridAsane ? ||charaNa 1||
yAyivArava mADi viprarige mRShTAnna
prIyadali tanondu koDada lObhi
mAya samsAradalli mamate hecchAgiTTu
gAyanava mADalava haridAsanE ? || charaNa 2||
nItiyellava aritu nigamavEdyana nitya
vAtasutanallihana varNisutali
gIta nartanadinda kRshNanna pUjisuva
pUtAtma purandara dAsarivarayya ! ||charaNa 3||
Meaning:
pallavi : If there is a real dAsa, it is purandara dAsa, devotee of vAsudEva kRShNa
charaNa 1: How can one become a dAsa by dressing like one, by wearing a garland made of tuLasi leaves, going to other’s houses asking for alms & money, and trouble them no end?
charNa 2: Does one become haridAsa only by asking for alms for his needs, but not giving to others in need ? Can one become hari dAsa just by singing, while still being tied to the illusion of samsAra?
charaNa 3: He, purandara dAsa is a real dAsa, who does what is right, sings and dances taking the name of kRishna, whose abode is the heart of vAyu putra madhvAcArya.
-neelanjana
25th January, 2009 is Purandara Dasa Aradhane. I am posting here an article that I wrote for the February 2009 issue of ‘Guru Sarvabhouma’, a monthly publication by Sri Guru Raghavendra Matha, Mantralaya. Kannada compostions are written in devanagari script, for those readers who can’t read Kannada
—————————————————————————————————————————————————
इन्दिन दिनवे शुभदिनवु
इन्दिन वार शुभवार
इन्दिन तारॆ शुभतारॆ
इन्दिन योग शुब्गयोग
इन्दिन करण शुभकरण
इन्दु पुरन्दरविट्ठल रायन
सन्दर्शन फलवेमगायितु!
In the above kannada ugaabhoga (written in dEvanagari for those who can’t read kannada script) , Purandara Dasa says “Each and every day is a good day. One does not have to worry about the tithi, vaara, nakshatra, yoga or karana at all; because when one thinks of Hari, the day turns out to be a good day after all”. Similarly any day is indeed a good day to remember great souls such as Purandara Dasa. However it is customary to pay homage to such great people on special occassions such as the day they were born or the day they passed away. Such days give us a chance to read about, talk about, and understand their good deeds. This helps us to practice the principles and values which such noble people stood for, and thereby turning us towards the right path for life. So I think it is very apt to highlight some aspects of Purandara Dasa’s works at this time of Purandara Dasa’s aradhane.
He is considered as one of the four pillars on which the entire edifice of haridasa literature stands, along with Sripadaraya, Vyasaraya and Vijaya dasa. A very popular shloka venerates these four haridasas as follows:
नमः श्रीपादराजाय नमस्ते व्यासयोगिणे ।
नमः पुरन्दरार्याय विजयार्याय ते नमः ॥
(I bow to thee, Sripadararaya and to the yogi vyAsa. I bow to the noble Purandara and Vijaya)
Purandara dasa is remembered as the noblest of all hari dasas. पुरन्दरगुरुं वन्दे दासश्रेष्ठम् दयानिधिम् – ” I bow to the great teacher Purandara, who is the best among the dasas, and an abode of compassion” so goes the saying. He is considered as the best among all the haridasas, so much so that his own guru says “If there one is a dasa, he should be like Purandara dasa” -’ दासरॆन्दरे पुरन्दर दासरय्य ‘ “ದಾಸರೆಂದರೆ ಪುರಂದರ ದಾಸರಯ್ಯ”. There are not many pupils in this world who have been praised thus by their own teachers.
(A Sculpture of Purandara Dasa, possibly from Hampe. This is a photograph of a photograph)
Purandara dasa is also called as the ‘pitaamaha’ of Karnataka sangeeta as it is practiced today. Purandara has had a varied role – a devotee, a haridasa (servant of God), a poet, a musician, a social reformer, a saint and a traveler who traveled all over south India. However, as it happens to many important men and women in Indian history, the details of his life that are available are rather scant and sketchy. We do not exactly know the day he was born or the the place he was born or the day he was initiated to the haridasa fold. But, if we know one thing certianly, it is the day of his passing away.
Purandara dasa left this world on the Pushya amavasye in the Raktakshi samvatsara (This corresponds to the year 1564 AD). We get this information from a composition attributed to Purandara dasa’s son Madhwapa dasa. Here is what he says:
तॆरळिदरु हरिपुरकिंदु ॥ पल्लवि ॥
पुरंदरदासरायरु दीनबंधु ॥ अनुपल्लवि ॥
रक्ताक्षिवत्सर पुष्यांत रविवार
मुक्तिगैदिदरु केळि बुधजनरु ॥ १ ॥
विरूपाक्ष क्षेत्रदि विठलन्न सन्निधियल्लि
शरीरवनिरिसि अनाथरनु हरसि ॥ २ ॥
The pallavi and anupallavi lines in this song say that it was composed right on the day of Purandara Dasa passed away. The first charana clearly states that it was on amavasye, Pushya mAsa, Sunday. when Purandara dasa passed away. The second charana mentions Viroopaksha Kshetra (Hampe) and the line ‘in the sannidhi of vithala’, indicate that Purandara passed away somewhere in the viscinity of the Vijaya Vitthala temple in Hampe, very likely at the mantapa called as Purandara Mantapa nowadays.
Why does this song become important to us? This shows us how a song can be used to get historical information. Even if we do not know lots of things about Purandara’s life, we can still understand the principles he stood for. Whether or not one believes in miraculous incidents that are supposed to have taken place or not, the works of Purandara dasa are a great resource to guide us. In fact, Purandara dasa’s greatness lies not in the miracles that are associated with him, but in his works. Although Purandara dasa is said to have composed hundreds of thousands of songs, only a small fraction of that has been handed over to us through tradition. Luckily, within the available compositions there is plenty of information to understand the life and times of the period when Purandara dasa lived. Haridasa poetry is more like a mirror to the society. They show the positive attributes, as well as the shortcomings of their times. Many of these aspects are relevant even today, as they were several centuries ago.
Vijayadasa, who was instrumental in collecting Purandara dasa’s songs in the 18th century mentions that Purandara dasa was a merchant before he became a haridasa. Purandara dasa himself refers to trade and business in some of his songs. There might be an element of autobiographical content in such songs.
In one composition Purandara dasas says:
व्यापार नमगायितु
श्रीपतिय पादारविंद सेवॆयॆंबो ।
हरिकरुणवॆ अंगि गुरुकरुणवॆ मुंडासु
हरिदासर दयवॆंबो वल्लि
परमपापि कलियॆंबो पापोसु मॆट्टि
दुरात्मरादवर ऎदॆमेलॆ नडॆवंथ ॥ व्यापार नमगायितु॥
बिळियकागद हृदय बायि कलमदानि
नालिगॆयॆंबोदे लेखनियु
लोलन कथॆ नामंगळ
शीलमनवि बरॆदु हरिगॆ ऒप्पिसुवंथ ॥ व्यापार नमगायितु॥
Purandara says here: “It is a fortune to be in the trade of serving the lotus feet of the Lord of Lakshmi. Wearing the Hari’s mercy as a coat, and the kindness of guru as my turban, the sympathy of other haridasas as a shoulder cloth, and wearing shoes that are none other than Kali himself, and then walking over the chest of evil men, is indeed a very good trade. Writing stories containing the names of Hari, in a paper that is none other than the heart, using the tongue as a pen, using the mouth as the ink pot is indeed a wonderful trade”. Here on one side, Purandara dasa describes the dress worn by a trader, and says that it is his ‘business’ as a haridasa is to tread the evil deeds and the evil in this world. The mention of the word ‘vyaapara’ – trade – rather than any other occupation might support the beleif that Purandara was a merchant before he became a haridasa.
Similarly, we can cite another ugabhoga where he says:
ऎन्न कडॆहायिसिरुवुदु निन्न भार
निन्न नंबि बदुकुवुदु ऎन्न व्यापार
It is your responsibility to take me to the other side
It is my business to have faith in you!
Such was the outlook and philosophy of complete surrender to Hari that Purandara dasa, a great saint of all times had. Let us try to keep in mind his message at this time of Purandara dasa aradhane.
-neelanjana
The first time I came across his name was in 1991. I found one of his books at the Karnatik Music Book Center (KMBC) in Royapetta, Madras. The moment I started reading this book titled “Veena Lakshana Vimarshe”, I became his fan. Later I have read a few more of his books, and can say that his knowledge in various art farms and languages, and history of Indian music has few comparisons.
So when I got the news of Prof R Satyanarayana getting the Sangeeta Nataka Academy award, I was definitely thrilled.
Here is a clipping from the ‘Star of Mysore’ dated January 11th 2009.
Prof R. Satyanarayana
For anyone interested in Indian musicology, his works are a must-read. I recommend reading his translation and commentary on Venkatamakhi’s Caturdandi Prakashike.
-neelanjana
As I was reading a subhAshita toady, I was stuck by the resemblance between that verse and a vacana of Akka Mahadevi, a Kannada poet-saint from 12th century.
Here is the subhAshita I am referring to:
छिन्नोपि चंदनतरुः न जहाति गंधं
वृद्धोपि वापणपतिः न जहाति लाभं ।
यंत्रार्पितो मधुरतां न जहाति चेक्षुः
क्षीणोपि न त्यजति शीलगुणान् कुलीनः ॥
ಛಿನ್ನೋಪಿ ಚಂದನತರುಃ ನ ಜಹಾತಿ ಗಂಧಂ
ವೃದ್ಧೋಪಿ ವಾಪಣಪತಿಃ ನ ಜಹಾತಿ ಲಾಭಂ |
ಯಂತ್ರಾರ್ಪಿತೋ ಮಧುರತಾಂ ನ ಜಹಾತಿ ಚೇಕ್ಷುಃ
ಕ್ಷೀಣೋಪಿ ನ ತ್ಯಜತಿ ಶೀಲಗುಣಾನ್ ಕುಲೀನಃ ||
The Subhashita tells that how noble men (or women) do not drift away from their good nature even when they are facing bad times. I just could not stop using two lines from AkkamahAdEvi’s vachana “chandanava kaDidu koredu tEdoDe” (ಚಂದನವ ಕಡಿದು ಕೊರೆದು ತೇದೊಡೆ) to bring this subhAshita into KannaDa, for they make such a perfect match!
ಚಂದನವ ಕಡಿದು ಕೊರೆದು ತೇದೊಡೆ
ನೊಂದೆನೆಂದು ಕಂಪ ಬಿಟ್ಟಿತ್ತೇ?
ಕುಂದಿದಾ ದೇಹದ ಮುದಿವ್ಯಾಪಾರಿಯೂ
ಹಿಂದಾಗಬಿಟ್ಟಾನೆ ಗಳಿಕೆಯನ್ನು?
ಸಂದು ಸಂದು ಕಡಿದ ಕಬ್ಬನು
ತಂದು ಗಾಣದಲಿಕ್ಕಿ ಅರೆದೊಡೆ
ನೊಂದೆನೆಂದದು ತಾ ಸವಿಯ ಬಿಟ್ಟೀತೇ?
ನೊಂದರೂ ಕುಂದಿದರೂ ಶೀಲಗುಣಗಳನು
ಒಂದೇ ಮನದಿ ಕಾಯುವರು ಅಗ್ಗಳರು!
(ಮಹಾದೇವಿಯಕ್ಕನ ಎರಡು ಸಾಲುಗಳನ್ನು ಸಾಲ ತೆಗೆದುಕೊಂಡಿರುವೆ – ಅಂತ ಸೊಗಸಾದ ಸಾಲುಗಳನ್ನು ಬಿಡಲು ಮನಸಾಗಲಿಲ್ಲ – ಆ ವಚನ ಚಂದನವ ಕಡಿದು ಕೊರೆದು ತೇದೊಡೆ ಎಂದೇ ಆರಂಭವಾಗುತ್ತೆ )
-ನೀಲಾಂಜನ
No, I am not talking about Ravichandran’s movie
Bhakti Vedanta Darshana [a periodical published by ISKCON,Bengalooru], features my article (in Kannada) as the cover page feature in its July 2008 issue.
Click to read the article here:
Panduranga Vitthala: nele-hinnele (PDF)
(p.s: I have updated the links on October 02, 2008 since the original link from ISKCON’s website was not working.)
My special thanks to Sunil Jayaprakash, Sanket Patil and Shrikanth Mishrikoti.
-neelanjana
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