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Purandara Dasa Punyadina

Purandara Dasa (c. 1484 – c. 1565) was an Indian philosopher, a Haridasa, a renowned composer of Carnatic music, a great devotee of Lord Krishna, a Vaishnava poet, a saint and a social reformer. He was a disciple of the Dvaita philosopher-saint Vyasatirtha, and a contemporary of yet another Haridasa, Kankadasa. His guru, Vyasatirtha, glorified Purandara Dasa in a song thus: Dasarendare purandara Dasarayya. He was a composer, singer and one of the chief founding-proponents of South Indian classical music (Carnatic music). He is respected as an Avatara (incarnation) of the great sage Narada (a celestial being who is also a singer).

Purandara Dasa was one of the most important music scholars of medieval India. He formulated the basic lessons of teaching Carnatic music by structuring graded exercises known as Svaravalis and Alankaras and at the same time, he introduced the raga Mayamalavagowla as the first scale to be learnt by beginners in the field – a practice that is still followed today. He also composed Gitas (simple songs) for novice students.

Purandara Dasa is noted for composing Dasa Sahithya, as a Bhakti movement vocalist, and a music scholar. His practice was emulated by his younger contemporary, Kanakadasa. Purandara Dasa's Carnatic music compositions are mostly in Kannada, though some are in Sanskrit. He signed his compositions with the ankitanama (pen name) "Purandara Vittala" (Vittala is another name of the supreme one, Lord Krishna) and this same form of Lord Krishna is his aaradhya daiva or worshippable deity.

Biography

Inscriptional evidence suggests Purandara Dasa was born to a diamond merchant in a Kannada Deshastha Madhva Brahmin family, in 1484 CE in Kshemapura, near Tirthahalli, Shivamogga district.

The only son of Varadappa Nayaka, a wealthy merchant, and Leelavati, he was named Srinivasa Nayaka. He received a good education in accordance with the family traditions and acquired proficiency in Kannada, Sanskrit, and sacred music. At the age of 16 he was married to one Saraswati Bai, held by tradition to have been a pious young girl. He lost his parents at age 20, thereby inheriting his father's business of gemstones and pawning. He prospered and became known as Navakoti Narayana(an abundantly rich man; worth ninety millions).

Miraculous Incident

Popular legend narrates an incident in Srinivaasa Nayaka's life, owing to which he was led to devote himself to the practice, propagation and inculcation of devotion towards Lord Krishna through musical compositions.

At 30 years of age, he gave away all his wealth in charity, and together with his family, abandoned his house to lead the life of a mendicant – living on alms and singing the glories of the Lord. In his very first song composition, he laments his wasted life of indulgence.

In the course of his wandering he met the holy sage Vyasatirtha, one of the chief exponents of Madhwa philosophy and the raajaguru of Krishnadevaraaya.  He was name as Purandara Daasa. Purandara Daasa traveled extensively through the length and breadth of the Vijayanagara empire in Karnataka, Tirupati, Pandharapura composing and rendering soul- stirring songs in praise of God. He spent his last years in Hampi and also sang in Krishnadevaraaya's durbaar. The mantapa in which he stayed is known as Purandara Daasa Mantapa  in Hampi.

He died on 2 January 1565 at the age of 80. Within a short period after his death, Vijayanagara empire collapsed. Tradition and legend hold that he composed 475,000 keerthanas (songs). Most of his songs are in praise of Lord Naraayana and other Devatas. Due to this believed to be an avatar of Naarada, the celestial singer and son of Goddess Saraswati. One of the 'trimurtis (three icons) of Carnaatic music, Saint Thyagaraja, has paid tribute to Purandara Daasa in his Prahlada Bhakti Vijayam.

Purandara Dasa and Carnatic music

Purandara Dasa systematized the method of teaching Carnatic music which is followed to the present day. He introduced the raga Mayamalavagowla as the basic scale for music instruction and fashioned a series of graded lessons such as swaravalis, janti swaras, alankaras, lakshana geetas, prabandhas, ugabhogas, daatu varase, geeta, sooladis and kritis.

Another of his important contributions was the fusion of bhava, raga, and laya in his compositions. He included comments on ordinary daily life and elements of colloquial language in his lyrics. He introduced folk ragas into the mainstream, setting his lyrics to tunes/ragas of his day so that even a common man could learn and sing them. He also composed a large number of lakshya and lakshana geetas, many of which are sung to this day. His sooladis are musical masterpieces and are the standard for raga lakshana. Scholars attribute the standardization of varna mettus entirely to Purandara Dasa.

Purandara Dasa was a vaggeyakara (composer-performer), a lakshanakara (musicologist), and the founder of musical pedagogy. For all these reasons and the enormous influence that he had on Carnatic music, musicologists call him the Sangeeta Pitamaha of Carnatic music.

Purandara Dasa had great influence on Hindustani music. The foremost Hindustani musician Tansen's teacher, Swami Haridas, also a Saraswat Brahmin, was Purandara Dasa's disciple.

Social Reforms

Purandara Dasa tried to reform existing practices in the society, and preached to others in the local language, Kannada by singing devotional songs. The mind has to be turned away from transient pleasures and possessions of this world; instead, it is to be turned towards the Lord, who alone is the abode of unadulterated, unswerving bliss. Purandara Dasa fought the evils of casteism through his songs. He was against the caste system, and believed true caste was based on character, not on birth. According to Purandara Dasa there were no inequalities among men and women. Both of them had same rights and obligations in their conduct of everyday life as well as observation of pity.

Though the compositions of Purandara Dasa are originally in the ragas of the Carnatic system of music, his compositions have been adopted and made equally popular in Hindustani music. Hindustani music legends such as Bhimsen Joshi, Madhav Gudi and Basavaraj Rajguru have made them more popular in recent years.

Tirumala Tirupathi Devasthanams is also propagating the dasa krithis through the Dasa Sahitya Project. He also composed the first lullaby songs in Carnatic music which led to the creation of many similar songs by others.

Memorials and monuments

The Purandara Mantapa adjoining the Vijayavittala temple at Hampi is one of the longstanding monuments relating to Purandara Dasa. This is where he is said to have composed and sung in praise of Lord Vishnu.

A statue of Purandara Dasa has been erected at the foothills of Tirumala in Alipiri. A statue of Purandara Dasa adorns the Asthana Mandapam (auditorium) on the Tirumala hill.

Purandaradasa Aradhana

Purandara Dasa's aradhana or punyadina is held on the pushya bahula Amavasya. Musicians and art aficionados in the state of Karnataka, South India and many art and religious centers around the world observe this occasion with religious and musical fervor. His compositions are sung by established and upcoming artists on this day.