Purandara Dasa facts for kids

Purandara Dasa (around 1470 – around 1565) was a famous saint and philosopher. He lived in what is now Karnataka, India. He followed the Dvaita philosophy of Madhwacharya.

Purandara Dasa was a great composer and singer. He is known as one of the main founders of Carnatic music. This is a classical music style from South India. Because of his huge contributions, people call him the Pitamaha (meaning "father" or "grandfather") of Carnatic music. Some legends say he was an incarnation of Saint Narada.

Before becoming a saint, Purandara Dasa was a very rich merchant. He traded in gold, silver, and jewelry. He later gave away all his wealth. He became a Haridasa, which means a servant of Lord Hari (Lord Krishna). He wrote many simple and beautiful songs. These songs helped everyone understand the deep ideas of the Bhagavata Purana.

He was a very important music scholar in medieval India. He created the basic lessons for learning Carnatic music. These include exercises like Svaravalis and Alankaras. He also introduced the raga Mayamalavagowla. This is the first scale beginners learn, a practice still used today. He also wrote Gitas (simple songs) for new students.

Purandara Dasa is famous for his Dasa Sahithya compositions. These were part of the Bhakti movement. His work inspired many, including Kanakadasa. Most of Purandara Dasa's songs are in Kannada. Some are also in Sanskrit. He used the pen name "Purandara Vittala" in his songs. Vittala is another name for Lord Krishna, whom he worshipped. Many scholars admired his work.

His Life Story

Records show that Purandara Dasa was born in 1470 CE. He came from a Kannada Deshastha Madhva Brahmin family. His birthplace is believed to be Araga in modern-day Thirthahalli, Karnataka. Some older ideas about his birthplace were later found to be incorrect.

Purandara Dasa's birth name was Srinivasa Nayaka. He was the only son of a rich merchant named Varadappa Nayaka and his wife Rukmini. He was named after the deity of Venkateswara Temple, Tirumala. He learned Kannada, Sanskrit, and sacred music. At 16, he married Saraswati Bai, who was known to be a very religious girl.

When he was 20, he lost his parents. He then took over his father's business. He became very successful and was known as Navakoti Narayana. This means a person worth ninety million, showing how rich he was.

How He Changed His Life

A popular story tells how Srinivasa Nayaka became devoted to Lord Krishna. The Lord appeared to him as a poor man. This man desperately asked for money for his son's ceremony. Srinivasa Nayaka refused him.

The 'poor man' then went to Srinivasa's wife. She was very kind and spiritual. Without her husband knowing, she gave him one of her precious nose rings. The 'poor man' then sold the nose ring back to Srinivasa himself! Srinivasa recognized it as his wife's. He rushed home, angry and worried. He demanded his wife show him her nose ring.

His wife realized her secret was out. She felt very worried and prayed to the Lord for help. After her prayer, she was amazed to see a nose ring in her poison cup. It was exactly like the one she had given away! She told her husband everything. He was completely confused. Meanwhile, the 'poor man' had disappeared as mysteriously as he had appeared.

At that moment, Srinivasa realized something important. He saw the Lord's amazing power. He understood that being attached to worldly things was not important. At 30 years old, he gave away all his wealth to charity. He and his family left their home. They chose to live simply, relying on donations. He spent his life singing praises to the Lord. His very first song was about his wasted life of luxury.

His Journey and Legacy

During his travels, he met the holy sage Vyasatirtha. Vyasatirtha was a main teacher of Madhwa philosophy. He was also the royal teacher for Krishnadevaraya, the emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire. In 1525, when Srinivasa was about 40, Vyasatirtha formally initiated him. He gave him the name Purandara Dasa.

Purandara Dasa traveled widely across the Vijayanagara Empire. He composed and sang many moving songs praising God. He spent his last years in Hampi. He also sang in Krishnadevaraya's court. The place where he stayed in Hampi is called Purandara Dasa Mantapa. He passed away on January 2, 1565, at the age of 95.

It is believed that he composed 475,000 songs. Legend says he wanted to write 500,000 songs. Since he couldn't finish them, he asked his younger son to complete them. His son said he would do it in his next life. Many believe he was reborn as the famous Vijaya Dasa. Most of his songs praise Lord Narayana and other gods. Because of this, he is thought to be an avatar of Narada. Saint Thyagaraja, one of the three great composers of Carnatic music, also honored Purandara Dasa in his opera.

His Impact on Carnatic Music

Purandara Dasa created a system for teaching Carnatic music. This system is still used today. He introduced the raga Mayamalavagowla as the basic scale for learning music. He also designed a series of lessons. These include swaravalis, janti swaras, alankaras, and kriti songs.

Another important contribution was combining bhava (emotion), raga (melody), and laya (rhythm) in his songs. He also included everyday life and simple language in his lyrics. He brought folk ragas into classical music. This made his songs easy for everyone to learn and sing. His sooladis are considered musical masterpieces. They set the standard for raga characteristics.

It is said that his compositions number as many as 475,000. His original collection of songs is called Purandaropanishat. However, only about 1,000 of these songs are available today.

Purandara Dasa was a vaggeyakara (composer-performer). He was also a lakshanakara (music expert). He is known as the founder of music teaching methods. Music scholars call him the Sangeeta Pitamaha (grandfather) of Carnatic music.

Social Reforms

Purandara Dasa worked to improve society. He taught people through his devotional songs in the local Kannada language. Many of his songs talk about social reform. They point out problems in society.

His philosophy was based on bhakti (devotion) in Hinduism. It teaches complete surrender and pure love for God. His songs explain that the individual soul is a reflection of God. They teach that we should give up our attachment to worldly things. Instead, we should turn our minds towards God. His songs offer simple lessons. They encourage people to live a noble life.

Against Casteism

Purandara Dasa fought against the unfairness of casteism through his songs. In one song, he asks what is the use of one's caste if they don't understand human kindness. He compares people to cows of different colors or sugarcane of different shapes. He says that birth alone cannot decide if someone is high or low. He asks if the milk from different colored cows will also be different colors. He encouraged people to do their best, help the poor, and give up attachments. He believed true caste was based on a person's character, not their birth. He taught that sacrifice meant giving up bad qualities, not harming animals.

Gender Equality

Purandara Dasa believed that men and women were equal. He thought they had the same rights and duties in daily life. He described the qualities of a good woman. He said that jewelry was not important. Instead, a kind mind and noble actions were a woman's true beauty.

Against Untouchability

Purandara Dasa spoke strongly against untouchability. He had the support of his guru Vyasathirtha and King Krishnadevaraya. In one song, he says that a person should not be called untouchable because of their birth. Instead, their actions should decide if they are "untouchable." He meant that associating with someone who does bad things is not good.

He explained that someone who does not control themselves is "untouchable." Someone who plots against their government is "untouchable." Also, someone who is rich but doesn't give to charity is "untouchable." Someone who uses poison to harm others is "untouchable." Someone who doesn't speak kindly is "untouchable." And finally, someone who doesn't think about Purandara Vittala (God) is "untouchable." Dasa's message was clear: he rejected untouchability in society. He used "Purandara Vittala" to mean any God.

See also

• Haridasa
• Madhvacharya
• Vyasatirtha
• Kanaka Dasa
• Annamacharya
• Shishunala Sharif
• Puttur Narasimha Nayak
• Dvaita Vedanta
• List of Carnatic composers
• List of Carnatic artists
• List of Carnatic instrumentalists
• Trinity of Carnatic music