© Kamat's Potpourri

Kanaka Dasa [ಕನಕ ದಾಸ ] (1509–1609)^[1] was great poet, philosopher, musician and composer from Karnataka. Karnataka (ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ pronounced) is a state in the southern part of India He is known^[2] for his Kirtanes and Ugabhoga compositions in the Kannada language for Karnataka Music. Kriti is also a spelling of Crete, Greece "Kriti" is also the Hindi word for "creation" Ugabhogas ( ಉಗಾಭೋಗ in Kannada) are melody based compositions that are reminiscent of Vachanas ( Kannada poetry that originated Kannada (kn [[wiktಕನ್ನಡ ಕನ್ನಡ]] Kannaḍa) is one of the major Dravidian languages of India, spoken predominantly in the state Carnatic music (also spelled Karnatak music or Karnatik music, and originally called Karṇāṭaka sangīta or Karṇāṭaka sangītam in India Uniqueness of his compositions is that he embedded common people's day-to-day language into the complicated classical Karnataka music which was mostly limited to scholarly language. Carnatic music (also spelled Karnatak music or Karnatik music, and originally called Karṇāṭaka sangīta or Karṇāṭaka sangītam in India He is also known for propagating Dwaita philosophy of Shri Madhvacharya through poetry and music to the masses in the Karnataka region of South India. Dvaita ( Kannada: ದ್ವೈತ Devanagari:द्बैत is a dualist school of Vedanta Hindu philosophy. For Madhavacharya the Advaita saint see Madhava Vidyaranya. Shri Madhvacharya (ಶ್ರೀ ಮಧ್ವಾಚಾರ್ಯರು Karnataka (ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ pronounced) is a state in the southern part of India South India is the area encompassing India 's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union

Biography

Thimmappa Nayaka was his original name and he belonged to chieftain (Nayaka) family of Kuruba community of Bada Village[1] in Haveri district. Kurubas or Kurumas are Hindus concentrated mainly in the southern states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, India. For the village in Azerbaijan see Hovari. Haveri is a city in Karnataka, a state of southern India. He came to be called Kanaka Nayaka as he found a treasure-trove of gold ( kanaka means gold in Kannada). Kanaka Dasa was well educated and capable of analyzing the society microscopically. In early age he acquired deep knowledge about poetry and understood the nuances of Karnataka Music that was just founded by Purandara Daasa. Carnatic music (also spelled Karnatak music or Karnatik music, and originally called Karṇāṭaka sangīta or Karṇāṭaka sangītam in India Purandara Dāsa (1484 - 1564 (sometimes spelled as a single word ( Kannada: ಪುರಂದರ ದಾಸ was one of the most prominent composers of Carnatic Based on one of his compositions it is interpreted that after he severely got hurt in a war and miraculously saved, he gave up his warrior’s profession and devoted himself to writings and composing music. It appears that he started traveling to places a lot to gain more knowledge. Though he came from Shaivism community followed by Kurubas, he became a close follower of Vaishnavism. Shaivism, also spelled "Saivism" names the oldest of the four sects of Hinduism. Kurubas or Kurumas are Hindus concentrated mainly in the southern states of Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, India. Vaishnavism is a tradition of Hinduism, distinguished from other schools by its worship of Vishnu or its associated avatars principally as Rama and However he had maintained a balanced view about all faiths. In early age he authored poetries Narasimha stotra, Ramadhyana Mantra, and Mohanatarangini. (See Ref 2)

His writing started showing his innovativeness in using day to day information. For e. g. Ramadhyana Mantra is a poetic expression of conflicts between rich and poor classes where he uses ragi ( main food of poor) and rice(main food of rich) to synonymously to represent poor and rich. Finger millet ( Eleusine coracana, Amharic ዳጉሳ "Dagusa" or ቶኩሶ tōkūsō) also known as African millet or Ragi Rice is a Cereal foodstuff which forms an important part of the diet of many people worldwide and as such it is a staple food for many He joined Haridasa movement and became a follower of Vyasaraja who named him as Kanakadasa. The Haridasa ( Kannada: ಹರಿದಾಸ) devotional movement is considered as one of the turning points in the cultural history of India. Vyasatirtha ( Kannada:ವ್ಯಾಸತೀರ್ಥ (1460-1539 also called Vyasaraja or Vyasaraya, was acclaimed as one on the three spiritual lights His poems and krithi deal with many aspects of life and expose the futility of external rituals. Kirtan ( Sanskrit - "to repeat" is call-and-response chanting performed in India's devotional traditions They stress the need for cultivation of moral values in life. Similar to Purandara Daasa, Kanaka Daasa’s compositions addressed social issues in addition to devotional aspect. Purandara Dāsa (1484 - 1564 (sometimes spelled as a single word ( Kannada: ಪುರಂದರ ದಾಸ was one of the most prominent composers of Carnatic Kanaka Dasa ದಾಸ ( 1509 – 1609) was great poet philosopher musician and composer from Karnataka. Kanaka Daasa was very aggressive and straight forward in criticizing evils of society such as superiority claims using caste system. Castes are Hereditary systems of occupation, Endogamy, social culture, Social class, and Political power.

The deity he worshiped was Adhikeshava of Kaginele, presently in Haveri district of Karnataka. Kaginele, is the birth place of Kanaka Dasa a great saint from Kuruba community Karnataka (ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ pronounced) is a state in the southern part of India Kaginele, now a village, was a prosperous place and trading center in middle ages. Kaginele, is the birth place of Kanaka Dasa a great saint from Kuruba community Out of many of his compositions, about 240 (see Ref 2)are fully accountable today. All his Karnataka Music compositions end with mudra (signature) Kaginele Adhikeshava. Carnatic music (also spelled Karnatak music or Karnatik music, and originally called Karṇāṭaka sangīta or Karṇāṭaka sangītam in India A mudrā ( Sanskrit: मुद्रा lit "seal" is a symbolic or ritual gesture in Hinduism and Buddhism. In addition to being a poet he worked as a social reformer by down playing dogmatic communities that were suppressing the disadvantaged communities. Kanakadasa made extreme effort in reforming the disadvantaged communities by convincing them to give-up their age old obsolete social practices and adapt to the changing world. He effectively used music to convey his philosophy. He lived at Tirupathi in his last days. Tirupati ( Telugu: తిరుపతి is the richest pilgrimage city (of any religious faith in the world located in the state of Andhra Pradesh in India He is one of the greatest musician, composer, poet, social reformer, philosopher and saint that India has ever produced. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country

Major works

1. Nalacharitre
2. Haribhaktisara
3. Nrisimhastava
4. Ramadhanyacharitre; a rare work on class struggle
5. Mohanatarangini

Kanakadasa wrote about two hundred forty Karnataka Music compositions (Kirtane, Ugabhogas, padas and mundiges or philosophical songs)^[3] besides five major works. Mohanatarangini (River of delight is the first work of Kanakadasa (1509–1609 a prominent literary figure in Kannada literature whose works are mostly in the Carnatic music (also spelled Karnatak music or Karnatik music, and originally called Karṇāṭaka sangīta or Karṇāṭaka sangītam in India Kriti is also a spelling of Crete, Greece "Kriti" is also the Hindi word for "creation" Ugabhogas ( ಉಗಾಭೋಗ in Kannada) are melody based compositions that are reminiscent of Vachanas ( Kannada poetry that originated His compositions are published in many languages. For example about 100 songs in Kannada^[4] and 60 songs in English ^[5] are published in popular books. Kannada (kn [[wiktಕನ್ನಡ ಕನ್ನಡ]] Kannaḍa) is one of the major Dravidian languages of India, spoken predominantly in the state

His writings were unique in style. In Ramadhanyacharitre, an allegory on the conflict between the socially strong and weak castes and classes, presented as an argument between two foodgrains, rice and ragi, is a most creative literary piece with a powerful social message,In the work, rice represents the socially powerful, such as Brahmins, and ragi (millet) represents the working people. Rice is a Cereal foodstuff which forms an important part of the diet of many people worldwide and as such it is a staple food for many Finger millet ( Eleusine coracana, Amharic ዳጉሳ "Dagusa" or ቶኩሶ tōkūsō) also known as African millet or Ragi The two grains come before Rama to argue their case and establish their superiority. In the end Rama sends both of them to prison for six months. At the end of the period, rice has turned rotten while the hardy ragi survives, earning Rama's blessings. This shows the intelligence of Kanaka Daasa in trying to reform the society. He was blunt in criticizing those who were opposing good practices. In one his compositions he says,"Eternal hell is for those who criticize noble men,for those who condemn Madhva's teachings. For Madhavacharya the Advaita saint see Madhava Vidyaranya. Shri Madhvacharya (ಶ್ರೀ ಮಧ್ವಾಚಾರ್ಯರು . . ".

Legend

Kanakadasa once wanted to have a darshan (encounter) of the Lord Krishna in Udupi. Krishna (कृष्ण in Devanagari kṛṣṇa in IAST, ˈkr̩ʂɳə in classical Sanskrit is a deity worshiped across many traditions of Hinduism Udupi ( Kannada, Tulu: ಉಡುಪಿ Odipu, Konkani - उडुपी) is a city and the headquarters of the Udupi District in He was not allowed into the shrine by castists as he was not a higher-caste by birth. Kanakadasa then started singing the praises of Shri Krishna and was lost to outside world in a corner outside the temple. A temple (from the Latin word Templum) is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities such as prayer and sacrifice or analogous rites Legend has it that the idol of Krishna, which had previously had been facing east, turned around to face west, as the western wall collapsed so that Kanakadasa could have darshan. The Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST internal designation HT-7U is an experimental Superconducting Tokamak Magnetic fusion energy A small window was constructed at the breach later. The idol of Lord Krishna is still today worshipped through the window. This window came to be known as Kanakana kindi (Kanaka’s window). Kanakana Kindi or Kanaka's Window is a small peephole in the Udupi Sri Krishna temple through which the great Indian saint Kanaka Dasa was given Kanakana Kindi or Kanaka's Window is a small peephole in the Udupi Sri Krishna temple through which the great Indian saint Kanaka Dasa was given The memory of Kanakadasa was permanently etched in the temple of his beloved Lord Krishna. Krishna (कृष्ण in Devanagari kṛṣṇa in IAST, ˈkr̩ʂɳə in classical Sanskrit is a deity worshiped across many traditions of Hinduism Today that window stands as a tribute to the unique saint of Karnataka.

Reference