SRI PURANDHARA DHAASA MAHARAAJ

RAAGA : HINDHOLAM                                       THAALA : AADHI

Yaarae rangana yaarae krishnana
Yaarae rangana karaeya bhandhavaru

Ranga vittalaa harae ranga vittalaa Ranga vittalaa harae ranga vittalaa

SRI PURANDHARA DHAAS MAHARAAJ KI!!  JAI!!!

Man survives every moment with the fond hope of enjoying what all he has, sees and hears.  To him all that is ephemeral is real.  But when there is an awakening  in him, he rises up to incomparable heights, becomes unattached and closed with the Omnipotent.  Then only he serves the purpose of being born as a human being.  The story of  Purandara Daasa is only a lesson on this point.

Srinivasa Naayak was born in about  Saka 1404 in Purandarangadh near Pandharpur to Varadappa Naayak.  Being business minded, Srinivasa Naik carried on the moneylender's business in a clever manner and was always niggardly and harsh in treating his debtors.

Embodiment of compassion, the Almighty, felt that the time had come to take Srinivasa Nayak into his care.

An old, tottering brahmin in rags come for alms at Srinivasa Naayak's doors.  He requested that Srinivasa Naayak should help him to get his daughter married.  Srinivasa Naayak mercilessly turned him out.

Srinivasa Naayak's wife lakshmi was of a completely different mould.  Pained at her husband's miserliness she always prayed for his transformation.  The old Brahmin came straight to Srinivasa Naayak's house and requested help from Lakshmi.  Moved at the sight of the poor old brhamin, without second thought , she gave him her diamond nose-screw, requested him to sell it and use the proceeds.  The brahmin straight away came to Srinivasa naayak's shop and offered the diamond Screw for sale.  Srinivasa naayak was able to make it out as his wife's; keeping the same in his safe and asking the brahmin to wait, he rushed to his house.  He ordered hs wife to show him the nose screw.  The lady was in a pitiable plight and could only seek succour at the lotus feet of lord Sri Krishna.  She pretended as though she was searching in the jewel box; suddenly to her delight and surprise found in the box diamond nose screw similar to hers. She could not at all contain herself at the mercy of the Lord.  She then handed over the nose screw to her husband.  Srinivasa nayak ran to his shop and found the nose screw missing from the safe.  He ran back to house absoltely confused and pressed his wife to tell what exactly had happened.  She could only narrate how the lord had been king to her in redeeming the nose screw.  It took no time for Srinivasa Naayak to realise that the old brahmin was none other than the Lord himself.

Overwhelmed by his grace to awaken him, he distributed all his wealth to the needy and poor.  Chanting his name loudly in ecstasy, he left the town with wife and daughter and went to Pandharpur.  He lived in abject poverty there for twelve years, still praying for His benign grace with  unstinting devotion.

Consequent on foreign invasion he left Pandharpur and reached Vijayanagar.  King Krishna Devaraya received him as he had known him personally in his afluence.  Sri Vyasa Raya, the raja guru of Vijayanagaram, soon took him under his tutelage and made him well versed in Veadas, Puranas, Smritis etc.  He named his as Purandara Daasa and ascendance of Srinivasa nayak towards the sublime was made perfect by Sri Vyasa Raya.

Purandara Daasa sang innumerable poems in praise of the Almighty.  He undertook Tirthayatra for 40 years and covered all parts of the country from badrinath to Tirupaty.  Just to bind him still closer to Him and strengthen his devotion, Lord Sri Venkatachalapati gave darshan to him when a Daasi by name Purandari played veena at the temple gate.

Purandara Daasa had by this time become a complete master in the science of music.  But he was not kind to his disciples and other bhaktas who were not gifted with good voice and music.  While he spent his last days at Pandharpur, Sri Vittal brought the blame of loss of his bracelet on Daasa and got him punishment.  Daasa pleaded "not guilty" denied and knowledge of the Lords property and resigned himself to the mercy of the Almighty.  Sri Vittal made and world known to the exemplary bhakti of Purandara Daasa and kindled in him further the desire to have communion with him.

Purandara Daasa lived upto about eighty years and after having sung his glory in about 475000songs, returned to the abode of Lord Sri Narayana.  Purandara Dasa was none other that sage Narada, who came into this world at Sri Naarayana's command for propagating the bhakti cult using music as the means for God-realisation.

LIST OF OTHER DHAASAS

* MUDHRA :- COMPOSERS IDENTITY IN THE SONGS