07/11/2014
|| OM SRI RAGHAVENDRAYA NAMAHA OM ||
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|| Shri Kanakadasa Jayanthi - 08 - 11 - 2014 Saturday ||
Kanaka Dasa -
Kanaka Dasa (1509-1609)[1] was a poet, philosopher, musician and composer from modern Karnataka. He is known[2] for his Kirtanes and Ugabhoga compositions in the Kannada language for Carnatic music. Similar to some other Dasas, he often used colloquial language for his compositions. He was a disciple of Vyasathirtha and a follower of Dwaita philosophy propounded by Madhvacharya.
Taking birth in Kuruba family, Kanakadasa became a Haridasa. His Hari keertanas are of a superior class even from sahithya angle too. They reflect his ripe experience in life, rich wisdom, equanimity, love for freedom. It can be said that his period was around 1508 to 1606. He was first known as Beerappa dananayaka. He struck a gold treasure and became Kanakanyaka. He installed Lord Keshava at Kaginele, it was an ancient and famous city when Kanaka came there. Kanakadasa removed already installed Lakshmi Idol and installed it near Keshava with the co-operation of local people and it is an evidence to show Kanakadasa's friendly behaviour.
In the begining of his spiritual life he had taken deeksha from Thathacharya. But after seeing Vyasaraja and due to the company of Purandaradasaru he must have liked dwaitha deeksha. When Vyasaraya blessed Kanaka, mutt disciples did not like it. This is evident from Purandara Dasa's Krithi "Kanaka dasana mele dayamaadalu" Kanaka did take refuge in "Mukhyaprana", he accepted the sidhantha of Sri Acharya. The same has been expressed in his krithi Ninnaya padha daasaradasa nendenisabekayya and "Daasadaasara maneya daasanudaasa naanu' during Kanaka Dasa's time only the tradition of Haridasas roaming in the steets, tying bells or gejje to their anklets, singing Harinama and doing "unchavruthi" began powerfully. The pious will cherish the memory of this great bhaktha and jnani hidden behind a simple frame for a generations to come.
Kanakana kindi -
There are many popular legends regarding Lord Krishna's revelation to saint Kanaka Dâsa. We can unravel the mystery of this episode on the basis of the available historical documents as follows. Kanaka Dâsa came to Udupi as a pilgrim. Sri Vâdirâja Tîrtha knew about this pious devotee of the Lord, and made arrangements for his stay in a hut in the roadside in front of the temple. Kanaka Dâsa used to play on his tambuura and sing in the hut, but the wall of the temple was there between the icon and himself. Being of a lower class, by tradition he was forbidden to enter the temple and have darshana of Sri Krishna. The wall of the shrine was, of course, a barrier to the physical eyes, but who could prevent the vision of his inner eyes? They were fully open and the Sri Krishna was visible to Kanaka Dâsa.
Some time passed and then one night there was an earthquake and a small crack appeared in the wall of the shrine. Through this crack Kanaka Dâsa was able to have darshana of the icon of Krishna. Sri Vâdirâja Tîrtha became aware of this crack and of the fact that Kanaka Dâsa was using it to have darshana of Sri Krishna. Instead of having the crack plastered over, Sri Vâdirâja enlarged it and turned it into a window. To commemorate Lord Krishna's darshana to Kanaka Dâsa, the window has been designated as 'Kanaka's window.'
From that time onward, Kanaka Dâsa could have the darshana of Sri Krishna with his physical eyes as well as his inner eye. To perpetuate this sacred memory, the tradition of looking at the icon of Sri Krishna through this window before entering the shrine was started.
Not only pilgrims, but even the piiThaadhipati-s of the eight Mutts who go to take charge of the temple at the time of paryaaya come in procession to this window. It is only after looking at the icon through this window that they enter the shrine. This tradition has been going on since the time of Sri Vâdirâja.
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