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| File name | Biography of Kanaka Dasa PDF |
| No. of Pages | 1047 |
| File size | 3.2 MB |
| Date Added | Nov 12, 2022 |
| Category | General |
| Language | Kannada |
| Source/Credits | Drive Files |
Biography of Kanaka Dasa Overview
Kanaka Dasa was a Haridasa saint and philosopher, popularly called Daasashreshta Kanakadasa. He was a renowned composer of Carnatic music, poet, reformer and musician. He is known for his keertanas and ugabhoga, and his compositions in the Kannada language for Carnatic music.
Kanaka Dasa Biography:
Bhakta Kanakadasa (1508 AD to 1606 AD) was a mystical poet in the Haridasa tradition of Karnataka. The biography of this great leader of Bhakti tradition is full of adventures and miracles. He was also a revolutionary who led a socio-religious movement against the caste system. But today he is famous for his kirtans, short songs that expose hypocrisies in society.
Life
It says that Kanakadasa hailed from the Kuruba Gowda community, born to Beeregowda and Beechamma. At his birth he was christened Thimmappa Nayaka, given the name Kanaka Dasa by his parents and later his spiritual master Vyasaraja.
When he was a young man, he was defeated in battle and mortally wounded, an event that forced him to abandon his profession and turn his mind to the spiritual path.
He joined the Haridasa tradition and was renamed Kanaka Dasa by his spiritual master Vyasaraja. Kanakadasa wrote beautiful literary works in Kannada. He was a poet-composer, religious and social reformer and a devotee of Lord Vishnu.
Miracles in Folklore:
The folk tradition of Karnataka credits him with several miracles. The most popular one was held at Udupi Srikrishna Temple.
It is said that the traditional priests of the Udupi Sri Krishna temple denied him entry into the sanctum sanctorum. Lord Krishna turned to the devotee and gave darshan through the latticed window. This window is known as Kanakana Kindi. It can still be seen today and devotees visiting Udupi worship through this window.
Structures of Kanakadasa:
Kanakadasa’s writings touched not only on devotional but also on social aspects. In fact, his Ramadhyanacharitra is an allegorical work depicting the divide between the rich and the poor.
Traditionally, in Karnataka, rice was the staple food of the rich and millet was the food of the poor. Although rice was once recognized as the food of the rich, it lacked nutrients, but millet is a healthy food rich in nutritional value.
In his interesting literary work, two grains of food go to Lord Rama and ask him to settle their dispute – and tell him who is the greatest among them. Sri Rama sends them both to prison for six months. At the end of that period, the rice spoils, but the hard millet is still healthy. It is said to represent the conflict between the rich and the working class.
His Nalacharity is a beautiful composition that echoes the story of Nala and Damayanti from the Mahabharata. His Narasimhastava is a wonderful creation on Lord Narasimha.
Mohanatarangini tells the story of Lord Krishna’s life with his wives and Krishna’s grandson Aniruddha’s love for Banasura’s daughter Usha. Mohanatarangini is mainly located in Dwarka. But the descriptions of the city of Dwarka match those of Vijayanagara given by foreign tourists. The reader feels that it is describing a contemporary event.
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