KANAKADASA, 1509-1608
- Kanakadasa (ಕನಕದಾಸರು)
- kanakadAsa
- 1508-1606 (Approximately)
- Kaginele Village in Dharawada district (kAginele)
- Kurubaru, (Shepherd community) Beda community (bEDaru)?
- Kanakadasa himself was a chieftain at a place called Bada
(bADa) in Haveri
district.
- Bhakta Kanakadasa
- Kanakadasa is an important saint poet who overcame an ordeal by fire during
his life time to gain an acceptance by the upper caste hegemony. The inner
turmoil and dilemmas faced by him have found an outlet in his works in
many ways. It is to be noted that Kanakadasa was
one of the few Haridasas who composed literary
works other than ‘Keertanas’. Kankadasa had a unique back ground. He hailed from a
backward community. However he was a chieftain and had hands on
experiences of wars and administration. He was a devotee of the God Adikeshava whose temple is found even today in Kaginele the native place of Kanakadasa.
Adikeshava is the ankita
that goes with his songs. His meanderings all over Karnataka and his
confrontations with dogmatic religious leaders constitute the stuff that
legends are made of. His travails have found powerful expression in his
songs and epics. He was lauded by his peers such as Purandaradasa
and Vyasaraya. However his credentials were
challenged by the fanatic upper caste. There are speculations about his
leanings towards the Sri Vaishnava philosophy.
He had to pay at least lip service to the Dwaita
tenets and construct many of his poems in that frame work. However, he has
given unbridled expression to his feelings in many of his songs. The songs
of Kanakadasa are often suffused with his inner
agony and they raise a strong voice against the inequality caused by the
caste system. Apparently many of them do not go beyond the realm of dwaita philosophy. However there is
undercurrent of deep rooted angst. ‘Nalacharite’
is an extremely popular work composed in Bhamini
shatpadi. It contains nine chapters and
constitutes about 480 poems. This is an endearing work delineating the
tribulations faced by true lovers. The story culled out of Mahabharata
traces the miseries of Nala and Damayanti in a style which is simple yet powerful. The
description of the forest and the wildfire faced by the ill fated couple
are very natural. This work contains many motifs that are present in
folklore. Nalacharite is more about human beings
and their sufferings rather than philosophical musings.‘Mohanatarangini’
is a work composed in ‘Sangatya’ meter centered
on an entangled love story involving Usha and Aniruddha who happens to be a grand son of Lord
Krishna. It is inspired by the traditional sources of any Krishna story, such as Bhagavata,
Mahabharata, Harivamsha and Vishnupurana.
It contains many episodes such as the birth of Manmatha,
slayings of Shambarasura and Banasura
and of course the love story of Aniruddha and Usha a daughter of Banasura.
(bANAsura) More importantly it holds a mirror to
the life styles of contemporary Karnataka. Sangatya
with its leisurely pace and musical diction suits the subject matter
admirably well. ‘Ramadhanyacharitre’ is a unique
work in the entire gamut of Kannada literature. It is a symbolic and
imaginative expression of intense suffering caused by the vagaries of the
caste system and racial discrimination. It is the story of a fictional
confrontation between an arrogant Paddy (Rice) and a humble grain known as
millet. (rAgi) there is
a heated argument between the two regarding as to who is better. The
burden of giving the final decision rests with Rama
who conducts a test and decides in favour of the
lowly millet. The importance of the story as a symbolic representation of
social realities is being realized only recently perhaps as a consequence
of the emergence of an emancipated backward class. The marginalisation
of this work as against the importance given to less volatile works speaks
volumes about the cannons of our literary judgement.
‘Kanakana Munidigeglu’
comprise of short poems that conceal philosophical observations behind a
facade of riddle. One needs to know technical jargon to make sense of these
riddles. ‘Haribhaktisara’
consists of 110 poems written in Bhamini Shatpadi. They present theworld
view and ethical tenets of Kanakadasa in a
lyrical and transparent style.To sum up, Kanakadasa represents an important facet in the
history of Kannada literature. His life and works acquire inspirational
dimensions in the contemporary context, where the emergence of the
artistic talents of the backward classes and their struggles to find
acceptance have come to the forefront.
- Works: 1. Mohanatarangini (mOhanatarangiNi)
Edited
by M.A. Ramanuja Iyyengar,
1913, Karnataka Kavyakalanidhi, Mysore. Later editions by R.C.Hiremath,
(1973) S.S.Kotina, (1984) (With prose rendering) G.G.Manjunathan (1999) and B.S.Sannaiah,
(Abridged Version) (1963)
2. Nalacharite
(naLacarite)
(This work was
published for the first time, in 1888, by Vicharadarpana
Mudraksharashale, Bangalore. Some later editions are by S.G.Narasimhachar
and M.A.Ramanuja Iyyengar,
Karnataka Kavyakalanidhi, 1903, P.R.Karibasavashastry,
(1925) H.M.Shankaranarayana Rao,
(1953) D. Javaregouda, (1965) Hathuru
Shankaranarayana Rao,
(1976) and B.V.Shirur 1981.
3. Haribhaktisara
(hariBaktisAra)
(First
Edition: 1868, Sarasvathi Nilaya
Mudrakshara Shalaa, Madras. Some later editions are as follows: Tirumale Srinivasacharya, B.Kodandarama Shetty, (1923) Srinivasa Tantri, (1940) B.Shivamurthy Shastry and K.M.Krishna Rao (1965) and N.Ranganathasharma, (1972)
4. Ramadhanyacharitre
(rAmadhAnyacaritre)
(First edition: K.C.Panchalinge Gouda, 1963, Mysore. Later editions: D.Javaregouda,
1965)
5. Keertaneglu
(kIrtanegLu)
(First
Edition: 1850, along with other keertanakaras. Kanakadasara Keertanegalu, Edited by B.Shivamurthy
Shastry and K.M.Krishna Rao, 1965. Edited by Betageri Krishnasharma and Bengeri Huchchu Rao, 1972. Kanakadasara Keertanegalu mattu
Mundigegalu, Sudhakara,
1999.
6. Mundigegalu
(munDigegLu)
7. Nrusimhastava
(nrusimhastava) (Not found)
10. References: 1. Kanakadasara Jeevanacharitre mattu Padagalu, Kalamadaani Gururaya, 1965.
2. Mahatma Kanakadasa Prashasti, 1965.Kanakamahimadarsha, Bheemacharya
Vadavi, 1926.
3. Kavi Kanakadasaru, Katti Sheshacharya, 1938.
4. Kanakadasa: The Golden Servant of Lord Hari,
by Basavaraj Naikar. National
Book Trust, New
Delhi.
5. Kanaka Dasa: Philosopher-poet-Hari
Dasa: a Trans-creation of His Bhakti Poems, Hari Bhakti Sara, BS Rao
- 2001 - East West Books (Madras)
Links: Compositions
of Sri Kanaka Dasa
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