KEERTANEGALU
‘Keertanegalu’ (kIrtanegLu) (ಕೀರ್ತನೆಗಳು) (Songs in praise of God) belong to the genre of the
musical outpourings of a poetic mind that sprang to light all over the country
as a consequence of the ‘Bhakti movement’. The literal meaning of the word
‘Keertane’ is praising. They came to the fore ground in Karnataka after a
powerful movement initiated by the ‘Shiva Sharanas’ in the twelfth century.
(Even Shivasharanas have written songs that resemble Keertanas. They are called
‘Had’(hADu) and ‘Geethe’ (gIte) The vaidic religion which was gradually loosing
its sway over the people due to the threats posed by Jaina and Veerashaiva
upsurge had to find ways and means of reaching the masses and thus expand its
base. An unflinching loyalty to Sanskrit would have been counter productive.
This situation resulted in the composition of many songs sung in the praise of
the lord as also propagating the philosophical and ethical precepts of
‘Hinduism’. Some degree of liberalism is an essential part of these movements
and ‘Haridasa Sahitya’ was no exception. However this movement was more of a
reformist strain in the iron clad caste system rather than an out and out
rebellion. The more important proponents of this credo such as Purandaradasa and Kanakadasa
faced stiff resistance from within the system. The fact that Kanakadasa
belonged to the lower hierarchy of the caste system did not assuage the
situation.
The seeds of the movement
were sown by saints such as Achalanandadasa, Narahariteertha and Sripadaraja.
However it gained genuine momentum with the advent of Purandaradasa and
Kanakadasa. This tradition has survived for almost six centuries. Haridasas
laid an emphasis on the emotional and moral aspects of religious aspects of
Bhakti rather than the ritualistic practices imposed by the hegemony of the
caste system. They did not really break new grounds in terms of philosophy
because they were unflinching votaries of dualism. (Dwaita)
‘Keertanegalu’, the songs
composed by these two seers and their successors were written in simple Kannada
with genuine literary merits. A ‘Keertane’ begins with a ‘pallavi’, (a refrain
that occurs at the end of every stanza) anu pallavi and a particular number of stanzas.
Like the ‘Vachanas’ of the twelfth century keertanas also did not have a story
line. They were short lyrical compositions with ethical thoughts delineated
with the help of literary devices such as simile, metaphor and imagery. The
figures of speech were taken from every day life and retained their sensual
beauty. More importantly they could slip in to the tradition oral literature of
Kannada with great facility. The songs are as much amenable to the demands of
the classical music as to the limited ability of a street singer. These songs
were set to classical music much later even though Purandaradasa is deemed as
the founder of Karnataka Sangita.
The term ‘Keertana’s usually
apply to the songs composed by the ‘Haridasaru’ and they are exclusive of categories
such as suladi, (suLAdi) ugabhoga (ugABOga) and mundige. (munDige) Their
literary fame rests on the poetic usage of mythology and epics, appropriate use
of the spectrum of human emotions, a poetic language that captures the very
core of Kannada and a diction which combines the standard language and the
spoken variety with great success. The songs of Purandaradasa that are built
around the life of
Of course Keertanas were
composed even after this incandescent period and names such as Vijayadasa and
Jagannathadasa spring to the mind immediately. They represent a period when the
movement was appropriated by the fanatic hegemony and the compositions fail to
inspire the community in spite of the poetic merit hear and there. But the
keertanas of the main protagonists have an appeal even to the modern secular
mind and they have become an inseparable part of Kannada literary tradition.
References:
1.
The
Pathway to God in Indian Literature, R.D.Ranade
2.
Hymns
for the Drowning, A.K.Ramanujan
3.
Sharma, B.N.K (1981,2000)
[1961]. History of Dvaita school of Vedanta and
its Literature. Bombay: Motilal Banarasidass. ISBN
81-208-1575-0.