Dwijakula Sambhava Purandara Sujanashiromani Kanaka
The above words clearly indicate the pride of place Kanakadasa enjoyed in the heart of his illustrious guru Sri Vyasaraya who too kept him in high esteem. In fact Vyasaraya was very much influenced by Kanakadasa who was elder to Purandaradasa and was the first and the foremost disciples of Vyasaraya, who used spare no opportunity to project Kanaka's greatness to his disciples. Kanakana Kindi (Kanaka's window) at Sri Krishna temple of Udipi is a witness to the Kanaka's intense devotion to Lord Hari and his greatness. The story goes that Kanaka because of his low caste was denied entry into the Krishna temple at Udupi when he went to the backside of the temple, stood there and started praying with tears rolling down his cheeks. Suddenly Lord Krishna is said to have turned and stood facing Kanaka through a sudden breach in the outer wall of the temple.
Like Pampa (another great Kannada poet), Kanaka was both a poet and a brave warrior too. His poetic acumen, bravery and ascetic qualities were all inborn. Owing to many reasons like tragedies, mishaps in his family, heartrending war time incidents, the clarion call of his guru etc., Kanaka had to renounce his mundane existence and take to guru seva and Harikatana which made him Mahayogi and Vairagyashikhamani. Lord Sriniviasa of Tirupati being his family diety he frequently visited the shrine like Sri Ramanujacharya and Tatacharya and ultimately became their disciple. So he was initially much influenced by Vaishnava philosophy. The following sloka depicts Kanaka's deep reverence to these Vaishanava Acharyas.
Srimadguru raya duritha vijayadushkama vicchedanahlada |
tamasagunanasha sativikollasa Sri Ramanuja muni sharanam ||
Erithiya pempuvededa sadgurukara varijodhbhava shishyajanara |
prerisi chaturvida phalaviva Tatachariyeradige vandisuve ||
- Mohanatarangini
It is only when Kanaka visited the Vijaynagara empire of the great Krishnadevaraya he came under the pre eminent influence of Rajaguru Sri Vyasaraya and after getting the Dasadiksha he got inducted in to Haridasakoota.
In one of the compositions which almost runs like biography he tells about his total submission to Lord Hari after the renouncement of all his belongings.
Doretanava bidisi susthiramarga toriside naramatradavane nade Hariye
garuvadalihenembudaritenn ninna dasarige maarideyo Hariye |
Dhuradalli nalkushavira nilladenesege Pariharisideyelo Sri Hariye
Parabalava nodidere uriduridu bilava mana-serehaki nillisideyo Hariye ||
These lines also indicate Kanaka's earlier life of Kingship. In conclusion Kanaka was a free thinker unlike the orthodox followers of his guru. He led an absolutely independent life and pursued a simple path of devotion by taking to "Beg and Live" mode of life (Madhukara Vritti).
His Compositions
As a poet Kanaka rises to inimitable heights and perfection of art. The literary grandeur, variety, copiousness and beauty is indicative of a very sound educational upbringing of Kanaka and his deep insight in to various Indian scriptures like the epics, puranas et. With such knowledge of literature Kanaka in his lucid simple colloquial languages could bring the significant and relevant contents of scriptures and his own life experiences to the understanding of the layman on the street. The following line of his work Mohanatarangini very well substantiates the above belief wherein he copiously refers to literary giants like Kuamaarvyasa, Kumaravalmiki.
Uragalaya pesarvededana matsyodara jateyatmassambhavana |
Varapurangala kannadisida kavi varara konadave mudadi ||
The fact that Kanaka was well versed in poetics is evidenced by the usage of variety of figures of speech, eighteen types of descriptions (Ashtadasha Varanane) enrichment and enhancement of poetic expression and emotion (rasabhavaparipushi) etc. A clear-cut thread of reasoning runs through his compositions. His compositions are compact, convincing and pregnant with a high philosophical meaning. His compositions which are one of the dasasahityas are known for their textual vastness with little music in them which makes them unsuitable for entertainment purpose unlike other musical forms. In keeping with the transcendental value of music these compositions were chiefly meant to spiritualize the common man's life and take him to the regions of infinite bliss. In conclusion it may be said of his compositions that they represent a perfect confluence of triple aspects or triveni sangama of sahitya, shirangara and sangeetha. Kanakadas's literary genius is excellently exemplified by a great variety of poetic compositions dominated by a sense of sublimity and characterized by fervour or deep devotion along with of course his keen wit, worldly wisdom, poetic, skill, rich imagination and philosophical proposition.
The various compositions are
1. Mundige (Allegory-short musical stories with moral)
2. Mohaantarangini
3. Haribhaktisara
4. Nalacharithra
5. Ramadhanyacharithe and Narasimha stotra
To briefly describe a few,
Mohantarangini : which was Kanaka's maiden literary venture was written at a time when he took diksha from the Vaishnava Acharya Sri Tatacharya which also coincided with the installation ceremony of Sri Adichennakeshava murthy at Kaginele. At this time he was believed to have gone through intense mental agony after having lost the battle and being a witness to indiscriminate human killings and blood letting in the battle field. In Mohanatarangini Kanaka used three basic aspects of Shringara, Love and devotion. It has a romantic theme which is written more as a love story as told by the author to his spouse. Intermittent lines in the form of conversation between the couple had further enriched the literary beauty of the work. The theme being romantic it has a symbolic reference to Sri Krishna and Rukmini and their exploits as lovers. Hence the work is dedicated to Lord Krishna and also taken to be a commemorative work in honour of Sri Krishnadevaraya of famed Vijayanagar empire whose fame, wealth and grandeur very much inspired Kanaka. Such a work with a romantic theme, portraying the closeness of a happy couple is called Sangathya Kavya. It has 42 sandhis (euphonic combinations).
In conclusion Mohantarangini is undoubtedly the magnum opus characterized with the traditional features and excellent metrical content.
One of the lines is as follows :
Kritivelda kanakadasotthama keldavalathi sunavadhooti |
Kritige kartanu kaginele adikeshava kritia keldare punyavahudu ||
Ramadhanya Charithe : This is another well known work which is in the form of a narrative poem (ballad) written at the time of his induction in to dasapantha during his visit to the famed vijayanagar empire. The initial setback he suffered because of racial discrimination for being a low born promoted him to write his work wherein he has obviously highlighted man made inequalities between the rich and the poor, ruler and the ruled, Brahmin and sudra etc., which made him to completely renounce the word belongings and submit to Lord Hari. So the composition is essentially an echo of his heart lamenting over the crimes and evils of the society and a testimony to his ardent and unswerving will towards a better social order. With such an idea in mind Kanaka had drawn an excellent analogy in the form of a dispute regarding the superiority between the two grains of Rice (referred to as Vrihi) and Ragi (referred to as Naradelega). The dispute comes before Lord Rama for settlement during Rama's visit to an ashram of a sage. So the uniqueness of this work lies in the portrayal of the two main characters of Rice and Ragi fighting for supremacy over each other which reflects the social injustice meted out by humans on their fellow beings, rice representing the high born and Ragi representing the low born. To resolve the dispute the two grains were put to test by imprisonment for six months after which the highly rated rice was found to be completely spoiled and the ragi found as fine as ever which at once settled the feud. The message Kanaka wanted to convey to mankind through this excellent and simple analogy was the absolute futility of such human tendencies like discrimination based on caste, creed, colour, ostentatious indulgence in religious practices, orthodoxy, and acquisition of intellectual acumen of unwanted knowledge etc, all of which are of no match to simple dedicated devotion to almighty and chanting of his glorious name in a spirit of intense devotion. The conversation between Vrihi and Naradelega is quite interesting as given in the following lines
Ballidanu nerebandavarali ninnalliyuntu upekshe
nammalli salladapari pakshapathavadilla bhavisalu
Ballidaru badavarugalennede ellaranu rakshisuva
niradayanalla na ninnanthe ele kutilathma hogenda.
Many of the old manuscripts of this work are unfortunately lost to us except a few of them which are kept in the Mysore Archeology department. So the work is replete with lots of humour and satire which makes a mockery of the human behaviour and tendencies.
Nalacharithe : Another masterpiece by Kanaka which is also widely popular. Written in a simple beautiful desi style the work is known for its neat story frame work, eye-catching characterization, a racy action and lastly delectable portraiture of the divine; love between the principle characters Nala and Damayanthi. Constructed on the lines of Bhamini shatpadi the work bears ample testimony to the author's rich creative ability. To mention a few lines :
Vanithe malagihalo adhairyadi nenevalo dodda hotteya |
gunu bennina adda moreya gantu mugina ||
Haribhaktisara : This work which is equally well known as the last literary endeavour of kanankadasa featuring Harinamasankirthana, relationship between the Almighty and the devotees, and human feelings like disappointment, anxiety, unhappiness, suspicion, determination, detachment etc. It also includes the quintessence of the great epics Ramayana and Mahabharatha.
Kanaka's Message
So Kanankadasa who merged with the mankind in general and people of Karnataka in particular as a vital substance is truly an embodiment of eternal strength. As he was simple in his manners and behaviour so also was he in his utterances. This approach was very well exemplified even in his literary style which is precise 'beauty sans ornamentation (Nirabharana sundara).
Being a wondering saint like all other Haridasas Kanaka was an inspired composer whose works were spontaneous outpourings. Though many of the compositions of Haridasas including those of Kanaka were based on madhva philosophy they never attempted for any propagation of this particular philosophy. Their moral content is simply unfathomable. Kanaka being a great moral teacher stressed the greatness of Navavidha Bhakthi (shravana, keertana, smarana, archana, padasevana, vandana and dasya) and spread the gospel of devotion and uprightness in life . He also condemned the societies evils like injustice, immorality, hatred, jealousy, etc., and pleaded with humanity not to misuse at any time the great privilege of being born as a human being. In keeping with his preaching for the welfare of the humanity Kanaka led to thoroughly simple life and wore a simple look too with a begging bowl and a stick in the hands, a chain of tulsi beads around the neck. Despite looking like a beggar his beggary was not a fraud and he was a happy go lucky man. His philosophy was 'face life with complete faith in the almighty (Bandaddella barali Govindana daya irali). He advised people not to chase illusory pleasures, to develop virtues of truthfulness, goodwill, good conduct, good character, sincere devotion to one's parents, teacher and almighty, dispositioness (virakti) and universal love which make the life of a person meaningful and rewarding. Kanakkadasa placed women in high esteem and highly eulogized the women's role in society as mother, sister, wife, sister-in-law, and daughter in eloquent terms (Hetta tayiginta atyadhika mayavunte) Kanaka was also secular in thought and deed. He attacked religious bigotry, hypocrisy, and sectarian prejudice. He out rightly condemned the formalism, ritualism and ostentation in religion (Kula Kula Kulavendu horadidiri, nimmakulada neleyanenadaru ballira nemavillada homavethakaiah etc.)
Like this Haridasa movement launched by Vyasathirtha and then led by Purandaradasa and Kanakadasa made a tremendous effort to inculcate the complete code of morality and religion in the people. It underlined the need for the recognition of spiritual values and devotion to the almighty as the only means to attain the supreme bliss. They were the torch bearers to those caught in the quagmire of dreary samsara. In fact none has done so much for the social upliftment, improvement and spiritual enlightenment of people than the Haridasas who propagated the message of the ancient Hindu texts in the form of simple teachings and songs in simple and spoken Kannada. They thus opened the flood gates of devotion to the common people and simplified the main tenets of Vedanta, thereby teaching the people that true religion transcended sectarian differences, dogma, rituals and customs. They said that religion is nothing but the awareness of the almighty involving deep and disinterested devotion. So in conclusion it can be said of Kanakadasa that he was a person of uncommon integrity, excellence, and wisdom, was undoubtedly a luminary in the galaxy of Haridasas and also a Universal Friend (Vishwabandhu).
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