Dasa

 The dasas are people who have decided to spend there lives in the service of God, by singing his praises. They usually carry a tamboori to maintain the shruti as well as the rhythm in the song. They wear anklets too which means they also danced to these songs that they wrote and composed music for.

Purandara dasa is one such dasa. He is a great poet and devotee of vittala. His poems are in Kannada. The dasa litreture in Kannada is very important not only for the language used but for the reason it started. The dasa’s though mainly follower’s of Shri Madhwaachaarya, wrote poems on subjects including devotion, various avatara’s of Vishnu, philosophy as well as society and it’s conduct. The purpose of these songs were to teach the illiterate people about devotion and philosophy. They are also set to music and so people learnt it as songs. Purandara dasa is called the father of Carnatic music. He formulaised the initial lessons of Carnatic music and brought structure to the way it is taught. Most kannadigas would have heard ‘dasara padas’ ( pada meaning poem) at temples, movies and social gatherings. Each dasa has his own favourite diety. Kanakadasa’s is kagnele’s( a place in Karnataka) aadikeshava, vaadiraajaru’s is hayavadana ( the horse head avatara of Vishnu) and Purandara dasa’s is Purandara ( a place in Karnataka ) vittala.

In this song Purandara dasaru is singing about dasas. The dasa not only enlightens people he also attains salvation through his songs.

Pallavi: tamboori meetidava bhavaabdhi daatidava|

The one who plucked the tamboori( a musical instrument) the one who crossed this world

( the one here is the dasa. He has crossed this ocean called earthly life )

Tamboori = a stringed musical instrument

Meetidava = meetidavanu = meetu ( to pluck the string of a musical instrument) + avanu ( that person )

Bhavaabdhi = bhava ( life on Earth) + abdhi ( ocean)

Anupallavi: taaLava taTTidava suraroLu seridava ||

The one who maintained the rhythm joined the demigods ( became one of the demigods)

TaaLava = Taalavannu = Thaala( rhythm) + annu ( a gramatical suffix)

TaTTidava= tattidavanu = taTTida + avanu

Tattu= to tap ( in Carnatic music rhythm is maintained by the singer by tapping the palm of the right hand on a surface. The fingers are used to keep count and so does the downward or upward facing palm)

SuraroLu : surara ( demigods, devas who live in heaven or swarga) + oLu ( in, with)

Seridava = serida ( to join, joined ) + avanu

CharaNa 1: Gejjeya kattidava khaLaredeya mettidava |

The one who tied the anklets conquered the hearts of evil people

( the dasa with his dance and song can conquer or influence even evil people)

Gejjeya = Gejjeyannu = gejje ( anklets) + annu ( grammatical suffix)

Kattidava = kattidavanu = kattida ( tied) + avanu

KhaLaredeya: khaLara ( evil people’s) + edeya ( heart)

Mettidava = Mettidavanu = Mettida ( stepped on, conquered)+ avanu

Gaanava paadidava hari- mooruti nodidava ||

The one who sang has seen God

( through his songs the dasa actually sees God)

Gaanava = gaanavannu = gaana( song ) + annu

Paadidava = paadidavanu = paadida ( sang ) + avanu

Hari = name of Vishnu

Mooruthi = usually means idol, here it means the actual form of God

Nodidava = nodidavanu = nodu ( to see ) + avanu

Charana 2: vithalana nodidava |

The one who has seen vithala

Vithala : name of Krishna

(Purandara) vithalana nodidava vaikuntakke Odidava ||

The one who has seen God runs to vaikunta

( the dasa who has seen the form of God is transported to vaikunta, the place where Vishnu resides. In other words, the dasa attains moksha)

Purandara vithala = purandara ( a place in karnataka) + vithalana ( vithalanannu = vithala + annu )

Vaikuntakke = to vaikunta ( place of Vishnu)

Odidava = Odidavanu = Odida ( to Run) + avanu

I would like to add that these dasara padas have a lot of meaning