Haridasa

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
This article is about the Hindu devotional movement. For the musician and teacher, see Swami Haridas.
For other uses, see Haridasa (disambiguation).
Part of
Dvaita
Saints
Haridasas
Literature
Mathas
Holy places
Hinduism portal
Part of a series on
Vaishnavism
Closeup of Vishnu, seated in the lotus position on a lotus. From depiction of the poet Jayadeva bowing to Vishnu, Gouache on paper Pahari, The very picture of devotion, bare-bodied, head bowed, legs crossed and hands folded, Jayadeva stands at left, with the implements of worship placed before the lotus-seat of Vishnu who sits there, blessing the poet.
Supreme deity
Vishnu / Krishna / Rama
Important deities
Dashavatara
Other forms
Consorts
Related
Holy scriptures
Puranas
Sampradayas
Others
Teachers—acharyas
Related traditions

The Haridasa Bhakti Sahitya devotional movement (sampradaya) originated in Karnataka, India, after Madhvacharya, and spread to eastern states such as Bengal and Assam of medieval India.[1] Over a span of nearly six centuries, several saints and mystics helped shape the culture, philosophy and art of South India in general and Karnataka in particular by exerting considerable spiritual influence over the masses and kingdoms that ruled South India.[2]

This movement was ushered in by the Haridasas (lit "servants of Lord

Dvaita philosophy of Madhvacharya (Madhva Siddhanta) to the masses through a literary medium known as Dasa Sahitya (lit "literature of the dāsas").[3]

Prominent

Vallabhacharya in Gujarat and Guru Chaitanya were influenced by the teachings of Madhvacharya. Chaitanya's devotees started the International Society for Krishna Consciousness - known colloquially as the Hare Krishna Movement.[6]

The Haridasas were saints, some of whom were wandering bards, and considered themselves as slaves of their supreme lord - Hari. While the movement was mainly heralded by the

Brahmins, it was a devotional one whose ideals and thoughts pervaded and received noteworthy contributions from all sections of society.[7] The Haridasa movement can be considered as a part of a larger Bhakti movement whose devotional inspiration to the masses lasted over a millennium. The Haridasa movement made significant contribution to Kannada devotional literature.[8]

Origin

The origin of the Haridasa movement is not clearly known, with some legends indicating there were holy men and kings who espoused this form of devotion as early as the 9th century. The Haridasas' songs attribute

Vaishnava religious devotionalism called Dasa Kuta found its organizational base and started to produce large congregation of devotees in the Karnataka region, largely due to the Vedanta (philosophy) propounded in the 13th century by Madhvacharya of Udupi (1238 - 1317 CE).[4]

The Haridasas' who propagated the philosophy of Madhvacharya belonged to two groups; the Dasakuta, those who conveyed the philosophy of Madhvacharya in simple and lucid

Muslim rule. The Haridasas' found state patronage in the Vijayanagara Empire which at its peak, ruled over the entire Southern India.[10] Vyasatirtha was intimately associated with the empire and was considered the family guru by King Krishnadevaraya.[11][12][13]

Haridasas' belonged to the

Srinivasa temple on Tirumala hills in Andhra Pradesh, Raghavendra Swamy Mutt in Mantralaya, Lord Shri Krishna in Udupi, Shri ChennaKeshava Temple in Belur, and almost all ancient Vaishnavite
temples are considered the pivotal in the Haridasa context.

Preachers

The Haridasas' generally hailed from places in present-day

Sripadaraya as the real founder of the movement in the 15th century.[16]

Famous haridasas from the Madhvacharya order during the

Vijayanagar empire period were:[18]

Growth and patronage

Sripadaraya, Vyasatirtha and Vadirajatirtha are called "three great saints" (yathi raja trayaru, as they were accorded royal patronage) in the Haridasa movement whereas the epithet "great trinity of Vaishnava composers" from Karnataka goes to Sripadaraya, Purandaradasa and Kanakadasa, though it is difficult to separate literature, music, devotion from their composite writings.[19] The center of their activity in the 15th–16th century was Hampi, the royal centre of Vijayanagara, the regal capital of Vijayanagara empire.

The Haridasa movement gained further impetus in the 17th and 18th centuries in and around

Guru Raghavendra, Vijaya Dasa, Gopala Dasa, Jagannatha Dasa, Prasanna Venkata Dasa, Pranesha Dasa, Venugopala Dasa also known as Panganama Timmanna Dasa, Mahipathi Dasa, Mohanna Dasa, Helevanakatte Giriamma and Harapanhalli Bhimavva.[20][21] The history of the Haridasa movement from the 13th century to the present day is the history of spreading Hari bhakti (devotion to Hari or Vishnu) to the common man and in that purpose contributed immensely to Kannada literature and to the development of Kannada language. Both the Haridasa and Veerashaiva movements pervade the length and breadth of Karnataka and exert ennobling influences upon the neighboring provinces of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.[3]

Contribution to Kannada Literature

Haridasa movement made a significant contribution towards

kavya style.[24] Jagannathadasa, Vijaya Dasa and Gopaladasa etc., are more well known among a galaxy of composers who made rich contributions to Kannada literature.[25][26]

The compositions can be broadly classified under one of the following three types:

  • Kavya or poetic compositions
  • Tatva or philosophic compositions
  • General compositions.

Pen name (Ankita Nama)

Each Haridasa had a unique ankita nama, or pen-name, with which they 'signed' all their compositions. The pen names of some of the most well known Haridasas is listed below:[27]

Haridasa Period Ankita nama (Insignia) Notes
Naraharitirtha
 1243-1333 Narahari Raghupathi
Sripadaraya 1404-1502 Ranga Vitthala
Vyasatirtha 1460-1539 Sri Krishna
Vadirajatirtha
 1480-1600 Hayavadana
Raghavendratirtha
 1595-1671 Dheera Venugopala
Purandara Dasa 1484-1564 Purandara Vittala
Kanaka Dasa 1508-1606 Kaginele Adikeshava
Vijaya Dasa 1682-1755 Vijaya Vittala
Gopala Dasa 1722-1762 Gopala Vittala
Panganama Timmanna Dasa 1722-1765 Venugopala Vittala
Helevanakatte Giriyamma 18th Century Helevanakatte Ranga
Jagannatha Dasa 1727-1809 Jagannatha Vittala
Mahipathidasa 1611-1681 Mahipathi
Prasanna Venkatadasa 1680-1752 Prasanna Venkata
Mohanadasa 1728-1751 Mohana Vittala
Nekkara Krishnadasa 18th Century Varaha Thimmappa
Jayesha Vittala Dasa 1850-1932 Jayesha Vittala

Contribution to Carnatic music

The Haridasa movement developed the

Hindustani style there by heralding a renaissance in the world of Indian classical music. Purandara Dasa, one of the foremost of Haridasas' is known as the "Father of carnatic music" (Karnataka Sangeeta Pitamaha) for his invaluable contributions to this art form.[28][29][30] He was a prolific composer. Historians propose the number of his compositions in the Kannada language were as many as 75,000 - 475,000, though only few hundreds are available today.[28][31] He composed several Kirtane which later served as the foundation for the Kriti form, elaborated and perfected by the Trinity of Carnatic music. He codified and consolidated the teaching of Carnatic music by evolving several graded steps such as sarali, jantai, thattu varisai, alankara and geetham, and laid down a framework for imparting formal training in the art form.[32] The structure and lessons he formulated four centuries ago remain the foundation for all students of Carnatic music. Apart from Purandara Dasa, several later Haridasas' composed songs adhering to the same musical and philosophical traditions. Their compositions usually fell in one of the following categories: Padagalu (or Devaranama- devotional hymns), Kriti, Ugabhoga, Suladi, Vruttanama, Dandaka, Tripadi (three line poetry), Pattadi, Sangathya[33] and Ragale (lyrical verses in blank verse). These forms of composition are still prevalent in South India and especially in Karnataka
.

Though these compositions usually adhere to the carnatic style of music, some of these compositions have also been sung in the

Hindustani style by musicians such as Bhimsen Joshi and Gangubai Hangal
.

See also

Notes

  1. ISBN 978-8120815759
    .
  2. ^ a b Sharma (1961), p. 514
  3. ^ a b c d e Kamath (2001), p. 155
  4. ^ a b Madhusudana Rao CR. "History of Haridasas". Dvaita Home Page. Retrieved 30 May 2007.
  5. ^ Krishna Rao M.V. Dr. in Arthikaje. "Haridasa Movement-Part1". History of Karnataka. outKarnataka.com. Archived from the original on 12 December 2006. Retrieved 2 June 2007.
  6. ^ Kamath (2001), p. 156
  7. ^ According to some accounts, Kanaka Dasa came from a family of hunters (beda) and from other accounts, from a family of Shepherds (kuruba) (Sastri 1955, p. 365)
  8. ^ Sastri (1955), p. 381
  9. ^ Arthikaje. "The Haridasa Movement". History of Karnataka. ourKarnataka.com. Archived from the original on 12 December 2006. Retrieved 31 May 2007.
  10. ^ Kamath (2001), p178
  11. ^ Pujar, Narahari S.; Shrisha Rao; H.P. Raghunandan. "Sri Vyasa Tirtha". Dvaita Home Page. Retrieved 31 December 2006.
  12. ^ Krishnadevaraya was highly devoted to Vyasatirtha (Kamath 2001), p178)
  13. ^ Vyasatirtha was highly honoured by King Krishnadevaraya (Nilakanta Sastri 1955, p324)
  14. ^ Kamat, Jyotsna. "Dasa Sahitya or Slave Literature". History of Kannada literature. Kamat's Potpourri. Retrieved 31 May 2007.
  15. ^ Pujar, Rao and Budihal. "Sri Jaya Tirtha". Online Webpage of Haridasa (dvaita.org). Retrieved 31 May 2007.
  16. ^ a b Mahushudhana Rao C R. "Sri Narahari Tirtha". Online Webpage of Haridasa (dvaita.org). Retrieved 31 May 2007.
  17. ^ Sastri (1955), p364
  18. ^ "Yathi (Dasas) Lineage". Haridasa Webpage Online (dvaita.org). Retrieved 18 March 2013.
  19. ^ Kamat, Jyotsna Dr. "Dasa Sahitya or Slave Literature". History of Kannada Literature. Kamat's Potpourri. Retrieved 2 June 2007.
  20. ^ Arthikaje. "The Haridasa Movement". History of Karnataka. ourKarnataka.com. Archived from the original on 16 April 2007. Retrieved 31 May 2007.
  21. ^ Rao, Madhusudana C.R. "History of the Haridasas". www.dvaita.org. Retrieved 2 June 2007.
  22. ^ Their poems were in ragale metre (Sastri 1955, p365)
  23. ^ a b Sharma (1961), p515
  24. ^ Kamat, Jytosna Dr. "Kanakadasa - Poet among Saints". Kamats Potpourri-Path of devotion. Retrieved 2 June 2007.
  25. ^ Madhusudana Rao CR. "Haridasa Lineage". Dvaita Home Page (www.dviata.org). Retrieved 1 June 2007.
  26. ^ Madhusudana Rao CR. "Yathidasa Lineage". Dvaita Home Page (www.dviata.org). Retrieved 1 June 2007.
  27. ^ Mahushudhana Rao C R. "Ankitha". Online Webpage of Haridasa (dvaita.org). Retrieved 31 May 2007.
  28. ^ a b Owing to his contributions to carnatic music, Purandaradasa is known as Karnataka Sangita Pitamaha Dr. Jytosna Kamat. "Purandara Dasa". Kamats Potpourri. Retrieved 31 December 2006.
  29. ^ Madhusudana Rao CR. "Sri Purandara Dasaru". Dvaita Home Page. Retrieved 31 December 2006.
  30. ^ S. Sowmya, K. N. Shashikiran. "History of Music". Srishti's Carnatica Private Limited. Retrieved 31 December 2006.
  31. ^ Madhusudana Rao CR. "Sri Purandara Dasaru". Dvaita Home Page (www.dviata.org). Retrieved 31 December 2006.
  32. ^ Iyer (2006), p93
  33. ^ Sangatya composition is meant to be sung to the accompaniment of a musical instrument (Sastri 1955, p359)

References

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Haridasa&oldid=1177496410"