Srinivasa Nayaka (1484 – 1564) was a merchant dealing with gold and precious stones residing in Tirthahalli, Karnataka. Though wealthy, he was a miserly person. Charity was something unknown to him.
One day an old brahmana came to his shop asking for some monetary help. Nayaka sent him away asking him to come the next day. He came the next day, but again he was asked to “come tomorrow”. Nayaka thought that the old man will stop coming after a few days but he persisted — every day the old man was there in front of the shop! After months of postponement, one fine day Nayaka threw an old coin at the poor man and asked him to go away. The poor man refused the unusable coin and went away.
The brahmana went to Nayaka’s house and approached his wife, Saraswati Bai. He told her how he had every day sought help from her husband but in vain – an old coin was all that he got in response. He asked her for help, but she pleaded her helplessness, saying that she had nothing with her to give him. All money transactions and accounts were exclusively with Nayaka. The old man said that she could give to him the diamond nose-ring which she was wearing. After all that was a gift to her from her maternal house, and Nayaka had no claim or hold over it. She thought for a second, removed her nose-ring and gave it to the old man. He happily accepted it, blessed her and walked away.
With the nose-ring in his hand and a smile on his face, the brahmana returned to Nayaka’s shop. Nayaka was furious to see him come back again. The old man said that he had not come to beg but had come to do business with him. He showed the the nose-ring and asked Nayaka to fix up its value and give him the equivalent money. A shocked and surprised Nayaka took the nose-ring in his hand and examined it in detail. He immediately knew that it was his wife’s nose-ring. He questioned the old man as to who gave it to him. He answered that a pious generous lady gave it to him. Nayaka told him to come the next day for money, sent him away, carefully put the nose-ring inside a trunk and locked it. He then closed his shop and hurried back home.
On reaching his house, he loudly called out to Saraswati. Seeing her in the courtyard he looked at her face. Sure enough the nose-ring was missing! He asked for it. The poor lady was trembling within and not knowing what to do, said that it was inside. He asked her to bring the nose-ring immediately. She went in, and knowing her husband’s anger, she decided to end her life. She picked up a cup of poison and was about to consume it, when she heard a metallic sound inside the cup. Inside the cup she saw her nose-ring which she had given away in charity! Overwhelmed at the Lord’s grace, she ran outside and handed it to her husband. Nayaka could not believe his eyes. The nose-ring he had locked up in his shop was here in his wife’s hand. Crazily, he ran back to the shop and opened his trunk. The nose-ring was not there! He ran back again home and asked his wife to tell him all that had happened. She told him everything.
Srinivasa Nayaka’s eyes opened! The old brahmana was none other than Lord Sri Hari who had come to “wake” him up from the dream of sheer materialism and put him on the spiritual path. Srinivasa Nayaka was a totally changed person now. He gave away everything in charity, and went in search of a Guru. He came to Sri Vyasa Tirtha who accepted him as his disciple, gave him the name PURANDARADASA and introduced him to the Haridasa Sampradaya.
Sri Purandaradasa travelled extensively and composed songs on all the deities with the signature “Purandara Vittala”. The most difficult and profound philosophical truths were simplified and presented in the form of simple songs, and hence his compositions are known as “Purandara Upanishad”. His simple devaranama-s or kirtans make use of almost every simple day-to-day activity to convey a profound message at the individual as well as community level. Purandaradasa’s compositions are a beautiful blend of raga and laya, sahitya and bhava. The songs on Lord Krishna showcasing the Navarasa-s and the Nava-vidha bhakti are mesmerizing! Dasaru danced to Krishna’s divine music and Sri Krishna danced to Dasaru’s devotional outpourings! Purandaradasa formulated basic lessons for teaching Carnatic music by structuring graded exercises (swaravalis, jantiswaras, alankaras, geetas etc) which are followed even today. He used the Mayamalavagowla Raga for this. Purandaradasa is known as KARNATAKA SANGEETA PITAMAHA — the Grandsire of Carnatic Music.
Purandaradasa is one of the rarest and unique disciples who was glorified by his own Guru, Sri Vyasa Tirtha in one of his compositions: “Dasarendare Purandara dasarayya ….”[He, Purandaradasa alone is the true DASA, the great devotee, who through his Geeta (naada) and Narthana (nritya) worships Sri Vasudeva Krishna]!
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