Spiritual-Note

One of the most remarkable saints of the period of Purandara was Kanaka Dasa of Kaginele. He was a great disciple of Vyasarja, though a shepherd by birth and great critic of caste hierarchy. Kanaka was born to Biregowda and Beechamma, at Bada and hew as a Shaiva (followers & devotees of Lord Shiva) in the beginning, and later on became a close follower of Vaishnavism (followers & devotees of Lord Vishnu), and a devotee of Tirupati Venkateshwara whom he visited often, in spite of the hazardous nature of the journey up the hills. By reason of his devotion to Venkatesha and contacts with the archakas’ (priests) of the temple, there is a belief that Kanaka was a Vaishnavaite of the Ramanuja School.

Kanaka Dasa spent youth and his later years most in the company with Sri Vyasaraja, who spoke in admiration of him as he did of Purandara. Kanaka was of the warrior community, perhaps his defeat in the field of battle, directed him to the path of devotion. He was already an author of Narasimha stora, Ramadhyana Mantra, Mohanatarangini before he became a follower of Sri Vyasaraja and followed most of the tenets of Madhva religion.

He never became a Madhva though he accepted the Taratamya Tattva in the hierarchy of God like Brahma, Vayu, Girisha and others. Perhaps, he was already very much influenced by Sri Vyasaraja and his tenets before he gave to the world Nala Charitre and Haribhati Sara. He was essentially, a Madhva mystic seeing the manifestation of Keshava in the meanest creation as well as in the highest, coloured by all the attributes of God and partaking of divine powers. There is a popular story that Kanaka being rejected entrance at the temple at Udipi, went round the Prakaram and burst in tears of song, appealing to the Lord to give darshan when the idol turned round, made a slit in the wall where Kanaka sat and give darshan to him. He composed hymns in moments of exaltation and when he sang them, he felt himself enveloped with melody and ecstatic lyric poetry.

Links:

• A web page containing good information Kanaka on Dvaita.org
• A web page containing good information Kanaka on Kamat.com

In the 19th and early 20th century India was undergoing an enormous change in its educational system and its political and religious beliefs. The entire social structure was shaken and the age-old values were getting lost in Modern Times. This state of affairs of instability in every walk of life brought about renaissance in political thinking, education, abolition of Caste System and more importantly in spiritual thinking. In India, this period of approximately hundred and fifty years saw luminous Spiritual Masters, Gurus and Saints of different religions working silently in and through the masses for spiritual uplifting and realization of the ‘Ultimate Truth’. Shri Gondavalekar Maharaj was one of such galaxy of saints who did specific work for spiritual uplifting through an ancient but re-defined Sadhana (spiritual practice) of Namasmaran (Chanting of Holy Name).

Link: MSN Group

Dasganu was originally in police service and it was during this time that Nana Chandorkar took him to see Sai Baba. From the very first, Baba tried to get Das Ganu to quit the service, but he always found an excuse. It was only after a series of disasters had befallen him that he vowed to give it up.

Baba rarely allowed him into the mosque but rather sent him to the Vittal Temple where he stayed and wrote about the lives of saints and composed kirtans (devotional songs) which he sang with great feeling.

His writings include the biography of the great saint Shree Gajanan Maharaj of Shegao named as “Gajanan Vijay”.

After he finally gave up his work, Baba advised him to settle in Nanded, which he did, and he became well known for beauty of his kirtans which inspired many to seek Baba’s darshan

Link: Web Page1, Web Page2

In the thirteenth century of the Christian era, the knowledge of the Sanskrit language was getting scarce in Maharashtra, A very minor percentage of the society knew the Sanskrit language and followed the religious and other books written in that language. The majority of the people of the society were therefore denied the key to religious books or to knowledge. At such a stage in the history of Maharashtra, there arose a very bright star on the horizon of knowledge, who pledged himself to writing in the language of the people, the Marathi Language. This star was none else but the Saint Dnyaneshwar who was bold enough to go against the tradi­tions of his times of writing in the Sanskrit language and to use Marathi as the vehicle of his preaching. Dnyaneshwar was so very sure about the power of the Marathi language that he writes in Dnyaneshwari that, his highly appreciative readers will surely say that Marathi Language is even sweeter than nectar.

Link: Web Page1, Web Page2