Purandara Dasa is remembered as the Father of Carnatic Music, but his influence extends far beyond music. A philosopher, poet and social thinker, he used his keerthanas to speak about devotion, morality, human nature, inequality, family, ego and the search for freedom.

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Written in simple yet powerful Kannada, his compositions made music and philosophy accessible to ordinary people. More than five centuries later, they continue to be sung, studied and cherished across generations.

Together, we trace his remarkable transformation from the wealthy merchant Srinivasa Nayaka into one of India’s greatest saint-poets. We explore the role his wife played in this spiritual transformation, the famous nose-ring episode, and the ideas that led him away from material wealth towards a life of devotion.

The conversation also looks at how Purandara Dasa helped systematise Carnatic music, why he is revered as its Pitamaha, and how rhythm, melody and poetry came together so seamlessly in his compositions.

We also uncover the deeper meanings hidden in his lyrics, the role of music in the Bhakti movement, the origins of the term Carnatic music, and why his questions about life, faith and human behaviour remain relevant even today.

ಭಕ್ತಿ ಭಾವದೊಂದಿಗೆ ಬದುಕಿನ ಎಲ್ಲ ಸ್ತರಗಳನ್ನು ದಾಟಿ, ಮುಕ್ತಿಯ ದಾರಿ ತೋರಿಸಿದ ದಾರ್ಶನಿಕ ಪುರಂದರ ದಾಸ. ತಮ್ಮ ಅದ್ಬುತವಾದ ಕೀರ್ತನೆಗಳ ರಚನೆಯಿಂದ, ಸಂಗೀತದ ಸಂವೇದನೆಯನ್ನು ನೀಡಿದ ಸಂಗೀತ ಮಾಂತ್ರಿಕ.

 ಕನ್ನಡ ಸಾಹಿತ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿ ವಿಶಿಷ್ಟವಾದ ಮತ್ತು ಸರಳವಾದ ಭಾಷೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಕೃತಿ ರಚಿಸಿ ಹಾಡಿದ ಹಾಡುಗಾರ. ಲೌಕಿಕ ಬದುಕನ್ನು ನಿರಾಕರಿಸಿ ಅಲೌಕಿಕತೆಯ ಜಾಡು ಹಿಡಿದು ಹೊರಟ ಆಧ್ಯಾತ್ಮಿಕ ಮಾರ್ಗದರ್ಶಿ ಈ ಪುರಂದರ ದಾಸ.ಪುರಂದರ ದಾಸರ ಬದುಕು, ಕಾವ್ಯ ಸೃಷ್ಟಿ ಮತ್ತು ಅವರ ದರ್ಶನ ಪ್ರಜ್ಞೆಯ ಜೊತೆಗೆ ಸಂಗೀತಕ್ಕೆ ಅವರು ನೀಡಿದ ಅಪಾರವಾದ ಕೊಡುಗೆಯನ್ನು ಈ ಸಂಚಿಕೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಗಮನಿಸಬಹುದು.

Credits

Akshay Ramuhalli, Ajmal Muhhammad A, Bruce Lee Mani, Chand Pasha Gorveck Thokchom, Hindu, Kishor Mandal, Kruthika Rao, Narayan Krishnaswamy, Prashant Vasudevan, Ram Seshadri, Ritika Soun, Sananda Dasgupta, Sanoob Puliyanchali, Shilpi, Tanvi Avlur Venkat, Varsha Ramachandra, Vishnupriya, Seema Seth, & Velu Shankar

Special thanks to Manasi Prasad for being part of the episode.