NoveMBER, 1873.]

307

KARNATAKA VAISHNAVA DASAs, ON THE KARNATAKA VAISHNAVA DASA.S. BY REV. F. KITTEL, MERKARA.

N connection with the interesting articles on the early Vaishnava Poets of Bengal that are appearing in the Indian Antiquary, it may not be out of place to offer a few remarks on the Karn at a ka Vaish nava D as a literature.* In doing so, I confine myself to a collection of 402 Dása padas (servant-songs) that appears to have been made chiefly by Dr. Moegling. A selection of 174 of them was printed at Manga làr twenty years ago, and reprinted at Bangalâr

20 to With a la D a sa, 13 to V & fi k at a

Dă sa, 9 to Vijay a D fi sa, 7 to Madh v a Dă sa, 5 to Ud up u's Krish n a Dă sa, 5 to Vaiku nth a D as a , etc.

The remain

ing signatures, however, are less precise; for instance, I cannot decide whether the Dāsa who

The Karnātaka Dása Padas are composed in the Raghatä or Raghală metre, a subdivision of the Mătră Chhandas, that is expressly stated to be used for poems that are to be sung. Each of the songs has a refrain (pallava or palla) which, in the manuscripts, is put at the head; the number of verses (stanzas) in the different songs varies much—some consisting ofonly two, others of more than fifty. Each song has also a more or less clear mudrikā or signature, as it

three times signs “Withala Rāya” is different from the Vithala mentioned above. Besides there are five songs, as the headings state, in Hindu sthānī, with the signature of Kapir Gul ă m.t The language of most of the Kanarese songs is simple and popular; some four or five Hin dusthāni words only have I met with. Many songs, however, are rather unpolished. Not a few are frequently sung or quoted by all sorts of people. Regarding the history of the Karnātaka Dàs a s I know only a little that is certain. The apparently general tradition is that Kan a k a Dăsa belonged to the tribe of the B & d as, a low class of Dravidians that live by the chase.

is called.

He is believed to have been born about 300

in 1871.

This is a final verse that contains

the name of the author combined with a homage, or an exhortation not to neglect the homage, due to his cherished deity, or rather idol. For

years ago.

instance, one Dás a 's name is Kan aka, and

the small grâma of B a da in the Köda Tāluk

a signature of his runs thus: “Hear ye all Kanaka's words ! Understand ye all, and repeat! If ye do not understand what has been said in pure Kanarese, Å di Keśava (a Krishna idol at a place called Kägi nèlé) him self doubtless knows (it).” If he does not put down his own name (frequently : Kanaka's Ádi

of the Dhāravāda (Dhārwād) Zilla.

Some say that his birthplace was

Kåg i n < (i.e. crow-ground) in the Chit tledurg division of Maisür, others that it was Both

traditions place his death at Kåg i n &l é, the second locating this village also in the Dhāra v a da Zilla. There is a B a da (or B a da P) not far from Bañkāpura; and one song that has the refrain: “What is good, O god? Thy

member (añga), O god, Lakshmi's Narasiiga

Keśava), he signs with “Kägi nèlé's Adi Ke.

of Bañkāpura !” and indicates Adi Keśava in

šava,” or " Ädi Keśava of Bada,” or simply

its mudrikā, points to that direction, as would

with “Adi Keśava” (or “Keśava”). In one mudriká he uses the expression “ Ädi Keśava of Chanda nélé.” Thus it is found that 160 songs of the col

also the not unfrequently occurring mudrikás “The Ådi Keśava of Bada,” if Bada and Bāda

lection belong to Puran dara D a sa, 98 to

meant the same. But Bada, i. e. North (scil. Tirupati or Vôňkata.) might mean Bada Věi kata, i. e. Tir up a ti of the north,f there being

V a rāh a D as a , 43 to K an a ka Dä sa,

another one to the south near Madhură ; or

• The first mention of a Hari D As a in a Liſigăita

B all fill as have been alluded to in Ind. Ant. vol. 1. pp. 40 seqq., p. 158, p. 360; and vol. II. p. 131. + This personage possibly is Kabir, the disciple of R film a na n dia, 1350 A.D.; see Ind. Ant. vol. II. p. 1SQ. The Kanarese write also “Withºpa” instead of “Withoba.” t This place of pilgrimage is in the Årk Å du (Arcot)

(Saiva) work, that I remember, occurs in the Kanarese Channa B is iva Purānt (of A.D. 1585), where it is stated that the Hari (or Vaishnava) D & sa, called Kāti N & yaka of Su g g a lú ru, became a Lifigãita, and then assumed the name of Mahi Li fig a

Pã."#;"

This

happened towards the end of the rule of the Ball Āla s. By the way, regarding the extent of the B all ill a domi nions, I remark that not far from the private sanitarium of Mangalâr gentlemen, on the Ghats, to the cast of that town, on the Ku du re mukh a (horse-face) mountain, there are the ruins of a Ball å a R Aja Durga. The

district. “Tiru” is the Sanskrit “Sri.” Tirupati (Sripa ti, Vishnu) means the idol and the place itself. See Ind.

Ant. vol. I. p. 192. A common name for the whole Karé Malé (black hill) range of ghats from Tirupati to Sri