Kanaka Daasa Part 2
Kanaka’s wisdom
Vyaasa Tirtha derived immense pleasure in displaying Kanaka Daasa’s devotion and the depth of his relationship with God to the orthodox people around, who were most concerned about the propriety of a “kuruba” gaining the pontiff’s favour.
Once, in the presence of Vadirja Tirtha, Vyaasa Tirtha in a room full of disciples, sparked off a debate on who is eligible for Moksha or salvation. Everybody had an opinion. Vyaasa Tirtha said, “Let’s ask Kanaka”, which ruffled everybody’s feathers.
Vyaasa Tirtha pointed to each one of the persons assembled there and asked Kanaka, “Will he go to Vaikunta?” Kanaka said “No” to every single person pointed at. Then Vyaasa Tirtha pointed at Vaadiraja Tirtha. Kanaka said “No”. Vyaasa Tirtha pointed at himself. Kanaka said, “No”.
Finally Vyaasa Tirtha asked Kanaka, “Will you go?” to which Kanaka said, “Naanu hodare hodenu!” (literally, “I will probably go!”). Everyone was aghast at Kanaka’s audacity.
Only the two pontiffs understood Kanaka’s pun. The identification with self is “naanu”. If a person rises above the identification with the gross self, he may go to Vaikunta. Profound insight in a nutshell!
Many of Kanaka’s compositions are similarly filled with riddles (ogatu) and covert messages. Kanaka was very vociferous in condemning discrimination based on caste.
Kanaka and his Kindi
Every visitor to the Krishna temple at Udupi is expected to first look at the idol through a small window/kindi on the western wall of the temple before entering the actual temple. In front of the window is a statue of Kanaka Daasa with an “ektaara” in his hand and a woollen blanket on his shoulder, as depicted in popular culture. The well-known story runs that Kanaka was denied entry into the temple and while Vaadiraja Tirtha was performing Pooja, the eastward looking idol miraculously did a 180o turn to face Kanaka who stood outside and the wall of the temple cracked open to enable Kanaka to see the deity.
This story has been denounced by Vidyavachaspathi Bannanje Govindachaarya. He says, at the very spot at which the statue of Kanaka stands today, there was a small hut in which Kanaka lived, while at Udupi. He would often not come into the temple, but would perform pooje from his hut. He would offer “roti” as naivedya to Krishna. Vaadiraja Tirtha, introduced roti as one of the official items of naivedya, an uncommon practice, as a mark of respect to Kanaka. And this practice is followed to date.
Back to the story of the idol… Govindachaarya states that consecrating an idol facing west, bore the stamp of Madhwaachaarya. Therefore, it has not turned around. A small earthquake at night caused cracks to develop on the western wall. The cracks were converted into a window, so that Kanaka could see the idol and its pooje from within his hut. To corroborate the story, Govindachaarya quotes one of Kanaka’s songs, in which he has sung, “Nadurathriyalli nadugidheyeke Taayi…?” (Why did you tremble in the middle of the night, O mother?)
God goes unrecognised
As was his wont, Vyaasa Tirtha wanted to showcase Kanaka’s greatness yet again. So he randomly asked, “Kanaka, can you show God to all of us?” Kanaka said, “Yes indeed. Tomorrow during the pooje.”
The next day, while people were eagerly awaiting a glimpse of God, Kanaka prayed to God to appear before them. Due to some cryptic answer that Kanaka gave when God asked him in what form he should reveal himself, God took the form of a dog and sauntered into the matha. People were upset at the sight of a dog in the matha and lost no time in beating it and shooing it away.
Kanaka cheekily sang, “Donku baalada nayakare, neevenoota (neevu yenu oota) maadidiri…”* O respected dog with a crooked tail, what did you eat? A pun again. In Kannada, getting beaten up is called “yetu tinnodu”, literally ‘eating’ blows. God asks Kanaka, “Since how many days have you been planning this?” Kanaka replies, “Ever since you got me beaten up in the battle field!”
*(this song is commonly attributed to Purandara Daasa and has his ankitha too, but the Late Belur Keshavadaasa, author of Karnataka BhakthaVijaya, has quoted this song in this context)
After the pooje, Vyaasa Tirtha asked Kanaka about God’s no-show. Kanaka told him about God’s appearance as a dog (in mailige form), getting beaten up and chased away by the brahmins. Vyaasa Tirtha chuckled and told Kanaka to get God to come in a “madi” form the next day.
The next day was worse for the brahmins. They ran helter-skelter at the sudden appearance of a snake. The snake made its way to Vyaasa Tirtha who lovingly offered it a bowl of milk. Kanaka Daasa is said to have addressed the snake and sung* “Eethaneega Vaasudevanu….”*
Realisation dawned upon the people a little late that the snake was God in a madi form. Vyaasa Tirtha thus established Kanaka Daasa’s spiritual supremacy and his right to receiving “tirtha” ahead of the madi brahmins.
*Madi and mailige refer to ritual purity and impurity respectively. The concepts of madi and mailige apply to food, clothes, animals, periods of time etc.
Cats are madi, but dogs are not! Hence it is a common sight to see cats roaming around in rayara mathas and other such places of worship.
True ‘madi’ is purity of mind. Vyaasa Tirtha, in his wisdom, held a mirror to society through this exercise.