Monday, 11 March 2019

SRI HARIKATHAMRUTASARA / ಶ್ರಿ ಹರಿಕಥಾಮೃತಸಾರ INTRODUCTION – LEAF 1

OM SRI NARAYANAYA NAMAHA| SRI KARIGIRI LAKSHMINRUSIHMAYA NAMAHA| SRI VAYUVE NAMAHA
Sri Harikathamrutasara is an exemplary, outstanding and most revered composition by the fourth and last of the most distinguished foursome of Dasas, Sri Jagannatha Dasaru (1727-1809). The other three Dasas are Sri Purandara Dasaru, Sri Vijaya Dasaru and Sri Gopala Dasaru and it was the good fortune of Sri Jagannatha Dasaru that he had the blessings of all the three predecessors. He was born in a small hamlet called Byagavatta in the present Manvi taluk in Raichur district. Narasihma, who was also a Dasa, was his father and Lakshmi was his mother’s name. Sri Jagannatha Dasaru belonged to Haritsa Gotra, Yajurveda. As he was born after his parents offered prayers to Lord Srinivasa for several years, he was named as Srinivasa by the parents. He was an extempore poet. He acquired in-depth knowledge of Shastra at a young age and came to be addressed as Srinivasacharya. Sri Balaramacharya, who was conferred the name of Sri Varadedra Tirtha after getting ordained into sainthood and joined the lineage of seers of Sri Raghavendra Swamiji and was the third of the three sons of Sri Venugopalacharyaru, who was the younger brother of Sri Vadeendraru and great grandson of Sri Raghavendra Swamiji, was the tutor of Sri Srinivasacharya. His tutelage was at Mantralaya. Srinivasacharya was a beloved of Sri Satyabodha Tirtharu of Sri Uttaradi Mutt.
He earned great and rich accolades at a very young age due to his scholarship. He was conferred several great titles. Yet, perhaps due to the remnants of sins in previous births, he earned the wrath of Sri Vijayadasaru, a highly distinguished and most scholarly person of those days and even to this date, and got cursed by him to imbibe a very very bad stomach pain and was predicted to be having a very short life. It was at that time that Srinivasacharya repented a lot for what he had committed and devoutly worshipped Lord Vayu. He also surrendered to Sri Vijayadasaru and apologised to him. As directed by Sri Vijayadasaru, he met Sri Gopaladasaru, who was a disciple of Sri Vijayadasaru, and sought a solution for his stomach pain. Sri Gopaladasaru was so kind and gracious that he not only cured the stomach pain but also donated, through his mystic powers, about half of his own life span to Sri Srinivasacharya. As a result, Sri Srinivasa could live his full term on earth. All these developments drove Sri Srinivasacharya to embrace Dasa cult. As directed by Sri Gopaladasaru, Srinivasacharya went to Pandarapura. When he was having a holy dip in Chandrabhaga or the present Bheema River, he secured the pen name Jagannatha Vithala, under which he began his composition. He is today one of the most revered and remembered Dasa called Sri Jagannatha Dasaru. The rest of his life was entirely dedicated to spread of Hari sarvOttamatva, discourses, lectures and deliberations on philosophy, composition of very rich and everlasting poetry. He breathed his last in 1809 at his native place Mavi on Bhadrapada Shukla Navami. This is a brief history of Sri Jagannatha Dasaru, whose contribution to Dasa literature is beyond our vocabulary or dictum to describe. Sri Harikathamrutasara is his magnum opus.
A little insight into his works to the best of our knowledge is believed to pay some tribute to a Himalayan devotee of Sri Hari, before embarking on our tryst with Sri Harikathamrutasara with the grace of Lord Hari and Lord Vayu.
PLEASE READ, COMMENT AND SHARE. THE STANZAS WILL BE GIVEN IN KANNADA SCRIPT ALSO. SDN

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