- Author : Smt. Radhika K. Upadhyaya
- Translator : Kum Dhanashri Kanmadikar
The supremacy of the Lord has been extolled since eternity by the Vedas. The subtle meaning of the Vedas are deciphered by Vyasa sahitya. The complete essence of the eternal Vedas that are of divine origin and not a creation of human beings, is captured by the haridaasa sahitya. The literary works of the haridaasaru that revolved around the profundity of Tattvavada were amalgamated with rhythm and music and awoke the common man to the eternal realities. The order of all deities which is known as ‘Devata Taratamya‘ was clearly explained through the compositions of haridaasaru. These compositions got people to rejoice in them irrespective of caste and creed. They are compositions that enabled people to unify the intellect, mind and senses, and worship the Lord. They emphasized upon bhakti as a means to reach the Lord. They also outlined the Vedic rules and prohibitions, the righteous and unrighteous in a simple manner. These compositions have facilitated saints, scholars and common people to engage in learning.
The haridaasa literature is quite complex and at the same time, simple too. The supremacy of Sri Hari has been enunciated by haridaasaru in various tunes, literary genres and regional languages. These are compositions that would engross the best of musicians. The haridaasas enunciated the mysticism of the other worlds to the people through their songs accompanied by rhythmic footsteps that produced a tinkle from the anklets adorning their feet. Although these compositions promulgate dvaita philosophy in the regional language, one comes across hundreds of variations. On one end of the spectrum, there are compositions wherein prominence is accorded to the raaga and on the other, there are compositions called ‘sulaadi’ that outline the attributes of the Lord with prominence accorded to the taala.
Mundigegalu are yet another distinctive variation. These compositions comprise of figurative words and numbers and are in metaphorical style. This style was used by Lord Vedavyasa in the Mahabharata. It is a style that expounds the essence of the Vedas. At the face of it, though the words covey a totally different meaning, when they are churned, what emerges are unique gems of Vaishnava ideology. Although they are in praakrta kannada language, they are extremely difficult to decode. Understanding these mundigegalu are likened to the game of ““Kaṇṇā muccē kāḍē gūḍē” played by children. With our predecessors rejoicing in decoding these cryptic mundigegalu like child’s play, it goes on to reveal their erudition. By the order of His Holiness who is the redeemer of our true nature, I shall in my capacity attempt to decrypt the mundigegalu and hope that my small effort pleases the indweller of His Holiness – Naadabrahmavittala.
