Gopala Dasa (1721–1769) was a prominent 18th-century

Kannada language Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native ...

poet and saint belonging to the

Haridasa The Haridasa Bhakti Sahitya devotional movement (sampradaya) originated in Karnataka, India, after Madhvacharya, and spread to eastern states such as Bengal and Assam of medieval India. Over a span of nearly six centuries, several saints and ...

tradition. With other contemporary Haridasas such as

Vijaya Dasa Vijaya Dasa ( kn, ವಿಜಯದಾಸ) (c. 1682– c. 1755) was a prominent saint from the Haridasa tradition of Karnataka, India in the 18th century, and a scholar of the Dvaita philosophical tradition. Along with contemporary haridasa saint ...

and Jagannatha Dasa, Gopala Dasa propagated the Dvaita philosophy of

Madhvacharya Madhvacharya (; ; CE 1199-1278 or CE 1238–1317), sometimes anglicised as Madhva Acharya, and also known as Purna Prajna () and Ānanda Tīrtha, was an Indian philosopher, theologian and the chief proponent of the '' Dvaita'' (dualism) sch ...

South India South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territ ...

through '' Kirtans'' ("Songs of God") known as ''Dasara Padagalu'' with the pen-name (''ankita nama'' or ''mudra'') "Gopala Vittala".He is Ganesa Amsha. Gopala Dasa was named "Bhaganna" at birth. He was born in a Deshastha Madhva Brahmin family in Mosarakallu a village in

Raichur district Raichur District is an administrative district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is located in the northeast part of the state and is bounded by Yadgir district in the north, Bijapur and Bagalkot district in the northwest, Koppal district ...

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

state, India. After his initiation into the

Madhwa Madhvacharya (; ; CE 1199-1278 or CE 1238–1317), sometimes anglicised as Madhva Acharya, and also known as Purna Prajna () and Ānanda Tīrtha, was an Indian philosopher, theologian and the chief proponent of the ''Dvaita'' (dualism) schoo ...

order as Dasa, he became a disciple of

and is credited to being a prolific composer. He is known to have been an astrologer as well. Later Gopala Dasa inspired the well known woman saint Helavanakatte Giriyamma to compose melodious songs in praise of the Hindu god

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" withi ...

.Shivaprakash in Ayyappapanicker (1997), p.201 Legend has it that once

, a leading Haridasa of the 18th century, invited Jagannatha Dasa to attend a religious ceremony and dine with his devotees. Jagannatha Dasa, who was known for his scholarship in

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

, thought it unnecessary to mingle with the Kannada Haridasas and pretended to have severe stomach pain. Another account claims Jagannatha Dasa even excused himself by feigning sickness due to Tuberculosis. Soon Jaganatha Dasa actually began to suffer from acute stomach pain. Unable to find a suitable remedy, he went to Vijaya Dasa who advised him to approach Gopala Dasa. Jagannatha Dasa's problem was solved by Gopala Dasa. Realizing his mistake and wrong attitude toward the Haridasas, Jaganatha Dasa joined the Madhwa order and went on to become one of its foremost proponents.G. Varadaraja Rao (G.V.R) in Sahtya Akademi (1988), p.1764

Notes

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dasaru, Gopala 18th-century Indian philosophers Madhva religious leaders Dvaita Vedanta Carnatic musicians Haridasa Scholars from Karnataka Dvaitin philosophers People from Raichur district 1762 deaths 1722 births 18th-century Indian musicians Musicians from Karnataka