In the footsteps of the teacher – Sripadaraya & Vyasaraya

by May 3, 2016 Environment

A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops. Henry Adams

Sripadaraya (1422-1480) is believed to have laid the foundation of the Haridasa movement in Karnataka. He was a teacher of the Madhavacharya school of philosophy. He was the advisor to one of the kings of the Vijayayanagara empire, Saluva Narasimha. Sripadaraya expressed his lofty thoughts through his songs and poems using colloquial Kannada which resonated with the common man. In a harikatha performance of Haridasa compositions today, the invocation usually begins with a tribute to this saint. He used rangavittala as his nom de plume in his devarnamas. Here is a beautiful ugabhoga of Sripadaraya presented by M.S.Sheela: Smarisi Bhajisiro Sripadaraya

Sripadaraya was the guru of Vyasaraya who spear-headed the Haridasa movement. While Sripadaraya is believed to be an incarnation of Dhruva, his disciple Vyasaraja is believed to be an incarnation of Prahlada. Vyasaraya was the advisor to the royal king Krishnadevaraya of Vijayanagara. There are many stories that describe how this saint helped the king in times of distress. One of Vyasaraya’s most famous composition is Krishna Nee Begane in raga Yamun Kalyani where the saint entreats the Lord to come to him soon. Here is a rendition of the song by Bombay Jayashri.

Sections:

About Chitra Srikrishna

Chitra Srikrishna is a Carnatic vocalist and writer living in Bengaluru & Columbus. Chitra blogs for Sruti, runs the podcast Raga Ruminations and produces RaagTime, a radio show on Indian music. Her albums include devotional poetry of Tamil Alwars & Dasa kritis, & thematic compositions on Rama and Hanuman. She's the musical half of a multimedia performance duo HumRaag. Her program BHAKTHI explores the journey of the mystics of India. Her latest Antah Prerna -A Musical Telling of an Entrepreneur's Journey debuted at Bangalore International Centre in 2018.
Read more by Chitra Srikrishna

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Similar Story

Pallikaranai Marsh’s Zone of Influence: Threat or shield for South Chennai?

by October 29, 2026 Environment
Pallikaranai Marsh acts as a buffer against Chennai floods. Protecting homes and ecology around it needs a proper ZoI, not weak rules.

Every monsoon, South Chennai goes underwater. The only sponge that soaks up all that rain is the Pallikaranai Marsh, yet around it, 8,619 hectares of land face severe flood risks. Despite this, the State has offered to protect only a fraction of that land.  On October 9th, the Tamil Nadu State Wetlands Authority (TNSWA) told the Madras High Court  that the marsh's interim Zone of Influence (ZoI) is just 36 survey numbers, covering 128.19 hectares. The next hearing of the case is on November 11th.  Scattered "protection"  These plots lie in bits and pieces across seven villages, from Pallikaranai to Perumbakkam.…

Continue reading

Similar Story

Blocked Kovalam-Nemmeli wetland channels risk disaster for South Chennai; Conservationists urge action  

by October 21, 2026 Environment
Barriers built for the Mamallan Reservoir block Buckingham Canal water flow, vital to keep the wetland alive, avoid floods and sustain fishing families.

In Chengalpattu district, the main water channels of the Kovalam-Nemmeli coastal wetland, which drains a catchment of more than 270 square kilometres, have currently been blocked. Barriers that obstruct water flow have been built across Chennai's Buckingham Canal at three places: Thiruvidanthai-Vadanemmeli, near the Nemmeli-Thiruporur bridge, and Saluvankuppam. Earlier, we explored how the Mamallan Reservoir causes serious damage to the wetland’s ecology and how fishing livelihoods are affected. Field investigations by the Wetland Conservation Network have recorded the blockages preventing tidal exchange in the Buckingham Canal.           According to officials, these barriers were put up to enable construction of the Mamallan…

Continue reading