Mullu Koneya mele.. A Purandara Dasa HaaDu
I was listening to this intense grooving, Arabic and Sufi like free style music by Vasu Dixit and team.
Mullu Koneya Mele.. Muuru Kereya Katti
Starting from a tiny little thorn, Purandara Dasa spins the world of metaphors ranging from lakes, architects, bulls, gold, city, potters, pots and all the way to moksha.
Mullu Koneya Mele.. Muuru Kereya Katti
On a thorn were built 3 reservoirs.
Life is compared to the passage of 3 potent reservoirs. The lake of youth and old age are quite helpless. Middle age gives a bleak chance to carve out Gold. And one is gifted with three mighty bulls. But again, trapped with engagements and commitments, only one bull remains for milking the purpose of upliftment.
And one is trapped in the unseen karmas and the city of gunas. One has limited Vivekam Vairagyam and hardly any Bhakti.. Like leaky pots with holes, and a pot with no bottom.
In this manner, Purandara Dasa goes on painting a fishplate like circuit with trifold outcomes.. At every point, there are two crippled outputs and one dysfunctional output.
What a parody of odds. What a tight roped walk.. The delicate unseen strings that drive our actions, and the possible results.
Oh Vittala!! Strike me.. touch me with your unseen rod.. Liberate me.. Grant me moksha..
Understanding the deep philosophy at each of these junctions was too much to unpack and process. Just a light imagination. English translation below from the website.
Mullu Koneya Mele.. Muuru Kereya Katti
Three lakes were built on the tip of a thorn. Two cannot be filled, and Alas, one lake is not filled.
At the lake that is not filled, came three stone-cutters. Two of them crippled and one does not have legs.
The Legless worker is given three buffalos. Two buffalos barren, and third one did not have calf.
Three piles of Gold were given to the buffalo without a calf. Two were utilized and third one was never utilized.
For the wealth, which is not utilized, came three observers. Two of them blind, third one did not have eyes.
Three towns are given to the eyeless observer. Two were deserted and third did not have any inhabitants.
Three potters came to the town without inhabitants. Two were with crippled arms and third one did not have arm.
The Potter without hands made three pots. Two had holes and third one did not have bottom.
Three rice grains were put in this bottomless pot. Two pots were unable to be cooked and the third one was uncooked.
Three relatives came to eat this uncooked grain. Two don’t eat and third one was not hungry.
This hungerless relative was hit with three rods. Two can’t touch and third one doesn’t touch.
By making the untouching rod touch us, Oh Purandara Vitthala! please grant us moksha.
References
Vasu Dixit https://youtu.be/0vvBXdHfOvU?si=b2fXnzl67NlCntc4
http://haridasarapadagalu.blogspot.com/2010/04/mullu-koneya-mele-muuru-kereya-katti.html?m=1
Talk by Vidwaan Kallapur Pavamanachar https://youtu.be/XM2Ae1eWE8c?si=RJOs3Oq5T9ezq8LG
