Tamburi Meetidava
Singing, keeping tala and playing the tamburi become images of devotion and liberation.
This compact Kannada song makes music-making itself the image of a spiritual journey: plucking the tamburi, keeping time and singing Hari’s praise lead toward a vision of Vitthala.
| Music | Detail |
|---|---|
| Composer | Purandara Dasa |
| Raga | Sindhubhairavi |
| Tala | Adi (also sung in Tisra-jati Eka) |
| Type | Devaranama |
| Language | Kannada |
Lyrics
Pallavi
tambūri mīṭidava bhavābdhi dāṭidava
tāḷava taṭṭidava suraroḷu sēridava
Charanam 1
gejjeya kaṭṭidava khaḷaredeya meṭṭidava
gāyana pāḍidava harimūrtiya nōḍidava
Charanam 2
viṭhalana nōḍidava
purandara viṭṭhalana nōḍidavā
vaikuṇṭhake ōḍidavā
Meaning
The person who plays the tamburi is pictured crossing the ocean of worldly existence; the one who keeps tala joins the divine company. Anklets, song and a vision of Hari continue the movement. The final lines reach Vitthala and Vaikuntha. These are devotional images, not a claim that musical technique alone guarantees liberation.
What to notice
Each short action finds an answering outcome. The recurring endings give the poem momentum, carrying it from the musician’s gestures to the destination named in its final line.