The song of protection

Vijaya Dasa (1682-1755) was one of the foremost Haridasas and it was he who was responsible for the second coming of the Haridasas.

The Haridasa tradition had gone into a terminal decline following the defeat of the Vijayanagar forces at the hands of the Muslim states pf Deccan, This was in 1565 and the Mulsim states had destroyed Vijayanagar and burnt it down.

The Haridasas had fled Vijayanagar and the Haridasa tradition that was given a new meaning by Purandara Dasa had virtually come to a standstill.

It was Vijaya Dasa who pioneered the second revival and he write many kritis on Raghavendra Swamy. He had several disciples, including Gopala Dasa.

Vijaya Dasa sent Gopala Dasa (1722-1762) to Udupi and asked him to have a darshana of Udupi Sri Krishna. Gopala Dasa obeyed his master and made preparation to travel to Udupi.

In those days, the route from Adoni (where both Vijaya Dasa and Gopala Dasa were staying) to Udupi was full of dacoits and robbers. This region was the centre of pitched battles between the Peshwas who were at war with the Nizam of Hyderabad and the Mughals.

The death of Aurangzeb in 1707 had led to the decline of the Mughal power. The Nayakas and smaller states in the Deccan were trying to assert their independence. The Vijayanagar Empire had collapsed and so had the mighty Adil Shahis of Bijapur and the Nizam Shahis of Golconda.

Even as Gopala Dasa made his preparations to visit Udupi, Vijaya Dasa decided to protect him from dacoits and evil forces by composing a small but powerful Ugabhoga. He taught Gopala Dasa this Ugabhoga and asked him to keep on chanting it throughout the journey.

Vilaya Dasa told Gopala Dasa that no harm would come to him if he continued chanting the Ugabhoga through his journey. Vijaya Dasa warned Gopaa Dasa to be careful about a dacoit gang which was led by a Vaishnava called Bheema in Mandegadde near Udupi.

Vijaya Dasa said the modus operandi of Bheema or Mandegadde Bheema was to invite pilgrims to have food at his place and take some rest.He would then obtain details of the pilgrims and pass it on to a dacoit gang of which he was the leader.

When the pilgrims left Mande Gadde, the dacoits would waylay them and rob them of their belongings. Vijaya Dasa said only the Ugabhoga could save Gopala Dasa from the clutches of the dacoit.

 Gopala Dasa then took upadesha and collected Mantrakshathe from the Vijaya Dasa and left for Udupi with several others.  

Gopala Dasa managed to fend off dacoits or thieves en route to Udupi by reciting the Ugabhoga. The Ugabhoga also transformed Bheema into a pious man.

Gopala Dasa then came to Udupi where he had the darshana of Sri Krishna, which has been consecrated by Madhwacharya more than five centuries ago.

On seeing the beautiful idol of  Sri Krishna, Gopala Dasa sang the Ugabhoga composed for his safety by Vijaya Dasa. Legend says as soon as Gopala Dasa finished singing the Ugabhoga, Krishna gave him darshana.

The Ugabhoga goes as follows:

            

“Ondu kaiyalli khadga ondu kaiyalli halage

Andavaagi pididukondu diwaaraatriyalli

Ondu badiyalli nitya baaraasanaagi

Hindu mundupadravaagadante

Indireramana kaayuttalire enagaava

Bandhanagalilla dhanya dhanya

Kandarpanayya siri vijayavithalareya

Endendigaapattu baraleesanO”

This Ugabhoga is supposed to be a powerful mantra and it protects people from evil and diseases. You can repeat it as many times as you want and it has a curative effect.