‘Krishna nee begane baro...’ Few devotional songs evoke a sense of warmth and tenderness quite like this timeless Dasara pada by Vyasaraya. Set in Yamuna Kalyani, this devaranama is often presented in the latter half of music concerts. It is also a favourite among Bharatanatyam dancers. For dancers, the song opens up an entire world of creative possibilities, taking them through Krishna’s playful childhood to the moment when he reveals the universe within his little mouth to his astonished mother Yashoda.Krishna appears in different forms and moods in the devaranamas of the Haridasas. He is the mischievous child who steals butter, the charming Gopala of Brindavan, the divine protector and the supreme being to whom the devotees turn to with love and complete surrender.The Haridasa movement enriched Kannada devotional literature with a vast and enduring body of compositions known as devaranamas. The followers of Madhvacharya propogated their beliefs through songs that made profound spiritual concepts accessible to people. Vishnu and his various manifestations, such as Krishna, Keshava, Rama and Venkateshwara were the central focus of these keerthanas, though there were also songs dedicated to other deities.Sripadaraja is often regarded as the father of the Haridasa tradition. He helped shape the movement by expressing complex philosophical ideas in simple Kannada. His disciple Vyasaraya gave further impetus to it, while Purandaradasa and Kanakadasa carried its message to a wider audience through their compositions. Together, Vadiraja, Sriadaraja and Vyasaraya are known as the Yati Trayaru, the three saint-scholars of this tradition.