Raagi Thandheera is one of a large body of songs attributed to Purandara Daasa Vitthala, one of the key figures in the history of South Indian music. The name bestowed on him in adulthood (by his spiritual mentor) identifies him as the servant (daasa) of Purandara Vitthala, the incarnation of the god Vishnu who resides in Pandaripura. He wrote thousands of devotional songs, many of which address social and moral issues. He was also the first to systematize Carnatic music, and his teaching methods are still used today.
Raagi Thandheera—literally meaning “have you brought millet?—is essentially about the spiritual value of giving alms. The beautifully rhythmic and alliterative lyrics are in the Kannada language of the Karnataka region of southwest India. There’s a strong play on words in the song: ‘raagi’ means a kind of millet, but it is also a fragment of several words that bear the sense of ‘bringing’ and ‘becoming’. The last line is Purandara Daasa’s signature.