The Supreme Court has said that Jagadguru Maate Mahadevi could not use “Lingadeva” in her edited version Basava Vachana Deepti, a collection based on the vachanas (discourses) of Lord Basavanna, the 12th century social reformer.
A bench of Justices C K Thakkar and Markandeya Katju dismissed on Monday the petition of Mahadevi which had sought the direction to quash the notification of the Karnataka government banning the book, edited and published by her in 1995.
The Karnataka High Court in an order in 1998 had also upheld the decision of the state government which said Mahadevi’s move to change Basavanna’s penname “Kudala Sangamadeva” to “Lingadeva” in 1310 verses (vachanas) in “Vanchanas of Basavanna” was neither justifiable nor logical.
The apex court also did not believe the claim of Mahadevi that she had a divine order in her dream from Lord Basavanna, her guru, to replace Kudala Sangamadeva with Lingadeva. Mahadevi in her petition claimed that “She once got a divine ordinance in her dream from Lord Basavanna to change the mudrika 'Kudala Sangamadeva' that is existing in different versions of Basaveswara vachanas.''
Opposition
Opposing the move of Mahadevi, Karnataka government Counsel Sanjay Hegde submitted during the argument that the sanctity of the discourses written by the revolutionary saint Basavanna would be lost if the original version was changed with some other words.
No vachana composer, except Mahadevi had ever tried to change the penname in the original
Vachanas of Basavanna. Mahadevi also accepted it in the foreword of her book that no one had the right to tamper with the composer's penname and firmly opined that such an act was neither possible nor appropriate, the government submitted seeking dismissal of the petition filed in October 2003.