Lyrical voices of dissent & wisdom

A book of vacanas, where the Preface is also in vacana form, seems promising from the get-go. The author says, “To make society casteless/creating equal space for all,/to give manual labour/a higher status with love,/this nectar of sayings is needed indeed.” Divided into six sections, Vacanamrtam introduces readers to the writings of Basaveswara/Basavanna, Allamaprabhudeva, Chenna Basavanna, Siddha-Rameswara, and women sharanas. The term ‘vacanas’ means something said or something uttered. (We are more familiar with the alternate spelling, ‘vachana’, but we are sticking to the author’s preferred spellings in this article.) These free-verse compositions have been written by the ŚSharanas of the Lingayat movement.

What makes this 12th-century Kannada poetic tradition timeless is what it is — a powerful voice of dissent. Its eschewing of strict poetic rules for informal, conversational language is one of the ways in which it does this.

The verses are devoted to Lord Shiva, but go beyond the bounds of religion. Not just religion, but dogmatism, social structures, and materialism. Instead, they made a case for spiritual and personal liberation, and of a direct and heartfelt communion with the divine. The conversational style made these verses accessible to people, and removed literature from the stranglehold of caste. Some of the most renowned names in the vacanas tradition feature in this book, a collection of 320 carefully chosen pieces from the 11th and 12th centuries. (There are over 20,000 vacanas in Kannada, including those that came post-12th century.)

In his Foreword to the book, retired IAS officer Dr Chiranjiv Singh writes that “Lingayat Darshan and Vacanas are Karnataka’s greatest contribution to Indian thought and literature.” He places Professor Nadkarni’s translation in the literary world, adding that it is notable because “he has rendered Vacanas into Sanskrit and English and given their transliteration in Roman script,” creating what is essentially a “trilingual edition.”

Basavanna says, “The wealthy build temples for ŚShiva./What can I, a poor man, do?/Take my body itself as your temple,/with my legs as pillars,/my head as the golden pinnacle at the top./ Hear me, Oh Kudala Sangama Deva!/What is moving may perish,/ But the moving will not.” Professor Nadkarni mentions that Kudala Sangama Deva is not just the way the poet addresses his god, but also the poet’s signature, a way of distinguishing his work from the others.

This vacana is a revolutionary assertion that the body is a sacred temple, and that one needs no riches or grand temples to experience divinity. Faith is a personal experience. How apt a thought in today’s world of ostentation!

Akka Mahadevi, one of the few women poets in medieval India, was a spiritual seeker in every sense of the word. She asks, “When there is fragrance in the breath/what for is a flower? / When there is peace of mind,/what for is Samadhi? When all people are mine, / What for is privacy? When you are with me, / I am complete, Oh, Cenna Mallikarjuna!”

(I wish more women poets had been included in the book.)

As a reader delving into the work centuries later, I had to wonder about how beautifully they fit in with the milieu of the time and how they emphasise on the very same things we, as modern folk, wonder about — ethical living, equality, and the true independence of a spiritual mind. The vacanas are a strong statement against discrimination — caste, religion, and economic. They serve as strong literary and philosophical tools too.

Exuberant expressions of resistance, their simple truth-telling carries an ocean of meaning and purpose. It reminds us that the truth we seek is not in places of worship or institutions of eminence. It is within us. I came away from the book with a deep and abiding respect for Professor Mangesh Venkatesh Nadkarni. His passionate engagement with the texts is visible in the attention to detail with each verse. The Kannada original is accompanied by Sanskrit and English translations. No small feat, you’ll agree.

World in Verse is a monthly column on the best of new (and old) poetry. The writer is a poet, teacher, voice actor and speaker. She has published two collections of poetry. Send your thoughts to her at [e-mail]