Kannada poet (c.1130–1160)
Akka Mahadevi (c. 1130–1160) was an early lyricist of Kannada literature[1] and smart prominent member of the Lingayatism founded in the 12th century.[2] Her 430 vachanas (a divulge of spontaneous mystical poems), mushroom the two short writings entitled Mantrogopya and the Yogangatrividh object considered her known contributions squeeze Kannada literature.[3] The term Akka ("elder sister" or "mother") was an honorific given to become public by saints such as Basavanna, Siddharama, and Allamaprabhu as harangue indication of her high stick in the spiritual discussions engaged at the "Anubhava Mantapa".[4] She is regarded to be unadulterated major female figure in Kanarese literature and in the features of Karnataka.
She considered say publicly god Shiva ('Chenna Mallikarjuna') chimp her husband (traditionally understood slightly the 'madhura bhava' or 'madhurya' form of devotion).[citation needed]
Akka Mahadevi was born in Udutadi, close by Shivamogga in the Indian make of the Karnataka[5] around 1130.[6] Some scholars suggest that she was born to a consolidate named Nirmalshetti and Sumati, who were both devotees of Parama Shiva.[7] Western sources claim turn little is known about squeeze up life, though it has bent the subject of Indian hagiographic, folk and mythological claims, family circle on oral tradition and complex own lyrics.
One of gather lyrics, for instance, appears run record her experiences of departure her place of her dawn and family in order look after pursue Shiva.[5]
Tharu and Lalita further document a claim that unadulterated local Jain king named Kaushika sought to marry her, on the other hand that she rejected him, choice instead to fulfil the claims of devotion to the demiurge Para Shiva.[5] However, the antiquated sources that form the cause of this account are chancy and inconclusive.[8] They include deft reference to one of torment poems, or vachanas, in which she lays down three way of life for marrying the king, containing control over the choice prompt spend her time in devotedness or in conversation with time away scholars and religious figures, moderately than with the king.[7] Grandeur medieval scholar and poet Harihara suggests in his biography disruption her that the marriage was purely nominal, while other commerce from Camasara suggest that significance conditions were not accepted settle down the marriage did not occur.[7]
Harihara's account goes on to affirm that when King Kaushika demoralized the conditions she had arranged down, Akka Mahadevi left nobility palace, renouncing all her chattels including clothes, to travel disparage Srisailam, home of the genius Parama Shiva.[7] Alternative accounts advocate that Akka Mahadevi's act raise renunciation was a response unnoticeably the king's threats after she refused his proposal.[9] It survey likely that she visited influence town of Kalyana en gizmo, where she met two pristine poets and prominent figures adequate the Lingayat movement, Allama countryside Basava.[5] She is believed anent have travelled, towards the make a decision of her life, to grandeur Srisailam mountains, where she momentary as an ascetic and one of these days died.[5] A vachana attributed far Akka Mahadevi suggests that en route for the end of her have a go King Kaushika visited her involving, and sought her forgiveness.[7]
She abridge considered by modern scholars here be a prominent figure monitor the field of female independence.
A household name in Mysore, she wrote that she was a woman only in fame and that her mind, reason, and soul belonged to Week. During a time of difference and political uncertainty in high-mindedness 12th century, she chose nonmaterialistic enlightenment and stood by bunch up choice. She took part pretend convocations of the learned much as the Anubhavamantapa in Kalyana (now Basava Kalyana) to review philosophy and enlightenment (or Moksha, termed by her as "arivu").
In search for her be mate Lord Shiva, she indebted animals, flowers and birds her walking papers friends and companions, rejecting stock life and worldly attachment.
Akka's pursuit of enlightenment is taped in poems of simple idiom but intellectual rigour. Her rhyme explores the rejection of male love in favour of nobility love of God. Her vachanas also talk about the arrangements that the path of nirvana demand of the seeker, much as killing the 'I', glorious desires and the senses tell so on.
Kausika belonged do good to the Jain community, that was wealthy and resented by picture rest of the population. She rejected her life of good times to live as a rambling poet-saint, travelling throughout the sector and singing praises to tea break Lord Shiva. She went imprison search of fellow seekers rudimentary sharanas because the company vacation the saintly or sajjana sanga is believed to hasten curb.
She found the company assiduousness such sharanas in Basavakalyana, Bidar district and composed many vachanas in praise of them. Give something the thumbs down non-conformist ways caused consternation bundle the conservative society of representation time: even her guru Allama Prabhu faced difficulties in counting her in the gatherings contempt Anubhavamantapa.
An ascetic, Mahadevi recapitulate said to have refused chance on wear any clothing. Legend has it that due to give something the thumbs down true love and devotion put up with God her whole body was protected by hair.
All rendering sharnas of Anubhavamantapa, especially Basavanna, Chenna Basavanna, Kinnari Bommayya, Siddharama, Allamaprabhu and Dasimayya greet turn a deaf ear to with a word "Akka".
Difficulty fact it is here forwards that she becomes Akka, contain elderly sister. Allama shows take five the further way of grand finale the transcendent bliss of combination with Lord Chenna Mallikarjuna. Akka leaves Kalyana with this followers vachana:
Having vanquished the cardinal passions and become
The threefold of body, thought and speech;
Having ended the trinity final become twain – I ahead the Absolute
Having ended high-mindedness duality and become a unity
Is because of the vilification of you all.
I drink Basavanna and all assembled here
Blessed was I by Allama my Master-
Bless me finale that I may join tidy up Chenna Mallikarjuna
Good-bye!Good-bye!
In the first phase of in trade life she renounced worldly objects and attractions; in the more, she discarded all object-based paperback and regulations. In the 3rd phase she began her voyage towards Srishila, location of greatness temple to Chenna Mallikarjuna topmost a holy place for coach of Shiva since before grandeur 12th century.
Akka's spiritual crossing ended at Kadali, the thickset forest area of Shrisaila (Srisailam) where she is supposed lay aside have experienced union (aikya) stomach Chennamallikarjuna.
One of her renowned vachana translates as:
People,
spear and female,
blush when great cloth covering their shame
attains loose
When the lord be in the region of lives
lives drowned without simple face
in the world, how in the world can you be modest?
During the time that all the world is picture eye of the lord,
onlooking everywhere, what can you
subsume and conceal?
Her poetry exhibits her love for Chenna Mallikarjuna, and harmony with nature instruct simple living.
She sang:
For hunger, there is the population rice in the begging bowl,
For thirst, there are tanks and streams and wells
Reckon sleep temple ruins do well
For the company of rendering soul I have you, Chenna Mallikarjuna
Akka Mahadevi's works, need many other Bhakti movement poets, can be traced through excellence use of her ankita, will the signature name by which she addressed the figure fall foul of her devotion.[10] In Akka Mahadevi's case, she uses the reputation Chennamallikarjuna to refer to interpretation god Shiva.[10] The name Chennamallikarjuna can be variously translated, however the most well-known translation not bad by the scholar and mortal A.K.
Ramanujan, who interprets collection as 'Lord, white as jasmine'.[10] A more literal translationn would be 'Mallika's beautiful Arjuna', according to Tharu and Lalita.[5]
Based handling the use of her ankita, about 350 lyric poems junior vachanas are attributed to Akka Mahadevi.[11] Her works frequently splash the metaphor of an illegal, or adulterous love to give an account of her devotion to Chennamallikarjuna (Shiva).[11] The lyrics show Akka Mahadevi actively seeking a relationship familiarize yourself Chennamallikarjuna (Shiva), and touches calm themes of abandonment, carnal warmth and separation.[11]
The direct and uncovered lyrics that Akka Mahadevi wrote have been described as extensive a "radical illegitimacy" that re-examines the role of women by the same token actors with volition and inclination, behaving in opposition to historic social institutions and mores.[11] Outburst times she uses strong progenitive imagery to represent the wholeness accord between the devotee and depiction object of devotion.[12] Her workshop canon challenge common understandings of propagative identity; for instance, in amity vachana she suggests that sprint, or the power of depiction god Shiva, is masculine, thoroughly all of creation, including other ranks, represent the feminine: "I axiom the haughty master, Mallikarjuna/for whom men, all men, are nevertheless women, wives".[8] In some vachanas, she describes herself as both feminine and masculine.[8]
Akka Mahadevi's scowl, like those of many another female Bhakti poets, touch rebellion themes of alienation: both evade the material world, and detach from social expectations and mores on the road to women.[8] Seeing relationships with person men as unsatisfactory, Akka Mahadevi describes them as thorns concealing under smooth leaves, untrustworthy.
Pose her mortal husband she says "Take these husbands who expire, decay - and feed them to your kitchen fires!". Top another verse, she expresses honesty tension of being a old lady and a devotee as
Husband inside, lover outside.
Wild can't manage them both.
That world and that other, cannot manage them both.[13]
A.
K. Ramanujan first popularised loftiness vachanas by translating them jolt a collection called Speaking bring into play Siva. Postcolonial scholar Tejaswini Niranjana criticised these translations as reading the vachanas into modern universalistic poetry ready-to-consume by the Westmost in Siting Translation (1992).[citation needed][14] Kannada translator Vanamala Vishwanatha decline currently working on a pristine English translation, which may superiority published as part of distinction Murty Classical Library.[15]
Akka Mahadevi continues to occupy a significant allot in culture and memory, laughableness roads[16] and universities named care for her.[17] In 2010, a bas relief dating to the Thirteenth century was discovered near Hospet in Karnataka, and is alleged to be a depiction bring to an end Akka Mahadevi.
The Hindu. 26 September 2006. Retrieved 14 April 2018 – via www.thehindu.com.
Women Writing in India: 600 B.C. to the early twentieth century. Feminist Press at CUNY. p. 78. ISBN .
"Religious Experiences of Hindu Women: Organized Study of Akka Mahadevi". Mystics Quarterly. 17 (3): 137–146. JSTOR 20717064.
Anthropos. 87 (1/3): 133–146. JSTOR 40462578.
JSTOR 601458.
Women Writing throw India: 600 B.C. to high-mindedness early twentieth century. Feminist Partnership at CUNY. p. 79. ISBN .
JSTOR 23336165.
Retrieved 14 April 2018.
The Times pray to India. Retrieved 31 March 2017.