Chamarasa (c. 1425) was a 15th century
Virashaiva poet in the
Kannada
Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...
language, during the reign of
Vijayanagar Empire
The Vijayanagara Empire, also known as the Karnata Kingdom, was a late medieval Hindu empire that ruled much of southern India. It was established in 1336 by the brothers Harihara I and Bukka Raya I of the Sangama dynasty, belonging to ...
, a powerful empire in
Southern India
South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...
during 14th - 16th centuries. A contemporary and competitor to a noted
Brahmin
Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...
Kannada poet
Kumara Vyasa, Chamarasa was patronised by King
Deva Raya II
Deva Raya II (reigned 10 February 1423 – 24 May 1446) was an emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire. He is considered by many as the greatest of the Sangama dynasty rulers, he was an able administrator, warrior, and scholar. He authored well-k ...
. The work is in 25 chapters (''gatis'') comprising 1111 six-line verses (''arupadi'').
[Dalal (2011), p309]
Magnum Opus
His magnum opus, "Prabhulinga Leele", written in 1430 AD, described
Allama Prabhu as an early apostle of
Veerashaivism and an incarnation of the god
Shiva
Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...
. Chamarasa and other noted Kannada writers such as Lakkanna Dandesa and Jakkanarya flourished under the patronage of King Deva Raya II.
[Narasimhacharya (1988), p. 69][Rice E.P. (1921), pp. 68, 70] Chamarasa was a champion of the Veerashaiva faith and was a rival of
Kumara Vyasa in the king's court. His ''Prabhulinga Lile'', written in the native ''Bhamini Shatpadi'' metrical composition form (six line verse or hexa-metre) was a eulogy of 12th-century saint Allama Prabhu. So popular was the writing with the King that he had it translated into Telugu and Tamil languages, and later into the Sanskrit and Marathi languages as well.
[Datta (Sahitya Akademi, 1987), p. 617] In the story, the saint is considered an incarnation of the Hindu god
Ganapathi while
Parvati
Parvati (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, pɑɾʋət̪iː/), also known as Uma (, , IPA: Sanskrit phonology, /ʊmɑː/) and Gauri (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, gə͡ʊɾiː/), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the Devi, ...
took the form of a princess of Banavasi.
[Sastri (1955), p. 363] While Kumara Vyasa's epic is war-torn (''Kumara Vyasa Bharata'', his version of the Hindu epic Mahabharata), Chamarasa writing was full of
Yoga
Yoga (UK: , US: ; 'yoga' ; ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals, as pra ...
and ''vairagya'' (renunciation).
[Puranik in Lal (Sahitya Akademi 1992), p. 4003] The book includes details of the journey undertaken by Allama Prabhu en route to
Basavakalyana, his interaction with notable Veerashaiva mystics including Basavanna, Akka Mahadevi, Gorakhnatha, Muktayakka and Siddharama. Interesting details include how Allama avoided the temptation of Mayadevi who tried to seduce him, and how Animisha became his guru. While these personalities are all real, it is possible they also represent human qualities narrated in a "parallel allegorical story".
Competition between the two powerful faiths, Veerashaivism and
Vaishnavism
Vaishnavism () ), also called Vishnuism, is one of the major Hindu denominations, Hindu traditions, that considers Vishnu as the sole Para Brahman, supreme being leading all other Hindu deities, that is, ''Mahavishnu''. It is one of the majo ...
was intense during this period. This is evident by a remark made by the poet in the writing. Chamarasa claims that his story is "not about ordinary dead mortals", implying that the Vaishnava epics (the
Ramayana
The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...
and the
Mahabharata
The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; , , ) is one of the two major Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India revered as Smriti texts in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the events and aftermath of the Kuru ...
) were about mere mortals.
Notes
References
* K.A. Nilakanta Sastry, History of South India, From Prehistoric times to fall of Vijayanagar, 1955, OUP, New Delhi (Reprinted 2002)
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External links
Who is Akka - Dr. R.G. Mathapat
Kannada poets
Poets from Karnataka
15th-century Indian poets
People from the Vijayanagara Empire
Lingayat poets
Vijayanagara poets
{{India-poet-stub