vachana

Vachana sahitya is a form of rhythmic writing in Kannada (see also Kannada poetry) that evolved in the 11th century and flourished in the 12th century, as a part of the Sharana movement. The word "vachanas" literally means "(that which is) said". These are readily intelligible prose texts. These writings are notable for their simplicity and directness, often addressing social issues and personal devotion. They were composed in Kannada by saints of the Lingayat faith, most notably Basavanna, Akka Mahadevi, and Allama Prabhu. Vachanas critique rituals and caste discrimination, advocating a form of worship centered on Shiva, envisioned as a universal god.Ishawaran, K. (1992), Speaking of Basava: Lingayat Religion and Culture in South Asia, Westview Press, ISBN 978-0813383897

Vachanas and Sharana movement

More than 200 Vachana writers (''Vachanakaras'' also known as Sharanas) have been recorded and more than thirty of whom were women.Sastri (1955), p. 361Other well known Vachana writers were Chennabasava, Prabhudeva, Siddharama, Kondaguli Kesiraja etc. (Narasimhacharya 1988, p. 20) This movement was notable for its emphasis on personal spiritual experiences and social reform. The Vachanas are characterized by their straightforward language and direct expression of spiritual ideas, making complex philosophical concepts accessible to the common people. This was a significant departure from the Sanskrit-dominated literary scene of the time, which was largely inaccessible to the general populace.

Vachanas

Vachanas are brief paragraphs, and they end with one or the other local names under which Shiva is invoked or offered '' Pooja''. In style, they are epigrammatical, parallelistic and allusive. They dwell on the vanity of riches, the valuelessness of mere rites or book learning, the uncertainty of life and the spiritual privileges of Shiva Bhakta (worshiper of lord Shiva).Edward Rice, ''A History of Kannada Literature'', 1921, Asian Educational Services, (Reprinted 1982), p. 56 The Vachanas call men to give up the desire for worldly wealth and ease, to live lives of sobriety and detachment from the world and to turn to Siva for refuge.

Authors of a particular Vachana can be identified by the style of invocation of God (Basveshvara invokes "Kudala Sangama Deva", while Allama Prabhu invokes "Guheshwara", Akkamahadevi invokes "Channa Mallikarjuna", Siddhrama (Siddheshwar) of Solapur invokes "Kapilasidda Mallikarjuna") in the vachana. The existing readings of the vachanas are mostly set by the European understanding of the Indian traditions.

About 22,000 vachanas have been published. The government of Karnataka has published Samagra Vachana Samputa in 15 volumes. Karnataka University Dharwad has published collections of individual vachana poets.

Jedara Dasimaiah is called the 'Adya Vachanakara' (The First Vachanakara).

In spite of the large collection of Vachanas, there was no single place where all Vachanas could be obtained. The credit for restoring the Vachana literature goes to Vachana Pitamaha D. P.G Halakatti. He moved from door to door and collected and restored many Vachana literatures.

See also

* Kalachuris of Kalyani Kingdom
* Kannada literature
* Palkuriki Somanatha

Notes

References

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Further reading

* Lingayata Dharmada Modalaneya Pustaka Kannada, 1982, PM Giriraju.
* Jatigala Huttu Kannada, 1982, PM Giriraju.
*''Speaking of Siva'', by A. K. Ramanujan. Penguin. 1973. .
* Sadbhakta Charitra Kannada. PM Giriraju. https://openlibrary.org/works/OL11062327W/Girirājanu_sērisida_sadbhakta_cāritrya

Sources

Vachana Sahityha
(trans. AK Ramanujan)
Vachana Sahitya Web Site Published by Government of Karnataka

Vachana Sanchaya, Vachana Sahitya Digitization & Research Project

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vachana Sahitya
Indian poetics
Kannada literature
Lingayatism