Poet: Basavanna

Translator: A K Ramanujan

Source: Speaking of Siva, Penguin Classics

Performed by M. D. Pallavi and Bruce Lee Mani

For Bhakti Republic with Amit Basole

Radio Azim Premji University, 2023

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I don’t know anything like time-beats and metre

nor the arithmetic of strings and drums;

I don’t know the count of iamb and dactyl.

KuDalsangamadeva, as nothing will hurt you

I’ll sing as I love.

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Basava, also known as Basaveshwara and Basavanna, played a pivotal role in Vachana Sahitya during the Kalyani Chalukya and Kalachuri dynasties in 12th century Karnataka. Despite his Brahmin caste background, he vehemently opposed gender and social discrimination, superstitions, and rituals. Basava introduced the Ishtalinga necklace for all, promoting devotion to Shiva regardless of birth. As finance minister under King Bijjala II, he utilized the state treasury for social and religious reform. He established Anubhava Mantapa, a ‘parliament’ for individuals from diverse backgrounds to engage in spiritual and existential discussions, emphasizing his philosophy centered on valuing the living human experience over static structures like temples. Basava's sharana philosophy emphasizes the body as a temple (Kayakave Kailasa) and as an instrument for honoring the divine.

Poet: Sule Sankavva

Translator: Susan Daniel

Source: Women Writing in India, edited by Susie Tharu and K. Lalitha, Oxford University Press

Performed by M. D. Pallavi and Bruce Lee Mani

For Bhakti Republic with Amit Basole

Radio Azim Premji University, 2023

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In my harlot’s trade

Having taken one man’s money

I daren’t accept a second man’s, sir.

And if I do,

They’ll stand me naked and

kill me, sir.

And if I cohabit

with the polluted,

My hands nose ears

they’ll cut off

with a red hot knife, sir.

Ah, never, no.

Knowing you I will not.

My word on it,

O Nirlajjeshwara

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Sule Sankavva, a distinctive figure among the Kannada vachanakaras, represents the sole recorded instance in this tradition of a sex worker who embraces the Bhakti path. She transcends her experiences in her profession, using them to convey transcendental mysticism through the lens of her worldly endeavors. Sule Sankara is recognized by her vachana signature in which she addresses Shiva as "Nirlajjesvara", the Lord Who Is Without Shame. Stressing the significance of loyalty to one's Kayaka (vocation) and vows, she places their importance on par with other moral principles. Emphasizing honesty as a crucial virtue, Sankavva advocates for the pursuit of one's Kayaka, irrespective of societal judgments, with an unwavering commitment driven by purity of heart and mind, free from fear and doubt.

Poet: Kalavve

Translator: H. S. Shivaprakash

Source: I Keep Vigil of Rudra, Penguin Classics

Performed by M. D. Pallavi and Bruce Lee Mani

For Bhakti Republic with Amit Basole

Radio Azim Premji University, 2023

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They say –

All those are high born

Who eat sheep, fowl and tiny fish,

They say –

All those are low born

Who eat the cow that rains on Shiva

Sacred milk sanctified five times.

What the Brahmins had eaten adorned the grass

And a dog licked it up and went away.

What the cobblers had eaten adorned the grass –

Now the Brahmin’s ornament

In other words

Bags are made of cow’s hide

For ghee and for water.

Senseless Brahmins who drink

Ghee and water from such leather bags

Thinking it sacred

They can’t escape utmost perdition.

The master of Urilingapeddi

Doesn’t approve of such men.

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Kalavve, among the earliest Dalit women poets in Kannada, firmly stood for the principles of Kayaka Siddhanta, emphasizing selfless work over selfishness and greed in her verses. Her poetic expression strongly condemned practices like animal sacrifice under the guise of pleasing the gods and spoke out against casteism. Vrata, or religious observance, held significant importance in her compositions. Although only 12 of her verses are extant, they encapsulate her staunch stance against societal injustices and her advocacy for selfless devotion through righteous actions.