Akka Mahadevi

Rating: 4.33
Rating: 4.33

Akka Mahadevi Poems

Look at
love's marvellous
ways:
...

Like a silkworm weaving
her house with love
from her marrow,
and dying
...

Don't despise me as
She who has no one
I'm not one to be afraid,
Whatever you do.
...

Sunlight made visible
the whole length of a sky,
movement of wind
...

People,
male and female,
blush when a cloth covering their shame
comes loose
...

You're like milk
In water: I cannot tell
What comes before,
What after;
...

Would a circling surface vulture
know such depths of sky
as the moon would know?
...

O Lord, listen to me if you will, listen not
if you will not: I cannot rest contented
unless I sing of you.
...

I have fallen in love, O mother with the
Beautiful One, who knows no death,
knows no decay and has no form
...

Oh! Lord your Maya does not give me up even
When I have given it up. In spite of my
resistance it clings to me and follows me.
...

I have Maya for mother-in-law,
the world for father-in-law;
three brothers-in-law, like tigers;
and the husband’s thoughts
...

I have seen Him in His divine form,
Him with the matted locks,
Him with the jewelled crown,
Him with the gleaming teeth
...

I do not say it is the Linga,
I do not say it is oneness with the Linga,
I do not say it is union,
I do not say it is harmony
...

Akka Mahadevi Biography

Akka Mahadevi (ಅಕ್ಕ ಮಹಾದೇವಿ) or Mahadevi or Mahadeviyakkha, a brilliant medieval Kannada poet, rebel and mystic, was a prominent figure of the Veerashaiva Bhakti movement of the 12th century Karnataka. Her Vachanas in Kannada, a form of didactic poetry are considered her greatest contribution to Kannada Bhakti literature. It is said that she was the first woman to write Vachanas in Kannada literature. In all she wrote about 430 Vachanas which is relatively fewer than that compared to some other saints of her time. Yet the term 'Akka' (elder Sister) which is an honorific given to her by great Veerashaiva saints like Basavanna, Chenna Basavanna, Kinnari Bommayya, Siddharama, Allamaprabhu and Dasimayya speaks volumes of her contribution to the movement that was underway. She is in hindsight seen as a great and inspirational woman for Kannada literature and the history of Karnataka. She is said to have accepted the god Shiva ('Chenna Mallikarjuna') as her husband, traditionally understood as the 'madhura bhava' or 'madhurya' form of devotion (similar to how centuries later Meera, a 16th century saint, considered herself married to Krishna). Early life Born in Udutadi (or Udugani) near the ancient city of Banavasi (in Shikaripura taluk Shimoga district). Shelived in the 12th Century in the south of India. She worked for the welfare of women. Biography From an early age she was initiated into the worship of Shiva. She considered this initiation to be the most important moment of her life and she became a devoted worshipper of Shiva. The form of Shiva she worshipped was known as Chennamallikarjuna., which translates as " The Beautiful Lord, white as jasmine." Much of Mahadeviyakkha’s poetry refers to her vivid descriptions of her beautiful Lord. And indeed she always signed her poems O Lord White as Jasmine. Legend says that the local Jain King of the area desired Mahadeviyakkha for she was a woman of un-surpassing beauty. Her family naturally agreed, and perhaps were a little fearful of incurring the King’s displeasure should Mahadeviyakkha be uncooperative. The wedding is said to have taken place (although some scholars dispute this) however Mahadeviyakkha was unwilling to reciprocate the desire of the King. Mahadeviyakkha was immersed in devotion to her Lord and she could not accept a life of servitude to an atheistic King. Her family were highly critical of her “unorthodox” behaviour and this led Mahadevia to renounce her worldly life. Mahadevi left her marriage and place of birth to live the life of a wandering mendicant. Mahadevi is said to have worn only long tresses. She felt clothes were a needless adornment for one seeking the Lord. Mahadeviyakkha is said to have then travelled to the region of Kalyana. Kalyana was a refuge for genuine Shiva bhakti, it stood out from the normal religious and social customs of the time. One of the leading saints Basavanna is said to be one of the first socialists because he spoke out against the inequities of the caste system. But primarily Basavanna and Allama were uniting those dedicated to Shiva worship However even the leaders of this community Basavanna and Allama had some trouble accepting Mahadevi, they were somewhat disturbed by her naked appearance. However Allama was eventually impressed by both her humility and genuine spirituality and Mahadevi was accepted into the community. Much of her poetry relates to the dialogues Mahadevi had with Allama as she was seeking to prove her spiritual intent. Her advice was to wholeheartedly yearn for the Divine without any inhibition. Mahadevi felt that outer rituals were mostly unimportant, what was important was the inner consecration the inner worship "The arrow that is shot should penetrate so deeply that even the feathers do not show. Hug the body of the Lord so tightly that the bones must be crushed to crumble. Weld to the divine until the very welding disappears. " - Mahadevi Despite her years of great tapas Mahadevi still had not had the ultimate experience of merging into the infinite – into her Chennamallikarjuna. It is said that towards the end of her life she retreated to the cave where her last desire was fulfilled. Merging into the infinite she quietly left the earthly stage, leaving behind a legacy of illumining poetry. "In her intense devotion to Lord Shiva and single minded quest of Him she spurned the riches and comforts of a palace, cut asunder domestic bonds, and set out as a wandering devotee meeting with and overcoming many hardships on her journey to this final goal. In addition, she had the gift of imaginative expression. A few of the outpourings of her experience are preserved for posterity in the shape of Vachanas "sayings" in rhythmic Kanada prose.. Her vachanas are characterized by intense feeling and deep insight." -T.N. Sreekantaiya Ma on Akka Mahadevi The life of Mahadeviyakkha to some extent mirrors that of Mirabai. Both female saints had to renounce the comforts and expectations of a family life. Both suffered censure and displeasure from parts of society who didn't appreciate their devotion to spirituality. However despite the difficulties both faced, the intensity of their divine intoxication is startlingly revealed in their poetry. "Akka's poems are moving, haunting, unforgettable. For women, her work embodies a radical legitimacy as she struggles in her poetry to go beyond much of Virasaiva poetry to include the struggles of her body, struggles against the pettiness of roles she is forced into as a woman, struggles against a man who is also a prince and a Jain, and against the social expectations that restrain her.")

The Best Poem Of Akka Mahadevi

Love's Marvellous Ways

Look at
love's marvellous
ways:

if you shoot an arrow
plant it
till no feather shows;
if you hug
a body, bones
must crunch and crumble;
weld,
the welding must vanish.

Love is then
our lord's love

Akka Mahadevi Comments

Roshni 26 November 2018

I want about akka mahadevi in kannada

5 1 Reply
Pragathi 25 June 2018

Wanted to learn

0 2 Reply
Sylvia Frances Chan 01 May 2021

Very Impressing Poet Of The Day! Congratulations! Oh, Poetess Of The Day!

1 0 Reply
Khushi 18 June 2020

I wanted the names of her works

0 0 Reply
Nisha 17 August 2019

I want her full life history

2 2 Reply
kush dhawgj rgag 10 January 2019

i am looking for her poems in hindi but i am not find them so i say to you that provide in hindi

2 1 Reply
Prabir Gayen 14 December 2018

Divine poetess of ancient time....like very much

0 3 Reply

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