Vachana (Kannada): A Collection of Shivasharanas' Vachanas

DETAILS : 

• Author : Shivasharanas, Dr M M Kalburgi
  
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Basava Samithi
  
• Publication date ‏ : ‎ 1 January 2012
  
• Language ‏ : ‎ Kannada
  
• Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 850 pages
  
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9381457069
  
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-9381457061
  
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1100 g

ABOUT THE BOOK

About the Book

Vachana (Kannada): A Collection of Shivasharanas' Vachanas is a monumental scriptural and literary anthology compiled and critically edited by the legendary, late epigraphist and scholar Dr. M. M. Kalburgi. Published as a comprehensive reference volume, this text brings together the historic Vachanas—rhythmic, socio-religious prose-poems composed in the Kannada language during the 11th and 12th century Sharana movement in Karnataka.

The primary objective of the book is to preserve and present the unadulterated essence of the Veerashaiva Bhakti movement, which was led by the revolutionary philosopher Basaveshwara (Basavanna) alongside hundreds of other mystics, saints, and working-class philosophers known collectively as the Shivasharanas. Dr. Kalburgi meticulously combed through palm-leaf manuscripts and classical temple archives to aggregate these verses, arranging them with advanced critical apparatus. The text explores the radical egalitarian philosophy of the Sharanas, who rejected the rigid Vedic caste hierarchy, institutionalized priesthood, temple ritualism, and gender discrimination, advocating instead for a direct, internalized relationship with Shiva, often referred to through the concept of Ishtalinga.

A defining structural aspect of the volume is its deep stylistic fidelity. Every Vachana is preserved with its unique authorial signature line, known as the Ankita Nama, which acts as a literary watermark identifying the specific saint, such as Basavanna's devotion to Kudalasangamadeva, Allama Prabhu's mystical addresses to Guheswara, or Akka Mahadevi’s poetic surrender to Chennamallikarjuna. The compilation serves as a masterful linguistic record of medieval Kannada prose, detailing how early saints transformed the vernacular language of ordinary laborers into a powerful vehicle for complex Kashmiri Shaivism, Veera Shaivism, and transcendental mysticism.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The Shivasharanas (11th–12th Century CE) were a diverse collective of non-conformist spiritual seekers, social reformers, and working-class poets from various occupational backgrounds, including weavers, shoemakers, tailors, and royalty. Operating out of the Anubhava Mantapa (the Pavilion of Experience) in Kalyana, they pioneered an early form of democratic, free-speech spiritual assembly, writing down their intense realizations in short, epigrammatic verses designed to be understood by the common masses.

Dr. Malleshappa Madivalappa Kalburgi (1938–2015), universally known as Dr. M. M. Kalburgi, was a towering academic titan, researcher, and former Vice-Chancellor of Kannada University in Hampi. A recipient of the prestigious National Sahitya Akademi Award, he was one of India's foremost authorities on epigraphy, classical Kannada literature, and specialized Vachana Sahitya. His life's work was defined by an uncompromising, scientific commitment to historical truth, frequently translating and decoding old texts with a level of critical objectivity that sometimes drew fierce opposition from orthodox groups. His tragic assassination in 2015 sent shockwaves through the global literary community, leaving behind a permanent legacy of fearless intellectual rigor and linguistic preservation.