BEDAGINA VACHANAGALU
Vachanas of the twelfth century are known for their transparency and simplicity.
They have demonstrated the capacity of the language to express complex ideas and
philosophical issues. However, many of them are construed in the form of riddles.
They are known as ‘Bedagina Vachanas’.(ಬೆಡಗಿನ ವಚನಗಳು) The term ‘Bedagu’ means
beauty, charm, cleverness and style which are more relevant in the context of folklore.
It also has connotations of mysteries and riddles and this connotation is important
for our present purpose. Many vachanas of
Allamaprabhu belong to this category. The reason for doing this resides
in the way the philosophical traditions of a particular kind were flourishing during
those times. Any system of beliefs that was in variance with the
dominant political power had to adopt secretive and subversive modes of expression.
This ruse was necessary for their survival. Even the propagation of these tenets
had to take place among the true believers and not those who would betray the cause.
These secretive practices tend to grow in to a pan Indian tradition and
Allama had come in contact with that tradition extensively. This tradition
persists even to this day in small burrows and groups. Many of the details have
acquired symbolic value and the knowledgeable grasp the symbolic significance and
they in turn explain it to the lay men. Some times the precepts are so deep that
they are beyond the grasp of the common man any way. However these
Vachanas have a peculiar literary beauty of their own and have an appeal
even to those who are not cognizant of the symbolic meaning.
The lingustic style used in these vachanas
is also referred to as ‘Sandhya Bhasha’.
‘Sandhya Bhasha’ does not
refer to any particular language but to a system of symbols that can be expressed
in any language. The student has to master the symbolic system even though he knows
the language before he can make an attempt to decipher these texts. Many texts relating
to Yoga and Mantra make use of these symbols exclusively. Some of these symbols
are provided here for the sake of illustration:
Elephant=Ego, Bird=Soul, Six= six
chakras of the psychic body, 5= five different senses etc. These meanings
are virtually fixed.
A typical ‘bedagina vachana’ constructs a word picture juxtaposing these symbols
with in an unexpected and puzzling manner. This makes the reader to come out of
his materialistic frame work and try to fathom the possible kernel of the
vachana. Some times a vachana is created
even with out these conventional symbols and the author creates an absurd situation
with the help ordinary images linked in a manner that defies logic. They do not
accept the notion of cause and effect and structured differently. There is intent
to express the mystical experiences that are beyond words in the limited medium
of language and probably this was one of the strategies adopted by these seers.
These vachanas were not
in the mainstream and they were never intended to be like that. In addition to Allama many other vachanakaras
such as Chennabasavanna, Molige
Marayya, Kola Shantayya,
Bibbi Bachaiah,
Arivina Maritande, Akka
Mahadevi and Remmavve have
composed vachanas of this kind. However with the passage
of time these were appropriated by the theologians who tried to give them interpretations
of their own. It was their intention to explain the meaning of these
vachanas to the lay men. Kallumathada
Prabhudevaru, Mahalingadevaru,
Somashekhara Shivayogi belong to
this tradition of commentators.
However for a secular and general reader of our times
these vachanas are fascinating because of their poetic
plurality and the specific imagery involved in their construction. A couple of ‘Bedagina Vachanas’ are given
here without any explicatory material.
One body and two teeth.
The snake is cut in to pieces,
But the body is moving around.
Guheshvara,
How can one have
Bhakti
In a state of which does not grasp this
Permanent reality?
At the hands of a village pariah
The weeping husband became
The wife’s humblest servant
The master became the bull
For the slave to ride on
The sheaf of hay mowed down
The hilt of the sword
O Mareshvara, the foe of
haste. Maaritande,
the clown
References:
1.
Bedagina vachana
parampare,
2. Bedagina
vachanagala paribhasha kosha, (Dande,
Jayashree)
3.Bedagina Vachanagalu: nele-hinnele,
G.S.Shivarudrappa, Samagra
Gadya, Samputa 1,
4. Allamaprabhu mattu
Shaivapratibhe D.R.Nagaraj,
1999, Akshara Prakashana,
Heggodu.