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.