Mahadeviyakka’s Poetry and its Relations to the Kinship
Introduction
Kinship refers to the culturally defined relationships between those believed to have some ties, such as family ties. For instance, all societies use kinship to form social groups as well as classify people.
However, the hermeneutical purpose for this essay is to identify the priorities of classical female Hindu poet-saint via the analysis of her poetry and the comparative analysis related to her authoritative biography of her, which was composed subsequently by a court minister. A question might arise why her poetry survived, and this was because it was directly related to the identification of Karen Pechilis as a saint. What is the argument between the main components, which include the Feminist hermeneutics and the Articulation of Difference (Pechilis 2014 pp 101)? Therefore, Mahadeviyakka’s poetry’s argument seeks to define and also describe the nature of devotion concerning Siva. It is centrally divergently concerned with the ability of women to seek power or authority within the society.
Through this particular analysis, the author, Pechilis, states that both the ‘poet-saint’ and her main biographer are related or belong to feminism’s genealogy. We know the functions of feminists have had a lot of impact on society. For instance, they have created various movements focused on changing society towards the way they view women in kinship relations. This includes the women suffrage, more equitable pay. However, the theme of kinship is shown clearly in her work. She identifies that women have the right and power to make individual decisions concerning how they should be treated in society. Additionally, her inclusion of the kinship theme in poetry from remote history has challenged all the perceived dichotomy between women’s history of leadership and feminism.
Akka Mahadevi is a unique Hindu society character because she has played a significant role as a unique representative of the fair sex. She has taken the responsibility of exemplifying the supremacy of true devotion and demonstrating what is termed as the purity of womanhood in the religious realm (39). Following the study of her personal life, Mahadevi’s life presents the kinship theme in her vacancies. This is clearly shown in the imperative understanding of the Lingayatism tenets since she comes from a Lingayat family. Following the suggestion of her vacanas, her formative years are rooted deeply in all the ideologies.
“The establishment of universal faith and brotherhood and the abolition of caste system. Her objective was not only to reform secular religion, but also to uplift man as a whole – socially, morally and in the matter of piety and devotion” (Sadasivaiah 23). this clearly shows that it was very difficult for people and mostly the men, to worship the Lord without the priestly castle. This brings out the kinship theme of brotherhood. It was due to the practice of untouchability and the inhuman exploitation of the Sudras (Sadasivaiah). That is because immediately after touching the Sudra as identified by Sadasivaiah, an individual was not only expected to take a bath, but he was expected to fast to atone for their sins. According to Mahadevi, the kinship is present because the great attempt was aimed at bridging the gap between the secular and the spiritual ideal and their implementations in the society aimed at creating the bond of brotherhood between men.
Education is another issue that results in strong relationships in society hence the kinship theme. Along with the spiritual guidance from Akka Mahadevi, Guru, she received formal education from her home. The type of knowledge that she acquired was mythologies, and it was associated with Lord Shiva. However, the greatness of Lord Shiva, as well as his attributes, brought an indelible impression on Mahadevi’s mind on how to unite people through educations, which brings a particular type of tie. She narrates:
“Does He excuse those who are his?
He flayed and tore Bhringi to pieces,
Who was very close to Him?” (Yaravintelimath 213)
Who has beheaded the God of Love,
Put out the eyes of Death.” (134)
Through spiritual guidance, people can share the same ties by believing in Lord Shiva. As explained by Akka Mahadevi, Lord Shiva brings together those who believe in him and are his. Mahadevi grew up to become a young maiden full of enchanting beauty, which made her mind soak in to love and longed for Lord Chennamallikarjuna, and she could not dwell on anything else. The kinship theme of love is presented in this context. This is because Akka Mahadevi attained a one-pointed and steadfast love for the Divine.
“Night and day
In your worship
I forget myself
O lord white as jasmine.” (Ramanujan 130)
As a devotee, she strived to ensure she attained love via spiritual disciplines due to her intense devotion. All the people in society who believed in the Lord, just like Mahadevi, had a strong tie that presented a particular type of kinship between them.
As the devotion of Akka Mahadevi towards Lord Chennamallikarjuna intensified, just like any other person, she was able to find the inner strength used for conquering the basic physiological need; Akka Mahadevi says that:
“Forgetting myself
O Chennamallikarjuna, jasmine-tender,
Planting your love,
I’ve banished hunger, thirst, and sleep.” (Chaitanya 107)
Pechilis, Karen. “Devotional Subjectivity and the Fiction of Femaleness: Feminist Hermeneutics and the Articulation of Difference.” Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion 30.2 (2014): 99-114.
Sadasivaiah, H. M. A Comparative Study of Two Vīrasaiva Monasteries: A Study in Sociology of Religion. Diss. Prasaranga [University of Mysore], 1967.