Necromancer
24 August 2013, 07:03 AM
Namaste.
Over the next few months, I shall be reviewing one book/week in this thread.
These are based on books I have read and loved, so I thought I would share them all.
This week, I start with this book:
Speaking of Siva - A.K. Ramanujan.
http://www.exoticindia.com/books/speaking_of_siva_shiva_nab030.jpg
Speaking of Siva is a selection of vacanas or free-verse sayings from the Virasaiva religious movement, dedicated to Siva as the supreme god. Written by four major saints, the greatest exponents of this poetic form, between the tenth and twelfth centuries, they are passionate lyrical expressions of the search for an unpredictable and spontaneous spiritual vision of 'now'. Here, yogic and tantric symbols, riddles and enigmas subvert the language of ordinary experience, as references to night and day, sex and family relationships take on new mystical meanings. These intense poems of personal devotion to a single deity also question traditional belief systems, customs, superstitions, image worship and even moral strictures, in verse that speaks to all men and women regardless of class and caste.
Speaking of Siva is one of my personal favourites of all time.
The Vachana poetry is so beautiful, moving and very expressive. It inspires Bhakti of Lord Shiva and the way the poems are written can lead one into some nice meditative states on the Lord.
The poetry is very personal and each poet refers to Lord Shiva in the way they see Him - Allama Prabhu refers to Lord Shiva as 'The Lord of Caves', Basavanna sees Shiva as the 'Lord Of The Meeting Rivers' while Mahadeviakka refers to Him as Cennamallikarjuna or 'Lord White as Jasmine'.
A.K.Ramanujan's 'Speaking of Siva' is a collection of 'vacanas' or free-verse lyrics written by four major saints (Basavanna,Devara Dasimayya,Allama Prabhu and Mahadeviyakka) of the great 'bhakti 'protest movement which originated in the 10th CAD.Composed in Kannada, a Dravidian language spoken in the state of Karnataka in India.
The poems are the lyrical expression s of love for the god Siva.They mirror the urge to bypass tradition and ritual, to concentrate on the subject rather than the object of worships, and to express kinship with all living things in moving terms. Passionate, personal , fiercely monotheistic, these verses possess an appeal which is timeless and universal.
Veerasaivas or Lingayats were protesters against Hinduism of their time, but also against Jainism , the powerful competitor to Hinduism.They however shared with Jainism and Buddhism the doctrine of ahimsa or non-violence towards all creation, the abhorrence of animal sacrifice and ritual orthodoxy.
Here are some poems from the book:
"If they see breasts and long hair coming,
they call it woman,
if beard and whiskers,
they call it man:
but, look,
the self that hovers in between is neither man
nor woman O Ramanatha!" -Devara Dasimayya
"Outside the city limits
A temple.
In the temple look a hermit woman.
In the woman’s hand
A needle,
At the needle’s end
The fourteen worlds.
O Lord of the Caves,
I saw an ant
Devour whole
The woman,the needle,
The fourteen worlds." - Allama Prabhu
"When
like a hailstone crystal
like a waxwork image
the flesh melts in pleasure
how can I tell you?
The waters of joy
broke the banks
and ran out of my eyes.
I touched and joined
my lord of the meeting rivers.
How can I talk to anyone
of that?" - Basavanna
^^^^ one of my personal favourite poems in the book - pure Shiva Bhakti right there!!!
"Till the fruit is ripe inside
the skin will not fall off
I'd a feeling it would hurt you
if I displayed the body's seals of love
O brother, don't tease me
needlessly.I 'm given entire
into the hands of my lord
white as jasmine " - Mahadeviyakka
"The rich
will make temples for Siva.
What shall I ,
a poor man,
do?
My legs are pillars,
the body the shrine,
the head a cupola
of gold.
Listen, O lord of the meeting rivers,
things standing shall fall,
but the moving ever shall stay." - Basavanna
...but I am giving too much away!
Please read the book for yourself and drink deeply of the love and richness these poems embody.
Next week - Myth= Mithya - Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik
http://www.amazon.com/MYTH-MITHYA-ebook/dp/B008ET3WKO
Ahh....I love the Indian Penguin Classics!!!
Aum Namah Shivaya
Over the next few months, I shall be reviewing one book/week in this thread.
These are based on books I have read and loved, so I thought I would share them all.
This week, I start with this book:
Speaking of Siva - A.K. Ramanujan.
http://www.exoticindia.com/books/speaking_of_siva_shiva_nab030.jpg
Speaking of Siva is a selection of vacanas or free-verse sayings from the Virasaiva religious movement, dedicated to Siva as the supreme god. Written by four major saints, the greatest exponents of this poetic form, between the tenth and twelfth centuries, they are passionate lyrical expressions of the search for an unpredictable and spontaneous spiritual vision of 'now'. Here, yogic and tantric symbols, riddles and enigmas subvert the language of ordinary experience, as references to night and day, sex and family relationships take on new mystical meanings. These intense poems of personal devotion to a single deity also question traditional belief systems, customs, superstitions, image worship and even moral strictures, in verse that speaks to all men and women regardless of class and caste.
Speaking of Siva is one of my personal favourites of all time.
The Vachana poetry is so beautiful, moving and very expressive. It inspires Bhakti of Lord Shiva and the way the poems are written can lead one into some nice meditative states on the Lord.
The poetry is very personal and each poet refers to Lord Shiva in the way they see Him - Allama Prabhu refers to Lord Shiva as 'The Lord of Caves', Basavanna sees Shiva as the 'Lord Of The Meeting Rivers' while Mahadeviakka refers to Him as Cennamallikarjuna or 'Lord White as Jasmine'.
A.K.Ramanujan's 'Speaking of Siva' is a collection of 'vacanas' or free-verse lyrics written by four major saints (Basavanna,Devara Dasimayya,Allama Prabhu and Mahadeviyakka) of the great 'bhakti 'protest movement which originated in the 10th CAD.Composed in Kannada, a Dravidian language spoken in the state of Karnataka in India.
The poems are the lyrical expression s of love for the god Siva.They mirror the urge to bypass tradition and ritual, to concentrate on the subject rather than the object of worships, and to express kinship with all living things in moving terms. Passionate, personal , fiercely monotheistic, these verses possess an appeal which is timeless and universal.
Veerasaivas or Lingayats were protesters against Hinduism of their time, but also against Jainism , the powerful competitor to Hinduism.They however shared with Jainism and Buddhism the doctrine of ahimsa or non-violence towards all creation, the abhorrence of animal sacrifice and ritual orthodoxy.
Here are some poems from the book:
"If they see breasts and long hair coming,
they call it woman,
if beard and whiskers,
they call it man:
but, look,
the self that hovers in between is neither man
nor woman O Ramanatha!" -Devara Dasimayya
"Outside the city limits
A temple.
In the temple look a hermit woman.
In the woman’s hand
A needle,
At the needle’s end
The fourteen worlds.
O Lord of the Caves,
I saw an ant
Devour whole
The woman,the needle,
The fourteen worlds." - Allama Prabhu
"When
like a hailstone crystal
like a waxwork image
the flesh melts in pleasure
how can I tell you?
The waters of joy
broke the banks
and ran out of my eyes.
I touched and joined
my lord of the meeting rivers.
How can I talk to anyone
of that?" - Basavanna
^^^^ one of my personal favourite poems in the book - pure Shiva Bhakti right there!!!
"Till the fruit is ripe inside
the skin will not fall off
I'd a feeling it would hurt you
if I displayed the body's seals of love
O brother, don't tease me
needlessly.I 'm given entire
into the hands of my lord
white as jasmine " - Mahadeviyakka
"The rich
will make temples for Siva.
What shall I ,
a poor man,
do?
My legs are pillars,
the body the shrine,
the head a cupola
of gold.
Listen, O lord of the meeting rivers,
things standing shall fall,
but the moving ever shall stay." - Basavanna
...but I am giving too much away!
Please read the book for yourself and drink deeply of the love and richness these poems embody.
Next week - Myth= Mithya - Dr. Devdutt Pattanaik
http://www.amazon.com/MYTH-MITHYA-ebook/dp/B008ET3WKO
Ahh....I love the Indian Penguin Classics!!!
Aum Namah Shivaya