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Basavanna: Equality, Humanity and Human Rights


Bengaluru:
Akshaya Trutiya is the birthday of Lord Basaveshwara or Basavanna, the 12th-century revolutionary poet and religious reformer who rebelled against all blind beliefs, practices and rituals of Hinduism. It also goes to his credit of bringing God to one’s palms while simultaneously and vehemently opposing the tradition of visiting temples and places of pilgrimages in search of the almighty. Interestingly, unfortunately, or sadly what his followers or disciples have been doing all along would be another separate topic for discussion and better to forget for the time being.


A Hindu Protestant:
Dr Godwin Shiri, former Director of Christian Institute For The Study Of Religion And Society (CISRS), Bengaluru, during an informal interaction, opined-“Basavanna can be aptly described as a Hindu Protestant as he was in the forefront of opposing blind beliefs”.


Influenced by Buddha:
Mallikarjun G Kelagade, former Director of the Department of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) keep reiterating-“Basavanna is said to be influenced by Bhagwan Buddha if you happen to make a study of the teachings of them. The late Sri Siddalinga Swamiji of Tontadarya Mutt, Gadag also concurred on the same lines whenever I got an opportunity to interact with him”.


Vachanas in 32 languages:
Shivanna R. Sharannavar, a businessman turned ardent follower of Basava philosophy and way of living strikes a different note-“Basavanna strived for a humanitarian society beyond the purview of any caste, religion or nation. However, we continue to swim in a sea of ignorance. In contrast, his vachanas or metaphysical poems in the mother tongue of the masses continue to be translated into 32 languages, thanks to Basava Samiti, Bengaluru”.


First religious leader:
“Despite being born a Brahmin at Basavana Bagewadi in the present Vijayapura district he rebels at a very young age of 11 years during the thread or putting on the Janiwar ceremony. When he inquires with the priests to put the same to Akkanagamma, his elder sister, he is told that it is meant only for men and not women. He removes the sacred thread declaring that he doesn’t need it when the same cannot be put to his elder sister. Revolting against the age-old practice, he quits the house, reaches the Kudalasangama shrine for higher studies, and is followed by his elder sister. Perhaps there is no parallel in the world history of any religious leader leaving his home protesting against the disparity between men and women”, says Shivanna R. Sharannavar.


God in self and not temples:
He adds-“During 8-10 years of study in Kudalasangma Basavanna makes a thorough research of the prevailing religious scriptures and the interlinked dogmas which he opposes tooth and nail. He goes on to assert that God resides in self and not in the temples and there is no necessity to go in search of dense forest or a far-off mountain range to do penance for experiencing the divine power”.


Self-realization, the path to the almighty:
“Basavanna also preached that there is no God present in the temples and the only way of attaining salvation is through self-realization. God is within us and we only need to activate this feeling is what he felt and as a tool to communicate with God, he bestowed the Ishta Linga to pray and pay obeisance. He later joins the Bijjala court as a clerk gets elevated as a treasurer and is made the prime minister. Irrespective of the positions he held he never abstained from practicing what he advocated. He coined a new term; Work is Worship, hitherto unheard of and proclaimed that there is nothing like heaven above and we need to experience the same in whatever work we do”, explained Shivanna R. Sharannavar.


Eradication of caste, creed and colour:
He also dwelt on the contributions of Basavanna in establishing a humanitarian society devoid of caste, creed and colour way back in the 12th century-“Then it was a caste and class-ridden society embedded with haves and have-nots. The ideal society prescribed by the Vedas was known by the name Chaturvarna composed of four classes Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras

…Principles of graded inequality:
And the interrelations of these classes must be regulated by the principle of graded inequality. The role of Brahmins was to acquire knowledge and guide the Kings while the Kshatriya's was to wage wars expand the kingdoms and look after the welfare of the subjects. On the other hand, the Vaishya's duty was to do business while for Shudras, it meant the working class only doing a variety of work as dictated by the ruling class. Shudras built temples but after completion were prohibited from entering the same. All such paradoxical developments were brought to a grinding halt with the advent of Basavanna”.

Condemnation of women decried: “Basavanna was outright in his thoughts and ideals and bulldozed all manipulations to undermine the significance of womanhood. He was vocal enough to proclaim that the difference between men and women was only parts of the body while no one was inferior or superior. Everyone has to be born in a woman’s womb and ridiculed the so-called concept of the Mahabharata epic character Karna being born from the ear of Kunti

…Prostitutes are also on par with others:
Despite the so-called modern age, female infanticide continues to be in practice and only very recently laws have been enacted to prohibit the same. It was only a couple of decades back Pope John Paul ruled out that women could also become priests. But Basavanna decried condemnation of women by any means and accorded them the highest self-esteem way back in the 12th century. According to him, a woman might have accepted the profession by compulsion for a living. Yet, once a maid in the royal house or a prostitute pledges to the Atma Linga, she is on par with all others, forget the discrimination”, reminds Shivanna R. Sharannavar.

Charter of Human Rights in Vachanas:
He signed off by bringing to notice the humanitarian values cherished by Basavanna in his Vachanas-“Ramzan Darga, Kannada poet turned journalist and now a philosophical thinker has concluded that all the 32 points in the charter of global human rights were part and parcel of vachanas of 12th-century saints, philosophers and revolutionary poets”. Shivanna R Sharannavar also lamented-“There is everything in the vachanas required for a peaceful living. But there is a dearth of people evincing curiosity to go through them. Those who keep reading have started lecturing but where are the people who would like to follow the essence of the vachanas?”

-Manohar Yadavatti

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