78 Spirituality Studies 11-1 Spring 2025 The feminine space of receptivity that Akka Mahadevi’s poetry evokes is also a realm of solitude. Raymond Nelson (1976, 3) notes that the “exhilarating and frightening sense of isolation” that the mystical experience entails “contains within itself its own absolute authority and is not subject to contradiction on any institutional or rationalistic terms”. Akka Mahadevi epitomises this quality of finding authority in one’s self by being daringly open to a radical mystery. In her absolute surrender to Chennamallikarjuna, she embodies the Vīraśaiva ideal of a sāraṇa, one who has forsaken all worldly ties in pursuit of union with the divine. The gritty defiance against patriarchal social norms and vociferous critique of gender roles stem from an authority of an intense solitude anchored by her passion and love for the divine. In a society where isolation was imposed on women as part of their subjugation within the patriarchal frameworks, Akka Mahadevi chooses solitude and finds her authority in it to stand up to all the social machineries of subjugation. Her relationship with the divine exists beyond institutional authority – it is personal, immediate, and intimate. The profundity of this way of being is often not so much discussed or even understood in academic discussions. Bhakti as an emotion is often understood as “love for God” and as love is a human emotion that most people can relate to, the experience of bhakti itself is not much delved into. As Andrew Schelling (2011, ix) notes while the emotion of devotion may seem familiar, “its duration and intensity locate it in a realm of experience not easily reached”. The sustained intensity of bhakti differentiates it from ordinary emotions – it is an all-consuming fire that transforms the devotee’s entire being. This transformative fire is what allows the devotee to move beyond mundane experiences into a realm where the self is utterly consumed by a fiery femininity that makes her available to the experiences of the beyond, making a “fierce assertion of her right to a personal and direct relationship with divinity” (Subramaniam 2010, xvi). 8 Conclusion Akka Mahadevi’s poetry puts forth a radical and independent vision of femininity that is rooted in a deep connection with life while breaking free from the restrictions imposed by tradition and patriarchal norms. Going against the stereotype of womanhood as a fixed social role, she presents a femininity that is a dignified expression of inner strength, devotion, and spiritual autonomy. For her, femininity is not a passive state but an assertion of freedom, where devotion itself becomes a revolutionary act against physical and ideological constraints. Unlike many of the theorisation of the feminine which constructs this notion either as a submissive state of mind or as a mode of political resistance, she stands for a feminine value system filiated in a passionate engagement with the fundamental mystery of life. She refers to this mystery as her Lord, Chennamallikarjuna, but even without assigning it a name or religious framework, one can still cultivate a connection with this dimension of being. Such an awareness is particularly vital in today’s world, given the fact most of the crises in the world, especially the ecological crisis, can be argued to be a result of losing our connect with the mysteries of existence. Just as the subjugation of women is a result of keeping the wisdom of femininity away from our cultural discourses, the natural world has been treated as an object of exploitation rather than reverence, informed by the utilitarian logic of a hyper-masculine world. Akka Mahadevi’s life and works offer us an alternative – one that creates a sense of awe and interconnectedness. More than a critique of gendered oppression, her poetry becomes an invitation to connect with the sacred core of existence. Karen Armstrong (2022, 15), in Sacred Nature, finds fault with Des Cartes and other Enlightenment philosophers for demystifying the world and contends that with the dismissal of the fundamental mystery of life, “the stage was set for the exploitation of nature”. A way out of all the utilitarian binaries including that of nature vs. culture is to be found in the unbridled feminine freedom and ecstasy of mystics such as Akka Mahadevi. By embracing this wisdom, we can begin to heal the fractures of modern life and move toward a way of being guided by grace, humility, and devotion. Akka Mahadevi’s message is not just a challenge to outdated societal structures, it is an enduring reminder of the sacred essence that permeates all of existence.
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