Akka Mahadevi c. 1130 – c. 1160
Akka Mahadevi (c. 1130 – c. 1160) was an Indian philosopher of the Medieval era, associated with Indian Philosophy and Vedanta.
Akka Mahadevi was a twelfth-century Kannada Bhakti poet and philosopher in the Lingayat tradition of southern India, one of the most striking female voices in classical South Asian devotional literature. Her vacanas, short philosophical lyrics in Kannada, articulate a radical ethics of renunciation, in which the wandering soul has only one true husband, the god Shiva, and abandons in turn caste, family, marriage, clothing, and conventional morality for the sake of the divine. With Basava and Allama Prabhu she helped to constitute the Sharana movement, which combined philosophical theism with a strict critique of brahmanical orthodoxy and gender hierarchy.
Key facts
- Nationality
- Indian
- Era
- Medieval
- Movements
- Indian Philosophy, Vedanta
Selected quotes
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Attributed to Akka Mahadevi:
“I have set fire to the house of family; what is left for any worldly bond to claim?”
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Attributed to Akka Mahadevi:
“He alone is my husband; let the world call my body shameless.”
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Attributed to Akka Mahadevi:
“When the divine is the only beloved, all other companies become deserts.”
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Attributed to Akka Mahadevi:
“Caste is a wall built by men; the lover of God passes through it.”
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Attributed to Akka Mahadevi:
“What is body? What is shame? Both are forgotten in the gaze of the One.”
Frequently asked about Akka Mahadevi
- When did Akka Mahadevi live?
- Akka Mahadevi was born in c. 1130 and died in c. 1160.
- Where was Akka Mahadevi from?
- Akka Mahadevi was an Indian philosopher of the Medieval era.
- What philosophical movements is Akka Mahadevi associated with?
- Akka Mahadevi was associated with Indian Philosophy and Vedanta.
- What was Akka Mahadevi known for?
- Akka Mahadevi was a twelfth-century Kannada Bhakti poet and philosopher in the Lingayat tradition of southern India, one of the most striking female voices in classical South Asian devotional literature.
- How many quotes are attributed to Akka Mahadevi?
- There are 5 attributed quotations from Akka Mahadevi in the 1001Philosophers collection, organized by topic.