Devara Dasimayya ದೇವರ ದಾಸಿಮಯ್ಯ, also known as "Jedara Daasimayya (ಜೇಡರ ದಾಸಿಮಯ್ಯ) meaning "Dasimayya of the weavers", considered one of the first mystic poet-saint of Karnataka, an early propagator of the Virashaiva faith or Lingayatism in Southern India, was born in a village called Mudanuru, a village in Shorapur Taluk, Yadagiri district in Karnataka. He was born in the Hindu calendar month of Chaitra in Shukla Paksha in a weavers family of Devanga community, to parents Ramayya and Shankari. He was deeply religious right from his young age dedicated to worship of Lord Shiva in the temple Ramanatha in his village; the temple is famous due to a belief that Lord Rama of Treta Yuga worshipped the Shiva Linga deified in this temple. His early formal education was in the Shiva Center of education, a Gurukula run by Chandragunda Shivacharya, in Srishailam.
Initially, his
deep dedication in worship of Lord Shiva lead him to do intense ascetic practices in a forest. It is said that Shiva then appeared before him and advised him to pursue his Kayaka or profession to earn a living in his family trade as a weaver (Jadera) and not to continue with doing penance. Dasamiyya convinced that working in the world was part of worship of the Lord and means to realise Him, then whole heartedly adopted to weaving cloth as his profession and in his later years also came to be known famously as Jedara Dasimayya, "Dasimayya of the weavers". He then married a girl called Duggala, born to parents Mallinatha and Mahadevi from Gubbur village near Shivapura, who was also a dedicated devotee of Lord Shiva. She also joined her husband in his profession by spinning yarn for the sarees and cloth which her husband weaved as a profession.
Then, there was an event which beacme a turning point in the life of Dasimayya which made him a mystic and a saint-poet. This legendary event occured when Dasamiyya who had woven a beautiful garment for 12 long years took the garment to the market to sell. He failed to sell the garment as it was highly valued. As he was returning with the garment, an old jangama (a Shaiva order religious monk) appeared before him and begged him to gift the garment divyambara to him. Dasimayya, pleased with the request, donated the garment to the Jangama. Shockingly, the Jangama tore the garment divyambara into pieces in front of Dasimayya and threw it into the air. Dasamiyya watched this mystic event, did not get offended by it at all, and invited the Jangama to his house as a guest. Pleased with the deep courtesies shown by Dasimayya and his wife Duggala, the Jangama appeared before them in his true form as Lord Shiva and gifted them a tavanidhi (akshaya patra). Shiva also adviced them to devote to religous pursuits and doing charity to the poor people and spread the word of God. This event changed the life of Dasimayya completely to a 'dasoha' or "a service provider ", and more specifically "service to others" including the Jangamas.
Apart from pursuing his profession as a weaver, Dasimayya became a mystic Kannada poet and started writing vachanas, pithy wise sayings, aphorisms, simple and drawn from daily life, which spoke up for the equality of men and dignity of labour. It is said that he was the very first of the Vachanakaras, the writer of Vachanas with intent to broadcast the truths of life among the masses. His idea was to make them popular and not pedantic and thus became a vigorous proponent of Saivism. These Vachanas have been appropriately called Kannada Upanishads, having their own philosophic, mystical and literary peculiarties. Dasimayya adopted the signature name (ankitanama) for all his Vachanas as Ramanatha , meaning Rama's Lord, i.e. Shiva., the deity he worshipped in his village from his childhood. Like most who came after him like Basvanna, Akka Mahadevi etc, he taught a life of complete nonviolence, even teaching local hunting tribes to renounce meat and provide for themselves through pressing and selling oil.
The King in whose kingdom Dasimayya lived was the Chalukyan ruler, named Jayasimha, who was a follower of Jainism. Legend has it that Devara Dasimayya converted the king to Shaivism through a series of miracles. As a teacher, he dven gave initiation to Suggale, the wife of the Chalukya king. As a result of his passionate espousal of Shaivism people of all beliefs, jungle tribes and Brahmins became his followers. He laid emphasis on faith, devotion and surrender to God.
Dasimayya also became a leader of a large community of weavers called 'Devanga' spread across the southern states of India.
Dasimayya composed about 150 Vachanas. His Vachanas show his monotheim, and scorns at the polyheists as professed by the Brahaminic class. In one of his Vachanas, as an ironic understanding of divine play set by Lord Himself, Dasmiyya says:
Did the outcaste, last in line,
hold with his outgoing breath
the stick of his tribe ?
What do the fools of this world know,
of the snares you set,
O Ramanatha?
Another of his vachanas show contempt for all rituals, worships, pilgrimage to holy places like Banaras":
To the utterly one with Shiva
there is no dawn
no new moon
no noonday
no sun sets
nor full moon
in the front yard is the true Banaras
O Ramanatha.
A street in Bengaluru is named honouring Dasimayya, and is called "Sree Devara Dasimayya Road". There are also popular traditional places where Dasimayya set up his weaver's looms in his birthplace Mudanuru.
Narasipur Char
