{"id":6551,"date":"2019-09-18T08:44:02","date_gmt":"2019-09-18T15:44:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/?p=6551"},"modified":"2019-09-18T08:44:02","modified_gmt":"2019-09-18T15:44:02","slug":"devara-dasimayya-suppose-you-cut-a-tall-bamboo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/2019\/09\/18\/devara-dasimayya-suppose-you-cut-a-tall-bamboo\/","title":{"rendered":"Devara Dasimayya – Suppose you cut a tall bamboo"},"content":{"rendered":"

Suppose you cut a tall bamboo
\nby Devara Dasimayya<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

English version by A. K. Ramanujan<\/font><\/p>\n

Suppose you cut a tall bamboo
\nin two;
\nmake the bottom piece a woman,
\nthe headpiece a man;
\nrub them together
\ntill they kindle:
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 tell me now,
\nthe fire that\u2019s born,
\nis it male or female,<\/em><\/p>\n


\n<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 O Ramanatha?<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/a> \u2014 from Speaking of Siva<\/a>, by A K Ramanujan<\/font><\/p>\n


\n\/ Image by Christopher Michel<\/a> \/<\/em><\/font><\/p>\n

Following up on the Kundalini theme of last week\u2019s poem by Dorothy Walters\u2026<\/p>\n

I really love the poetry of the great Virasaiva saints of India but, on the surface, this particular poem by Devara Dasimayya doesn\u2019t seem to have much to do with spirituality. Why is he talking about bamboo? And what does he mean when he speaks about making a piece of the bamboo \u201ca woman\u201d and a piece of it \u201ca man\u201d? Let\u2019s unfold the poem a bit and see if the meaning becomes more clear\u2026<\/p>\n

Certain yogic practitioners carry with them a stick or a pole, often made of bamboo, called a danda<\/i>. This \u201ctall bamboo\u201d is more than a walking stick, it is a ritual object that symbolizes the shushumna<\/i> or the subtle spinal column that is the primary energetic pathway of awakened spiritual energies. The practitioner of Yoga strives to awaken the Kundalini energy which commonly sits dormant at the base of the spine. When aroused, the Kundalini moves up the spine along the shushumna<\/i>, which is often compared to a hollow reed or stalk of bamboo. When the fiery Kundalini reaches the crown, the individual awareness merges with cosmic consciousness \u2014 the sacred marriage \u2014 and the new life of enlightenment is experienced.<\/p>\n

Returning to Dasimayya\u2019s poem, if you divide the \u201cbamboo\u201d of the spiritual spine \u201cin two,\u201d the \u201cbottom piece\u201d is the seat of the feminine Kundalini energy \u2014 thus you make it \u201ca woman.\u201d The \u201cheadpiece\u201d is associated with the masculine transcendent form of the divine, in yogic tradition often identified with the God Shiva \u2014 making it \u201ca man.\u201d So we have the female and the male, magnetized poles of a spiritual circuit within the individual<\/p>\n

We then \u201crub them together \/ till they kindle.\u201d That is, if we continuously work to bring the energies of the feminine and masculine poles into contact, an electrical charge is built up, and eventually that spark gives birth to a \u201cfire\u201d \u2014 the awakened Kundalini that runs up the spine with a rush of heat. When the female and the male poles merge, the bliss of union is rapturous, releasing a new radiant life within us.<\/p>\n

The question Dasimayya asks: Is this divine child of enlightenment, this living fire born of the union of polarities, is it male or female? Can one truly say that enlightenment somehow more masculine or feminine, that belongs to only one end of the pole? No, the fire consumes everything, including the feminine and masculine ends of the pole. There is no male and female left, no duality, no separation. All that remains is the formless living fire of awakened awareness.<\/p>\n

The question itself seems to be a refutation of the idea that one gender is somehow inherently closer to godliness or more capable of attaining enlightenment. Energies that we might identify as \u201cmale\u201d and \u201cfemale\u201d are important to the awakening process, but each individual has both and must harness both in harmony. And enlightenment itself? It is beyond the dualities epitomized by gender. Enlightenment encompasses everything and is not limited by categories, like gender.<\/p>\n

The Virasaivas were a highly egalitarian group, recognizing social \u2014 and spiritual \u2014 equality in all people, regardless of caste or gender.<\/p>\n

Try rereading the poem now and watch the sparks fly!<\/p>\n


\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/a>Recommended Books: Devara Dasimayya<\/font><\/b><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/center>
\n<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Speaking of Siva<\/a><\/small><\/td>\n<\/small><\/td>\n<\/small><\/td>\n<\/small><\/td>\n<\/small><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\n\n\n
<\/td>\n\nDevara Dasimayya<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

India (10th Century) Timeline<\/a>
\nYoga \/ Hindu<\/a> : Shaivite (Shiva)<\/a>
\n<\/a><\/a><\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/p>\n

Devara Dasimayya was one of the earliest of the Virasaiva poet-saints, a forerunner of later beloved figures like Basava<\/a> and Akka Mahadevi<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Dasimayya addressed his poems to Ramanatha, or \u201cRama\u2019s lord,\u201d a reference to Shiva as worshipped by the divine hero-king Rama.<\/p>\n

Tradition says that Dasimayya was performing intense ascetic practices in a jungle when Shiva appeared to him and told him to stop punishing his body. Shiva urged him instead to work in the world. Dasimayya renounced his extreme practices and took up the trade of a weaver.<\/p>\n

Like most Virasaivas who followed him, this gentle saint taught a life of complete non-violence.<\/p>\n

More poetry by Devara Dasimayya<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Suppose you cut a tall bamboo by Devara Dasimayya English version by A. K. Ramanujan Suppose you cut a tall bamboo in two; make the bottom piece a woman, the headpiece a man; rub them together till they kindle: \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 tell me now, the fire that\u2019s born, is it male or female, \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[2296,34,2297,2298,14,518,401,13,270],"class_list":["post-6551","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-poetry","tag-bamboo","tag-devara-dasimayya","tag-gender-equality","tag-gender-polarity","tag-hindu-poetry","tag-kundalini","tag-shakti","tag-shiva","tag-virasaiva-poetry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6551","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6551"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6551\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6552,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6551\/revisions\/6552"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6551"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6551"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.poetry-chaikhana.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6551"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}