ಸರ್ವಜ್ಞ ವಚನಗಳು: Sarvajna Vachanas Epigrams of a Mendicant (Bilingual)

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Sarvajna is inseparable from vachana. His pithy triads, simply brilliant to say the least, is a treat for every Kannada-speaking person. That Destiny should have chosen us to translate his epigrams into English, ranks on top when we count the blessings in our life. Our salutations to fate for this!

For centuries, Sarvajna's epigrams remained in the oral domain. It was only in XIX Century that some ardent devotees began to collect, annotate and put together the vachanas in book form. We salute these devotees for their love's labour, in particular, to Shri.Kalamdani Guruyaru. We gratefully acknowledge the help we derived from other collections of vachanas by Chenappa Uttangi, B.G.Ramesh and K. Narayana Rao.

Our translation into English of a few of the vachanas included in this book have earlier appeared in two journals, Sharana Patha and Sarasa. The Introduction included here is a revised version of our article in The Literary Criterion. We gratefully acknowledge our debt to the editors of these journals.

Several friends and scholars made time to read through some sample verses and to offer their valued feedback. We thank all of them. Some of them permitted us to publish extracts of their opinion here. Our special thanks to them.

Sarvajna (the name translates as 'Know-all') was a Kannada mendicant-poet who lived in the XVI century. Very little is known for sure about him. His father's name was Kumbara Malla, and his mother was Mallaladevi. He was born in Ambalapura in Dharwad district in Karnataka. He appears to have belonged to a family of potters. There are some vachanas in which the poet throws light upon his birth and early life:

Driven out of home, early, cruelly;

He studied the world, sang of what he saw,

And made himself, Sarvajna. (689)

Once upon a time, in Kailash, I served As Shiva's serf. Fondly they called me.

Pushpadatta, Sarvajna. (690)

The then Pushpadatta, reborn as the fruit of a boon,

In the course of time, esteemed as a know-all,

Is the 1, standing here, Sarvajna. (691)

We are childless, ah! - when Akka Mallamma

Poured her grief before Basavarasu, then

Shiva of Kashi, relented, Sarvajna. (692)

Resolved to bear a son, she swallowed the rice-ball.

Forthwith, her widow-womb was filled-such is

The tale I've heard, Sarvajna (693)

They set up pots and vessels, bang at the cooking hour,

Dark clouds rained and lashed, and the couple

Cuddled to comfort each other, Sarvajna. (694)

In Ambaluru, in the potters' parish,

Lived the lovely Malli; in her, Basavararasa

Seeded me, Sarvajna. (695)

He dropped the seed and left;

she conceived that night,

Ten months from when they coupled, couched

In the womb, was formed Sarvajna. (696)

Sarvajna is remembered today for his epigrams pithy triads known as vachanas (lit. 'utterances'). He is considered the pioneer of the triad (tripadi) in Kannada. These tripadis are three-lined epigrams). The first line has two equal parts. The second, single, and the third line shorter in length-ends with the moniker, Sarvajna. The verse follows a peculiar rime scheme called aadi-praasa. The second letter of each line in a verse is common. Sarvajna did not put the epigrams down in writing. nor ever compiled them in a book form. His verses remained in oral currency in society's memory. The result of this is that today one cannot assert which verses are 'original' and which others are imitations. This has some negative as also some positive consequences.