Secretary Manchanna
Many of us, for the sake of false prestige and purposeless living, convert "CHANNALGES OF LIFE" into "POBLEMS OF LIFE". We drain all our energy to transform the challenges into troubles! And left with little enthusiasm to face LIFE and live with our problems with eternal INGORANCE! It is our national inheritance!
Can an ordinary secretary with mean job realize higher truths? Our answer is BIG YES. Our source of inspiration is Secretary Manchanna. He was a one of the first sharana who was influenced and a realized soul under the service of Basavanna. How can thinker Manchanna would not be guided by the fragrance of Basavanna’s enlightenment?
His profession was to read and communicate all the personal and official letters of Basavanna. He was a professional personal secretary who would understand the replies by mere glance of Basavanna with at most care and sincerity. He was a master of perfect communication.
Everyday after his secretarial practice,(Kayaka), he used to spend his all resources for the Guru-Linga-Jangama Dasoha. He was an active member of Parliament of Enlightenment (Anubhava Mantapa). After reading his vachanas, we understand his stature as great thinker and a perfect family man.
We know little about family history (parents, native place etc), but we are astonished to know that his wife Rayamma was a great poet and a vachnakarti. She has written thousands of vachanas, but at present we have ONLY ONE. She wrote her own vachanas with profound understanding. During vachana studies, we come across with another sharani Rayamma who was wife of Sharana Amuge Devayya. It is difficult to separate their vachanas and it is an open research issue.
We are not interested in WHO wrote, but WHAT they wrote. In the true spirit of Basava philosophy, they exchanged and refined their ideas.
In short, Manchanna and Rayamma lead a perfect life as husband and wife (sati-pati). Each of them contributed to the society as well as their own perfection. They are the sati-pati of 12th century to guide husband and wife of the 21st century.
- Editor
Note: Please cooperate with the translation work and lack of suitable English words.