Vacanāmṛtam – Nectar of Sayings
₹600.00
Translator : Mangesh Venkatesh Nadkarni
The Śiva Śaraṇas of medieval Karnataka left a rich legacy of what are called Vacanas, or “Sayings,” in Kannada. These Vacanas were far ahead of their times in social awareness. They deplored the caste system and discrimination, upheld the dignity of women in family and society, stressed on the priority of work, and advocated charity, in addition to devotion to One God – Śiva. They also imparted practical wisdom for living honourably and meaningfully in the world.
Though the book is primarily meant for those who do not understand the original in Kannada, Kannadigas can also benefit from it. This is because the most interesting (320) of the vast number of Vacanas (more than 20,000) are selected and made accessible in one place here. The translations here are not literal or mechanical. They bring out the intent of the Vacanas while being truthful to the original at the same time.
Manipal Universal Press (MUP) is dedicated to making Vacana Sahitya accessible to the English audience. As a part of this effort, we have published a book titled Akka Mahadevi: The Questioning Poet-Saint. This work explores the life and enduring legacy of Akka Mahadevi, the influential 12th Century Kannada poet whose profound vacanas continue to inspire readers today.
Interested customers may write to us at mup@manipal.edu about purchasing the book.
| Also available on |
| Category: | Texts in Translation |
|---|
| Format |
|---|
Related products
-
Bhagavantana Kandammagalu
₹190.00Author: Susmita Bagchi, Translator: Madhavi S Bhandary
ಅನುಪೂರ್ವಾ ಒಲ್ಲದ ಮನಸ್ಸಿನಿಂದ ಅನಿವಾರ್ಯವಾಗಿ ಅಮೇರಿಕಾ ಬಿಟ್ಟು ಭಾರತಕ್ಕೆ ಬರಬೇಕಾಯಿತು. ಕಲಾಶಿಕ್ಷಕಿಯಾಗಿ ಅಲ್ಲವಳ ಜೀವನ ಸುವ್ಯವಸ್ಥಿತವಾಗಿ ಸಾಗುತ್ತಿತ್ತು. ಭಾರತಕ್ಕೆ ಹಿಂದಿರುಗಿದ ನಂತರ ಅವಳ ಬದುಕು ಆಮೂಲಾಗ್ರವಾಗಿ ಬದಲಾಯಿಸಬಹುದೆಂದು ಅವಳು ಕನಸು-ಮನಸಲ್ಲೂ ಎಣಿಸಿರಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಒಮ್ಮೆ ಅವಳ ಕಾಲೇಜಿನ ಗೆಳತಿಯೊಬ್ಬಳು ಸೆರೆಬ್ರಲ್ ಪಾಲ್ಸಿ (ಮೆದುಳಿನ ಲಕ್ವ)ಯಿಂದ ಬಳಲುತ್ತಿರುವ ಮಕ್ಕಳ ಶಾಲೆ ‘ಆಶಾಜ್ಯೋತಿ’ಯ ಪರಿಚಯ ಮಾಡಿಸಿದಳು. ಅಲ್ಲಿಯೇ ಸ್ವಲ್ಪಕಾಲ ಆರ್ಟ್ ಟೀಚರ್ ರೂಪದಲ್ಲಿ ಸ್ವಯಂಸೇವಕಿಯಾಗಿ ಕೆಲಸ ಮಾಡುವ ಅವಕಾಶವೂ ದೊರೆಯಿತು. ಚಿತ್ರಗಳನ್ನು ಬಿಡಿಸುವುದು ಹೇಗೆ, ಅದಕ್ಕೆ ಹೇಗೆ ಬಣ್ಣ ತುಂಬಬೇಕು ಇತ್ಯಾದಿ ವಿಷಯಗಳನ್ನು ಅಲ್ಲಿಯ ಮಕ್ಕಳಿಗೆ ಹೇಳಿಕೊಡಲಾರಂಭಿಸಿದಳು. ಆದರೆ ಆ ಮಕ್ಕಳು ಅವಳಿಗರಿವಿಲ್ಲದಂತೆ ಗೆಳೆತನದ, ಪ್ರೇಮದ, ನಗುವಿನ, ಎಲ್ಲಕ್ಕಿಂತಲೂ ಮಿಗಿಲಾಗಿ ರೋಗದೊಂದಿಗೆ ಹೋರಾಡುವ ಪಾಠ ಅರ್ಥಾತ್ ಬದುಕಿನ ವಾಸ್ತವಿಕತೆಯ ಪಾಠ ಕಲಿಸಬಹುದೆಂದು ಅವಳಿಗೇನು ಗೊತ್ತಿತ್ತು! ಹೊರಜಗತ್ತು ಅವರನ್ನು ಶಾರೀರಿಕ ಅಥವಾ ಮಾನಸಿಕ ದೃಷ್ಟಿಯಿಂದ ದುರ್ಬಲರೆಂದು ತಿಳಿದುಕೊಳ್ಳಲಿ! ಆದರೆ ಅವರ ಅಂತರಂಗದಲ್ಲಿ ಏನನ್ನಾದರೂ ಸಾಧಿಸಬೇಕೆಂಬ ಅಪಾರ ಕ್ಷಮತೆ ಅಡಗಿದೆ ಎಂಬುದು ಅವಳ ಅರಿವಿನ ಕ್ಷಿತಿಜವನ್ನೇ ವಿಸ್ತರಿಸಿತು. ಅನುಪೂರ್ವಾ ಮತ್ತಾರೂ ಅಲ್ಲ, ಸ್ವಯಂ ಲೇಖಕಿಯೇ! ಈ ಮಕ್ಕಳ ಅಂತರಂಗದ ಪುಟಗಳನ್ನು ಅತ್ಯಂತ ಹತ್ತಿರದಿಂದ ನೋಡಿದ್ದಾರೆ; ತಿಳಿದಿದ್ದಾರೆ; ಮತ್ತದನ್ನು ಶಬ್ದಗಳ ಮೂಲಕ ಕಾದಂಬರಿಯ ರೂಪದಲ್ಲಿ ಜೋಡಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಈ ಒಂದು ರೋಚಕವಾದ ಕಥೆ ಒಡಿಯಾದಲ್ಲಿ ‘ದೇಬಶಿಶು’ವಾಗಿದ್ದುದು, ಅಜಯ್ ಪಟ್ನಾಯಕ್ರು ಅದನ್ನು ‘ದೇವಶಿಶು’ ವಾಗಿ ಹಿಂದಿಗೆ ಅನುವಾದಿಸಿದರು. ಆ ಹಿಂದಿ ಅನುವಾದವು ಜ್ಞಾನಪೀಠ ಪ್ರಕಾಶನದಿಂದ ಪ್ರಕಟಗೊಂಡಿದೆ. ಈ ಕೃತಿಯು ಬಿಕ್ರಮ್ ಕೆ. ದಾಸ್ರಿಂದ ‘Children of Better God’ ಎಂಬ ಹೆಸರಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಆಂಗ್ಲ ಭಾಷೆಗೂ ಅನುವಾದಗೊಂಡಿದೆ. ಇದೀಗ ‘ಭಗವಂತನ ಕಂದಮ್ಮಗಳು’ ರೂಪದಲ್ಲಿ ಕನ್ನಡದ ಓದುಗರ ಮುಂದಿದೆ.
Interested customers may write to us at mup@manipal.edu about purchasing the book.
Also available on

-
A Valiant Journey Through the Silk Route
₹575.00Author: Paravastu Lokeshwar, Translator: Shobha Dulluri
A Valiant Journey through the Silk Route is a travelogue that covers the incredible travel across the ancient Silk Route with the most alluring halts in Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and China to achieve a lifetime dream of a vagabond. The journey that starts in New Delhi and ends in Beijing opens up new vistas that are fascinating. The route covers historical monuments, museums, ancient oases, cemeteries, rural settings, public marketplaces, and several other landmarks and attractions. The travel continues through the deserts, passes by the rivers, treks up on the mountainous terrains – the path through which the great ancient travellers trudged.
Interested customers may write to us at mup@manipal.edu about purchasing the book.
Also available on

-
Humanitarianism and Democracy (Maanava Dharmah – Prajaaprabhutvam Cheti Shatakadvayam)
₹240.00Author: M V Nadkarni
These Satkarnas are Prof Nadkarni’s passionate plea for an authentic democratic order which guarantees the rights of every citizen while each citizen participates in it being fully aware of his / her duties. The complementarity of rights and duties is shown to be the essence of genuine democracy.
Interested customers may write to us at mup@manipal.edu about purchasing the book.
Also available on

-
Karakarthaprabodhini
₹345.00Author: Shivani V
Kaumudī (water lily) is the primer to study Sanskrit grammar, yet an ardent reader might find it a maze to untangle from its complexities. There is a need of Kaumudī (moonlight) to blossom it and show the light to reach its core. Kārakārthaprabodhinī is such an attempt. Kāraka, a factor that determines the relation between verb and the constituent words of a sentence, enables the reader to understand the intent of the sentence and thus critical discourses too. The Sanskrit grammatical texts and discourses have elaborated on the subtleties of Kāraka. Due to its profundity, there was a need for a lucid writing for the scholars and students for easy comprehension, which can be a reference book. Dr Potti made this possible for the Malayalam readers. Dr Shivani presents it for the Sanskrit fraternity too, with an introduction by Dr Varakhedi.
Interested customers may write to us at mup@manipal.edu about purchasing the book.
Also available on

-
Akka Mahadevi, the questioning poet-saint
₹255.00Author: D A Shankar
This book presents the mystical ruminations and literary excellence of Akka Mahadevi, the earliest example of a gender-liberated woman writer, credited with the composition of over four hundred and forty remarkably self-explorative Vachanas. Akka Mahadevi represents a powerfully authentic female voice of the radical, egalitarian Sharana Movement, which questioned the socially established barrier between genders and ushered in a world of socio-cultural equality.
In this book, the author explores the questioning spirit intrinsic to Akka Mahadevi’s life and writings, as she questions the widely held conventional norms: the traditional husband-wife relationship, her parents, elders; she questions Basavanna and Allama for their habituated patriarchal manner of speaking, and she bravely questions her personal deity whom she loves and adores. Apart from discerning a credible ‘history’ and background to Akka’s works, this book makes available a rendition of her selectively profound and memorable Vachana in modern English, that crosses the ?the gulf of language and the gulf of time.
Interested readers may write to us at mup@manipal.edu about purchasing the book.
-
Flowering with the Suragi: Memories of My Life with U R Ananthamurthy
₹300.00Author: Esther Ananthamurthy Editor: Jasavant Jadhav, Narrator: Prithviraj Kavathar, Translator: Gayathri Rao
Flowering with the Suragi: Memories of My Life with U R Ananthamurthy Life as the spouse of a celebrated public figure, and that too over five decades, brings its own challenges alongside its privileges and opportunities, especially for a woman in a traditional society like India. Should one be content to live in the spouse’s shade or find a parallel, independent life-arc? How does one balance family life with one’s own career? How does one navigate between the private and the public realms of one’s existence? These are some of the questions that Esther Ananthamurthy explores in this memoir of her days with the renowned Kannada writer and thinker U R Ananthamurthy. Living with someone like Ananthamurthy, who would alternatively retreat into a hermit-like state during intense spells of literary creativity, then plunge, with his rock-star-like appeal, into movements of historic socio-political importance, and then, as a public intellectual and deeply loved teacher, lend himself virtually completely to peers, students, and admirers through endless interactions, must have been as much a source of pride and joy for Esther as of bafflement and loss of privacy. Her successful interfaith marriage, especially in the conservative milieu of her times, playing the gracious hostess to countless visitors and the tactful homemaker balancing family budgets; boldly facing various controversies and threats arising out of Ananthamurthy’s unflinching stands on sensitive public matters—none of this would have been possible without extraordinary patience and spirit. This memoir chronicles the manner in which a woman like Esther Ananthamurthy negotiated all these challenges and evolved her own ‘home-and-the-world’ equilibrium, more as an act of love and faith than as a matter of duty or responsibility.
– Mr Jasavant Jadhav
Interested customers may write to us at mup@manipal.edu about purchasing the book.
-
Life and Art of K K Hebbar
₹2,000.00Author: Haridas Bhat Editors: Rekha Rao, Rajani Prasanna Translators: Sandhya Vasudev, Rukma Vasudev
K K Hebbar was a trailblazer in Indian art. His contributions to modern Indian art as an artist, teacher, and art administrator are unparalleled. What is ‘Indian’ in modern Indian art has been a subject of discussion since the beginning of the modernist movement. Hebbar’s oeuvre is an answer to that question. It is modern and yet, intensely Indian, both in terms of subjects and treatment. Hebbar remained rooted in his native soil. His line drawings are a treasure of Indian art. No one has surpassed them in their delicacy and lyricism.
This biography is Mr Bhat’s affectionate account of his friend Hebbar’s life and art. The strength of Hebbar’s character comes through in his narration. Integrity and self-discipline were Hebbar’s defining qualities. Arguably, the man was greater than his work. And that makes his story intriguing. This biography of a major artist is a welcome addition to the meagre literature on Indian artists.
Interested customers may write to us at mup@manipal.edu about purchasing the book.
Also available on

-
The Path of Proofs – Pramanapaddhati of Sri Jayatirtha
₹250.00Author: Shrinivasa Varakhedi
Epistemology of the Dvaita school of thought is presented in this short monograph Pramāṇapaddhati – the Path of Proofs, authored by Śrī Jayatīrtha. Epistemology is the science of knowledge that deals with the origin and nature of cognitive events and their means.
Ācārya Madhva, the proponent of the Dvaita school, has explained about the epistemology of this new school in his works. Since Madhva’s language is profound and the elucidations are scattered over his several works, it is difficult to comprehend for a novice. Hence, Pramāṇapaddhati was composed by his successor of third generation Śrī Jayatīrtha. The simple and captivating
style of this work is sure to ignite the interest in the readers to conduct further study in detail. This work is not only regarded as a standard textbook of Dvaita studies, but also considered as a basic authentic work in the Dvaita dialectic literature.This work is rendered into English by Prof Shrinivasa Varakhedi adopting the mirror-translation method.
Interested readers may write to us at mup@manipal.edu about purchasing the book.Also available on
















Be the first to review “Vacanāmṛtam – Nectar of Sayings”
You must be logged in to post a review.