ಉಳ್ಳವರು ಶಿವಾಲಯ ಮಾಡುವರು।
ನಾನೇನು ಮಾಡಲಿ ಬಡವನಯ್ಯ॥

The rich build temples for Shiva.
What can I, a poor man, do?

Basavanna · Vachana

Translator's note

on the language of the verse

Basavanna shifts worship away from institutions toward lived ethics.

The voice

Basavanna

ಬಸವಣ್ಣ

The Statesman Who Tried to Rebuild Society, 1131 – 1167.

The questions it touches
  • Caste & dignity
  • Refusal
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