Akka Mahadevi Kaljayi Kavi Aur Unka Kavya

Like an ocean in a pot, this book presents a collection of the best and most representative poems from the vast body of poetry of timeless Hindi poets, along with detailed analysis.Akka Mahadevi was a distinguished 12th-century devotional poet from Karnataka. She was a devoted devotee of Lord Shiva, and her 434 verses in Kannada reflect her love and devotion. 12th-century Kannada society was deeply entrenched in caste, class, and gender discrimination, and Akka Mahadevi was a staunch opponent of these practices; she even lived a life completely unlike a traditional woman. She believed that true devotion could only be achieved through the renunciation of all material possessions, and her faith in this renunciation was so strong that she even gave up her clothes.Despite Akka Mahadevi being an important voice in the lineage of medieval devotee-saint-poets, few people outside the Kannada language are familiar with her verses. This collection attempts to address this lack, presenting a simple translation of 137 of his sayings into Hindi.This book has been selected and edited by Madhav Hada, renowned as an expert on the Bhakti period. A former professor and president of Mohanlal Sukhadia University, Udaipur, Madhav Hada has been a fellow at the Indian Institute of Advanced Study, Shimla. He is currently a member of the General Assembly and Hindi Advisory Board of the Sahitya Akademi, New Delhi.