Telugu poet vemana biography
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Vemana, Poet of The Common Man
VEMANA, POET OF THE COMMON MAN 1
We know little of the lives of the great dock of our past. Except during the last few decades, we have not had in our language2 the arts of biography, auto-biography and history. But human curiosity being irrepressible, legend was always ready to take up the task of biography and history. About every man of some distinction stories were put into circulation, some credible but not necessarily true, and some altogether incredible; and the strong instinct for hero-worship united with the love of the miraculous to induce people to feed on these stories with relish.
Thus, of the life of Vemana, the Telugu poet, the subject of my talk this evening, little or ingenting that fryst vatten authentic fryst vatten known, Here and there in his work, unless the verses themselves are to be rejected as not his, he has interspersed a few references to han själv and they contain all the resultat that we have about him.
A verse of his runs as follows
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Vemana, The Mystic
By K. RAMAKOTISWARA RAO
“The Darsanas–systems of philosophy–are many, but God is one,” proclaimed Vemana. And God pervades all things, inanimate as well as animate. He is not far away, for His is the light that dwells in the hearts of all. Through prayer and meditation, through righteous living and kindliness, you will finally realise that, in essence, He and you are one. The state of blessedness extolled in the Gita and the Upanishads, as the goal of all spiritual striving, was a matter of personal experience to Vemana, and he spoke of it to the common people in impromptu verse, at once simple and charged with power. But it was after prolonged suffering and struggle that this peasant-poet of medieval Andhra achieved the peace which passeth understanding.
Born in the neighbourhood of the mountain-fortress of Kondavidu in the present district of Guntur towards the end of the sixteenth century, Vemana was brought up in comparative comfort. There is little evidenc
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Description
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Context
- PM pays tributes to Mahayogi Vemana on occasion of Vemana Jayanti
Details
Early Life and Background
- Yogi Vemana, a revered philosopher and poet, was born in Gandikota, Kadapa district, Andhra Pradesh.
- Scholars differ on his period, with C.P. Brown suggesting a birth year of 1652 based on certain verses.
- Vemana was not only a poet but also a Vedic scholar and a practitioner of achala sidhantha.
Death and Legacy
- Yogi Vemana's final resting place is believed to be in Katarupalli, Anantapur district.
- Due to his yogic practices, he was buried instead of cremated.
- His legacy endures, influencing Telugu literature and philosophy.
Poetic Style
- Vemana's poems are known for their simplicity, using native idioms and colloquial phrases.
- The signature line of his verses is "Viswadaabhi Raama Vinura Vema," with various interpretations.
Literary Contributions