After erecting three pillars The gross, the subtle, and the causal bodies After beating the buffaloes’ rough hide After removing the flesh With the staff of the manifest and the hidden After tanning the hide with the fire of dualism After pouring the caustic juice of quintessence Into the hide-pouch of awareness The blemishes of soul thus destroyed I have come to take the sandals to his feet. Take care, Not of the ground below, But of the path your feet and sandals take. Do not be enslaved By the hand-awl, blade, or peg But realise Ramarama, your own true self, the joy of joys! Poet - Madara Chennaiah Translator: H.S. Shivaprakash Source: I Keep Vigil of Rudra, Penguin Classics Performed by M. D. Pallavi and Bruce Lee Mani For Bhakti Republic with Amit Basole Radio Azim Premji University, 2023 Madara Chennaiah, a renowned vachana poet from the 11th century, earned recognition during the era of the Western Chalukyas in southern India. Despite working as a cobbler and being affiliated with the Madiga caste, he left a legacy through his vachanas, which he signed under the pseudonym ‘Nijaatmaraama Raamana,’ though only ten have endured over time. His poetry delved into the injustice of feeling superior due to one's caste, advocating for equality by highlighting that everyone shares the same origins and physical composition. Chennaiah asserted that an individual's value stems from their ethical conduct rather than their caste, dividing people into two categories based on their actions: those who perform good deeds and those who engage in wrongdoing. Additionally, his poems addressed a significant theological debate regarding the duality or unity of existence. His powerful and meaningful vachanas emerged from the fusion of metaphors drawn from his cobbler trade, interwoven with profound theological concepts.