Dasarayyagala Punyastree Veeramma (ದಸರಯ್ಯಗಳ ಪುಣ್ಯಸ್ತ್ರೀ ವೀರಮ್ಮ)

Ayya,
The ccok knows time.
The devotee who can tell a man profane
will not bond with him.
If he did, there is hell to pay
Gurushaanteshwara. [Vachana No.1795] ^[1]

Viramma is the wife of Dasarayya who dedicated his life to the doctrine of non-violence. Like Basavanna and other ancient Sharanas, Dasarayya too had made the statement—"that compassion is the root of all religions". He followed the doctrine of nonviolence to the extent of believing that the pain caused to any living creature would pain the Linga and make the Linga experience suffering, because each living creature is an embodiment of the Linga. Viramma, besides sharing this knowledge of her husband, believed in the basic tenets of Lingayathism such as observance of vow, Pädodaka, Prasāda, etc. The number of vachanas is small. Only five of her vachanas are available. Her vachanas bear the signature- “Guru Santesvara'. Her time is 1160 A.D.

Viramma's style is simple as it is characterized by direct narration and common similes. Also there is a tinge of satire in her Vachanas which is directed against the doubting worldlings who resort to preaching in order to earn their livelihood. In one of her Vachanas, Viramma lays emphasis on the intuition of a devotee in telling the good from the bad, a true devotee from a false devotee. To illustrate this she gives the well-known example of a hen which knows time intuitively, Viramma joins other women Vachana writers in pronouncing a hell-sentence' on the breakers of vows. In one of her Vachanas she gives a detailed account of Prasāda and in another, of the importance of Pādādaka. Like the majority of women vachana writers, Viramma too harps on the importance of vow-keeping.