Molige Mahaadevi (ಮೋಳಿಗೆ ಮಹಾದೇವಿ)

Can there be water without earth?
Can a seed sprout without a base?
Can knowledge be had without action?
Can the mind grasp the Thing without attention?
This is the relation and difference between
action and knowledge
Ennayyapriya Immadi Nihkalankamallikarjuna. [Vachana No.1338] ^[1]

Molige Mahaadeyi was the wife of Kashmiri king Mahaadeva. Her original name was Gangaadevi. She came to Kalyaana ofter renouncing her throne and followed the occupation, along with her husband, of selling fire wood. King Mahaadeva became Molige (seller of firewood) Marayya and his wife Ganadevi Moligeya Mahaadevi. 70 of her vachanas with the signature Yennayyapriya Immadi Nihkalanka Mallikaarjuna have been found. She is different from other women vachana writers in that she has discussed shatsthala concept, the relationship between action and knowledge and the significance of Ishtalinga and praanalinga.

If Urvashi were to chew camphor and kiss them
people will surely welcome it
Would they, if a pig were to chew camphor and kiss them?
Won’t they simply shoo it away?
If those who are pure in word and deed
read the vachanas of ancients and practice anubhaava
people will surely welcome it.
Would they
if those who are not pure in word or deed
read the vachanas of ancients and practice anubhaava?
If those who are not pure in word or deed
read the vachanas of Ancients
they are worse than the pig
O Ennayyapriya Immadi Nihkalankamallikarjuna. [Vachana No.1332] ^[1]

Why lose precious gold
fighting for a few coins?
Why make a pitcher
filled to the brim fall down?
When the sign called linga
given by the guru can be seen in your body,
instead of being with that true linga
why be confused
going into this nook or that cranny?
If you lose your jewels
where you are standing
and look for it elsewhere,
will they come back to you?
Find out for yourself
if you see the great linga in your body or not.
Seek the answer in
Ennayyapriya Immadi Nihkalankamallikarjuna. [Vachana No.1332] ^[1]

Both Mahadevi and Marayya make a unique couple among the 12th century Sharanas comparable in their firm faith in the practice of Kayaka and Dasoha. A royal couple of Kashmir, Mārayya and Mahadevi, like Siddhartha who renounced his wife, son and kingdom to go in search of the Ultimate truth, abandoned their kingdom and came to Kalyāna, on hearing the same of Basavanna and his innumerable followers, to take to the humble life of faggot selling in preference to the life of luxury. Both husband and wife together practiced Kayaka and Dasoha with purity of heart and disinterested Endeavour. What they offered to Guru, Linga and Jangama daily was a porridge of plain jawara [Ambli in Kannada]. The Jangamas who tasted their porridge told Basavanna about its exceeding tastiness. Then Basavanna, in order to test their devotion to Kāyaka and Dāsoha, one day went to Mārayya's house, when Mārayya was not there, disguised as a jangama under the pretext of performing linga worship and tasted the porridge prepared by Mahadevi. Immensely pleased at the humble service of Mahadevi, Basavanna, before leaving their house, hid two reticules of gold coins in a corner of the bathroom. Marayya, on coming home, smelt the mischief done by Basavanna and soon discovered the hidden reticules. Mārayya gave those gold coins to two Jangamas, one reticule each, and also invited other Jañgamas who daily dined at Basavanna's place. After feeding them with the delicious porridge, Mărayya gave each Jangamaa gold stick. Mārayya had transformed the bundle of faggots brought home that day into gold by sprinkling the Jaigama's Pādādaka over it. Mārayya proved by his devotion to Kayaka that a devotee would never suffer from poverty. Then Basavana admitted his fault and apologized for it. Mārayya's miracle of turning stick into gold by the power of his devotion to Kāyaka and Dāsoha drove home to Basavanna the magnificence of Mārayya's personality, his freedom from greed, desire and fear. Basavana praises full-throatedly Mārayya's philosophy of dedicated labour, service and devotion.

Thus Mārayya, with the support of his wife, pursued his Kayaka and Dāsoha without break, and lived up to a ripe old age. It seems the couple survived the crisis at Kalyana, following the murder of Bijjala and the departure of all the Sharanas including Basavanna, who ran helter-skelter. Mārayya was certainly a great Sharana, but his wife Mahādeviyamma was greater than her husband, for she was more enlightened than he in the matter of Lingaikya, which she believed was a simple thing and for which none should seek it outside himself or herself. An incident that occurred towards the fag end of their life showed how Mahadeviyamma was far more enlightened than her husband.

After all the Sharanas had left Kalyāna, Mărayya already sufficiently aged and exhausted expressed his desire to unite with the Divine: “How long shall keep for you this mission of a mortal man?", Marayya asked God. Marayya's words surprised Mahadeviyamma and asked him: “To whom are you addressing these words? Is it God? Is he different from you? Are you not already one with the Divine? Are you asking for wages in return for your love and service?

Was your devotion a deception?
When you turned faggot into gold?
Was your devotion a hired labour?
When you abandoned your land valuables, palace,
Treasury one and a quarter lakh citizens and women?
Why this arrogance, O Sir,
When the good will of Basavanna, Chennabasavanna,
Prabhu and seventy and seven hundred immortal saints is there?
Is there the sense of twain in your wisdom still
To say that you want to join the other?
Do you notice ash and charcoal left
Where the camphor wood catches fire and is gutted?
Know yourself within your heart.
Know how you dispelled my shyness
At the time of our union
Do not disdain a woman’s words.
To say that you want to unite outside
Spells ruin to your wisdom.
Note the stature of your Sharanas
Ennayyapriya Immadi Nihkalanka Mallikārjuna! [svs, vol. V, V. 913]

Thus Mahadeviyamma wakes up her internally nodding husband, and Marayya, realizing his error, acknowledges the wisdom of his wife and becomes one with his own self. Afterwards, Mahadeviyamma too unites with the Absolute. Mahadeviyamma's 69 Vachanas available and they bear the signature-Ennayyapriya Immadi Nihkalanka Mallikärjuna'. The majority of Mahadeviyamma's Vachanas are in the form of advice to her husband regarding monism and the other few Vachanas deal with such subjects as the six-fold stage, relationship between action and knowledge, Istalinga and Pranalinga, etc. With her unparalleled enlightenment about Kāyaka being an end in itself and not a means to salvation, ardent devotion and sharp intellect, Mahādeviyamma occupies a place of distinction among all the women writers of Vachana as an ideal intellectual companion to her husband.