This is a short note on one of the greatest female devotees of Shiva who went beyond all boundaries and social norms, descended reality and became one with Shiva. Her intensity of emotion and surrender is like no other.
Akka Mahadevi was a devotee of Shiva. Right from childhood she had completely given herself to Shiva and she looked upon him as her husband. A king saw her one day and she was so beautiful that he married her. But in her mind and consciousness, she was already married to Shiva. So, she married the king but she kept him at a physical distance. He tried to woo her but she kept saying, “I am not married to you. I married Shiva long ago. I cannot be with you.”
After a few years of frustration, the king became so exasperated that he brought her to the court and accused her of adultery. Mahadevi said, “You fool! I am not your wife. You think so because of a social event, but that is not so. Everything in me is already given.” The king lost his cool and said, “Everything that you have is mine. The jewels, the clothes everything. So how are you talking about your life being somebody else’s!” So, in the full assembly of the court, Akaa Mahadevi — a young woman of 18 years just dropped all her clothes and left. She walked naked from that day onwards, naked — not only of clothing — but naked of ego and shame, naked even of herself.
Akka Mahadevi wrote hundreds of beautiful poems about Shiva; her devotion and her love found expression in such fierce ways. Devotees are a completely different kind of people. They just have one foot in this world. Their ways of living and the power with which they exist is completely otherworldly.
CommentaryByAO- This tale portrays the power of intense surrender, her story inspires us to walk naked, naked of ego and shame.
There is a poem by Akka Mahadevi which goes like this,
Oh Shiva, let food not come to me.
Even if it comes, before it reaches my mouth, may it fall out of my hand.
Before I pick it up, may a dog come and eat it.
Oh Shiva, let food not come to me.
This shows her intensity and surrender.
Hope this flicks a switch in you and gives birth to realisation.
I offer my obeisance to the divine in you.
Har Har Mahadev,
Alakh Niranjan, Adesh.
Ashutosh Om.
