Poet: Maritande

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

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If I am a thief at night

That would be a shame

To the master who gave me the picklock

If I enter houses

When people are forgetful

That would be a shame

To my expertise.

I wake up the forgetful,

Show them their riches

Then bring out my own riches, O Father

Lord of Mara, the love god

Foe of Mara.

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Maritande, a professional burglar known for targeting the houses of the affluent, sustained his livelihood by pilfering and spending the loot until he was apprehended by Bijjala's security guards. Around 1160 AD, during the time of Basavanna, the transformative figure in Maritande's life, Basavanna advocated for leniency on his behalf. This plea led to a change in Maritande's life as he transitioned from a burglar to a devoted Sharana. Influenced by this attitudinal shift, Maritande began writing vachanas, with only a few properly attributed to him. Notably, his vachanas drew on the imagery of his former profession, freely incorporating elements of burglary into his poetic expression.