Paper short abstract:

This paper focuses on the relationship between the vana, “wild space” or forest, and the kṣetra, well-settled, cultivated space, in the Kannaḍa oral epic Male Mādēśvara. I will show that Sontheimer's concept can serve as a useful mode of interpretation of the epic's different layers of meaning.

Paper long abstract:

Inspired by Sontheimer's essay "The Vana and the Kṣetra: The Tribal Background of Some Famous Cults" in which he explores the relationship between the vana and the kṣetra, I decided to apply his approach to the Male Mādēśvara epic. Sontheimer also emphasizes the great influence of the "Little Tradition" on the "Great Tradition": Very often, oral and local traditions found entrance into Sanskrit culture and were transformed according to Brahmanic world view. This seems to be the case with the Male Mādēśvara epic, too. I will therefore try to answer the following questions: Will it be useful to apply Sontheimer's approach to the Male Mādēśvara epic? What does the epic text tell us about the relationship between the vana and the kṣetra? Can we find traces of the kṣetra's influence on the cult and the epic tradition of Male Mādēśvara in the text? At the beginning, I will give a short introduction to the epic, its performance and socio-cultural context. I will also take a closer look at the main protagonist, the young Vīraśaiva saint Mādēśvara who struggles to establish his cult. However, the focus will be on the popular Saṃkamma episode: By analyzing selected text passages, I will show how the different characters of the two contradicting, and often conflicting, realms are reflected in the lives and marriage of the protagonists. In the end, I hope to establish that both realms have constantly remained in exchange with each other, and therefore both have been shaping today's oral epic tradition.