Vemana, popularly known as Yogi Vemana, was an Indian philosopher and poet in the

Telugu language Telugu (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken by Telugu people predominantly living in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, where it is also the official language. It is the most widely spoken member of the Dravidian language fami ...

. His poems are known for their use of simple language and native idioms. They discuss the subjects of

yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...

, wisdom and morality.

Early life and background

There is no consensus among scholars about the period in which Vemana lived. C.P. Brown, known for his research on Vemana, estimates his year of birth to be 1652 based on some of his verses. Various sources say he was born in the fifteenth, sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Vemana was Telinga to

Jangam The Jangam or Jangamaru (ಜಂಗಮರು) are a Shaiva order of religious monks. They are the priests or gurus of the Hindu Shaiva sect. Jangamas are also gurus of Veerashaiva' sect Jangamas are disciples of Lord Shiva as mentioned in Bas ...

a community. Brown says this was in his original history of Yogi Vemana. Vemana was a Vedic scholar and a great yogi in achala sidhantha. Vemana was born in

Gandikota Gandikota is a village and historical fort on the right bank of the Penna river, 15 km from Jammalamadugu in Kadapa district, Andhra Pradesh, India. The fort was the centre of power for various dynasties, such as the Kalyani Chalukyas, Pem ...

Kadapa district Kadapa district (officially: YSR district; formerly: Cuddapah district) is one of the twenty six districts in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. On 19 August 2005 nomenclature of “Cuddapah” has been changed as “Kadapa” by the Governm ...

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

Death

There is a headstone marking the grave of Yogi Vemana in Katarupalli (

Kadiri Kadiri is a major city in Sri Sathya Sai District the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a ''Special Grade'' Municipal City Council and headquarters of Kadiri Mandal and Kadiri Revenue Division. Kadiri Taluka ('Tehsil') was the largest taluk ...

town), a village in Kadiri taluk,

Anantapur district Anantapur district officially: Anantapuramu district is one of the eight districts in the Rayalaseema region of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The district headquarters is located at Anantapur city. It is one of the driest places in So ...

. It is widely believed that Vemana died in this village. Owing to the fact that he was a yogi, he was buried and not cremated.

Poetic style

Many lines of Yogi Vemana's poems are now colloquial phrases of the Telugu language. They end with the signature line ''Viswadaabhi Raama Vinura Vema'', literally "''Beloved of Viswada, listen Vema''." There are multiple interpretations of what the last line signifies. Vemana's poems were collected and published by Brown in the 19th century.Brown, C.P. (1829).
Verse of Vemana: Translated from the Telugu
'. His poems follow various themes: social, moral, satirical and mystical. Most of them are in Ataveladi (dancing lady)

meter The metre (British spelling) or meter (American spelling; see spelling differences) (from the French unit , from the Greek noun , "measure"), symbol m, is the primary unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), though its prefi ...

Films

* ''

Yogi Vemana Vemana, popularly known as Yogi Vemana, was an Indian philosopher and poet in the Telugu language. His poems are known for their use of simple language and native idioms. They discuss the subjects of yoga, wisdom and morality. Early life and ...

'', a 1947 Telugu film directed by

K. V. Reddy Kadiri Venkata Reddy (1 July 1912 – 15 September 1972) was an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer who primarily worked in Telugu cinema. He is considered as one of the greatest directors in the history of Telugu cinema. He d ...

, starring

V. Nagayya V. Nagayya (born Vuppaladadiyam Nagayya Sarma; 28 March 1904 – 30 December 1978) also known as Chittoor Nagayya was an Indian actor, singer, music composer, and director known for his works in Telugu cinema, Tamil cinema, and Telugu theatre. ...

. * ''Sri Vemana Charitra'', another Telugu film, released in 1986 and directed by

C. S. Rao Chittajallu Srinivasa Rao (1924 – 8 December 2004) was an Indian actor, writer and director. He was the son of film director Chittajallu Pullayya. He directed around 65 films in the Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Oriya languages. He garnered ...

, starring Vijayachander.

References

External links

[Dr. Sridhar Rapelli, New York]

Vemana Yogi - Varna Vyavastha, Dr. Sridhar Rapelli, Commentator- 2002

Verses of Vemana - English Translation by C.P.Brown

The story of Vemana
told by

Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev Sadhguru (born Jagadish Vasudev, 3 September 1957) is the founder and head of the Isha Foundation, based in Coimbatore, India. The foundation, established in 1992, operates an ashram and yoga centre that carries out educational and spiritua ...

. {{Authority control Telugu people Telugu poets Year of birth uncertain Year of death uncertain People from Rayalaseema Indian male poets Poets from Andhra Pradesh Vijayanagara poets