Vada in Theory and Practice: Studies in Debates, Dialogues and Discussions in Indian Intellectual Discourses c6.s6.t3.7

c6.s6.t3.7

*Vakh* of Lal-Dêd and *Vacanas* of medieval saints like Basaveśvara presented a new vision of religion and life. Through the inculcation of the element of devotion, the hard and atrocious practices of Tantra melted into compassion. The philosophical sophistries gave place to practical wisdom and search for freedom. Instead of intellectual discourse, *vacanas* revealed real experiences of a liberated soul. The female voices, silenced and lying dormant in the course of the male dominated history of more than two millennia also resounded with a revived gusto. Āṇḍāla, Akkā Mahādevī, Lal-Dêd, Habbā Khātūn, Mīrā and many other female mystic saints created their literary oeuvre with spontaneous verbalization of experiences on the path of enlightenment. The mystic experiences in their sayings are expressed through rare images in subtle phrases. Their feminine discourse had *śakti* (power) and insight to unravel the truth and address the human beings and the God created by them for the inconsistencies and inner contradictions.