ABSTRACT
The chapter begins by drawing our attention to the problems in the current understanding of bhakti traditions. By focusing on the way the Lingayat Vachanas speak about caste (or jati), this chapter suggests that the popular belief that they take an anti-caste stance cannot be proved either through textual analysis of the Vachanas or by building a consistent and strong argument. The second part offers an alternative reading of the Vachanas. It tries to show that the Vachanas saw jati as an obstacle in the adhyatmic journey of the Lingayat seekers and not as a social problem related to hierarchy and oppression.
