Summary
In this vachana, Basavanna warns the seeker not to leap among many branches. The seeker should not live only for the body, nor give himself to worldly people and become deluded.
He says that Achara is a slippery stone. If bhava is missed, conduct can slip, and what has slipped cannot easily be recovered.
Basavanna then gives the direct instruction: do not fear, do not tremble, and do not bow to another deity. His burden is to remain in the hands of Kudalasangayya.
Imagery & Symbolic Relevance
The many branches show scattered movement. One who leaps among many branches cannot remain steady in one direction.
Being only for the body shows a life governed by bodily concern.
Giving oneself to worldly people and becoming deluded shows misplaced dependence. The seeker loses steadiness when direction is shaped by worldly association.
Achara as a slippery stone is the central image. Conduct may appear firm, but if bhava is lost, action can slip.
The warning not to fear, not to tremble, and not to bow to another deity gives the final direction of the vachana. The seeker must remain steady in Kudalasangayya’s hand.
Lingayoga
In Lingayoga, this vachana teaches steadiness in conduct and inward direction. The seeker must not scatter among many supports, become absorbed only in the body, or allow Achara to slip through loss of bhava.
For Prasadi Sthala, the teaching is that grace requires direct entrustment. The seeker places himself in Kudalasangayya’s hand and refuses fear, trembling, worldly delusion, and turning toward another deity.
Editorial Commentary
The approved title is retained, but the explanation follows the Kannada images.
The phrase “many branches” should be understood as scattered movement, not as shaking a tree.
The phrase “do not be only for the body” governs the second warning. The issue is bodily-centered living.
The phrase “Achara is a slippery stone” should remain central. Basavanna warns that action slips when bhava is lost.
The closing line gives the settled position of the vachana: to be in the hands of Kudalasangayya is the speaker’s burden and refuge.
Related Vachana
Supporting Vachana
Maheshwara Sthala Vachana 85 — The Linga in the Palm, the Animal Within
Maheshwara Vachana 85 supports this vachana by showing the contradiction of carrying the Linga while remaining governed by bodily hunger and outward appearance. In Vachana 621, Basavanna warns not to live only for the body, not to become deluded through worldly association, and not to let Achara slip when bhava is lost. Both vachanas expose the instability of outer religious standing when the inward state is not aligned with Linga.
Advancing Vachana
Pranalingi Sthala Vachana 566 — The Linga in the Palm
Pranalingi Vachana 566 advances this teaching by making the warning sharper after the Linga has been received in the palm. In Vachana 621, Basavanna says not to fear, not to tremble, not to bow to another deity, and to remain in Kudalasangayya’s hand. In Vachana 566, this becomes the Pranalingi demand that the hand holding the Linga, the speech of the mouth, reverence for Guru, and conduct in the world must not divide. The movement is from Prasadi steadiness in Kudalasangayya’s hand to Pranalingi integrity before the palm-held Linga.
