Summary
In this vachana, Basavanna speaks of the Pranalinga received through the grace of the revered Guru. Through hasta-mastaka-samyoga, the union of hand and head, the Pranalinga is brought into the palm and placed in the seeker’s own hand.
The Linga is not left as a distant object or a hidden idea. It becomes as direct as something resting clearly in the palm. The seeker receives it through Guru’s grace and enters into immediate relation with it.
Basavanna then says that he no longer regards it as merely within or merely without. He becomes absorbed in that Linga, delights in it, and moves in joy through it.
The spiritual concern placed before Kudalasangama Deva is therefore fulfilled reception. The Pranalinga given by Guru becomes the field of absorption, delight, and rejoicing.
Imagery & Symbolic Relevance
The first image is Guru’s grace. The Pranalinga is not seized by personal effort or obtained as an object of possession. It is received through the compassion of the Guru.
The second image is hasta-mastaka-samyoga. Hasta means hand, and mastaka means head. Their union suggests that receiving, worship, awareness, and surrender are brought together through Guru’s transmission.
The third image is the Pranalinga brought into the palm. The palm is the place of direct receiving. What could have remained distant becomes immediate, held, and available for direct relation.
The fourth image is karatalāmalaka. This expression suggests something as clear and evident as an object placed in the palm. The Pranalinga is not merely spoken about; it becomes directly present to the seeker.
The fifth image is neither within nor without. Basavanna says “not inside” and “not outside,” showing that the Linga is no longer confined to a spatial division. The seeker does not treat it as an inner idea or an outer object alone.
The final image is absorption and joy in the Linga. Basavanna becomes absorbed, pleased, and joyful in the Linga he has received. The received Linga becomes the living ground of delight before Kudalasangama Deva.
Lingayoga
In Lingayoga, this vachana teaches that the Linga received through Guru must become direct experience. The hand receives the Linga, but the reception does not remain external.
For Pranalingi Sthala, the point is precise. The Pranalinga becomes livingly present through Guru’s grace. The seeker no longer divides the Linga as merely inward or outward, but becomes absorbed in it with joy.
The practice-point is clear: receive the Linga through Guru’s grace, hold it with awareness, and allow the distinction between inner and outer to soften. Rejoice in the Linga that has become directly present before Kudalasangama Deva.
Editorial Commentary
The phrase karatalāmalaka should be kept close to the source. It points to directness and clarity, like something plainly present in the palm. The vachana therefore does not describe theoretical knowledge of Pranalinga, but received and evident realization through Guru’s grace. The joy arises because the Linga is no longer distant, hidden, or divided as merely inner or outer.
Related Vachana
Supporting Vachana
Maheshwara Sthala Vachana 42 — The Thumb-Sized Infinite
Maheshwara Vachana 42 supports this teaching by showing the paradox of the Linga held in the palm: though small in outward form, it points to what is immeasurable, yet the mind may fail to recognize what it already holds. Vachana 1366 gives the Pranalingi fulfilment of that concern. Here, through Guru’s grace and hasta-mastaka-samyoga, the Pranalinga is brought into the palm as a direct and evident reality. What Maheshwara Vachana 42 presents as the overlooked Infinite in the palm becomes, here, the received Linga in which Basavanna becomes absorbed and rejoices.
Advancing Vachana
Sharana Sthala Vachana 1347 — Where the World Ends and the Sharana Begins
Sharana Vachana 1347 advances this teaching by showing the mature state in which the Sharana no longer lives according to the desire of the world. There, Linga becomes the dwelling, Jangama becomes sovereign, Prasada becomes the very life-breath, and all abides in blissful fulfillment.
In Vachana 1366, Basavanna receives the Pranalinga through Guru’s grace, no longer divides it as merely inner or outer, and rejoices in the Linga as directly present. In Vachana 1347, this matures into Sharana Sthala as complete integration: Linga, Jangama, and Prasada become the very structure of life. The Pranalingi joy of the received Linga advances into Sharana freedom, where worldly orientation falls away and the whole being abides in Kudalasangama Deva.
