Summary
In this vachana, Basavanna says that he does not desire the position of Brahma, the position of Vishnu, or the position of Rudra.
He then rejects every other position as well. No exalted station is his aim.
Before Kudalasangama Deva, he asks for only one great position: to know and remain at the feet of the Lord’s true Bhaktas.
Imagery & Symbolic Relevance
Brahma’s position is the first rejected image. Basavanna refuses even the station associated with creation.
Vishnu’s position is the second rejected image. He does not seek the station associated with preservation or honored divine order.
Rudra’s position is the third rejected image. Even the station associated with fierce power is not desired.
The rejection of every other position broadens the teaching. The issue is not one office alone, but the desire for position itself.
The feet of the true Bhaktas give the decisive counter-image. Basavanna chooses nearness to those who live truly over every exalted seat.
The great position is therefore not a throne above others. It is the grace of remaining at the feet of Kudalasangama Deva’s true devotees.
Lingayoga
In Lingayoga, this vachana tests ambition at its highest level.
The practice-point is direct: do not seek spiritual greatness as position. Seek the feet of Kudalasangama Deva’s true Bhaktas, where humility becomes the greater state.
For Sharana Sthala, this is the preference for Sharana-nearness over every title or rank.
Editorial Commentary
The word padavi carries the sense of position, station, or rank. Basavanna rejects even the highest named positions and asks instead for mahāpadavi, the great state connected with the feet of the Lord’s true Bhaktas. The reversal is the heart of the vachana: what appears lower is spiritually greater.
Related Vachana
Supporting Vachana
Pranalingi Sthala Vachana 552 — That Which Cannot Be Forgotten
Pranalingi Vachana 552 supports this teaching by testing exalted divine names against the one presence that cannot be forgotten. There, Hari, Brahma, and the thirty-three crore gods are placed before the question of forgetfulness, while Kudalasangama Deva is distinguished as unforgettable. Vachana 361 carries that same restraint into Sharana Sthala: Basavanna does not seek Brahma’s, Vishnu’s, Rudra’s, or any other position, but asks for the great state at the feet of the Lord’s true Bhaktas.
Advancing Vachana
Aikya Sthala Vachana 876 — The Feet as the Supreme Beyond Word, Vision, and Reach
Aikya Vachana 876 advances this teaching by showing Brahma bound by word, Vishnu by vision, and Rudra by the hand, while the Sharana of Kudalasangama Deva rests in the Feet as supreme. Vachana 361 refuses the positions of Brahma, Vishnu, and Rudra and asks for the feet of the true Bhaktas; Aikya Vachana 876 carries that movement into Aikya, where all faculties and ranks fall away before the final ground of surrender.
