Summary
In this vachana, Basavanna tests whether what is received has become inwardly true.
He begins with the image of teeth and tongue. What enters the mouth must be truly tasted and assimilated. In the same way, what is received on the path must not remain outward. If the mind becomes two after receiving, Basavanna places himself under oath before Kudalasangama Deva.
He then speaks of the vow. If there is no firmness in the vow that one undertakes, that too falls under oath. A vow is not true because it is spoken; it is true only when it has strength in living.
The final condition concerns Prasada. Basavanna says that if Kudalasangama Deva has set His sight upon his mind, then he must not receive anything except Prasada. What is taken must be sanctified by inward alignment.
The teaching is direct: the Sharana must not receive without inward assimilation, vow without firmness, or take anything outside Prasada. Mind, word, receiving, and conduct must remain undivided before Kudalasangama Deva.
Imagery & Symbolic Relevance
The teeth and tongue form the first image. They belong to the same mouth and must work together in the act of eating. The image points to inward unity in receiving.
Taste is implied through this mouth-image. Food is not fulfilled by being merely held or placed near the mouth; it must be tasted. Likewise, spiritual receiving is not fulfilled by outer contact alone.
The divided mind is the first danger. Basavanna says that if the mind becomes two, he stands under oath. Division after receiving shows that the truth has not entered fully.
The vow is the second field of testing. A vow may be spoken, but if it lacks firmness, it remains weak. Basavanna does not treat vow as verbal declaration alone.
Firmness is the measure of the vow. The vow must hold in conduct. Without that firmness, the word spoken before Kudalasangama Deva loses truth.
Prasada is the final image. Basavanna does not say that anything may be taken casually. If the Lord has seen his mind, then only Prasada may be received.
The Lord seeing the mind is decisive. The test is not public appearance, ritual correctness, or verbal claim. Kudalasangama Deva sees whether the mind is truly aligned.
The repeated oath gives the vachana its severity. Basavanna binds each condition to accountability before the Lord.
The movement of the vachana is therefore from mouth and taste, to undivided mind, to firmness in vow, to receiving only Prasada, and finally to oath-bound truth before Kudalasangama Deva.
Lingayoga
In Lingayoga, this vachana teaches integrity in receiving and living.
The seeker should ask: has what I received truly entered me, or does the mind remain divided? Do I make vows without firmness? Do I receive as Prasada, or do I take things as ordinary possession?
For Sharana Sthala, the practice-point is clear: let receiving become lived truth. Let vow become firm conduct. Let what is taken be Prasada, not private possession. Let Kudalasangama Deva’s seeing of the mind be the final measure.
Editorial Commentary
The images are simple and strict: teeth and tongue, divided mind, firm vow, and Prasada. The repeated oath must remain central. Basavanna is not offering an abstract teaching; he is binding his own receiving, vow, and conduct to truth before Kudalasangama Deva.
Related Vachana
Supporting Vachana
Pranalingi Sthala Vachana 798 — The Touchstone of Truth
Pranalingi Vachana 798 supports this teaching by saying that songs, meanings, vows, disciplines, and declarations do not bear fruit if the mind has not touched the Linga. This supports Vachana 731 directly. Vachana 731 says that what is received must not leave the mind divided, and that a vow without firmness is unacceptable before Kudalasangama Deva. Vachana 798 gives the supporting ground: sacred words, vows, and practices become true only when the mind has actual inward contact with the Linga.
Advancing Vachana
Aikya Sthala Vachana 1180 — When Fulfillment Comes, Even the Means Are Transcended
Aikya Vachana 1180 advances this teaching by showing Guru, Linga, Jangama, and Prasada becoming fully one’s own through complete assimilation. When they are fully internalized, their separate externality is transcended, and the devotee lives ripened in Guru, Linga, Jangama, and Prasada. This is the natural advancement from Vachana 731. Vachana 731 insists that receiving, vow, and Prasada must become inwardly true; Aikya Vachana 1180 shows the fulfilled state where what was received has been wholly assimilated and lived as mature devotion before Kudalasangama Deva.
