Poetic Rendering
False company burns the heart
a heat that scorches, a presence that divides.
The company of self-praise,
that crowns itself in vanity,
breeds only stench and turmoil.
The company that destroys,
that lifts another only to push them into ruin
such fellowship is a net of cruelty.
Those who use and discard,
who cling without loyalty
and abandon without thought
let such company be far from me.
For I stand in the grace
of Sharana Madivala Machideva;
with his shelter upon me,
O Koodalasangamadeva,
I fear no false fellowship.
Basavanna warns of the many forms of harmful company: associations that inflame ego, create division, glorify themselves, or exploit and discard others. Such companionship corrupts the mind and leads the seeker away from truth. He contrasts this with the fearless confidence that arises from the grace of true Sharanas embodied here by Madivala Machideva whose presence uplifts and protects. The vachana teaches that spiritual safety lies not in isolation, but in choosing companions rooted in humility, devotion, and integrity. True fellowship liberates; false company destroys.
Spiritual Context
Core Spiritual Principle: Fellowship as Ecology (Sangha-Vaastu). In Lingayoga, the company one keeps is not a social luxury but the very atmosphere of the soul. Toxic company pollutes consciousness with the “stench” of ego (Ahamkara) and the “turmoil” of division (Bheda). True fellowship is a purified ecosystem where grace circulates.
Cosmic Reality Perspective: From the non-dual view, false company is Shakti (the energy of relationship) moving in self-contradictory, divisive patterns, creating friction and heat. The grace of a Sharana is Shakti flowing in harmonious alignment with Shiva, creating a cooling, integrative field. The seeker must choose which energetic field to inhabit.
Historical Reality (Anubhava Mantapa Context): This vachana served as a code of conduct for the revolutionary community. It explicitly named and shamed the behaviors that would destroy their utopian project: self-praise, duplicity, exploitation, and disloyalty. Invoking Madivala Machidevaa fellow Sharana known for his humility and service (a washerman)grounds the teaching in a living example, not an abstract principle.
Interpretation
“False company burns the heart… a presence that divides”: This is the primary symptom. True spiritual energy (Tejas) unites and illuminates; false company generates a corrosive heat (Daha) that scorches tenderness and creates inner fragmentation.
“The company of self-praise… breeds only stench and turmoil”: Self-praise is the inversion of Dasoha (offering). It hoards energy instead of giving it, creating a stagnant, putrid psychic environment (“stench”) and mental agitation (“turmoil”).
“The company that destroys… a net of cruelty”: This describes calculated exploitation using spiritual or social capital to elevate another only to ensure their greater fall. This is Maya in its most malicious, trapping form.
“Those who use and discard… abandon without thought”: This highlights the cardinal sin against Basavayoga’s core principle of steadfastness (Akhanda Sthiti). It treats relationships as consumable commodities, violating the sacredness of connection.
“I stand in the grace of Sharana Madivala Machideva… I fear no false fellowship”: This is the triumphant conclusion. Grace (Prasada) is experienced as a protective field. Taking refuge in the consciousness of a true exemplar (Sharana) inoculates one against the psychic viruses carried by false company.
Practical Implications: Spiritual vigilance requires constantly monitoring the “temperature” and “atmosphere” of one’s relationships. Does this association leave me feeling integrated or fragmented? Humble or self-inflated? Secure or anxious? The answers are diagnostic.
The Cosmic Reality
Anga (Human Dimension): The realm of affect and vulnerability. The heart is the sensor. It registers the “burn” of betrayal, the “stench” of vanity, and the “fear” of abandonment. Its longing is for the cool, safe “shelter” of true grace.
Linga (Divine Principle): The unwavering, non-abandoning reality. Koodalasangamadeva is the antithesis of the “user and discarder.” It is the principle of absolute, loyal sustenance.
Jangama (Dynamic Interaction): The flow of influence between individuals. The Jangama of false company is a chaotic, entropic transfer of negative karma and agitation. The Jangama of Sharana’s grace is a laminar, healing flow of consciousness that stabilizes and empowers the recipient.
Shata Sthala
Primary Sthala: Bhakta. The entire warning is for the Bhakta, who is learning to navigate the world. The detailed catalog of toxic traits is a field guide for protection. The longing for a true shelter epitomizes the Bhakta’s need for guidance.
Supporting Sthala: Sharana. Madivala Machideva embodies this stage. A Sharana has become a stable source of that grace-filled shelter for others. The Bhakta’s goal is to move towards becoming such a refuge themselves, thus ending all fear of false fellowship.
Practical Integration
Arivu (Awareness Practices): Practice the “Sharana Shield” meditation. Visualize yourself within the protective aura of your chosen spiritual exemplar (Istalinga or a saint like Machideva). Imagine false words and intentions hitting this field and dissolving, leaving you untouched in your core.
Achara (Personal Discipline): Make a personal vow (Vrata) of loyalty and steadfastness in your key spiritual relationships. Periodically audit your own behavior to ensure you are not exhibiting the “use and discard” or “self-praise” mentality you condemn.
Kayaka (Sacred Action): In your workplace or community, be a creator of “graceful fellowship.” Actively discourage gossip, self-aggrandizement, and exploitative politics. Foster collaborations that are transparent, mutually uplifting, and rooted in shared purpose rather than personal gain.
Dasoha (Communal Offering): The community should function as a collective “Sharana’s shelter.” Establish clear, compassionate boundaries against behaviors that constitute “false company,” while providing a rehabilitative, non-shaming path for those who err. Protect the communal heart from scorching.
Modern Application
Transactional Networks & Cancel Culture. Our professional and social worlds are built on leveraging connections for personal advancement, often followed by silent discarding. Online, we engage in the “company of self-praise” (curated personal brands) and the “net of cruelty” (public shaming, canceling). This creates a pervasive, low-grade psychic “burn” and profound distrust.
This vachana prescribes Covenantal Relationship. It calls us to build and fiercely protect small circles of covenantal trust relationships based on unwavering loyalty, humility before a shared higher purpose, and a commitment to never use or discard one another. In a transactional world, such circles become the only real shelter, the living embodiment of “Sharana’s grace.”
Essence
Some bonds are fire, and some are chains,
Some praise the self, and leave dark stains.
But in the circle of the true,
Where grace falls like a cleansing dew,
The heart stands firm, the soul takes breath,
Unscorched by any fire but death.
This vachana outlines the energetic immunology of consciousness. False company is a pathogenic agenta psychic toxin or virus that invades the individual’s energetic field (Anga), causing inflammation (burning), disintegration (division), and toxicity (stench). The grace of a Sharana is the spiritual immune system. It is an acquired, high-frequency field (Jangama) that identifies, neutralizes, and expels these pathogens, allowing the system to maintain its integrity in relation to the core Self (Linga).
Imagine your mind is a clear lake. False company is like people throwing mud, trash, and boiling water into it. The grace of a true companion is like a natural spring feeding the lake with pure, cool water, constantly diluting and flushing out the pollution, keeping the lake clear and alive.
Our deepest fears are often relational: betrayal, abandonment, being used. Our deepest need is for sanctuarya relationship where we are seen, valued, and never discarded. This vachana confirms that this sanctuary is not a human right but a spiritual achievement, found only in the conscious field generated by those who have taken refuge in the Divine. To find it, one must first learn to flee all counterfeits.
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