Poetic Rendering
A pot and a polished mirror
both shaped from the same metal:
one feeds the body,
the other reveals the face.
So too, seeker and Sharana
share the same human frame:
one wanders in forgetting,
the other shines in knowing.
When awareness awakens,
the mortal turns radiant;
when ignorance settles,
the divine is veiled.
Look not to distant heavens
awaken the Living One within,
O Koodalasangamadeva.
Basavanna reveals that enlightenment is not about changing our nature but about changing our use of it. Just as vessel and mirror are made of the same metal yet serve different purposes, human beings share the same fundamental substance of consciousness yet their lives differ based on awareness. Forgetfulness reduces life to survival; remembrance allows the inner divine to shine. The transformation from ordinary person to Sharana is therefore not a journey of becoming but of uncovering an inner awakening that reveals what was always present.
Spiritual Context
Core Spiritual Principle: Liberation (moksha) is not an acquisition of something new, but the recognition (pratyabhijna) of one’s true, already enlightened nature. The difference between a bound soul and a liberated one is not one of substance, but of awareness.
Cosmic Reality Perspective: The non dual reality (Shivadvaita) posits that all of existence is a manifestation of the one Divine Consciousness (Linga). The individual soul (Anga) is not separate from this consciousness; it is this consciousness, albeit in a state of self forgetfulness (avidya). The journey is from ignorance of this fact to its vivid recollection.
Historical Reality (Anubhava Mantapa Context): This Vachana is a radical democratization of enlightenment. It dismantles the idea that spiritual realization is only for a special class of ascetics or priests. By stating that the “seeker and Sharana share the same human frame,” Basavanna empowers every householder, farmer, and artisan, asserting that their very nature is identical to that of the most revered saint. The path is reframed from one of arduous attainment to one of inner remembrance and purification.
Interpretation
1. “A pot and a polished mirror both shaped from the same metal…” The foundational analogy establishes the principle of unity in diversity. The “metal” represents the fundamental substance of Pure Consciousness (Chit) from which all beings are formed. There is no ontological difference between a seeker and a saint.
2. “…one feeds the body, the other reveals the face.” This describes the functional difference based on form and purpose. The “pot” symbolizes the unawakened individual whose life is oriented outward, toward sustenance and worldly transactions. The “mirror” symbolizes the realized being (Sharana) whose purified existence reflects the true “face” the Divine Self (Linga).
3. “So too, seeker and Sharana share the same human frame…” The application to the human condition. The “human frame” is the common metal. The difference lies not in the essence, but in the orientation and purity of the instrument.
4. “one wanders in forgetting, the other shines in knowing.” This defines the two states. “Forgetting” (avidya) is identification with the body mind complex and its dramas. “Knowing” (jnana) is the abidance in one’s true nature as the divine consciousness.
5. “When awareness awakens, the mortal turns radiant; when ignorance settles, the divine is veiled.” This states the transformative mechanism. It is a dynamic, reversible process based on the quality of awareness. “Awareness” (prajna) is the polishing cloth that cleans the mirror of the mind, allowing the inherent radiance to shine forth.
6. “Look not to distant heavens awaken the Living One within…” The final, imperative conclusion. The divine is not a remote entity in a heaven, but the very living consciousness (Pranalinga) within. The entire spiritual effort is to “awaken” this indwelling presence.
Practical Implications: The seeker is guided to: Shift their seeking from an external God to the awakening of inner awareness. Understand that spiritual practice is the “polishing” of the mind the removal of the grime of ego, desire, and aversion to allow the innate divinity to be reflected clearly. Cultivate the “knowing” that they are, in essence, the divine mirror, not the worldly pot.
The Cosmic Reality
Anga (Human Dimension): The Anga is the human being as both the “pot” (in ignorance) and the “mirror” (in realization). Its purpose is to be polished from the former to the latter.
Linga (Divine Principle): The Linga is the “metal” the fundamental substance of consciousness, and the “face” the true divine identity that is revealed in the clear mirror.
Jangama (Dynamic Interaction): The Jangama is the process of “polishing” the mirror. It is the Guru’s guidance, the discipline of practice, and the grace that actively removes the obscurations of ignorance, enabling the Anga to clearly reflect the Linga.
Shata Sthala
Primary Sthala: Pranalingi Sthala. This Vachana is a direct description of this stage, where the Linga is no longer an external symbol but is realized as the very “metal” and “face” of one’s own inner consciousness (Prana). The “Living One within” is the Pranalinga.
Supporting Sthala: Bhakta Sthala. The initial devotion of the Bhakta is the first step in “polishing” the mirror. Maheshwara Sthala is the intense purification (renunciation of attachments) that constitutes a deep cleaning. Prasadi Sthala is the state of the mirror when it is clear and effortlessly reflects the light.
Practical Integration
Arivu (Awareness Practices): Mirror Gazing Meditation: Sit before a mirror, look into your own eyes, and contemplate: “The one looking is consciousness. The image seen is a form. My true nature is the seer, the clear mirror itself, not the reflection.”
Mindfulness of Substance: Throughout the day, see the one divine consciousness (“metal”) in all people and things, appreciating the different forms (“pot” and “mirror”) it takes.
Achara (Personal Discipline): Engage in practices that “polish” the mind: truthfulness, non harm, and contentment. Avoid actions that “tarnish” it: deceit, anger, and greed.
Kayaka (Sacred Action): Perform your work as an act of polishing your consciousness. Let the challenges and successes of the day be the abrasive cloth that smooths and refines your awareness.
Dasoha (Communal Offering): Help “polish” the community by holding the mirror of truthful feedback and loving support for fellow seekers. Create an environment conducive to awakening for all.
Modern Application
“Externalized Seeking and the Crisis of Meaning.” Modern culture often promotes the idea that fulfillment comes from external acquisitions: wealth, status, relationships. This leads to a perpetual state of lack and a feeling of being an empty “pot” that can never be filled. People seek “healing” or “happiness” as things to be acquired from outside.
This Vachana offers the ultimate paradigm shift: you are not an empty pot to be filled, but a priceless mirror that has been tarnished. The solution is not to acquire more, but to clean off the dirt. It locates the source of radiance, peace, and meaning within, liberating the individual from the exhausting pursuit of external validation and objects. It reframes psychological suffering as a state of “forgetting” one’s true nature, and well being as “remembering.”
Essence
The same gold, a bowl or a king’s crown.
The same clay, a brick or a sacred icon.
The same mind, a marketplace of wants,
or a still lake reflecting the sky.
The substance never was the problem, Lord.
It was only the forgetting
of what we were made of.
This Vachana presents a non dual metaphysics of transformation. It solves the philosophical problem of how the imperfect can become perfect by stating that perfection is the inherent, veiled nature of the apparently imperfect. The journey is epistemological (a change in knowing) rather than ontological (a change in being). Its multidimensional impact is to provide a cohesive framework that links psychology (the clouded mind), spirituality (the path of purification), and theology (the immanent divine). It positions the Jangama as the active principle of this transformative wisdom in the world, the “polished mirror” that shows others their own potential for clarity.
You are not broken and in need of fixing. You are divine and in need of remembering. Your struggles and suffering are not evidence of a flawed nature, but of a clouded vision. Stop trying to become someone else. Instead, purify your perception, and you will discover that the peace, love, and wisdom you have been seeking externally have been shining within you all along, waiting to be recognized.
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