Summary
In this vachana, Basavanna places the one seeker before the five burning senses. The seeker stands alone, while the five senses surround him as forces that can overpower steadiness.
The danger is intensified by the fire above. The pressure does not come only from the senses around him; it also comes from a force too intense to stand beneath.
Basavanna then gives the image of a forest bull carried away by a tiger. The bull may be strong, but once the tiger has seized and taken it, who can recover it? He brings this danger before Kudalasangama Deva.
Imagery & Symbolic Relevance
The first image is the one. It shows the seeker as a single, vulnerable presence before forces greater than himself.
The second image is the five burners. These are the five senses. Their number matters because the one seeker is surrounded by five sensory forces that can burn, scatter, and overpower him.
The third image is the fire above. This intensifies the condition. The seeker is not only surrounded by the burning force of the senses, but also pressed by a heat that cannot be endured by standing still beneath it.
The fourth image is the forest bull. The bull suggests strength, but it is exposed strength. It stands in the wild without protection.
The final image is the tiger carrying the bull away. Once the tiger has seized it, recovery becomes difficult. Strength itself becomes helpless when captured by a greater force.
Together, these images show the danger of being overpowered by the senses before recovery is possible. The one is surrounded by the five burners, pressed by fire above, and compared to a forest bull carried away by a tiger.
Lingayoga
In Lingayoga, this vachana warns that the one-pointed seeker must be guarded from the five senses. When the senses become burning forces, they can overpower steadiness before the seeker can recover.
The forest bull shows that strength alone is not sufficient. Without vigilance and protection, even strength may be carried away.
The practical movement here is watchfulness before the fall. Basavanna recognizes the danger while recovery is still in question and places it before Kudalasangama Deva.
Editorial Commentary
This vachana should be read as a warning about the overpowering force of the senses. Basavanna’s concern is not ordinary weakness, but the danger that the one seeker may be seized before he can resist. Once carried away, return itself becomes uncertain.
Related Vachana
Supporting Vachana
Bhakta Sthala Vachana 220 — Flicker to Flame
Bhakta Sthala Vachana 220 supports this vachana by warning that devotion can weaken when vigilance is lost in the middle of practice. Vachana 45 gives that danger a more severe image: the one seeker, if not guarded, may be overpowered like a forest bull carried away by a tiger.
Advancing Vachana
Prasadi Sthala Vachana 20 — The Antidote in the Bite
Prasadi Sthala Vachana 20 advances this movement by showing what happens after the fivefold sensory force has already entered. Vachana 45 warns that the one may be seized by the five burning senses and carried away. Vachana 20 carries this into Prasadi Sthala, where the serpent of samsara and the venom of the five senses cause the seeker to fall, yet Kudalasangama’s Sharanas arrive and say, “Do not fear.”
