Poetic Rendering
Though the ox draws water endlessly,
its head bent in toil
does labor alone make it a devotee of the Guru?
Though iron tongs grip a burning pot
with skill and practiced care
does that make one a servant of the Divine?
Though a parrot recites the alphabet
in the tone of a learned scholar
does mimicry become true knowing?
Only those Sharanas of Koodalasangama
who arrive not by ritual or outer effort,
but by the quiet turning of their being,
who stand rooted in the summit of awareness
they alone are the true ones,
they alone walk in truth.
How will those sunk in worldly craving
ever recognize this path?
Basavanna teaches that outer actions, however disciplined or impressive, do not make one a true seeker. Labor without inner awakening, skill without surrender, and repetition without understanding are spiritually empty. Only those who come to the Divine through inward stillness and genuine awareness not through ritual or imitation are the true Sharanas. Those consumed by worldly desires cannot perceive this deeper path.
Spiritual Context
Core Spiritual Principle: Spirituality is a matter of consciousness, not conduct. While right action is important, it is the awareness and intention behind the actionthe conscious connection to the Divinethat gives it spiritual value. Without this, practice is mere mechanics.
Cosmic Reality Perspective: The Linga is pure Consciousness (Chit). To know the Linga is to be conscious in a particular, unified way. Mechanical ritual and rote learning engage the mind and body but do not necessarily awaken this fundamental consciousness. They are objects within consciousness, not the subject itself.
Historical Reality (Anubhava Mantapa Context): This Vachana is a direct challenge to orthodox Brahmanism, which prioritized exact ritual performance and Vedic recitation over inner experience. It establishes the Anubhava Mantapa’s core principle: that direct experiential realization (Anubhava) is paramount, superseding ritual proficiency.
Interpretation
1. “the ox draws water endlessly…”: The ox symbolizes blind, mechanical labor. It performs a useful function but without understanding or devotion. Similarly, one can perform all the correct spiritual practices (puja, japa) with the body while the mind is elsewhere, making the practice spiritually barren.
2. “iron tongs grip a burning pot…”: The tongs are a tool. They handle sacred objects (the burning pot of ritual) with skill, but they remain untouched by the fire’s transformative power. This represents the ritualist who expertly performs ceremonies but is not inwardly transformed by them.
3. “a parrot recites the alphabet…”: The parrot represents scholasticism and mimicry. It can perfectly reproduce sacred texts (shastras) and philosophical arguments without any realization of their meaning. This is knowledge without wisdom.
4. “the quiet turning of their being… the summit of awareness.”: This defines the true path. It is an internal, volitional reorientation (antarmukha sattva) of one’s entire being toward the Divine, resulting in a steady abidance (sthita) in the highest consciousness. This is the essence of Kayakawork as worshipwhich requires this conscious presence.
5. “How will those sunk in worldly craving ever recognize this path?”: This states a universal law. The “worldly craving” (vishaya vasana) creates a frequency of consciousness that is incompatible with the subtle frequency of the spiritual path. One must first develop the desire for liberation (mumukshutva) to even perceive what the path entails.
The Cosmic Reality
Anga (Human Dimension): The Anga must evolve from being an “ox” or “tongs” (an unconscious instrument) to being a conscious participant. Its intelligence and awareness must be fully engaged in the Jangama relationship.
Linga (Divine Principle): The Linga is the “summit of awareness.” It is not just an object of worship but the very state of consciousness to be realized. The goal is to stand as that awareness.
Jangama (Dynamic Interaction): The Jangama is the “quiet turning.” It is the dynamic, conscious intent that infuses action with devotion and recitation with understanding. It is the bridge that connects the performing Anga to the conscious Linga.
Shatsthala
Primary Sthala: Bhakta Sthala. This Vachana is a crucial teaching for the aspiring Bhakta, ensuring they understand that the quality of their attention and intention is what defines their devotion, not the quantity or perfection of their rituals.
Supporting Sthala: Prasadi Sthala. The ability to make this “quiet turning” is itself a gift of grace (Prasada). The state of being “rooted in the summit of awareness” is the fruit of that grace.
Practical Integration
Arivu (Awareness Practices): Practice “Conscious Engagement.” Whatever you dochanting, working, listeningplace 90% of your attention on the inner state of awareness from which the action is flowing. Are you present, or are you a “parrot” or an “ox”?
Achara (Personal Discipline): The primary discipline is mindfulness (sati). Before any spiritual practice, set a clear intention: “This is for awakening consciousness, not for fulfilling a duty.” Regularly ask yourself: “Am I turning my being, or just going through the motions?”
Kayaka (Sacred Action): Transform your work by infusing it with the “quiet turning.” While performing your tasks, maintain a subtle, inner remembrance of the Divine. Let your work be an expression of your awareness, not just a means to an end.
Dasoha (Communal Offering): Foster a community that values depth over form. Encourage discussions about inner experience rather than debates about scriptural interpretation. Celebrate moments of genuine insight and presence more than displays of ritual expertise.
Modern Application
Spiritual Consumerism and Performative Practice. In the modern wellness and yoga industry, there is a focus on mastering the external form of practices the perfect pose, the most elaborate altar, the longest meditation streak often shared on social media. This can create “spiritual parrots” who can perform beautifully but may lack the inner transformation and quiet awareness that is the actual goal.
This Vachana liberates one from the pressure of spiritual performance. It redirects the focus from “How does my practice look?” to “What is the quality of my consciousness during my practice?” It validates the seeker who may have a simple practice but a deep, sincere, and attentive heart, and it calls for an authentic, inward journey over an impressive, outward display.
Essence
The ox may toil, the tongs may hold,
The parrot’s verse be finely told.
But God seeks not the skillful hand,
But who in conscious truth will stand.
The turning of the heart within,
Is where true holiness begins.
1. The Hard Problem of Spiritual Consciousness: Just as science grapples with the “hard problem” of how brain processes create subjective experience, this Vachana points to a “spiritual hard problem.” Two individuals can perform identical rituals (same neural and motor activity), but one has the qualia of devotion and connection, while the other has the qualia of boredom or duty. The Vachana states that only the experience with the specific qualia of conscious turning and awareness has spiritual validity.
2. The Spectrum of Instrumentality: The ox, tongs, and parrot represent a spectrum of unconscious to semi-conscious instrumentality. The true Sharana represents conscious instrumentality. The Jangama is the process of evolving along this spectrumfrom being a tool used by habit and desire (pasha) to becoming a conscious instrument wielded by divine will (prasada).
3. Jangama as the Operator of Consciousness: The functioning Jangama here is the operator of attention. It is the meta-cognitive ability to direct awareness inward toward its source. The ox’s labor, the tongs’ grip, and the parrot’s speech are all objects within awareness. The “quiet turning” is the action of awareness itself upon itself. This self-referential loop of consciousness is the only “action” that can truly be called spiritual, as it alone leads to the “summit of awareness” where the seeker and the sought, the observer and the observed, become one. This is the realization that the Linga is not an object to be held by the tongs of the mind, but is the mind’s own fundamental nature.
Do not confuse the container with the content, or the ritual with the realization. True spirituality is not about what you do, but how you are while you are doing it. The most valuable thing you can bring to any practice is your own full, awake, and loving attention. Without this conscious presence, you are merely a well-trained animal or a sophisticated machine. With it, even the simplest action becomes a portal to the infinite.
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