Poetic Rendering
I do not want them,
I do not want them
those who are not Your Sharanas.
I do not want them,
I do not want them
even if they are learned in every scripture
and wise in all worldly ways.
I do not want them,
I do not want them
even if You, O Lord,
should seethe in anger at me.
O Koodalasangamadeva,
this alone is my vow,
this alone my unwavering pledge
to belong only to Your Sharanas,
and to none other.
This vachana is Basavanna’s uncompromising declaration of spiritual allegiance. He rejects all associations that are not rooted in devotion to the Divine even the company of scholars, intellectuals, or socially admired people who lack true surrender. Most strikingly, Basavanna proclaims that even if God Himself were to be displeased or angry with him, he would still refuse to abandon the company of true Sharanas (self-realized devotees). This is not defiance but absolute clarity: for him, the Sharanas embody the living truth of the Divine, and their companionship is the highest good.
Spiritual Context
Core Spiritual Principle: The highest spiritual priority is satsangassociation with truth-realized beings. This association is deemed more essential than scriptural knowledge, worldly wisdom, and even more foundational than a transactional relationship with a potentially wrathful God. The Sharana embodies the living goal of the path; to be with them is to be at the goal.
Cosmic Reality Perspective: The Linga, as absolute reality, is beyond human attributes like anger. Basavanna’s statement is a profound theological device. It posits that the ultimate nature of the Divine is Truth and Consciousness, perfectly embodied in the Sharana. Therefore, to cling to the Sharana is to cling to the true, essential nature of God, even if one were to face the manifested, anthropomorphic concept of a wrathful deity. He is choosing the essence over the appearance.
Historical Reality (Anubhava Mantapa Context): This Vachana is the bedrock of the Shivayoga community’s identity. It forges an unbreakable bond among the Sharanas, creating a spiritual fortress against the pressures of orthodox society. It declares that their solidarity and shared realization are their ultimate authority and refuge, superseding all external religious or social validations.
Interpretation
1. “those who are not Your Sharanas.”: This establishes the primary criterion for association. A “Sharana” is not merely a follower but one who has taken refuge and embodies that state. All other relationships are secondary.
2. “even if they are learned in every scripture…”: This rejects the authority of mere intellectual or scholarly attainment. Knowledge (jnana) without realization (anubhava) is empty and is not a basis for spiritual fellowship.
3. “even if You, O Lord, should seethe in anger at me.”: This is the radical, culminating declaration. It distinguishes between a personal, devotional relationship with God (which can be fraught with human projections of fear and appeasement) and the impersonal, absolute truth as it is lived and embodied. He is saying, “Even if my devotional mind fears Your wrath, my realized Self knows that the ultimate truth You represent is perfectly expressed in the Sharana. Therefore, I will not abandon truth to appease a lesser concept of You.”
The Cosmic Reality
Anga (Human Dimension): The Anga here has achieved ultimate clarity. Its will is perfectly aligned with the highest good. It no longer seeks God as a separate entity to be pleased, but recognizes God in the community of the realized.
Linga (Divine Principle): The Linga is the absolute truth. The hypothetical “anger” represents a lower, dualistic understanding of the Divine. Basavanna’s vow is an act of seeing past this duality to the non-dual reality.
Jangama (Dynamic Interaction): The Jangama is the living community of Sharanas. In this Vachana, the Jangama relationship is elevated to the supreme spiritual principle. It is the dynamic, collective embodiment of the Linga, which becomes the final refuge and the ultimate test of faith.
Shatsthala
Primary Sthala: Sharana Sthala. This is the definitive expression of this stage. The individual has taken refuge so completely that their identity is now merged with the community of refuge. They are a Sharana among Sharanas.
Supporting Sthala: Aikya Sthala (Stage of Union). The willingness to face God’s “anger” shows a transcendence of the subject-object relationship. The devotee has become so united with the path (the Sharana-sangha) that they are willing to stand as an equal partner with the Divine in the covenant of truth, rather than as a fearful supplicant.
Practical Integration
Arivu (Awareness Practices): Contemplate the “Refuge of the Sangha.” In meditation, reflect on the people, teachings, and community that embody truth and selflessness in your life. Consciously recognize them as your ultimate refuge. Strengthen your inner resolve to protect and prioritize these connections above all other social or worldly obligations.
Achara (Personal Discipline): Practice conscious association. Be discerning about who you spend your time with. Gradually reduce time spent in relationships that are spiritually draining or based on gossip, negativity, or superficiality. Actively cultivate relationships with those who inspire integrity, compassion, and awakening.
Kayaka (Sacred Action): Let your work serve the community of the good. Direct your skills and energy towards supporting individuals, groups, or causes that represent truth and service. Let your labor be an offering that strengthens the collective field of wisdom and compassion.
Dasoha (Communal Offering): This Vachana is an act of Dasoha. The greatest offering one can make to the community is this level of unwavering loyalty. Protect the sangha. Uphold its values. Be a person others can rely on with the same fierce commitment that Basavanna expresses here.
Modern Application
Spiritual Nomadicism and Weak Allegiance. In the modern spiritual marketplace, people often “shop around” without deep commitment to any path or community. Relationships are often transactional and easily abandoned. This leads to a lack of depth, accountability, and the profound transformation that comes from steadfast commitment to a sacred container.
This Vachana liberates one from the shallow consumerism of modern spirituality. It calls for a profound, unwavering commitment to a community of practice and realization. It teaches that true growth requires the container of satsanga community of truth and that this commitment is more important than seeking comfort, approval, or even a sense of spiritual security. It is a call to spiritual maturity and depth.
Essence
Not the scholar, not the sage,
Not the wisdom of the age.
Not Your anger, nor Your frown,
Can ever tear my allegiance down.
For I have found my only good,
In Sharanas’ brotherhood.
1. The Non-Dual Hierarchy of Perception: Basavanna’s rejection of non-Sharanas is not an exclusion of people, but a rejection of a way of seeing. He refuses to perceive the world through the lens of separation. The “learned” and “wise” who are not Sharanas represent consciousness identified with limited forms (intellect, social status). His vow is to perceive only the One Linga-consciousness, whether it is manifesting within himself (as his own awakened heart), as the transcendent principle (Koodalasangamadeva), or through his fellow Sharanas. The hypothetical “anger of God” is the ultimate test of this perceptiona call to see the divine essence even in a form that appears wrathful, and to trust that essence above all.
2. The Sangha as the Conscious Pervasion of Jangama: The community of Sharanas is not an external group. It is the collective manifestation of the all-pervading Jangama principlethe dynamic, loving intelligence of the Linga recognizing itself in multiple forms. To pledge allegiance to the Sharanas is to pledge allegiance to the pervasive flow of divine consciousness in action. It is to recognize that the Linga within one’s own Anga is the same Linga that is the life of every other Sharana. This creates a “field of recognition” where the One celebrates its own unity.
3. Jangama as the Unbreakable Covenant of the Self with the Self: The functioning Jangama, in its highest expression, is this vow. It is the dynamic process where the Linga-consciousness within Basavanna (the Anga) recognizes and commits itself unconditionally to the Linga-consciousness manifesting as the Sharana-sangha (the Jangama). This is the ultimate feedback loop of non-duality. The vow itself is the Jangamait is the sacred activity that sustains the unity it perceives. By choosing the Sharanas even over a wrathful God, Basavanna demonstrates that his realization has moved beyond relationship with God to the awareness of being an inseparable part of the divine body as God. His allegiance is to the Truth itself, and he has learned to see that Truth perfectly in the eyes of his fellow realized beings.
Your deepest allegiance must be to the Truth that you are. Once you realize that the same divine consciousness lives within you, shines as the ultimate reality, and connects you to all that is authentic and awake in others, your priorities transform. Do not be swayed by external authorities, intellectual achievements, or even your own fears of divine punishment. Cling to what is real. Nurture relationships with those who help you remember and embody your true nature. For in the end, to be steadfast in the company of truth is to be one with the universe itself, honoring the divine within you, beyond you, and between you.
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