Summary In this vachana, Basavanna speaks of the seriousness of devotion and vow. A shattered pot cannot simply become a vessel again. In the same way, one who has broken…

Summary In this vachana, Basavanna compares his mind to a monkey. It runs after the small pleasures of the body, is caught in vain delusion, and leaps in many directions…

Summary In this vachana, Basavanna confesses the incompleteness of his own devotion. He compares his bhakti to the wood-apple fruit: rough and hard outside, but hollow within. He worships Kudalasangama…

Summary In this vachana, Basavanna confesses that he has ruined himself again and again. The specific fault he names is not worldly failure, but failure to receive Kudalasangama Deva’s Sharanas…

Summary In this vachana, Basavanna confesses that his faults cannot be counted. He sees error in walking, speaking, doing, giving, knowing, and forgetting. This is not despair. It is a…

Summary In this vachana, Basavanna cries to Kudalasangama Deva as an infant cries for its mother. The image is one of complete dependence, helplessness, and trust. He asks the Lord…

Summary In this vachana, Basavanna asks what the proper way is to abandon other gods. He answers through clear restraints: one should not speak of another deity, should not look…

Summary In this vachana, Basavanna traces all bondage to one root: ignorance. From ignorance arise “I” and “mine,” restlessness of mind, agitation of the senses, attachment to the body, excessive…

Summary In this vachana, Basavanna warns against approaching bhakti through a first glance. One should not look at it superficially, nor see and immediately speak. Bhakti is not a thing…

Summary In this vachana, Basavanna exposes the error of misdirected seeking. People ask for everything, yet forget to ask for the One. The mortal beings of this world seek many…