Posted inBHAKTA
The Hidden Fire
Summary In this opening vachana of Bhakta Sthala, Basavanna presents Kudalasangama Deva as a hidden presence already within the seeker. The Divine is not first introduced as a distant goal,…
Posted inBHAKTA Maheshwara - Bhakta
The Useless Treasure
Poetic RenderingO warrior in the battlefield,Why cling with greed to your arrows?O servant of the Divine,Why yearn so much for your life?O true devotee,Why desire the wealth of body, mind,…
Posted inPrasadi - Bhakta BHAKTA
The Cry of the Lost Calf
Poetic RenderingLike a lost calf in the forestI cry “Mother! Mother!” without rest.I call “Mother! Mother!” with all my breath.O Koodalasangamadeva, grant me life, grant me life. The poet compares…
Posted inPrasadi - Bhakta BHAKTA
The Only Auspicious Moment
Poetic RenderingThe One remains undividedonly our own notions scatter itinto signs, seasons, and imagined destinies.Can past births determine your readiness?Can moon or star influencethe Eternal who existed before all things?So…
Posted inBHAKTA Maheshwara - Bhakta
The Tree of True Worth
Poetic RenderingWhat use is a tree thick with leavesyet bearing no fruit?What use is wealthwhen devotion is absent?What use is fruitguarded and poisoned by serpents?What use is lineagewhen virtue does…
Posted inBHAKTA Aikya - Bhakta
The Unshakable Rank
Poetic RenderingO man, do not cling to fading thingstime steals itself away,moonlight wanes,riches rise and fall like dust.All these are shadowsthat slip through your fingers.But there is one rankthat never…
Posted inBHAKTA Prasadi - Bhakta
The Fire of I-Consciousness
Poetic RenderingMy devotion is like an oxcircling an empty oil millround and round,yet no sesame, no oil, no fruit.It is like a thirsty man who eats salt:the more he consumes,the…
Posted inPrasadi - Bhakta BHAKTA
The Barren Field of the Heart
Poetic RenderingThough the ox draws water endlessly,its head bent in toildoes labor alone make it a devotee of the Guru?Though iron tongs grip a burning potwith skill and practiced caredoes…
Posted inPrasadi - Bhakta BHAKTA
The Broken Vow
Poetic RenderingWhat use is it to read, to listen, to labor in righteous acts,if Your living presence does not stir within me?“Shiva, Shiva!” I may cryyet without Your grace, it…
Posted inMAHESHWARA Bhakta - Maheswara
The Glance of Sincerity
Poetic RenderingWhy, O Lord, do the learned and the priestsspeak one thing yet live another?One garment for their conduct,another for the scriptures they preach!Climbing the ladder of divided desires,feeding on…