Summary In this vachana, Basavanna gives the image of honey resting upon sugarcane. Both are sweet, yet one does not know the sweetness of the other. He applies this image…

Summary In this vachana, Basavanna praises the true devotee who worships the Linga before the world awakens. In the Gandhari–Mandhari hour, before the village rooster crows and before the forest…

Summary In this vachana, Basavanna distinguishes true invocation from empty calling. When one calls upon Guru, Linga, and Jangama with trust, Shiva answers, “O.” But if one calls without trust,…

Summary In this vachana, Basavanna questions the truth of his own devotion. Even after the threefold offering is spoken of, if the visible structure of self, form, beauty, and self-presence…

Summary In this vachana, Basavanna confesses the instability of his own devotion. His bhakti has become like a plough slipping loose in the middle of the field, and like one…

Summary In this vachana, Basavanna strips away every spiritual claim. He says, “I am not a Bhakta. I am not a Yukta. I am not a Mukta.” He then names…

Summary In this vachana, Basavanna confesses that he remains caught within the five senses and their five objects. He sinks, rises, and falls again and again. At the same time,…

Summary In this vachana, Basavanna describes what happens when puṇya ripens. Enemies become one’s own, earth becomes gold, a serpent becomes an ornament, and strangers become companions. He then gives…

Summary In this vachana, Basavanna speaks from the helplessness of a soul caught in bondage. He compares himself to a deer trapped in a snare. He then gives a second…

Summary In this vachana, Basavanna warns that bhakti is aniyama: it cannot be contained by ordinary rule, measure, or safe expectation. He compares bhakti to a vessel filled with poison.…