The Unstill Heart

Poetic RenderingWhat is this, O Lord?This minda monkey without rest.No peace in waking,no calm in sleep.Now sinking into depths,now leaping to the skies,now scatteringto every wandering wind.O Koodalasangamadeva,when will You…

BHAKTA Prasadi - Bhakta

The Unbroken Truth

Poetic RenderingDo not boast of two gods or threeSee, there is only One!The very Vedas proclaimnone exists apart fromKoodalasangamadeva. Basavanna describes the mind’s wild, unstable nature unceasing, directionless, and pulled…

Maheshwara - Bhakta Pranalingi - Bhakta Sharana - Bhakta

The Living Transmission

Poetic RenderingSome flaunt itfor the world to see.Some wear the Lingabecause they were told to,others because they were scolded into it.But to wear itwithout inner firelike a marriage thread without…

BHAKTA Prasadi - Bhakta

The Unseen Sun

Poetic RenderingWhat is night to eyesthat cannot see?What is day to eyesthat cannot open?What is rhythmto ears that hear nothing?What are the five sacred soundsto ears closed in silence?So it…

Sharana - Bhakta BHAKTA

The Soul’s True Address

Poetic RenderingLet no one ask,"Whose man is he?"Let them say instead,"He is ours,truly one of our own."O Koodalasangamadeva,let them recognize meas a child of Your household. This vachana reveals the…

Bhakta - Pranalingi PRANALINGI

The Alchemy of Awareness

Poetic RenderingA pot and a polished mirrorboth shaped from the same metal:one feeds the body,the other reveals the face.So too, seeker and Sharanashare the same human frame:one wanders in forgetting,the…

Aikya - Bhakta BHAKTA

The Stain of Self Congratulation

Poetic Rendering“They shared food with all kinds of peopleof every caste, every manner, every way,” they say,“and so they lost their religion.”Tell me, thencan such ones be called bhaktas?Can they…

Aikya - Bhakta BHAKTA

The Eyes That See One

Poetic RenderingIf a jangama arrives wrapped in silk,you bow and call him holy.If another comes in tattered cloth,you turn away and call him low.To see difference where none existsthat is…

Maheshwara - Bhakta BHAKTA

The True Nobility

Poetic RenderingDo not fault me, O Lord,for this noble birth I did not choose.You have placed me among Your saintsKakkayya, Channayya, Dasayyaand what weight has lineage before such light?Will Kakkayya…

Aikya - Bhakta BHAKTA

The Sacred Equality

Poetic RenderingWhen they declare"This jangama is superior,that one mediocre,this one inferior"my heart burns with protest,my spirit flames with outrage.Can there truly be,O Koodalasangamadeva,such a thing asa fortunate or ordinary jangama?…