Summary In this vachana, Basavanna exposes distorted perception and false justification. A fox eats a fruit and speaks as though the whole creation has turned upside down. He then gives…

Summary In this vachana, Basavanna compares blind action to a bull with covered eyes circling the oil-press. It moves continuously, but it does not know what it is doing. He…

Summary In this vachana, Basavanna asks what use there is in showing a mirror to one whose eyes are closed. If the eyes remain shut, the mirror cannot give sight.…

Summary In this vachana, Basavanna laments human birth wasted without knowing the faces of Linga. Human birth alone does not become sacred if the seeker fails to recognize the presence…

Summary In this vachana, Basavanna exposes conditional reverence. People call fire divine and offer oblations to it within their homes. But when that same fire rises and burns the house,…

Summary In this vachana, Basavanna asks the listener to observe the condition of Veda-reciting Brahmins. They chant “Bhargo Devasya Dhīmahi,” yet there is no inquiry among them. The sacred words…

Summary In this vachana, Basavanna gives the image of a sheep entering a sugarcane field. Though surrounded by sweetness, it does not know the cane’s essence. It eats only the…

Summary Basavanna asks whether one who truly knows would come to a place and then leave merely because society calls it Holegeri. A house in which Linga is present must…

Summary In this vachana, Basavanna says that the ancient path is not grasped by everyone. The path is present, but not all enter it. Some waver, turn elsewhere, and do…

Summary In this vachana, Basavanna warns against mistaking appearance for inner worth. A brass ornament coated with gold may shine on a servant’s neck, but the coating does not change…