Summary In this vachana, Basavanna questions Kudalasangama Deva through examples of unexpected acceptance. One is received, Kama is burned, and the hunter who killed living beings day and night is…

Summary In this vachana, Basavanna rejects vows made by watching others and copying them. Such vows may have outward form, but they do not stand. He then rejects vows performed…

Summary Basavanna calls the children to gather karike grass, oleander leaves, and sand from the stream bank for Gauri’s vow. They assemble with one innocent longing: that Kudalasangama Deva, the…

Summary In this vachana, Basavanna confesses the difference between carrying the Linga and becoming inwardly transformed by it. The Linga is borne in its vessel upon the body, yet he…

Summary In this vachana, Basavanna places one pot of milk beneath a toddy palm. One person calls it milk; another calls it liquor. The object has not changed. The difference…

Summary In this vachana, Basavanna gives the image of iron touched by alchemy. Even if it appears golden, what value is there if it does not leave its former nature?…

Summary In this vachana, Basavanna exposes those who are crooked within and gentle outside. They are called devotees, but their inner condition does not match their outward appearance. The Linga…

Summary In this vachana, Basavanna shows that nearness alone does not create transformation. A vessel may be close to food, yet it cannot know the taste. A monkey may come…

Summary In this vachana, Basavanna asks what use a barrier has for the house where a saint abides. The question points to inward steadiness. Where the inner dwelling is already…

Summary In this vachana, Basavanna exposes a relationship governed by hidden gain. The courtesan may turn toward the child at one moment and toward the lover at another, but the…