Poetic Rendering
Gold lies hidden in the rough stone,
fire sleeps within the green wood,
and in the quiet breast of milk
rests the sweetness of ghee.
Just so, within this very heart
You dwell, O Lord.
Why then this darkness?
Why does the mind still wander blind?
Is it because the true inner Guru
the one who awakens and transforms
has not yet stirred to guide me,
O Koodalasangamadeva?
Basavanna teaches that divinity is not external but already present within every seeker, just as gold is hidden in ore or fire in wood. The darkness of ignorance persists only because the seeker has not awakened the inner Guruthe intuitive, transformative wisdom that reveals Shiva’s presence within. This vachana emphasizes that spiritual realization is an inward alchemy, not a product of external rituals or teachers.
Spiritual Context
Core Spiritual Principle: Realization is not an acquisition but a revelation of what is already inherently present. The Divine is not to be found elsewhere, but uncovered here, within the core of one’s own being, through the awakening of inner discernment.
Cosmic Reality Perspective: This Vachana expresses the heart of non-dual Shivayoga. The Linga (Shiva) is not a separate entity but the very substrate (Svarupa) of all existence, including the individual soul (Anga). The “inner Guru” is the power of the Linga itself (Chit-Shakti) awakening within the individual consciousness to recognize its own true nature.
Historical Reality (Anubhava Mantapa Context): This is the ultimate democratization of spirituality. It declares that the means of liberation are not controlled by an external priesthood but are latent within every individual, regardless of caste or status. It empowers the seeker to take full responsibility for their awakening.
Interpretation
“Gold lies hidden in the rough stone…”: The “rough stone” is the body and the unregenerate ego, which appears inert and worthless. The “gold” is the pure, immortal Self (Atman), which is of infinite value but concealed by ignorance.
“Fire sleeps within the green wood…”: The “green wood” is the mind entangled in worldly, “sappy” desires and attachments. The “sleeping fire” is the latent power of divine consciousness (Tapas), which, when ignited, can burn all impurities to ashes.
“…in the quiet breast of milk rests the sweetness of ghee.”: The “milk” is the heart in its natural, sattvic state. The “ghee” is the quintessential sweetness of divine love and bliss (rasa) that emerges when the heart is churned through the practice of devotion and stillness.
“Why then this darkness?… Has the inner Guru not yet stirred?”: This is the pivotal question. Basavanna identifies the problem not as the absence of God, but as the dormancy of the faculty of perception (the inner Guru). The “darkness” is the active ignorance that prevails until this inner guide is awakened.
Practical Implications: The seeker is guided to shift their search from outside to inside. The primary effort is to create the conditions for the “inner Guru” to awaken through purification, stillness, and sincere longing, trusting that the gold, fire, and ghee are already present.
The Cosmic Reality
Anga (Human Dimension): The seeker in their raw, unrefined statethe stone, the wood, the milk. This is the field of potential, containing the Linga in latent form.
Linga (Divine Principle): Koodalasangamadeva as the indwelling essencethe gold, the fire, the ghee. It is the true nature of the Anga waiting to be realized.
Jangama (Dynamic Interaction): The dynamic process is the awakening of the “inner Guru.” This is the sacred churning, the friction, and the heat that transforms the Anga, causing the Linga within to reveal itself.
Shatsthala
Primary Sthala: Pranalingi. This stage is defined by the realization that the Linga is not an external object of worship but the very life-force (Prana) and core essence within. The Vachana describes the seeker on the cusp of this realization.
Supporting Sthala: Maheshwara. The Maheshwara stage provides the necessary heat and disciplinethe smelting of the ore, the rubbing of the wood, the churning of the milkthat prepares the ground for the Pranalingi awakening.
Practical Integration
Arivu (Awareness Practices): Practice self-inquiry (Atma Vichara). Meditate on the question, “Who am I?” behind the thoughts, sensations, and emotions. Look for the “gold” of pure awareness within the “stone” of the body-mind.
Achara (Personal Discipline): Live a life of integrity and simplicity (the “quiet breast of milk”) to create the sattvic clarity necessary for the inner Guru’s voice to be heard.
Kayaka (Sacred Action): Engage in work that requires focus and generates “friction” (tapas). See this effort as the process of rubbing the “green wood” to ignite the inner fire of transformation.
Dasoha (Communal Offering): Share the understanding that everyone contains this divine potential. Your service can be to help others recognize the “gold” within themselves, thus awakening the collective inner Guru.
Modern Application
The relentless external search for fulfillment in possessions, status, relationships, and even spiritual teachers, leading to a sense of inner emptiness and dependency.
This Vachana is the ultimate remedy for existential seeking. It calls for an end to the spiritual search and the beginning of spiritual discovery. It validates the feeling of inner divinity and provides the confidence that everything needed for liberation is already within, requiring only the awakening of one’s own latent intelligence and power.
Essence
The gold in stone, the fire in log,
The truth concealed within the fog.
Not out, but in, the gaze must fall,
To hear the inner Guru’s call.
The Deeper Pattern (The Subtle Body): This Vachana describes the fundamental principle of Implicate Order. The manifest world (the stone, wood, milk) is the explicate orderthe unfolded, visible reality. The Divine (gold, fire, ghee) is the implicate orderthe enfolded, hidden source from which the explicate order unfolds. The “inner Guru” is not a separate entity but the process of enfoldment itselfthe dynamic intelligence by which the implicate order (Linga) begins to recognize and express itself through the explicate structure (Anga). Spiritual practice is the art of tuning the system to this fundamental frequency.
In Simple Terms (The Gross Body): A seed already contains the entire tree. The right conditions of soil, water, and sun don’t create the tree; they simply allow what is already encoded within the seed to unfold. You are the seed. The Linga is the encoded tree. The inner Guru is the sprouting life-force itself. Your sadhana is the sun and water that allows this inevitable unfolding to occur.
The Human Truth (The Causal Body): You are not broken and in need of fixing. You are whole and in need of awakening. The peace, love, and power you seek are not commodities to be acquired; they are your birthright to be uncovered. The only thing that must change is your perception of who you are. Stop searching the world for a treasure you carried within you all along.
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