Poetic Rendering
The singer is not thereby wise;
the clever talker is not thereby wise.
Wisdom is not born in the tongue
it lives in the heart
steadfast in its trust in the Linga.
Wise is the one
who gives even his life in service to the Jangama;
wise is the one
who, in the full surge of youth and desire,
cuts the tail of attachment
and walks free.
Such are the Sharanas
the true companions
of Kudalasangamadeva.
Basavanna teaches that true wisdom has nothing to do with eloquence, talent, or outward displays of devotion. Instead, it arises from an inner heart anchored in unwavering trust in the Linga, expresses itself through complete self-offering in service to the divine present in all beings, and reaches its highest form when one masters desire especially in the intensity of youth by cutting the “tail” of attachment that binds the soul. In this way, wisdom is not spoken but lived, not performed but embodied in every action.
Spiritual Context
Core Spiritual Principle: Embodied, actionable wisdom over abstract knowledge. The ultimate test of understanding is not what you know, but how you live. Wisdom is demonstrated through trust, self-sacrificing service, and the victorious inner revolution over the most powerful binding forces personal desire and attachment.
Cosmic Reality Perspective: This vachana describes the full maturation of Shakti. The first step is Shakti’s steady orientation toward its source (Shiva as Linga). The second is its active, selfless expression in the world (as service to Jangama). The third and most profound is its mastery over its own binding nature (desire/attachment), which allows it to operate in the world freely, no longer as a bound force but as a liberated power in union with Shiva.
Historical Reality (Anubhava Mantapa Context): This vachana served as a practical manifesto for the Lingayoga community. It established a clear hierarchy of values: heartfelt devotion and ethical action were superior to scholarly debate or artistic performance. It provided a robust definition of a true spiritual revolutionary one who serves selflessly and masters their own inner drives, thus becoming a truly free and reliable member of the spiritual society.
Interpretation
“The singer is not thereby wise; the clever talker is not thereby wise.” This immediately disqualifies mere talent and intellectualism. It prevents the path from being co-opted by performers and debaters who lack inner substance.
“Wisdom… lives in the heart steadfast in its trust in the Linga.” This is the foundation: Shraddha (trust) and Nishtha (steadfastness). Wisdom begins with an unshakeable emotional and volitional commitment to the Divine, which stabilizes the entire being.
“Wise is the one who gives even his life in service to the Jangama…” This is wisdom in action. The “Jangama” is both the wandering monk and the divine presence in every being. Offering one’s life in service (kayaka and dasoha) is the practical test of this trust, where theory meets application.
“Wise is the one who… in the full surge of youth and desire, cuts the tail of attachment…” This is the pinnacle of wisdom: inner mastery. The “tail of attachment” is a powerful metaphor for the clinging, binding nature of desire that follows one everywhere. To cut it, especially when desires are strongest, represents the ultimate freedom. It is not repression but transcendence.
Practical Implications: The practitioner must evaluate their progress not by their knowledge but by their capacity for trust, their selflessness in service, and their degree of freedom from compulsive desires. The path is one of tangible inner transformation.
The Cosmic Reality
Anga (Human Dimension): The Anga is the instrument to be wielded with wisdom. Its energy (youth, desire) is not evil but must be mastered. Its life is to be offered in service. Its heart is to be anchored in trust.
Linga (Divine Principle): The Linga is the steadfast center that provides the “trust” and the ultimate purpose for the “service.” It is the reality that remains when attachment is “cut.”
Jangama (Dynamic Interaction): The Jangama is the active life of wisdom. It is the dynamic of serving and the courageous act of cutting attachment. It is wisdom in motion, the lived expression of the union between the human and the divine.
Shata Sthala
Primary Sthala: Sharana (Total Refuge) The threefold wisdom perfectly defines the Sharana. Taking refuge means having a steadfast heart (1), offering one’s life in service (2), and cutting all other attachments to ensure that refuge is total (3).
Supporting Sthala: Aikya (Union) The state of one who has mastered desire and acts only in service is the state of Aikya. Such a person acts in the world, but their inner being is united with the divine will; there is no separate desire to pull them in another direction.
Practical Integration
Arivu (Awareness Practices): Regularly contemplate: “Where is my trust wavering? Where am I holding back from true service? What ‘tail of attachment’ is still binding me?” Use this threefold inquiry as a map for self-awareness.
Achara (Personal Discipline): Build disciplines that strengthen trust (like Linga Dharane), that encourage service (regular dasoha), and that help master desire (mindfulness, moderation, simplifying life).
Kayaka (Sacred Action): Re-frame your primary work as “service to the Jangama.” See your labor as a direct offering to the divine presence in your community and the world, performing it with the dedication of one offering their life.
Dasoha (Communal Offering): Build a community that celebrates these three qualities. Honor those who are steadfast, selfless, and internally free, making them the role models for the sangha.
Modern Application
We live in a culture that often conflates wisdom with information, success with service, and freedom with the ability to satisfy every desire. This leads to knowledgeable but ungrounded individuals, successful but selfish lives, and a concept of liberty that is merely slavery to impulses.
This vachana offers a profound corrective. It liberates us from the tyranny of intellect, consumerism, and hedonism. It presents a vision of wisdom as strength of heart, freedom as self-mastery, and success as selfless contribution. It provides a clear, demanding, and ultimately fulfilling path to a life of genuine meaning and impact.
Essence
Not the singer’s art, the speaker’s guile,
Defines the wise upon the mile.
A trusting heart, a service free,
A soul from desire’s tail set loose, like a tree.
This three-strand cord, so strong and true,
Binds the Sharana, Lord, to You.
The Deeper Pattern: This vachana describes a fully optimized and aligned system. The system’s core processing (the heart) is locked onto the true north of the Divine (1). Its output (action) is configured for maximum utility and zero waste, dedicated entirely to the system’s highest purpose (2). Most critically, it has debugged and removed the parasitic code (attachments/desires) that consumed resources and caused erratic behavior, allowing for clean, efficient, and purposeful operation (3).
In Simple Terms: It is the difference between a ship with a skilled captain (the intellectual), a ship with a beautiful horn (the singer), and a ship that is actually seaworthy. A seaworthy ship has a reliable compass (trust in Linga), a dedicated crew serving a noble mission (service to Jangama), and has been scraped clean of the barnacles that slow it down (cut attachment). The first two might be impressive in port, but only the third can successfully complete the journey across the ocean.
The Human Truth: We are often impressed by the wrong thing seloquence, talent, sharp intellect. The timeless truth here is that the qualities that truly define a wise and liberated human are visceral, demanding, and deeply ethical: unwavering faith, selfless action, and inner freedom. These are the marks of a soul that has not only heard the truth but has become it.
The message is universal: the reason for our birth is not to impress the world with words, but to live as vessels of faith, compassion, and freedom.
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