Poetic Rendering
What is night to eyes
that cannot see?
What is day to eyes
that cannot open?
What is rhythm
to ears that hear nothing?
What are the five sacred sounds
to ears closed in silence?
So it is, O Koodalasangamadeva
what meaning has the path,
for one who cannot perceive You?
Basavanna teaches that spiritual truth requires an awakened inner perception. Without the inner eye and ear of consciousness, the divine path remains invisible just as light is nothing to the blind and music nothing to the deaf.
Spiritual Context
Core Spiritual Principle: Spiritual reality is self revealing, but it can only be perceived by a faculty that is attuned to it. The primary obstacle is not the absence of the Divine, but the absence of the inner capacity to perceive it.
Cosmic Reality Perspective: The Divine (Linga) is like the sun ever present and radiating constantly. The “night” and “day” are conditions of the perceiver, not the source. A blind person’s inability to see the sun does not negate its existence. Similarly, spiritual ignorance (avidya) is a condition of the soul’s inner faculties, not a statement about the nature of Reality.
Historical Reality (Anubhava Mantapa Context): Basavanna addresses a universal spiritual problem. He moves the question from “Does God exist?” to “Are you capable of perceiving God?” This reframes the spiritual quest as an inward journey of purification and awakening, rather than an external search. It calls for personal responsibility in cultivating the “inner eye” and “inner ear,” making spirituality an experiential science rather than a blind belief.
Interpretation
1. “What is night to eyes that cannot see? What is day to eyes that cannot open?” The first analogy uses the most fundamental sensory experience light and dark to make its point. It establishes that reality is defined by the capacity of the perceiving instrument. For a blind person, the categories of day and night are meaningless abstractions.
2. “What is rhythm to ears that hear nothing? What are the five sacred sounds to ears closed in silence?” The second analogy moves to a more subtle, structured level of perception. “Rhythm” represents the inherent order of the cosmos, and the “five sacred sounds” (likely referring to the Panchakshara mantra, Na ma shi va ya) represent the highest spiritual vibrations or revelations. Even these are meaningless without the faculty to receive them.
3. “So it is, O Koodalasangamadeva what meaning has the path, for one who cannot perceive You?” The powerful conclusion. The entire spiritual path with its practices, symbols, and teachings is like “day” or “sacred sounds” to someone whose spiritual senses are dormant. The path is not invalid; the seeker’s perceptual apparatus is not yet functional. The ultimate goal is not to find God, but to awaken the capacity to perceive the God who is already fully present.
Practical Implications: The seeker is guided to: Shift focus from demanding external proof of the Divine to cultivating internal receptivity. Understand that spiritual practices (meditation, prayer, ethical living) are not ends in themselves, but means to purify and awaken the “inner eye” and “inner ear.” Develop humility, recognizing that the failure to perceive the Divine is a limitation in one’s own capacity, not an absence in the cosmos.
The Cosmic Reality
Anga (Human Dimension): The Anga is the totality of the seeker’s perceptual faculties. In its dormant state, it is the “blind eye” and “deaf ear.” The purpose of spiritual practice is to purify and awaken the Anga into a sensitive instrument of divine perception.
Linga (Divine Principle): The Linga is the ever present, radiant reality the constant “sun” and the eternal “sacred sound.” Its nature is to be perceived, but it cannot force perception upon an unprepared instrument.
Jangama (Dynamic Interaction): The Jangama is the process of awakening the spiritual senses. It is the Guru’s grace, the transformative power of sincere practice, and the lived experience (anubhava) that gradually opens the “eyes” and “ears” of the soul, allowing the Anga to perceive the Linga.
Shata Sthala
Primary Sthala: Bhakta Sthala. This Vachana describes the fundamental situation of the aspiring devotee. Their first task is to acknowledge their spiritual “blindness” and begin the process of purifying their consciousness to become receptive.
Supporting Sthala: Prasadi Sthala. The awakening of spiritual perception is itself an act of divine grace. The moment the “inner eye” opens is the moment one enters the stage of grace, where direct perception of the divine becomes possible.
Practical Integration
Arivu (Awareness Practices): Meditation on Perception: Sit quietly and contemplate the fact of your own awareness. Ask, “Who is the perceiver behind my eyes and ears?” This begins to awaken the inner faculty.
Sensory Mindfulness: Use daily sensory experiences (seeing light, hearing sounds) as reminders to ask: “Do I have the inner faculty to perceive the Source of this light, this sound?”
Achara (Personal Discipline): Adopt a lifestyle that purifies the mind and body, understanding that a clouded mind is like a dirty lens, obscuring the light of consciousness.
Kayaka (Sacred Action): Perform all actions with the intention of purifying the heart and sharpening awareness, seeing work as a way to polish the instrument of perception.
Dasoha (Communal Offering): Share insights and support with fellow seekers on the path. The collective energy of a sincere Sangha can help awaken the spiritual senses in its members.
Modern Application
“Materialist Literalism and Spiritual Numbness.” The modern, scientifically oriented worldview often dismisses spiritual reality because it cannot be measured by physical instruments. This leads to a form of existential nihilism and a numbing of the soul’s innate capacity for wonder and perception of the sacred.
This Vachana provides a brilliant rebuttal to materialist skepticism. It agrees that spiritual reality is imperceptible to the untrained, mundane mind, just as a symphony is meaningless to a deaf person. It reframes spirituality as the development of a higher order faculty of perception, making it compatible with a scientific mindset that values empirical evidence, while defining the “laboratory” as one’s own consciousness and the “instrument” as a purified mind.
Essence
The sun does not apologize to the blind.
The mantra holds no meaning for the deaf.
The path is not hidden, O Lord,
it is my own sight that is not yet born.
Awaken in me the seer,
and I will see that You
have been here all along.
This Vachana presents an epistemological framework for spirituality. It distinguishes between the ontological reality of the Divine (Linga) and the epistemological capacity of the seeker (Anga). Its multidimensional power lies in resolving the paradox of the “hidden God” by locating the hiding place within the unrefined consciousness of the individual. It positions the Jangama as the catalytic agent that initiates the alchemical process of transforming the Anga from a dull receptor of mundane data into a luminous organ of divine perception.
The greatest truths are not hidden; we are. The light of meaning and purpose is shining all around us, but we walk through it with closed eyes. The spiritual journey is not a voyage to a distant land, but the gradual awakening of the senses you were born with, allowing you to finally perceive the world as it truly is sacred, interconnected, and filled with the presence of the Divine. Stop searching for God out there, and start cultivating the ability to see God right here.
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