Summary
In this vachana, Basavanna asks Kudalasangama Deva to make him a wild parrot within the dense inner forest and protect him.
He does not ask for the wildness to remain as it is. He asks that it be turned toward the utterance of “Śiva, Śiva.”
The prayer then moves to the cage of devotion. Basavanna asks to be placed and held there. The cage is not punishment; it is protection from scattering.
Imagery & Symbolic Relevance
The first image is the inner forest. It is dense, difficult to govern, and full of uncontrolled movement.
The second image is the wild parrot. The bird suggests restless life within that forest. It moves, calls, and cannot remain contained by itself.
The third image is the cry “Śiva, Śiva.” The wild voice is not to be silenced; it is to be turned into remembrance.
The fourth image is the cage of devotion. A cage limits movement, but here it protects what would otherwise fly away.
The final image is being held by Kudalasangama Deva. Basavanna does not trust his own steadiness. He asks to be kept within devotion.
Together, these images show transformation through protected remembrance. The wild bird of the inner forest must be made to cry “Śiva, Śiva” and be held within the cage of devotion.
Lingayoga
In Lingayoga, this vachana shows that the restless inner force must be redirected, not merely condemned.
The wild parrot represents movement that needs a new voice. When it is made to utter “Śiva, Śiva,” restlessness becomes remembrance.
The cage of devotion shows the need for containment. Practice becomes steady when the seeker is held within devotion and protected from scattering.
Editorial Commentary
This vachana should be read as a prayer for transformation and safekeeping. Basavanna does not ask Kudalasangama Deva to destroy the wildness within him. He asks that it be changed into remembrance and held safely in devotion.
Related Vachana
Supporting Vachana
Bhakta Sthala Vachana 109 — The Milk of True Devotion
Bhakta Sthala Vachana 109 supports this vachana by warning that the cry “Śiva, Śiva” has no worth without steadfast devotion to the Linga. Vachana 58 carries that concern into Maheshwara Sthala by asking that the wild inner voice become true remembrance and be held within devotion.
Advancing Vachana
Prasadi Sthala Vachana 375 — The Dawn of Grace
Prasadi Sthala Vachana 375 advances this movement through the images of cage, parrot, lamp, and Sharana-call. Vachana 58 asks to be held in the cage of devotion and made to utter “Śiva, Śiva.” Vachana 375 carries this into Prasadi Sthala, where preparation waits until Kudalasangama Deva’s Sharanas arrive and the cry of “Śiva” awakens joy.
