Summary
In this vachana, Basavanna distinguishes true invocation from empty calling. People may call and praise, yet if trust is absent, the call remains hollow.
He asks whether Shiva would not come if called with trust. The question places the failure in the caller, not in Shiva.
The final image is of an empty vessel being struck. It makes sound, but carries no substance. In the same way, calling without trust produces noise, not living devotion before Kudalasangama Deva.
Imagery & Symbolic Relevance
The repeated act of calling represents spoken devotion. Basavanna does not reject calling; he tests the condition from which the call arises.
Trust is the hidden measure. A call made with trust carries inward weight because the heart participates in it.
The question about Shiva’s response gives the vachana its force. Basavanna assumes that a true call reaches; what fails is the call that lacks inner assent.
The empty vessel is the concluding image. When struck, it resounds loudly, but the sound reveals hollowness.
This image exposes religious speech without inward substance. The call may be heard, but it does not become communion.
Lingayoga
In Lingayoga, mantra, prayer, and invocation must arise from inner trust. Otherwise, speech remains separate from awareness.
The Anga must call from within, not merely from the tongue. Trust gathers the mind and gives the call direction.
The empty vessel warns the practitioner against sound without inward presence. Practice is not measured by audibility, but by participation.
Invocation matures when the heart, mind, and speech move together toward Kudalasangama Deva.
Editorial Commentary
This vachana tests the sound of devotion by the depth behind it.
Basavanna’s image asks whether the call is filled by trust or only echoed by emptiness.
Related Vachana
Supporting Vachana
Vachana 113 — The Unchanging Sustainer
Vachana 113 shows that weakness belongs to the unknowing devotee, not to the Linga. Vachana 116 continues the examination by locating failed invocation in the absence of trust.
Advancing Vachana
Maheshwara Vachana 45 — The One and the Many
The hollow call of Vachana 116 advances into the unstable lamp of Maheshwara Vachana 45. Where trust is not steady, devotion flickers; the seeker must become inwardly firm before Kudalasangama Deva.
