Summary
Basavanna speaks of rarity. To enter knowing is rare. To know and not fall back into forgetfulness is rarer. To remain as Sharana is rare.
The teaching is direct: a moment of clarity is not enough. Knowing must become steady, or forgetfulness returns and breaks the path.
Bhakti for Kudalasangama Deva is compared to the vigor of youth. It must remain living, forceful, and fresh, not weak or occasional.
Imagery & Symbolic Relevance
The repeated word “rare” gives the vachana its force. Knowing, remembering, and remaining Sharana are not ordinary movements.
Knowing is the first arising. Not forgetting is the test of its continuity. Remaining Sharana is the state where knowing has become stable.
The image of youthful vigor shows Bhakti as living power. Devotion is not a fading sentiment; it must rise with strength before Kudalasangama Deva.
Lingayoga
In Lingayoga, this vachana teaches continuity of remembrance. A brief flash of knowing does not complete the path.
For Pranalingi Sthala, awareness must become steady in life and breath. Bhakti must remain alive through changing states, not appear only in rare moments.
The practice-point is clear: guard knowing from forgetfulness, and let Bhakti remain vigorous before Kudalasangama Deva.
Editorial Commentary
The entry should remain centered on rarity and continuity. Basavanna is not praising a passing experience, but warning that knowing must not collapse back into forgetfulness.
Related Vachana
Supporting Vachana
Prasadi Sthala Vachana 630 — When Remembrance Dies
Prasadi Vachana 630 supports this teaching by showing the danger of forgetfulness. When the eyes go astray, when the tongue speaks wrongly, and when Kudalasangama Deva is forgotten, that is Māri.
Vachana 867 gives the positive form of the same warning. To know is rare, but to know without forgetting is rarer still.
Advancing Vachana
Sharana Sthala Vachana 174 — The Eternal Now of Devotion
Sharana Vachana 174 advances this teaching by making remembrance immediate and unbroken. It says not to speak of yesterday or tomorrow, but to become Sharana in this very day and remember Kudalasangama without break.
In Vachana 867, knowing without forgetting is rare. In Vachana 174, that rare continuity matures into Sharana Sthala as present, uninterrupted remembrance before Kudalasangama Deva.
