Summary
In this vachana, Basavanna speaks directly of the mind as a monkey. Again and again, the mind becomes fiercely restless and refuses to remain where it is placed.
It will not stand where he asks it to stand. It will not sit where he asks it to sit. In one moment it drops toward pātāḷa, the lower depth; in another moment it rises toward ākāśa, the sky; in another moment it runs toward the directions.
The teaching is that the seeker cannot rely on the restless mind as a stable ground for nearness to Kudalasangama Deva. The mind moves through extremes, depths, heights, and outward directions, without remaining in one place.
Basavanna therefore prays to Kudalasangama Deva: remove the mischief or assault of this monkey-mind and gather me into Your presence. The spiritual concern is not self-condemnation, but helpless longing for steadiness through grace.
Imagery & Symbolic Relevance
The first image is the monkey-mind. A monkey does not remain still. It leaps, grasps, shifts, and moves without settled direction. Basavanna uses this image to show the unsteady nature of the mind.
The second image is the mind refusing to stand. Even when the seeker tries to hold the mind in one place, it does not remain there. This shows the failure of mere intention.
The third image is the mind refusing to sit. Sitting suggests rest, meditation, and steadiness. The monkey-mind does not accept even this seated condition.
The fourth image is the leap toward pātāḷa. Pātāḷa represents the lower depth. The mind falls suddenly into downward movement, heaviness, or hidden disturbance.
The fifth image is the leap toward ākāśa. The same mind that falls downward also flies upward into vastness, imagination, and ungrounded movement.
The sixth image is the leap toward the directions. This shows outward scattering. The mind runs here and there, toward many directions, unable to remain gathered.
The final image is Basavanna’s prayer that the monkey-mind’s mischief be removed. He does not claim that he can master the mind by his own force. He asks Kudalasangama Deva to gather him into nearness.
Lingayoga
In Lingayoga, this vachana teaches the need for gathered awareness. The mind that leaps from depth to height and from height to outward directions cannot remain steady in the Linga.
For Pranalingi Sthala, the point is direct. The life of the seeker must not be ruled by scattered mental movement. The restless mind must be brought under the grace of Kudalasangama Deva so that awareness can become steady.
The practice-point is clear: recognize the mind’s monkey-nature without hiding it. Do not trust its restless movement as guidance. Turn to Kudalasangama Deva and ask that the mind’s mischief be removed, so that the seeker may be gathered into His presence.
Editorial Commentary
The monkey-image should remain central. Basavanna is not giving a general teaching on distraction alone. He gives a concrete picture of the mind’s repeated refusal to stand, sit, or remain. Its movement toward pātāḷa, ākāśa, and the directions shows complete instability: downward, upward, and outward. The prayer at the end is therefore essential; steadiness is sought through Kudalasangama Deva’s grace.
Related Vachana
Supporting Vachana
Prasadi Sthala Vachana 1407 — Guarded Like a Child
Prasadi Vachana 1407 supports this teaching by showing Kudalasangama Deva as the protecting presence who watches over the vulnerable seeker like a mother guarding her child from serpent and fire. The seeker is not preserved by self-mastery alone; Divine nearness guards him before danger fully overtakes him.
Vachana 1061 carries this protection into Pranalingi Sthala as the inner field of the restless mind. The monkey-mind leaps toward pātāḷa, ākāśa, and the directions, refusing to stand or sit where it is placed. What Prasadi 1407 shows as Divine guardianship over the vulnerable seeker becomes, here, the prayer that Kudalasangama Deva remove the mind’s mischief and gather the seeker into His nearness.
Advancing Vachana
Sharana Sthala Vachana 658 — The Undivided Walk
Sharana Vachana 658 advances this teaching by showing that true Shivachara requires the walk and the word to become one. One may know, but without steadiness one does not abide. The one who truly lives Shivachara stands unmoving and no longer belongs to the divided mind of the world.
In Vachana 1061, Basavanna confesses that the monkey-mind will not stand, sit, or remain gathered, and he asks Kudalasangama Deva to remove its restless assault. In Vachana 658, this matures into Sharana Sthala as undivided steadiness. The scattered mind is no longer pulled downward, upward, and outward; word, conduct, and being become one movement in Kudalasangama Deva.
