Summary
Basavanna says that he is bound in the noose called desire and held in the bondage of becoming. The bondage is so strong that he does not find even one occasion to remember Kudalasangama Deva.
He therefore calls upon the Lord as the Compassionate One, the Giver of fearlessness, and the Bestower. He asks for compassion, for the removal of samsara-bondage, and for grace. His final prayer is to be made a bhramara at the lotus-feet of Kudalasangama Deva, the beloved of the hearts of devotees.
Imagery & Symbolic Relevance
The noose of desire is the first image. A noose tightens and holds. Basavanna does not describe desire as a passing attraction, but as something that binds him in becoming.
The inability to remember even once shows the depth of bondage. The problem is not only that desire binds; it prevents remembrance of the Lord.
The addresses to Kudalasangama Deva are important. Basavanna calls Him Compassionate One, Giver of fearlessness, and Bestower. Each address prepares the prayer that follows.
The request to remove samsara-bondage is direct. Basavanna does not ask merely for relief within bondage; he asks that the bondage itself be removed.
The image of the bhramara at the lotus-feet completes the vachana. The bee remains near the lotus for its sweetness. Basavanna asks to be placed at the Lord’s lotus-feet in that manner.
Lingayoga
In Lingayoga, the relevance of this vachana lies in the movement given by the source: desire binds the seeker in bhava-bandhana, remembrance becomes unavailable, and the seeker asks Kudalasangama Deva for compassion, fearlessness, grace, release from samsara-bondage, and placement at His lotus-feet.
The practice-point is direct: when desire has tightened into bondage and remembrance does not arise, the seeker must ask for grace and for abiding at Kudalasangama Deva’s feet.
Editorial Commentary
This vachana should be read as a prayer for release and placement. Basavanna does not claim the strength to remember by himself. He admits that desire has bound him so completely that even remembrance is not available. The final image of the bhramara refers to a bee that stays close to the lotus for its sweetness. In the same way, Basavanna prays to remain near the lotus-feet of Kudalasangama Deva, without moving away. Its force lies in this simple request to stay at the Lord’s feet.
Related Vachana
Supporting Vachana
Pranalingi Sthala Vachana 365 — The Nature of Longing
Pranalingi Vachana 365 supports this vachana through the image of natural longing. There, the bee is drawn to fragrance, and Basavanna turns that image toward remembrance of Kudalasangama Deva’s Sharanas. Sharana Vachana 69 carries this movement further: the seeker, bound in the noose of desire and unable even once to remember the Lord, asks to be made a bhramara at Kudalasangama Deva’s lotus-feet. The support is direct: longing and remembrance in Pranalingi become the Sharana’s prayer for fixed nearness at the Lord’s feet.
Advancing Vachana
Aikya Sthala Vachana 1093 — The Garland of Devotion
Aikya Vachana 1093 advances this teaching by carrying the prayer for release into the removal of becoming and bondage. In Sharana Vachana 69, Basavanna is bound by the noose of desire, unable to remember even once, and asks Kudalasangama Deva to remove samsara-bondage and keep him at His lotus-feet. In Aikya Vachana 1093, becoming and bondage no longer remain. Thus the Sharana-stage prayer for release and nearness advances into Aikya as freedom from bondage before Kudalasangama Deva.
