Summary
In this vachana, Basavanna says that when one speaks of the unseen state, the seeker must listen and inwardly receive it. What has not yet been seen by oneself should not be dismissed.
He then gives the reason: that joy is not obtained by buying, nor is it handed over by giving. It belongs to direct inner experience.
The vachana ends as prayer. Basavanna asks Kudalasangama Deva to remove the hatred or aversion in his mind and grant him refuge among His Sharanas.
Imagery & Symbolic Relevance
The unseen state is the first image. It points to what is known through Anubhava, not through outward possession or ordinary proof.
Listening is the required response. Basavanna does not ask for argument first. He asks that the seeker hear and allow the words of realized experience to work inwardly.
“Not bought, not given” is the central contrast. This joy does not belong to transaction. It cannot be purchased by wealth or transferred as an object.
Joy is therefore shown as inward realization. It arises where the condition is right; it is not produced by external exchange.
The hatred in the mind is the obstruction named by Basavanna. This aversion prevents the seeker from receiving what the Sharanas know.
Refuge among the Sharanas is the final image. The seeker does not remain alone with doubt or resistance. He asks to be placed in the living field of Kudalasangama Deva’s Sharanas.
Lingayoga
In Lingayoga, this vachana teaches humility before Anubhava. What is unseen to the seeker may still be real to the Sharana who has directly known it.
The practice-point is direct: listen before rejecting. Do not try to buy, possess, or force realization. Remove inner aversion and seek the company of Sharanas.
For Sharana Sthala, this is receptive refuge. The Sharana-path ripens when the mind becomes free from hostility toward realized experience and takes shelter among Kudalasangama Deva’s Sharanas.
Editorial Commentary
The phrase “unseen state” should not be expanded into speculation. The Kannada gives a practical movement: hear what is spoken of the unseen, recognize that its joy is neither bought nor given, and pray for the removal of mental aversion. “Refuge in Your Sharanas” is therefore not ornamental; it is the answer to the mind’s resistance.
Related Vachana
Supporting Vachana
Pranalingi Sthala Vachana 1016 — The Fulness of Pranalinga
Pranalingi Vachana 1016 supports this teaching by saying that Anubhava is the fulfilment of Arivu and by asking Kudalasangama Deva to reveal the Anubhava of the Swayānubhavis. Vachana 250 gives the Sharana form of that humility: when the unseen is spoken of, one must listen, since such joy cannot be bought or handed over. Both vachanas place realization in lived Anubhava rather than possession or argument.
Advancing Vachana
Aikya Sthala Vachana 903 — The Stunned Seeing
Aikya Vachana 903 advances this teaching by showing the seeker repeatedly beholding the Sharana’s state and standing astonished. In Vachana 250, Basavanna asks to listen rightly to what is unseen and to receive refuge among Kudalasangama’s Sharanas. In Aikya Vachana 903, that refuge matures into direct seeing of the Sharana who abides without grasping or resistance. Thus the Sharana-stage prayer for receptive refuge advances into Aikya as astonished seeing before Kudalasangama Deva.
