Summary
In this vachana, Basavanna removes fear from what must come.
He says that what is to come tomorrow may come today, and what is to come today may come this very moment. The point is not a desire for death, but freedom from postponing, resisting, or trembling before what is certain.
He then asks who fears this and who grieves over it. Fear and grief arise before the event, but Basavanna refuses to let anticipation rule the Sharana.
The central statement is “Death is certain to the born.” Birth carries death with it. Basavanna does not argue against this or seek escape through another power.
The final line gives the decisive measure. What Kudalasangama Deva has written cannot be set aside even by Hari and Brahma. The Sharana’s fearlessness rests in the Lord’s writing, not in personal strength.
The teaching is direct: the Sharana does not fear the coming of death or grieve before it; he stands in the certainty of Kudalasangama Deva’s will.
Imagery & Symbolic Relevance
Tomorrow is the first time-image. It represents what is expected later, what the mind places at a distance and fears in advance.
Today is the second time-image. Basavanna brings the distant nearer, refusing the comfort of postponement.
“This very moment” sharpens the teaching. The feared event is brought fully into immediacy. If it must come, it may come now.
Fear and grief are the emotional images of the vachana. Basavanna asks why they should arise before what is already certain. The question does not deny human feeling; it tests whether fear should govern the Sharana.
The statement “Death is certain to the born” is the central measure. Death is not presented as accident, punishment, or social disaster. It belongs to the condition of birth.
The writing of Kudalasangama Deva is the final image. What is written by the Lord cannot be overturned by anxious thought, avoidance, or appeal to other powers.
Hari and Brahma are named to show the limit of even exalted powers. Basavanna does not place them as the final authority. The Lord who writes is Kudalasangama Deva.
The movement of the vachana is therefore from tomorrow to today, from today to this moment, from fear and grief to certainty, and from all other powers to the writing of Kudalasangama Deva.
Lingayoga
In Lingayoga, this vachana teaches steadiness before the certainty of death.
The seeker should examine the mind’s habit of postponement: “not tomorrow,” “not today,” “not now.” Basavanna cuts through this delay. If death belongs to birth, fear cannot become the path.
For Sharana Sthala, the practice-point is clear: do not let anticipation of death disturb refuge. What must come is held under Kudalasangama Deva’s writing. Stand steady there.
Editorial Commentary
The entry should not soften the line on death. Basavanna does not treat death as merely symbolic. He names it directly and places it under the certainty of birth and the writing of Kudalasangama Deva. The references to Hari and Brahma should remain as a comparison of authority: even exalted powers cannot alter what the Lord has written.
Related Vachana
Supporting Vachana
Pranalingi Sthala Vachana 552 — That Which Cannot Be Forgotten
Pranalingi Vachana 552 supports this teaching by testing exalted divine names against the one presence that cannot be forgotten. There, Hari, Brahma, and the thirty-three crore gods are placed before the question of forgetfulness, while Kudalasangama Deva is distinguished as the one who cannot be lost. This supports Vachana 697 directly. Vachana 697 says that even Hari and Brahma cannot alter what Kudalasangama Deva has written; Vachana 552 gives the supporting ground by placing those same exalted names before the final measure of Kudalasangama Deva.
Advancing Vachana
Aikya Sthala Vachana 86 — The Irreversible Inscription
Aikya Vachana 86 advances this teaching by showing surrender as an inscription that cannot be erased. “Namah Shivaya” is written as a seal, and what is inscribed in Kudalasangama Deva cannot be overturned. This is the natural advancement from Vachana 697. Vachana 697 teaches fearlessness before death because what the Lord has written cannot be avoided or altered. Aikya Vachana 86 carries that certainty into union: what is written is no longer only accepted as what must come, but sealed as irreversible surrender before Kudalasangama Deva.
