Summary
In this vachana, Basavanna begins with three restraints.
He says he will not kill living beings. He will not become subject to the craving of the tongue. He will not desire the company of another’s wife. These are not merely social rules; they are direct safeguards against harm, indulgence, and misdirected desire.
He then says that he knows these to be obstacles standing before him. The danger is not hidden. Violence, taste-craving, and improper attachment are known traps on the path.
The final prayer turns to Kudalasangama Deva. Basavanna asks the Lord to make the mind one, like the mouth of the bamboo, and to establish it so. The issue is not outward restraint alone, but the gathering of the mind into one steadiness.
The teaching is direct: the Sharana must not harm living beings, must not be ruled by the tongue, must not fall into improper attachment, and must ask Kudalasangama Deva to establish the mind in one-pointed steadiness.
Imagery & Symbolic Relevance
Living beings form the first field of restraint. Basavanna begins with the refusal to kill or injure. The path cannot stand where violence governs action.
The tongue is the second image. It points to taste, appetite, and the pull of sensory indulgence. Basavanna does not present the tongue as harmless; it can become a doorway of bondage if not restrained.
The company of another’s wife is the third image. It points to improper attachment and desire that crosses right relation. Basavanna names it plainly as a trap before the seeker.
The three together form a field of outward discipline: non-harm, restraint of appetite, and restraint in relationship. These are not optional decorations of the path; they protect the seeker from scattering.
The word “obstacle” is important. Basavanna says he knows these as obstructions standing before him. The danger is recognized before it becomes fall.
The bamboo image gives the final inward movement. The prayer is that the mind be made one, like the bamboo’s mouth. The emphasis is on single-pointedness, straightness, and undivided inward direction, not on decorative symbolism.
The final act is establishment. Basavanna does not merely resolve to control himself. He asks Kudalasangama Deva to make the mind one and cause it to stand so.
The movement of the vachana is therefore from restraint in action, taste, and relation, to recognition of obstacles, and finally to the prayer for one-pointed mind before Kudalasangama Deva.
Lingayoga
In Lingayoga, this vachana teaches that sensory and relational restraint must lead to one-pointed steadiness.
The seeker should ask: do I harm living beings? Is the tongue ruling me? Is desire pulling me toward improper relation? Do I merely know these as faults, or do I ask that the mind be made one before Kudalasangama Deva?
For Sharana Sthala, the practice-point is clear: restraint must not remain outer discipline alone. Let the mind be gathered into one direction. Let Kudalasangama Deva establish it there.
Editorial Commentary
The main force of the vachana lies in the sequence: do not harm, do not yield to the tongue, do not fall into improper attachment, know these as obstacles, and ask Kudalasangama Deva to make the mind one.
Related Vachana
Supporting Vachana
Pranalingi Sthala Vachana 1370 — The Sharana Must Be a Brahmachari in the Five Senses
Pranalingi Vachana 1370 supports this teaching by requiring Brahmacharya not only in one bodily discipline, but in all five senses: hearing, touch, sight, tongue, and smell. It teaches that the senses must remain disciplined and gathered into Kudalasangama Deva. This supports Vachana 736 directly. Vachana 736 names non-harm, restraint of the tongue, and restraint from improper sexual attachment, then asks that the mind be made one. Vachana 1370 gives the supporting discipline: the whole sensory field must be brought into steadiness before Kudalasangama Deva.
Advancing Vachana
Aikya Sthala Vachana 1299 — The Two Headed Bird Within
Aikya Vachana 1299 advances this teaching by showing the danger of division through the image of a two-headed bird with one body: if one head is fed milk and the other poison, the single body still suffers. It then applies this to the split between worshipping Linga and dishonouring Jangama. This is the natural advancement from Vachana 736. Vachana 736 asks that the mind be made one after restraint from harm, tongue-craving, and improper attachment. Aikya Vachana 1299 shows the fulfilled necessity of that oneness: divided conduct poisons the whole, while true Aikya requires Linga and Jangama to remain undivided before Kudalasangama Deva.
