Vachanas of Basavanna
The saint poets of Veerashaiva literature composed thousands of ‘vachanas’ (speech/utterance),idiomatic short poems in Karnataka,South India in the 12 CAD.Devotion in metaphysical way ,social criticism denying discrimination of caste ,profession and gender ,metaphorising personal experiences ,socialising ecumenicalism -such were the paradigms we find in ‘vachana ‘literature.
BASAVANNA is considered as the protagonist of the Veerashaiva religion in Karnataka in the 12th Century.He was a social reformer ,who lead the Sharana movement in Karnataka and his vachanas blend the concept of devotion and reformation ,thereby making them very much relevant in the contemporary society.’Koodalasangamadeva’ was the ‘ankita’ ,the signature -word of Basavanna.’Ankita ‘was a name of a personal god or deity of a saint-poet(vachankaara),which normally appears at the end of each ‘vachana’.”Sharana’ -the one who worships and is devoted to Shiva.
Some of the vachanas of BASAVANNA are quoted here in translation from Kannada into English:
Source Book: ‘THE SIGN -Vachanas of 12th Century’
Editor:O.L.Nagabhushana Swamy
Translators :O.L.Nagabhushana Swamy , Laxmi Chandrashekhar , Vijaya Guttal.
Classical Kannada Texts in Translation Series,Kannada University,Hampi
Series Coordinator: Tharakeshwar V.B.
Publisher:Kannada University,Hampi.Karnataka,India. 2007 .www.kannadauniversity.org
The following vachanas are translated by Laxmi Chandrashekar and Vijaya Guttal.
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Speech should be like a string of pearls
Speech should be like the flash of a ruby
Speech should be like a bar of crystal
Speech should make the ‘linga’ say yes yes
If you don’t act within the bounds of your words
how will you win Koodalasangamadeva’s love
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If you say
welcome and how are you
will your wealth fly away?
If you say please sit down
will the ground sink?
If you make a prompt reply
will your head break?
We need not give anybody anything
if goodness is also not there
will not Koodalasangama hack your nose?
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The wealthy build
temples of Shiva
Lord, what can I do
a poor man?
My legs are the column
and body itself a temple
my head the golden crest.
Listen,O lord Koodalasangama,
things fixed shall end
the moving shall stay.
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Brothers bathing in streams
masters bathing in streams
give up
give up first other woman’s company
and desire for another’s wealth.
Without giving up these
merely bathing would be
like bathing in a dried up stream
Koodalasangamadeva.
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What profit is it
if a parrot can read
it can not tell cat’s coming.
The eye that sees the world
cannot see its own squint.
They say they know
others’ qualities
they do not know
their own Koodalasangamadeva.
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Lord
is there any religion
without compassion?
There must be
compassion for all creatures.
Compassion is the basis
of religion.
Anything otherwise
is unacceptable to
Koodalasangamadeva.
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Even a particle of gold
a thread of cloth
or a grain of rice
I shall not desire for today or tomorrow.
I swear on you and your ancients
apart from your ‘sharanas’
I desire nothing
that is not for your ‘sharanas’
Koodalasangamadeva.
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Is the master of the house in
or is he not?
Grass grows on the threshold
the house is filled with dust.
Is the master of the house in
or is he not?
The body is filled with lies
the mind filled with desire.
The master of the house is not in
Koodalasangamadeva.
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You shall not steal
you shall not kill
you shall not lie
you shall not get angry
you shall not loathe anyone
you shall not boast
you shall not disdain anyone.
This is inner purity
this is outer purity
this is the only way
to win our lord Koodalasangamadeva.
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Look lord
the power of knowledge
leads to loss of ignorance.
The power of light
leads to the loss of darkness.
The power of truth
leads to the loss of untruth.
The power of ‘parusha’ gem
leads to the loss of base metal.
Look lord
the spiritual power
of Koodalasangama’s ‘sharanas’
leads the loss of worldliness.
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ಕನ್ನಡ ವ್ಯಾಕರಣವನ್ನು ಕುರಿತು ಜರ್ಮನ್ ಭಾಷೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ರಚನೆಯಾದ ಗ್ರಂಥ ಮತ್ತು ಬಸವಣ್ಣನ ವಚನಗಳ ಆಂಗ್ಲ ತರ್ಜುಮೆ Vachanas of Basavanna ಬ್ಲಾಗ್ ಗಳನ್ನು ನೋಡಿದೆ. ಕಳಬೇಡ ಕೊಲಬೇಡ ಹುಸಿಯ ನುಡಿಯಲುಬೇಡ.. ಈ ಮೊದಲಾದ ಸಾಲುಗಳು You shall not steal, you shall not kill. you shall not lie….ಮೊದಲಾಗಿ ಅತ್ಯಂತ ಸಹಜವಾಗಿ ಮೂಡಿಬಂದಿವೆ. ಅಭಿನಂದನೆಗಳು.
Vamana Nandavara
ನವೆಂಬರ್ 20, 2011
ನಂದಾವರರಿಗೆ ನಮಸ್ಕಾರ.ನಿಮ್ಮನ್ನು ಇಲ್ಲಿ ಕಂಡು ಸಂತೋಷ ಆಯಿತು.ಕನ್ನಡ ಭಾಷೆ ಜಾಗತಿಕ ಆಗಬೇಕು.ಕನ್ನಡ ವಚನಗಳ ಮೂಲಕ ವಿಶ್ವ ಸಂದೇಶವನ್ನು ಕೊಟ್ಟ ಬಸವಣ್ಣನವರ ಚಿಂತನೆಗಳು ವಿಶ್ವಮಾನ್ಯ ಆಗಬೇಕು.ಎಲ್ಲಕ್ಕಿಂತ ಮೊದಲಾಗಿ ಅವು ಕರ್ನಾಟಕದಲ್ಲಿ ನಿಜ ಆಗಬೇಕು.
B A Viveka Rai
ನವೆಂಬರ್ 20, 2011
IT’s Great see vachanas Translation in English i’m very happy to see this…and will be thankful
aishwarya
ನವೆಂಬರ್ 22, 2012
Am very happy at seeing these vachanas in english. I wish, his works should not limited to certain region, should spread across the globe. Appreciate the effort.. Many thanks…
Neelappa
ಡಿಸೆಂಬರ್ 11, 2012
please translate “chalabeku sharanange paradhanavanollenemba, chalbeku sharanange parastriyanollenemba….
Ravindra Kamaredy
ಡಿಸೆಂಬರ್ 24, 2012
Sharana must be resolute
not to desire another’s wealth.
Sharana must be resolute
not to desire another’s wife.
Sharana must be resolute
not to desire another’s gods.
Sharana must be resolute
that linga and jangama are one .
Sharana must be resolute
that grace is truth.
Koodalasangama does not love
those who are not resolute.
B A Viveka Rai
ಡಿಸೆಂಬರ್ 24, 2012
Good
B.s.shanmukha
ಜೂನ್ 25, 2013
Wonderful Sir
P Girlish Kumar
ಆಗಷ್ಟ್ 17, 2013
vachanas are meaning full to human man kind
harshitha
ಸೆಪ್ಟೆಂಬರ್ 9, 2014
Basavannas vachana are very meaning full this were made to change society during those days but if we include the same thing in our life we can even change today’s society
BK Thippeswamy
ಸೆಪ್ಟೆಂಬರ್ 23, 2014