Veerashaiva Samaja Of New England

Basavanna - By Mrs. Vani Hulikere

Basavanna, a great prophet and a social reformer of the 12th century is a unique portrait-painted by the Creator  Artist God with the brush of His grace on the canvas of the history of mankind. His spiritual path is a blend of traditional flow of thoughts and unique reformist ideas. An enlightened soul with humanitarian ideals, he was a social reformer with extra caliber, a champion of womens emancipation and a person of progressive thoughts and action, with a burning ambition of creating a casteless and creedless society.

Basavannas message is a universal message that proclaims the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Men, irrespective of religion, caste, race or sex. This universal message embraces one and all and is enshrined in the simple sayings called Vachanas (meaning spoken words)

He preached and practiced Universal Compassion. He says

Devoid of compassion, can it be a religion?
Compassion is indeed essential towards all creatures
Compassion is in fact the source of all religion
God will not accept any divergence from this!

He advocated a non violent life style and encouraged compassion, love and tolerance not only towards ones family, friends and fellow humans, but it should extend to all living beings.

Basavanna provided practical guidance to daily life that can lead one towards God. His vachana below laid out seven simple directives

Do not steal, slay or lie
Do not be angry, and do not despise others
Do not glorify thyself or insult others
This is the internal cleansing
And this indeed is the external cleansing
This itself is the means to please Lord.

Basavanna preached equality of mankind. In the vachana below Basavanna is emphatic in his rejection of the caste, creed and race differentiation on the basis of birth.

One who kills is a pariah
One who eats filth is indeed an inferior person
What has birth got to do with this? What indeed?
Our lord Kudalasangama deva sharanas indeed belong to the superior class
for they wish for the welfare of all living beings

In this Vachana Basavanna gives hope to the suppressed and down trodden multitudes that are shackled by the fate at the time of birth. He proposes that despite ones upbringing and birth. One is entitled to his choice of living. Everyone in this gods creation has the opportunity to lead the style of life he desires. Another Vachana of Basavanna which preached equality among all men goes like this
Let no body say, O lord,

Whose is he, whose is he, o whose?
Let everybody say rather He is ours, he is ours, ours!

O Lord Kudalasangama deva, Let me be a son in your great house!

Basavanna believed that Lord is within each one of us also pervades the entire universe and beyond. He advocates universal values leading to a tolerant and peaceful way of life.

This mortal world is the creators workshop
Those who are endorsed here will surely be endorsed there also.
And those who are not endorsed here will not be endorsed there either, O lord Kudalasangama deva.

He declares that this mortal world is indeed the treasury of the lord.

Basavanna also was the first one to preach the importance of work called Kaayaka. Kaayaka meant the exertion of the Kaaya (body) for the liberation of the soul imprisoned therein. Kailaasa means abode of supreme god-heavenly. He believed in Kaayakave Kailaasa literally which means, Kaayaka or the body which exerts itself for without any expectation is nothing but Kailaasa- heavenly.

He also preached the importance of Dasoha meaning Charity. Dasoha to him meant working hard for one's livelihood and for the maintenance of society. In Basava's view, a dasohi should consider himself, but a servant of society. Therefore, Dasoha in principle assumed that what belongs to God must return to Him and what came from society should be given back by way of selfless service. Basava exhorted all wearers of Ishta linga to practice dasoha without reservation.

Basavanna being reformative in his outlook was more progressive than aggressive. He placed more emphasis on evolution by tergiversation or change of mind rather than sanguinary revolutions. So basava and his followers were imbued with an antagonistic spirit towards any other community. Hence Rev. N.C. Sargant aptly says, Basavas aim was not to oppose or propose any religious or philosophical system, but to show people the existing social and religious evils and, if possible to remove these evils from society.

His sole aim was to build a welfare society, Kalyana Rajya, a kingdom of God in his humanity and to divinize this mortal existence through spiritual values.

THUS SPAKE BASAVA

Unless the pride of caste is gone
How can you be a Sharana?
Unless the bonds of fate have left
How can you be a devotee?
Leaving all trace of I and mine
You have to be the lowest of the low!