Basavaṇṇaಬಸವಣ್ಣ
Vacanas, sayings of a reformer. 1 passage in the chapters come from it.
- What it is
- Vacanas, short sayings in free verse
- Composed
- 12th century CE
- By
- Basavaṇṇa, minister at the court of the Kalachuri king Bijjala at Kalyāṇa
- References on this site
- His vacanas are cited by form; collections number them differently.
Basavaṇṇa led the Vīraśaiva movement, which rejected caste, temple ritual and priestly privilege, and held honest work (kāyaka) to be a form of worship. His vacanas, addressed to Kūḍalasaṅgamadēva, are plain speech rather than metre, which was itself a statement.
Read it in full
Translations in print
- A. K. Ramanujan, Speaking of Śiva (Penguin, 1973)
Names with marks such as ā, ṣ or ṛ are explained in how to read the names and terms.
The passage the chapters quote
- My viewUnit 2 · Justice and Whistleblowing
Interpersonal justice and do not despise, do not belittle
Read it in its chapter“Do not steal, do not kill, do not lie, do not rage, do not despise others, do not praise yourself, do not belittle the one before you. This is inner purity; this is outer purity.” ಕಳಬೇಡ, ಕೊಲಬೇಡ, ಹುಸಿಯ ನುಡಿಯಲು ಬೇಡ, ಮುನಿಯ ಬೇಡ, ಅನ್ಯರಿಗೆ ಅಸಹ್ಯಪಡಬೇಡ, ತನ್ನ ಬಣ್ಣಿಸಬೇಡ, ಇದಿರ ಹಳಿಯಲು ಬೇಡ. ಇದೇ ಅಂತರಂಗಶುದ್ಧಿ, ಇದೇ ಬಹಿರಂಗಶುದ್ಧಿ. kaḷabēḍa, kolabēḍa, husiya nuḍiyalu bēḍa, muniya bēḍa, anyarige asahyapaḍabēḍa, tanna baṇṇisabēḍa, idira haḷiyalu bēḍa. idē antaraṅgaśuddhi, idē bahiraṅgaśuddhi. Basavaṇṇa, vacana (Kannada)
Cite this page
- APA
Veda Verse. (2026, October 25). Basavaṇṇa: what it is, and the passages we quote. https://myvedaverse.in/learn/texts/basavanna
- MLA
“Basavaṇṇa: what it is, and the passages we quote.” Veda Verse, 25 Oct. 2026, myvedaverse.in/learn/texts/basavanna.
- Chicago
Veda Verse. “Basavaṇṇa: what it is, and the passages we quote.” Last modified October 25, 2026. https://myvedaverse.in/learn/texts/basavanna.
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