Basava - The Temple and the Body

April 9, 2010

Here's your Daily Poem from the Poetry Chaikhana --

The Temple and the Body

By Basava(1134 - 1196)

English version by A. K. Ramanujan

The richwill make temples for Siva.What shall I,a poor man,do?My legs are pillars,the body the shrine,the head a cupolaof gold.Listen, O lord of the meeting rivers,things standing shall fall,but the moving ever shall stay.

-- from Speaking of Siva, by A K Ramanujan

Amazon.com / Photo by wharman /

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Thought for the Day:

You live in the most sacred placein the universe:right here,right now.

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Hi Alan -Basava, sometimes referred to reverently as Basavanna or Basaveshwara, was a twelfth century devotee of Shiva and early organizer of the Virasaiva Lingayata sect of southern India.The Virasaivas were a Shiva bhakti movement that rejected the elaborate ritualism and strict caste system of orthodox Hinduism which favored the wealthy, and instead emphasized direct mystical experience available to all through deep devotion to God. In this sense, the Virasaiva movement was a mystical protestant movement that also asserted social equality and justice for the poor. As Lingayatas they worship Shiva in the form of a linga, the stone symbol that represents God as creative generator of the universe or, more deeply, as a representation of the Formless taking form.Basavanna was orphaned at a young age but adopted by a wealthy family with political connections. He received a

good education but rejected a life of comfort and prestige to become a wandering ascetic dedicated to Shiva.He received enlightenment at a sacred meeting of rivers. This is why all of Basavanna's poems include a reference to Shiva as "the lord of the meeting rivers." This also has a deeper, esoteric meaning relating to the subtle energies awakened in the yogi's awareness.However, he soon was given a divine command to return to worldly life. Basavanna initially resisted, but eventually yielded and returned to his adopted family. Before long he attained high political office while, simultaneously, forming the new populist mystical movement of Virasaivas into a coherent, egalitarian community. This community fostered many other great poet-saints, including Akka Mahadevi and Allama Prabhu.==The wealthy prove their piety by financing temples (or churches or mosques...). Their devotion is concretized in stone and gold. It's easy for a poor man, witnessing the splendor of a wealthy shrine, to imagine himself far behind on the road to heaven. What can he offer to compete with that? What temple can he build to offer proper worship?Basava gives us the solution offered by saints everywhere: Make of yourself a temple.My legs are pillars,the body the shrine,the head a cupolaof gold.This is where all true meditation, prayer, communion occurs. The built temple is but a reflection of the temple of the self. And that true temple is available to all, rich and poor, equally.Basava carries it further, pointing out how far superior the inner temple is. "Things standing," structures built of wood or stone, no matter how lovely or inspiring, are destined to

fall. A temple of stone stands but does not move. It lacks the life necessary to continually adjust itself to the shifting forces of time and gravity and the flow of nature all around; it is already crumbling....but the moving ever shall stay.That which is animated, the temple of the embodied self, has life! It dances with the flow of existence... and that life continues. Worship that takes place within that living temple lives as well, and lasts.Basava's reminder to us: Regardless of whether we worship beneath a golden cupola or beneath the arch of the open sky, only meditation and prayer and communion that takes place within the living temple of the self matters, because that is what lives and lasts. Wherever you are, whatever your role in life, make of yourself a holy temple. More important than monuments of stone are monumental living souls.Have a wonderful weekend!Ivan

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Ivan M. Granger's original poetry, stories and commentaries are 2002 - 2010 by Ivan M. Granger.All other material is copyrighted by the respective authors, translators and/or publishers.