Basava

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Basava (also known as Basaveshwara or Basavanna) is known as the founder of the lingayat (Lingayats) religious movement in India. He brought on a social transformation, often referred as "revolution," in that he single handedly destroyed castism and established monotheism. He rejected idol worship and all the 33 core gods of sanatana dharma. He thinks of Shiva as the yogiraja (the first yogi of India who researched "aum", and thinks him of as a human being. He makes the difference between Shiva and Para-Shiva. To Para-Shiva, he also calls Para-Brahma. He clarifies that God can not take birth (Ayoni sambhava)and he does not have any name. It is we human beings who have given him a name. He calls him Lingadeva or Kudala Sangama Deva. He denounces the idea that shiva lives in Kailasa. He says Kailasa is only a hill on this earth. He is said to have been a mystic by temperament, an idealist by choice, a statesman by profession, a man of letters by taste, a humanist by sympathy, and a social reformer by conviction.

Basava gave birth to a new religion called lingavanta dharma or lingayata. Other synonyms for lingayata are: Basava Dharma, Sharana Dharma, Vachana Dharma. He and his followers with Allama defined a new way of looking at God and life with numerous "Vachanas" (sacred hymns).

Early life

Born into a Brahmin family residing in the small town of Ingeleshwar in the Bijapur district of northern Karnataka, India in 1134, Basava grew up in a strict, religious household where he was made to wear a sacred thread known as the Janivara. He dd not accept the Janwara. He rejected the Vedic religion based on vedas, agamas, shastras, and puranas. He did not accept the ritual rites.

The Great Religious Development

He left Bagewadi and spent the next 12 years studying Sangameshwara, at the then-Shaivite stronghold of Kudala Sangama. There, he conversed with scholars and developed his spiritual and religious views in association with his societal understanding. His views included believing there is only one true, perfect God; additionally, he created people who perform social services like removal of untouchabilty, superstitiousness, confusions, temple culture, and priesthoodness. He believed people who were in search of a false god needed to be shown the right way. He preached equality among humankind and condemned all barriers of caste, creed and sex, fighting against the caste system. He is also known as Krantikari (revolutionary) Basavanna for his revolution in the social system of the 12th century.

Basava started his career as an accountant at Mangalaveda in the court of Kalachuri king Bijjala. When Bijjala acquired the power at Kalyana, by sidelining Tailapa(the garandson of Vikaramaditya-vi, the great Chalukya king), Basavann also went to Kalyana.With his honesty, hardwork and visionary mission, Basava rose to the position of Prime Minister in the court of king Bijjala, who ruled 1157—1196 at Kalyana (presently renamed as Basava Kalyana). There, he established the Anubhava Mantapa, a spiritual parliament to openly discuss Lingayatism, which attracted many saints from throughout India. He believed in the principle 'Work is heaven'; one step ahead of Ravindranath Tagore who said 'work is worship'. It was at this time that the Vachanas, simple and easy-to-understand poetic writings which contained essential teachings, were written. Below is one of the thousands of Vachanas that were produced:

The power of knowledge destroys ignorance;

The power of light dissipates darkness;

The power of truth is foe of all untruth;

The sharana's experience of god is the sole cure of worldliness;

- Lord Kudala Sangamadeva

Basava created much controversy by actively ignoring the societal rules associated with the caste system, which he wished to abolish. By allowing untouchables to have lunch at his residence and praising the historic marriage of a Brahmin woman and an untouchable man, Basava caused orthodox members of King Bijjala's court to go to the King with such stories, some true and some false. Bijjala, afraid of a possible uprising in orthodox society, ordered the newly married couple to be harshly punished. Before punishing the couple Bijjala asked Basava to agree with caste system; but Basava strongly opposed caste system and said, both Haralayya and Madhuvaras were lingayats and the rules of caste system of Vaidika Dharma are not applicable to them. With Vaidik influence, Bijjala did not agree Basavanna's ideas; and asked Basavanna to be silent and accept the punishment to couple or leave Kalyana. The "Being punished" Danda-gonda Basavanna left Kalyana with heavy heart and marched towards Kudala Sangama. He left Kalyana in 1195 A.D. for Kudala Sangama and en route to Kudala sangama, he preache the people about the humanity, morality, honesty, simplicity, and the dignity of labour, equality among all human beings, human rights etc. Being a perfect yogi he released the bonds of the body and soul and took nirvana (Lingaikya) in the year 1196 in response to the call from Almighty.

He tried to form a classless society and succeeded to a large extent in the context of 12th century. Again with negligence and improper understsnding of "Basava Tatva", some lingayats today think that they are a caste.But the effort is going on under the leadership Jagadguru Mate Mahadevi, to prove to the Indian government that Lingayata is a religion. Her Holiness Jagadguru Mate Mahadevi is demanding the satus of religion to "Lingayatism". She has formed a Federation of Indian Religions (FIR) consistiong of :Hinduism(Sanatana Dharma), Buddhism, Jainism, Sikkism and Lingayatism. Basavanna Crated people called "Jangama" to remove priestliness, untouchability, illogicalness, superstitiousness etc.But ironically, in the long run, with selfish interests of some jangamas, they started again establishing priestliness, and started building temples, which Basavanna had denounced. They should have continued to build Anubhava Manatapas just like Basavanna.

Philosophy

Basava said that the roots of social life are embedded not in the cream of the society but in the scum of the society. It is his witty saying that the cow does not give milk to him who sits on its back, but it gives milk to him who squats at its feet. With his wide sympathy, he admitted high and low alike into his fold. The Anubhava Mantapa established by Basava laid down the foundation of social democracy. Basava believed that man becomes great not by his birth but by his worth to the society. This means faith in the dignity of man and the belief that a common man is as good a part of society as a man of status.

He proclaimed that all members of the state are labourers: some may be intellectual labourers and others may be manual labourers. He placed practice before precept and his own life was of rigid rectitude. Basava brought home to his countrymen the lesson of self-purification. He tried to raise the moral level of the public life in the country, and he insisted that the same rules of conduct applied to the administrators as to the individual members of the society. He also taught the dignity of manual labour by insisting on work as worship. Every kind of manual labour, which was looked down upon by people of high caste, should be looked upon with love and reverence, he argued. Thus arts and crafts flourished, and a new foundation was laid down in the history of the economics of the land.

Basava formed people's committees representing various vocations such as agriculture, horticulture, tailoring, weaving, dyeing, and carpentry. All vocations were regarded as of equal value and the members belonged to all sorts of vocations. Thus Jedara Dasimayya was a weaver, Shankar Dasimayya a tailor, Madival Machayya a washerman, Myadar Ketayya a basket-maker, Kinnari Bommayya a goldsmith, Vakkalmuddayya a farmer, Hadap Appanna a barber, Jedar Madanna a soldier, Ganada Kannappa an oilman, Dohar Kakkayya a tanner, Mydar Channayya a cobbler, and Ambigara Chowdayya a ferryman. There were women followers such as Satyakka, Ramavve, and Somavve with their respective vocations. The curious thing was that all these and many more have sung the Vachanas (sayings) regarding their vocations in a very suggestive imagery.

Views on Basaveshwara today

The Times of India in its issue dated May 17, 1918 paid a glowing tribute to Basava:

"It was the distinctive feature of his mission that while illustrious religious and social reformers in India before him had each laid his emphasis on one or other items of religion and social reform, either subordinating more or less other items to it or ignoring them altogether, Basava sketched and boldly tried to work out a large and comprehensive programme of social reform with the elevation and independence of womanhood as its guiding point. Neither social conferences which are usually held in these days in several parts of India, nor Indian social reformers, can improve upon that programme as to the essentials. The present day social reformer in India is but speaking the language and seeking to enforce the mind of Basava."

The movement initiated by Basava through Anubhava Mantapa became the basis of a religion of love and faith. It gave rise to a system of ethics and education at once simple and exalted. It sought to inspire ideals of social and religious freedom, such as no previous faith of India had done. In the medieval age which was characterized by inter-communal jealousy, it helped to shed a ray of light and faith on the homes and hearts of people. But the spirit soon disappeared after the intermarriage that Basava facilitated came to an abrupt end when the couple were punished for the same by the King. The dream of the classless society was shaken and Basava soon realised the meek picture and left for Kudala Sangama and a year later died. Many believe that it was through self-annihilation, because of the agony caused by the failure.

The movement gave a literature of considerable value in the vernacular language of the country, the literature which attained the dignity of a classical tongue. Its aim was the elimination of the barriers of caste and to remove untouchability, raising the untouchable to the equal of the high born. The sanctity of family relations and the improvement in the status of womanhood were striven for while at the same time the importance of rites and rituals, of fasts and pilgrimages was reduced. It encouraged learning and contemplation of God by means of love and faith. The excesses of polytheism were deplored and the idea of monotheism was encouraged. The movement tended, in many ways, to raise the nation generally to a higher level of capacity both in thought and action. However, the religion failed to bring about a completely classless society. In fact, the religion today has many subcastes and intermarriages among upper and lower castes is not accepted by the religion.

In honour of this Basava, President of India Abdul Kalam inaugurated Basaveshwar's statue on April 28, 2003 in the Parliament of India in New Delhi.

References

Prophets of Veershaivism by Mahatapasvi Shri Kumarswami.

Trivia

Basaveshwara is the first Kannadiga in whose honour a commemorative coin has been minted in recognition of his social reforms.The Prime Minister of India, Dr Manmohan Singh was in Bangalore, the capital of Karnataka to release the coins.
The Basava Samiti president is Mr Aravind Jatti.