| Who is Basavanna |
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Basavanna
is a great saint, a true visionary and a revolutionary who gave universal
religion to the mankind. He fought for the freedom of an individual. He created
tremendous awareness among the people by declaring, "None is high or low just
by birth. Greatness can be acquired only through personality and pursuit of
principles. Thus the whole mankind should get the religious sanctification". It
is not an exaggeration to say that his life struggle was for the realisation of
social, educational and religious rights of the people. He said that no one
should be deprived of their fundamental rights due to discrimination in the
name of caste, status, occupation or anything else. He declared religious
sanctification as one such fundamental right. Basavanna's ultimate aim was to
make this fundamental right available to each and everyone.
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Basavanna, keeping Welfare as the ultimate aim,
decided to start a revolution relying upon religion as the main
instrument. But, when he learnt that the people were not attracted by
religion, he expedited programmes to take religion to the people. By
preaching and writing religious literature in the mother tongue (Kannada),
he inspired and facilitated the people to sing their soul elevating
experiences and realizations in the language of the soil. As a result of
Basavanna's sustained efforts, the spiritual stream which flowed in the
mother tongue took the form of VACHANAS. This flowed like a perennial
river giving a new fresh breeze of the life to innumerable number of
exploited people. Brimming with confidence, they arose and attained
solvation to shine eternally as sources of confidence.
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Basavanna
was a fortune of this earth. He, as an harbinger of a new heritage, as a
'humangod', as a saviour of sufferers, as a hope of oppressed, whipped up the
confidence in them. This great soul lived in the 12th century.
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Before the greyness touch your cheek,
Before the wrinkles plough your face,
Before your body dwindles to a nest of bones,
Before, with teeth all gone,
The back is all bowed,
You are a burden to your kin;
Before you prop your legs with hands
And lean heavily upon a staff;
Before the lustre of your manhood fades;
Before you fee the touch of death,
Adore our Lord
Lord Lingadeva!!! |