Guru Basava as a moral teacher

Basaveshwara Was A Guide To The People

Basaveshwara was a guide of the people to behave in the Society morally and purify their life and get salvation.

Our greed, lust, leads to immorality, and we have to give all these things up with the help of the lord:

Greed, lust, sloth, lies,
Infirmity of sense,
Roguery and fraud,
Anger and meanness and untruth-
Tear these away from off my tongue!
Why? They bar my way to Thee
Therefore, erase all these
And sanctify the fivefold sense,
O Lord Kudala Sangama! (B.V.46)

Others’ women, please,
one should not see or speak to.
Please, don’t be like a dog following sheep.
For one single desire
Koodalasangamadeva will immerse you in hell
for a thousand years. 265 ^[1]

Worldly life is a lamp exposed to blowing wind.
Wealth is gathering of crowd in market place.
Don’t trust them and be undone.
Forget wealth and worship our Koodalasangamadeva. 374 ^[1]

Showing the goodness of action through words,
showing the goodness of words through action,
hiding the goodness of both action and words in you,
they themselves becoming perfect-
I carry the spittoon of such persons,
I will carry their footwear.
This is the work I desire to do,
this is the union I woo for.
Koodalasangamadeva this is the action of uniting with you. 239 ^[1]

Guru Basava advised always be with the good company. Bad company leads to bad thoughs and bad actions.

Come: the company of good people is fine.
Get away: the company of wicked people destroys you.
There are two kinds of company-hold on to one
and give up the other.
Always be with the auspicious sharanas of Koodalasangamadeva. 383 ^[1]

Come near: be in the company of good.
Go away: be far from the bad.
What does it matter which snake it is?
All have poison.
Don’t be in company of such people.
Company of the wicked
who are not pure within
is the company of world destroying poison,
Koodalasangamadeva. 384 ^[1]