|| Om Sri Guru Basava Lingaya Namaha ||

The width of the world, the width of the sky
Still greater width is your width.
Below the nether world are your holy feet,
Beyond the universe is your holy crown.
Oh, impenetrable, invisible, incomparable linga
Oh, lord Koodalasangama
You appeared so tiny in the hollow of my palm. -Guru Basava/201 ^[1]

Lingayat's unique symbol for Alimighty, Supreme GOD

Lingayathism (ಲಿಂಗವಂತ, ಲಿಂಗಾಯತ, Lingavanta, Lingayat) is started in the 12th century by Guru Basaveshwara; Lingayat has the aim to stop the evil, traditions, to stop bifurcating people by birth, to stop male female inequality, to provide education to people. Lingayat literature explains the clear proper concept of GOD, and provides a way to worship the GOD in the form of Ishtalinga. And rejects all the superstitions beliefs.

In Lingayat all are equal by birth; differentiation is based on the knowledge they possess. This is equivalent of current education system. i.e. any one becomes an officer by scoring good marks not by taking birth in officer’s house.

The spider that has yarn From the cords a nest of threads, From where did it bring the threads? There is no spinning wheel, No cotton ball first of all, And who spun the threads? Drawing out the thread from its body Spreading it about, swinging in it in love In the end concealing it within itself, is the spider. Likewise, Our Koodalasangamadeva Can draw it into himself The world that he has caused. -Guru Basava/160 [1]

Any one can become Lingayat by receiving Ishtalinga by ‘Ishtalinga Deeksha’ (consecrate). In Lingayat Ishtalinga Dharane will be performed when the mother is pregnant (around 7 months of pregnancy). Mother will wear her child’s Ishtalinga with her owns one. Once birth takes place the first ritual will be ‘Lingadharane’ (tying Ishtalinga to baby). Once the child is grown up around 12-15 of ages Ishtalinga Deekhsa (consecrate) will be performed by Deeksha Guru (Guru one who provides Deeksha).

Lingayat is nourished by the council type body called Anubhava Mantapa (which is equivalent to current parliament) The proceedings of the Anubhava Mantapa are recorded in the form of Vachana literature. The members of Anubhava Mantapa are common men who have rich knowledge of spirituality even though they are financially politically poor. And these all are have very high moral, spiritual and crystal clear knowledge of supreme reality & about life.

Like
The lightning behind the cloud
The mirage behind the nothingness,
The silence behind the sound
The light behind the eyes
Such is your state Guheshwara. -Allama Prabhu/596 ^[1]

Like the treasure hidden in the earth,
The taste hidden in the fruit,
The gold hidden in the stone,
The oil hidden in the seed,
The fire hidden in the tree,
The Brahma hidden in feeling,
O Chennamallikaarjuna
Your be-ing is hard to be perceived. -Akka Mahadevi/1199 ^[1]

To search in the woods
He is not a bush;
To search in the ponds
He is not fish or frog;
To do penance for him
He is not to be owned by adapted roles;
To search by punishing one's body
He is not a lender.
Linga hidden in eight bodies,
Ambigar Chowdayya
Saw by reaching and touching it -Ambigara Chowdayya/1381 ^[1]

In traditional Hinduism humans are bifurcated by birth as follows: Brahmins 1st grade, Kshatriyas 2nd grade, Vaiyas 3rd grade, Shudra 4th grade, Asprushya (untouchable) 5th grade. If a person took birth in Asprushya even though he is a brilliant he can not achieve 1st grade or 2nd grade. In this society system Guru Basaveshwara came as light of hope and cleared out this ladder of Varna saying this is human created not GOD made system and started equality in all humans by providing education, explained the concept of GOD in easy and common man’s language.

When education reached the down trodden people they started writing their spiritual experiences, a drummer, wood cutter, cobbler, barber pot maker so on all were became great writers they explained the spirituality in the Vachanas.

In Lingayat Kaayaka (working for survival with divine mind set) is mandatory to each and every individual being. Without Kaayaka nobody has right to live. Guru Basava preached to spend part of the earning from Kaayaka to the poor/society welfare known as Daasooha. It’s a voluntary (not forced) contribution from one’s own earned wealth (not any others or family members wealth).