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JUNE, 1876.]
A LINGAYTA LEGEND.
183
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......... HATI Il TT TTG: .........5 arca GT ..................... 10
........ THIf I urf 47: HIJ8I4 dt ...... ......... ET ............
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THE WASHERMAN VİRASENA: A LINGÂYTA LEGEND.
BY THE REV. F. KITTEL, MERKARA. The following legend is taken from the Vira | There is a story which concerns thy question, má hesvara Tantra, which belongs to the Vira- forms the basis for the service (sevd) I of the gama, i.e. the Agama of the Lingaytas munis, and pleases the whole world. I shall or Linga vantas. The Tantra is composed tell it. Listen! in Sanskrit verse. Our copy of it is ac- In Aryâ varta on the hill) Svarnacompanied with a Kannada (Canarese) com-khanda there shone the town Ratnamalainentary by Kåsikânda Channavîra of pura. In that town lived Virasena, a Kuntik å pura, which, judging by its lan- gan adhyaksha, ll who had overcome the guage, may have been executed in the 15th or objects (of the world).
obiects of the world).
He was a prâņa
He was 16th century A.D. Regarding the age of the lingin, his body consisted of the praTantra I can only say that it has been written så da s,** he was performing a clean & châr att after the time of Basa va of Kalyana,* the was doing (good) works, was an añga It of founder of the Liñgavanta sect, which is called Rudrabhadra, $$ and bore all the characalso the sect of the Vira saivas or Vira- teristics. II. He was full of glory, TT possessed må besvaras. The legend adduced forms the much riches, had conquered the three worlds, 33rd Patala (chapter), and immediately follows was a guru, * used to put on rudrâ kthe Panchakshari mantra varnana. Among shas, protected the true law, and bedaubother things it will be seen from it in connection ed himself with ashes. He honoured the with its commentary that Lingavanta nomen- shatsthala brahminst knew the meanclature is rather peculiar. It is further to be ing of the six circles (chakra), I was able remarked that the whole work bears the form to overcome the speeches of antagonists, and of an instruction given by Siva to Pârvatî. had worthy members (of the body). He had The Washerman Vfrasena.
attained emancipation (moksha), his body con(Gauri says :) God of the gods, lord of sisted of the fundamental science, & he had the world, thou who givest thy bhaktas the performed all the vows that become them who desired fruits, what is the fruit of the service desire emancipation, and scrutinized the cere(sevd) of the Vira saivast who use the monial works of them who were engaged in mantra (just described by you)? Tell me all that, the sixty-three silas. He had got rid of O Sambhu, pure one who exceedest the Vedas ! the wrong notions regarding the fetters of the
(Siva says :) Dear wife with beautiful brows! mâyâ life and lust, knew the mantra, was
* Mr. Fleet, the publisher of the texts of so many interesting inscriptions of the North Kannada country, would oblige the writer, and certainly many others also, if he would be kind enough to edit, in this journal, all the Slanas in his possession that have any reference to this Basava, who revolutionized a large portion of India. The Channu Basava Purana (of 1587 A.D.) makes him die 785 A.D.a circumstance that militates, for instance, against what has been stated by Sir Walter Elliot (Madras Journal of Literature and Science, No. 18, January, 1838). + Commentary: Liig & vantas. I C.: kåya ka, a favourite Lingayta term.
$ 0.: who was the grandfather of M & cha. This Mácha, also a ma div&la, i.e. rajaka, washerman, is one of the old gana (host) to which Basava, Channa Basaya, and others belong. See Sabdamani Totadeva's Asarikhyata gana, v. 84.
Agana-overseer. 0.: kivabhakta. TC.: a porson to whom the linga had been tiod at his very birth.
** C.: the eleven prasadas are-áuddha, siddha, prasiddha, bhakta, samaya, višishta, vikirna, gbråta, pita, bhfita, and Gyata.
++ C.: he attended to the k&ya ka connected with clean clothes (mali). 11 C.: avatara.
55 C.: Virabhadra, who was born of the sparks of the eye in Siva's forehead. U 0.: he had the 32 purusha lakshanas. ST C.: in his body, * C.: he was an elder amongst the Virasaivas.
4 The shatsthalal rahma comprises the six forms of Siva called sad yojata, våmadeva, a ghora, tatpurusha, is an a, and gop ya.
I C.: the six ad h&ra chakras. $ 0.: i.e. om namaḥ śivå ya.
C.: niyama. TO.: the manu called om namah sivaya.
