संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 262 of 4582

Abhanga 262

This abhang names a bhakta-strength doctrine:

When the bhakta-deity-relation has reached the bhakta-stronger-than-deva register — and you have to recognize this

When riddhi-siddhi has been kicked away — and you accept this priorities-claim

When formless made saakara by bhakti — and you receive this bhakta-shapes-deity claim

The verse

चवदा भुवनें जयाचिये पोटीं । तो चि आम्हीं कंठीं साठविला ॥१॥ काय एक उणें आमुचिये घरीं । वोळगती द्वारीं रिद्धिसिद्धी ॥ध्रु.॥ असुर जयानें घातले तोडरीं । तो आम्हांसि जोडी कर दोन्ही ॥२॥ रूप नाहीं रेखा जयासि आकार । आम्हीं तो साकार भक्तीं केला ॥३॥ अनंत ब्रम्हांडें जयाचिये अंगीं । समान तो मुंगी आम्हासाठीं ॥४॥ रिद्धिसिद्धी सुखें हाणितल्या लाता । तेथें या प्राकृता कोण मानी ॥५॥ तुका म्हणे आम्ही देवाहूनि बळी । जालों हे निराळी ठेवुनि आशा ॥६॥

Literal translation

English: (He) whose belly contains the fourteen worlds — we have stored him at the throat. What is missing in our house? — riddhi-siddhi waits at the door. (He) who threw the asuras into bondage — joins both his hands to us. (He) who has no form, no line, no shape — we made him saakara by bhakti. (He) with infinite cosmoses in his body — equal-to-an-ant for our sake. We have kicked-away riddhi-siddhi in joy — who there counts the prākṛta? Tuka says: we became stronger than the deva — became nirāḷī, abandoning hope.

मराठी: चवदा भुवनें जयाचिये पोटीं — तो चि आम्हीं कंठीं साठविला. काय एक उणें आमुचिये घरीं — वोळगती द्वारीं रिद्धिसिद्धी. असुर जयानें घातले तोडरीं — तो आम्हांसि जोडी कर दोन्ही. रूप नाहीं रेखा जयासि आकार — आम्हीं तो साकार भक्तीं केला. अनंत ब्रम्हांडें जयाचिये अंगीं — समान तो मुंगी आम्हासाठीं. रिद्धिसिद्धी सुखें हाणितल्या लाता — तेथें या प्राकृता कोण मानी. तुकाराम म्हणतात — आम्ही देवाहूनि बळी — जालों हे निराळी ठेवुनि आशा.

Word-by-word gloss

Marathi	Meaning
चवदा भुवनें जयाचिये पोटीं	"(he) whose belly contains the fourteen worlds"
तो चि आम्हीं कंठीं साठविला	"we have stored him at the throat"
काय एक उणें आमुचिये घरीं	"what is missing in our house?"
वोळगती द्वारीं रिद्धिसिद्धी	"riddhi-siddhi waits at the door"
असुर जयानें घातले तोडरीं	"(he) who threw the asuras into bondage"
तो आम्हांसि जोडी कर दोन्ही	"he joins both his hands to us"
रूप नाहीं रेखा जयासि आकार	"(he) who has no form, no line, no shape"
आम्हीं तो साकार भक्तीं केला	"we made him saakara (with-form) by bhakti"
अनंत ब्रम्हांडें जयाचिये अंगीं	"(he) with infinite brahmāṇḍas in his body"
समान तो मुंगी आम्हासाठीं	"equal-to-an-ant for our sake"
रिद्धिसिद्धी सुखें हाणितल्या लाता	"riddhi-siddhi we have kicked-away in joy"
तेथें या प्राकृता कोण मानी	"there, who counts the prākṛta (ordinary)?"
आम्ही देवाहूनि बळी	"we became stronger than the deva"
जालों हे निराळी ठेवुनि आशा	"became nirāḷī (separate / distinct), abandoning hope"

What it means

A bhakta-stronger-than-deva abhang. Six bold claims, each pairing cosmic-deity-status with bhakta-relation-trump:

Cosmic: 14 worlds in his belly. Bhakta-trump: stored at the throat. The deity who-contains-all is contained at the bhakta's throat — easily-accessible, intimate, in-everyday-place.
Cosmic: riddhi-siddhi (occult-powers) are at the door. Bhakta-claim: nothing is missing in our house. The occult-powers wait at the door — not at the throat. The throat-position is for the deity; the door-position is for the powers. (Compare 215's adhika-tired; here, what we have is enough.)
Cosmic: defeated all asuras. Bhakta-trump: joins both his hands to us in greeting. The cosmic-warrior — bows to the bhaktas. (Compare 220's master runs without laziness.)
Cosmic: formless. Bhakta-claim: we made him saakara by bhakti. The radical claim. The formless-deity is given form by the bhaktas' bhakti. The bhakti is what shapes the formless into the form. (Compare 223's deva became the bhakta's child by bhāvārtha.)
Cosmic: infinite cosmoses in his body. Bhakta-trump: equal-with-an-ant for our sake. The infinite-deity is equal-to-an-ant in the bhakta's-relation. Both infinity and ant-ness are simultaneously his. (Compare 176's cosmic-domestic paradox.)
Closing: kicked-away riddhi-siddhi; became stronger than the deva. The riddhi-siddhi (occult-powers, prakriti-prizes) are kicked-away in joy; the bhakta is not interested. And the summary-claim: आम्ही देवाहूनि बळी — we became stronger than the deva. By abandoning hope (= not seeking riddhi-siddhi-prizes), the bhakta became nirāḷī (separate, distinct, set-apart) — and stronger than the deva himself.

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names a bhakta-strength doctrine:

The cosmic-deity is intimately-stored. Don't think of the deity as cosmic-distant; the 14-worlds-deity is at your throat (= your closest-everyday voice / breath / song). The cosmic and intimate are not different.
Riddhi-siddhi waits at the door, not at the throat. Voḷagati dvārī riddhi-siddhi. The occult-powers / worldly-prizes / spiritual-attainments-that-can-be-displayed — wait at the door. The throat-position is reserved for the deity. Don't let riddhi-siddhi take the throat-position.
Formless is given form by your bhakti. Āmhīm to saakara bhaktīm kelā. This is radical: the bhakta's bhakti shapes the deity. The deity does not arrive pre-shaped; the bhakti shapes the formless-deity into the saakara-form for the bhakta-encounter. Your bhakti has shaping-power.
Equal-with-ant for your sake. Samāna tō mumgī āmhāsāṭhīm. The infinite-deity becomes ant-sized for you. The ant-form is no diminution; it is the deity's choice for your-sake.
Stronger than the deva by abandoning hope. Āmhī devāhūni baḷī — jālōm hē nirāḷī ṭhevuni āśā. The path-to-becoming-stronger-than-the-deva is abandoning the hope (for prizes, riddhi-siddhi, outcomes). Without hope-for-prizes, the bhakta is no longer dependent; the no-dependence position is structurally-stronger than the deity's giving-position. (This is not arrogance; it is the structural-property of having no dependent-ask.)

For today: let the deity be at your throat; let riddhi-siddhi wait at the door, don't bring it inside; let your bhakti shape the formless; let the deity be ant-sized for you; abandon hope-for-prizes — that is the path to bhakta-strength.

मराठी: ही ओवी bhakta-strength doctrine नाव सांगते:

Cosmic-deity intimately-stored. देवाला cosmic-distant समजू नका; 14-worlds-deity तुमच्या कंठात (= तुमचा closest-everyday voice / breath / song). Cosmic आणि intimate वेगळे नाहीत.
Riddhi-siddhi दारी, कंठात नाही. वोळगती द्वारीं रिद्धिसिद्धी. Occult-powers / worldly-prizes / spiritual-attainments-that-can-be-displayed — दारी थांबतात. कंठ-position देवासाठी reserved. Riddhi-siddhi ला कंठ-position घेऊ देऊ नका.
Formless तुमच्या bhakti ने saakara होतो. आम्हीं तो साकार भक्तीं केला. Radical: bhakta ची bhakti देवाला shape करते. देव pre-shaped येत नाही; bhakti formless-देवाला bhakta-encounter साठी saakara-form मध्ये shape करते. तुमच्या bhakti ला shaping-power आहे.
Equal-with-ant तुमच्या साठी. समान तो मुंगी आम्हासाठीं. Infinite-देव तुमच्यासाठी ant-sized बनतो. Ant-form diminution नाही; तुमच्या-साठी देवाची choice.
आशा सोडून देवाहूनि बळी. आम्ही देवाहूनि बळी — जालों हे निराळी ठेवुनि आशा. देवाहून-stronger होण्याचा path आशा सोडणं (prizes, riddhi-siddhi, outcomes ची). Prizes-साठी-hope नसेल — bhakta no longer dependent; no-dependence position structurally-stronger — देवाच्या giving-position पेक्षा. (Arrogance नाही; dependent-ask नसण्याचं structural-property.)

आज: देवाला तुमच्या कंठात राहू द्या; riddhi-siddhi दारी राहू द्या, आत आणू नका; तुमच्या bhakti ला formless shape करू द्या; देवाला तुमच्यासाठी ant-sized राहू द्या; prizes-साठी-hope सोडा — हाच bhakta-strength चा path.

Where this applies

Cosmic-deity at your throat. Intimate, not distant.
Riddhi-siddhi at the door, not the throat. Don't let prizes take the position.
Bhakti shapes the formless. Bhakta's shaping-power.
Equal-with-ant for your sake. Infinity-and-ant-ness simultaneous.
No-hope = bhakta-strength. Structural, not arrogant.