Abhanga 296

This abhang names a bhakta-self-claim:

The verse

Literal translation

What it means

A bhakta-self-claim abhang. Four claims:

1. शास्त्राचें जें सार वेदांची जो मूर्ति — तो माझा सांगाती प्राणसखा — the essence of śāstra, mūrti of Vedas — my prāṇa-sakhā. Tukaram identifies the essence-of-the-textual-tradition as his life-companion. The essence-of-the-Vedas is not in the recitation; it is in the prāṇa-sakhā Viṭṭhal. (Compare 256's Viṭṭhal-coin in the kathā; here, the deity is the essence-of-the-Vedas-itself.)

2. नाहीं आणिकांचा पांग — सर्व जालें सांग नामें एका — no debt to others; everything became sānga by one nāma. The single-name-completeness claim. One nāma — one chant of the deity-name — makes everything sānga (full, complete). Therefore no debt-of-dependence on others.

3. सगुण निर्गुण जयाचीं अंगें — तो चि आम्हां संगें क्रीडा करी — sa-guṇa-nir-guṇa — his angas; he plays in sanga with us. The sa-guṇa / nir-guṇa unity claim. The deity is both with-form and without-form — both are his angas. And he plays in sanga (companionship) with us (the bhaktas). The philosophical-debate of sa-guṇa-vs-nir-guṇa is resolved by recognizing both as his angas.

4. आम्ही विधीचे जनिते — स्वयंभू आइते केले नव्हों — we are vidhi-jaṇitēre — svayambhū-āitē — not made (= not artificial). The self-claim. Vidhi-jaṇitēre — born from the vidhi (the deva-method, the divine-arrangement). Svayambhū-āitē — self-arisen, already-ready. Not kele — not made (artificially), not constructed (by external-agency). The bhakta is born of the deva-arrangement, self-arising, not artificial.

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names a bhakta-self-claim:

1. The essence of textual-tradition is the prāṇa-sakhā. Don't seek the essence in the recitation alone; the essence is in the deity-as-companion. The texts point to the prāṇa-sakhā; the prāṇa-sakhā is the destination, not the texts.

2. One nāma makes everything sānga*. Sarva jālē sānga nāmē ekā. One name — chanted, held, lived-with — makes the totality complete. You don't need all the texts, all the practices; the one name does it. (Compare 220's jagajeṭhī single-word call*.)

3. No debt to others. Nāhī āṇikāñcā pānga. The bhakta has no dependence on others; the prāṇa-sakhā fills the dependence-need. (Compare 215's adhika-tired; here, the deity-completes the dependency-need.)

4. Sa-guṇa and nir-guṇa are both his angas. Don't get caught in philosophical-debate between with-form and without-form; both are his angas. The philosophical-resolution is in the anga-unity.

5. We are svayambhū-āitē, not made. This is radical-self-claim: we are self-arisen from the deva-method, not artificially-constructed. Don't think of yourself as constructed-by-society / made-by-circumstances; the bhakta is svayambhū-āitē — self-arising, already-ready, born-of-the-vidhi.

For today: recognize the prāṇa-sakhā as the essence-of-tradition; trust one nāma to complete the totality; no dependence on others; don't get caught in sa-guṇa-vs-nir-guṇa debate; recognize yourself as svayambhū-āitē, not artificial.

This abhang is important for self-claim: it places the bhakta in the svayambhū-āitē register — not the constructed-self of psychology, not the made-self of religion-as-discipline, but the self-arisen-from-the-vidhi.

मराठी: ही ओवी एक bhakta-self-claim नाव सांगते:

1. Textual-tradition चं essence prāṇa-sakhā. Essence फक्त recitation मध्ये शोधू नका; essence देव-as-companion मध्ये. Texts prāṇa-sakhā कडे point करतात; prāṇa-sakhā destination, texts नाही.

2. एक nāma सर्व sānga* करतं. सर्व जालें सांग नामें एका. एक नाम — chanted, held, lived-with — totality complete करतं. सर्व texts, सर्व practices लागत नाहीत; एक नाम करतं*.

3. इतरांवर pānga नाही. नाहीं आणिकांचा पांग. Bhakta ला इतरांवर dependence नाही; prāṇa-sakhā dependence-need भरतं.

4. Sa-guṇa आणि nir-guṇa दोन्ही त्याचे angas. With-form आणि without-form मधल्या philosophical-debate मध्ये अडकू नका; दोन्ही त्याचे angas. Philosophical-resolution anga-unity मध्ये.

5. आम्ही svayambhū-āitē, made नाही. Radical-self-claim: आम्ही deva-method मधून self-arisen, artificially-constructed नाही. स्वतःला society-ने-constructed / circumstances-ने-made समजू नका; bhakta svayambhū-āitē — self-arising, already-ready, vidhi-मधून जन्मलेला.

आज: prāṇa-sakhā तुमच्या tradition चं essence ओळखा; एक नाम totality complete करायला trust करा; इतरांवर dependence नाही; sa-guṇa-vs-nir-guṇa debate मध्ये अडकू नका; स्वतःला svayambhū-āitē, artificial नाही ओळखा.

Where this applies

• Essence of tradition = prāṇa-sakhā. Texts point; deity is the destination.
• One nāma makes all sānga. Don't need everything.
• No debt to others. Deity completes the dependency-need.
• Sa-guṇa and nir-guṇa both his angas. Resolved unity.
• Svayambhū-āitē, not made. Self-arising, born-of-vidhi.

Related verses

• Abhanga 2448
• Abhanga 2467
• Abhanga 2494
• Abhanga 4481