Abhanga 304

This abhang names the relationship between speech and anubhava:

The verse

Literal translation

What it means

A speech-without-anubhava-is-vitamban abhang. Five image-clusters and a closing-claim:

1. बोलविसी तैसें आणीं अनुभवा — नाहीं तरी देवा विटंबना — bring to anubhava what you make me speak — otherwise, deva, it is vitamban. The opening-petition. Deva, you make me speak the bhakti-verses; if you don't bring them to anubhava (= make-real-in-experience), it is vitamban (mockery / disgracing). The bhakta cannot make-real what he speaks; the deva must make-real, otherwise the speech is mockery of the deva.

2. मिठेंविण काय करावें मिष्टान्न — शव जीवेंविण शृंगारिले — without salt, what use the miṣṭānna — corpse adorned without jīva. Two parallel-images: sweet-food without salt is useless; corpse adorned without jīva is grotesque. Both: the form is there, but the essential-element is missing.

3. संपादणीविण विटंबिले सोंग — गुणेंविण चांग रूप हीन — without sampādaṇī, sōnga is vitambilē; without guṇa, cānga rūpa is hīna. Sōnga (mask / disguise) without sampādaṇī (completion / accomplishment) is vitambilē (disgraced). Cānga rūpa (good form) without guṇa (quality) is hīna (low). Form-alone without substance is disgraced.

4. कन्यापुत्रेंविण मंगळदायकें — वेचिलें हें फिके द्रव्य तरी — without kanyā-putra, mangaḷa-dāyaka — spent dravya is fīkē. Auspicious-event without kanyā-putra (children-to-be-married) — the spent dravya is fīkē (insipid). The form of the auspicious-event without the child-recipient is empty.

5. तुका म्हणे तैसी होते मज परी — न देखे अंतरीं प्रेमभाव — Tuka says: such would be my (verses) — when I do not see prema-bhāva in the antara. The closing-confession. My verses would be like the salt-less food, the adorned-corpse, the disgraced-mask, the empty-event — if I do not see prema-bhāva in the antara. The bhakta is honest: without prema-bhāva-in-the-antara, my own verses are vitamban.

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the relationship between speech and anubhava:

1. Speech without anubhava-arrival is mockery. Bolavisī taisē āṇī anubhavā — nāhī tarī devā viṭambanā. The bhakta speaks at the deva's prompting; the deva must make-the-spoken-into-anubhava; otherwise, it is mockery of the deva-itself. The bhakta cannot make-real alone; the deva must complete the cycle.

2. Five missing-essential examples. Each illustrates form-without-the-essential-element:

3. Sweet-food without salt = useless
4. Corpse adorned without jīva = grotesque
5. Mask without completion = disgraced
6. Form without quality = low

7. Auspicious-event without children-to-be-married = empty In each case, the form is present but the essential-element is missing.

8. The essential-element in bhakti-verses is prema-bhāva-in-the-antara*. Without prema-bhāva-in-the-antara, even bhakti-verses become vitamban. The prema-bhāva is the salt, the jīva, the sampādaṇī, the guṇa, the kanyā-putra* of bhakti-speech.

9. Tukaram's honest-confession. Tukaram does not claim his verses always-have prema-bhāva; he says if I do not see prema-bhāva in the antara, my verses become like these. This is honest-self-recognition.

For today: check whether your speech (especially bhakti-speech) has the prema-bhāva-in-the-antara element; recognize that without it, the speech is vitamban of what is spoken-about; petition the deva to make-the-spoken into anubhava — the bhakta cannot make-real alone.

This abhang is important methodologically: it names the deva-petition for anubhava-arrival as part of bhakti-speech. The bhakta speaks, the deva makes-real; both are needed.

मराठी: ही ओवी speech आणि anubhava मधलं नातं नाव सांगते:

1. Anubhava-arrival शिवाय speech mockery. बोलविसी तैसें आणीं अनुभवा — नाहीं तरी देवा विटंबना. Bhakta देवाच्या prompting ने बोलतो; देवाने spoken-into-anubhava बनवायला हवं; नाहीतर — देवाची-itself mockery. Bhakta एकटा make-real करू शकत नाही; देवाने cycle complete करायला हवी.

2. पाच missing-essential examples. प्रत्येक form-without-the-essential-element illustrate करतं:

3. मिठा-शिवाय miṣṭānna = useless
4. जीवा-शिवाय शव अलंकृत = grotesque
5. Sampādaṇī-शिवाय sōnga = disgraced
6. Guṇa-शिवाय cānga rūpa = low

7. कन्या-पुत्र-शिवाय mangaḷa-event = empty प्रत्येक case मध्ये form present पण essential-element missing.

8. Bhakti-verses मध्ये essential-element अंतरीं प्रेम-भाव*. अंतरीं प्रेम-भाव शिवाय, bhakti-verses सुद्धा vitamban बनतात. Prema-bhāva bhakti-speech चा salt, jīva, sampādaṇī, guṇa, kanyā-putra*.

9. तुकारामांची honest-confession. तुकाराम आपल्या verses ला नेहमी-prema-bhāva असते असं claim करत नाहीत; ते म्हणतात अंतरी प्रेम-भाव दिसत नसेल — माझ्या verses अशा होतील. Honest-self-recognition.

आज: तुमच्या speech ला (विशेषतः bhakti-speech ला) अंतरी प्रेम-भाव element आहे का check करा; त्या-शिवाय speech जे-बोललं-त्याची-vitamban बनते ओळखा; देवाला spoken-into-anubhava बनवायला petition करा — bhakta एकटा make-real करू शकत नाही.

Methodologically महत्त्वाचं: bhakti-speech चा भाग म्हणून anubhava-arrival साठी देव-petition नाव सांगते. Bhakta बोलतो, देव make-real करतो; दोन्ही लागतात.

Where this applies

• Speech without anubhava-arrival = vitamban. Petition the deva.
• Five missing-essential examples. Form without essential-element.
• Bhakti-essential = prema-bhāva-in-the-antara. Salt of bhakti-speech.
• Honest self-recognition. Don't always-claim prema-bhāva.

Related verses

• Abhanga 2467
• Abhanga 4481
• Abhanga 4482
• Abhanga 4497