संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 311 of 4582

Abhanga 311

This abhang names the fence-sitter sādhu-pretender failure-mode:

When someone is doing bhajana while pursuing bhōga — and the abhang names this as dhik sādhu-paṇa
When the mind acts viṭāḷita despite the form — and you accept this critique
When this-nor-that became something — gone in vain — and you receive the warning

The verse

भजन घाली भोगावरी । अकर्तव्य मनीं धरी ॥१॥ धिग त्याचें साधुपण । विटाळूनी वर्ते मन ॥ध्रु.॥ नाहीं वैराग्याचा लेश । अर्थचाड जावें आस ॥२॥ हें ना तें सें जालें । तुका म्हणे वांयां गेलें ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: Throws bhajana on the bhōga; holds akartavya in mana. Dhik his sādhu-paṇa — the mana acts viṭāḷita. No leś of vairāgya — runs (with) hope after artha-cāḍa. This-nor-that became something — Tuka says — vāyām gēlē.

मराठी: भजन घाली भोगावरी — अकर्तव्य मनीं धरी. धिग त्याचें साधुपण — विटाळूनी वर्ते मन. नाहीं वैराग्याचा लेश — अर्थचाड जावें आस. हें ना तें सें जालें — तुकाराम म्हणतां — वांयां गेलें.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
भजन घाली भोगावरी "throws bhajana on the bhōga**"
अकर्तव्य मनीं धरी "holds akartavya (not-to-be-done) in mana**"
धिग त्याचें साधुपण "dhik (shame) his sādhu-paṇa**"
विटाळूनी वर्ते मन "the mana acts viṭāḷita (defiled)"
नाहीं वैराग्याचा लेश "no leś (trace) of vairāgya**"
अर्थचाड जावें आस "runs (with) hope after artha-cāḍa (material-greed)"
हें ना तें सें जालें "this-nor-that became something"
वांयां गेलें "gone in vain"

What it means

A fence-sitter sādhu-pretender abhang. Four claims:

  1. भजन घाली भोगावरी — अकर्तव्य मनीं धरी — throws bhajana on the bhōga; holds akartavya in mind. The contradiction-image. Bhajana is performed but placed-on-top-of bhōga (= the bhajana is layered-on-top of the underlying enjoyment-pursuit; bhajana doesn't displace bhōga). Akartavya — what should not be done — is held in the mind. The outer form is bhajana; the inner content is bhōga + akartavya.

  2. धिग त्याचें साधुपण — विटाळूनी वर्ते मन — dhik his sādhu-paṇa — the mana acts viṭāḷita. Sādhu-paṇa (sādhu-status) is shamed because the mana acts viṭāḷita (impure / defiled). The sādhu-status without mana-purity is worth shame. (Compare 213's vitāḷaśī at the deva-level — same recoded sense; spiritual-impurity, not bodily.)

  3. नाहीं वैराग्याचा लेश — अर्थचाड जावें आस — no leś of vairāgya — runs after artha-cāḍa with āsa. No trace of vairāgya; instead, runs-with-hope after artha-cāḍa (material-greed). The fence-sitter-sādhu has no vairāgya, only artha-greed.

  4. हें ना तें सें जालें — वांयां गेलें — this-nor-that became something — gone in vain. The closing-judgment. The fence-sitter is neither this nor that — neither real-bhakta nor honest-householder. Gone in vain. (Compare 244's abhimāna-renunciation is julūma; in vain wasted; 252's back-step takes you to the same place.)

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the fence-sitter sādhu-pretender failure-mode:

  1. Don't layer bhajana on top of bhōga. Bhajana ghālī bhōgāvarī. If you are performing bhajana while continuing the bhōga-pursuit underneath, the form is dishonest. The bhajana should displace, not decorate, the bhōga.

  2. Don't hold akartavya in mind. Akartavya manī dharī. The not-to-be-done thoughts held-in-mind contradict the bhajana-form. Internal-contradiction makes the form vain.

  3. Sādhu-paṇa is shamed by viṭāḷita-mana. Mana acts impurely — sādhu-status is dhik. The sādhu-status without internal-purity is worse than no-sādhu-status. (Honest-householder is better than dishonest-sādhu — compare 244, 268.)

  4. No-leś-vairāgya + artha-cāḍa = the fence-sitter signature. Two markers that combine to identify the fence-sitter: no trace of vairāgya + active material-greed. If both, the sādhu-form is fence-sitter form.

  5. Neither-this-nor-that = vain-going. Hē na tē sēm jālē — vāyām gēlē. The fence-sitter is neither real-bhakta nor honest-householder; gone in vain. The commitment-to-one-side-or-the-other is required; the fence-sitting is the vain-going mode.

For today: check your bhajana for bhōga-underneath; check your mind for akartavya; if sādhu-status, check the mana-purity; if no-vairāgya + artha-cāḍa, recognize the fence-sitter signature; commit to one-side-or-the-other; the neither-this-nor-that is vain-going**.

This abhang is important for those-with-religious-form: form-without-content is the fence-sitter mode; the cure is honest-content (either real-bhakti or honest-householder, not the dishonest-sādhu).

मराठी: ही ओवी fence-sitter sādhu-pretender failure-mode नाव सांगते:

  1. Bhajana वर bhōga ला layer करू नका. भजन घाली भोगावरी. तुम्ही bhajana perform करत असताना खाली bhōga-pursuit चालू ठेवत असाल, form dishonest. Bhajana ने bhōga displace करायला हवं, decorate नाही.

  2. Akartavya मनात ठेवू नका. अकर्तव्य मनीं धरी. Mind मध्ये held-in-mind not-to-be-done thoughts bhajana-form ला contradict करतात. Internal-contradiction form ला vain करतं.

  3. Sādhu-paṇa viṭāḷita-mana ने shamed. Mana impurely acts — sādhu-status dhik. Internal-purity-शिवाय sādhu-status no-sādhu-status पेक्षा worse.

  4. No-leś-vairāgya + artha-cāḍa = fence-sitter signature. दोन markers जे combined fence-sitter ओळखतात: vairāgya चा trace नाही + active material-greed. दोन्ही असतील, sādhu-form fence-sitter form.

  5. Neither-this-nor-that = vain-going. हें ना तें सें जालें — वांयां गेलें. Fence-sitter neither real-bhakta nor honest-householder; vain. Commitment-to-one-side-or-the-other लागते; fence-sitting vain-going mode.

आज: तुमचं bhajana bhōga-underneath साठी check करा; मनात akartavya check करा; sādhu-status असेल — mana-purity check करा; no-vairāgya + artha-cāḍa असेल — fence-sitter signature ओळखा; one-side-or-the-other commit करा; neither-this-nor-that vain-going**.

Where this applies

Name Bhakti akartavya-in-mind this-nor-that-vain

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