संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 324 of 4582

Abhanga 324

English: Your varma — known.

When the deity's varma is known by your bhāva — and the abhang names this register
When kāsava-grip in the antara — and you accept this hold-mode
When cintana is your sevā — and you receive this practice-claim

The verse

तुझें वर्म ठावें । माझ्या पाडियेलें भावें ॥१॥ रूप कासवाचे परी । धरुनि राहेन अंतरीं ॥ध्रु.॥ नेदी होऊं तुटी । मेळवीन दृष्टादृष्टी ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे देवा । चिंतन ते तुझी सेवा ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: Your varma — known. By my bhāva — fallen. The rūpa like the kāsava — holding, I will remain in antara. Won't let tūṭi happen — will join with dṛṣṭā-dṛṣṭi. Tuka says: deva — cintana is your sevā.

मराठी: तुझें वर्म ठावें — माझ्या पाडियेलें भावें. रूप कासवाचे परी — धरुनि राहेन अंतरीं. नेदी होऊं तुटी — मेळवीन दृष्टादृष्टी. तुकाराम म्हणतां — देवा — चिंतन ते तुझी सेवा.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
तुझें वर्म ठावें "your varma (secret) (is) ṭhāvē (known)"
माझ्या पाडियेलें भावें "by my bhāva — fallen / come-to-me"
रूप कासवाचे परी "the rūpa like the kāsava (tortoise / kūrma)"
धरुनि राहेन अंतरीं "holding — I will remain in antara**"
नेदी होऊं तुटी "won't let tūṭi (cut / break) happen"
मेळवीन दृष्टादृष्टी "will join with dṛṣṭā-dṛṣṭi (sight-with-sight)"
देवा चिंतन ते तुझी सेवा "deva — cintana is your sevā**"

What it means

A kāsava-grip and cintana-sevā abhang. Three claims:

  1. तुझें वर्म ठावें — माझ्या पाडियेलें भावें — your varma is known — fallen by my bhāva. The bhakta's claim. The deva's varma (secret-vital-spot) is known to the bhakta; it has fallen (= come to him) by his bhāva. Bhāva accesses the varma. (Compare 173 force does not catch Hari; sama-bhāva catches; 308 bhāva makes the pratimā the deva.)

  2. रूप कासवाचे परी — धरुनि राहेन अंतरीं — rūpa like the kāsava — I will hold in antara. The kāsava-grip image. Kāsava — tortoise — has strong-grip (or kūrma-avatāra — Vishnu's tortoise-incarnation). The bhakta will grip the deity within antara (interior) like the kāsava grips. Once held, the kāsava does not let go.

  3. नेदी होऊं तुटी — मेळवीन दृष्टादृष्टी — won't let tūṭi happen — will join with dṛṣṭā-dṛṣṭi. Tūṭi (cut, break) — won't happen. Dṛṣṭā-dṛṣṭi — sight-with-sight (eye-meeting-eye). Will join (= join the bhakta's gaze with the deity's gaze, eye-with-eye).

  4. तुका म्हणे देवा — चिंतन ते तुझी सेवा — Tuka says: deva — cintana is your sevā. The closing-claim. Cintana — constant-thinking, contemplation, holding-in-mind. Cintana is your sevā. (Compare 281 action with to-the-deva orientation = sevā; here, cintana is itself the sevā.)

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the kāsava-grip-and-cintana-sevā mode:

  1. Bhāva accesses the deity's varma. Tujhē varma ṭhāvē — pāḍiyēlē bhāvē. Bhāva (faith-feeling) opens what tarka cannot open. The deity's secret falls by bhāva.

  2. Kāsava-grip in the antara. Rūpa kāsavāce parī — dharunī rāhena antarī. The holding-mode. Like the kāsava (tortoise) grips and doesn't let go, the bhakta holds the deity-rūpa in the antara (interior). Once gripped, no tūṭi (break).

  3. Eye-with-eye joining. Dṛṣṭā-dṛṣṭi. The gaze-meeting — bhakta's gaze meets deity's gaze. The meeting-of-eyes is the active-form; not just internal-cintana, but external-meeting-of-eyes too.

  4. Cintana is sevā. Cintana tē tujhī sevā. Constant-thinking is itself the service. No external-act is required; cintana is the service. (This is democratizing: anyone can do cintana; no resources, status, training required for the sevā.)

For today: let bhāva access what tarka can't; practice the kāsava-grip in the antara; seek the dṛṣṭā-dṛṣṭi (gaze-meeting); recognize cintana as the sevā. The kāsava-grip is the opposite of casual-holding — it is the no-tūṭi grip.

This abhang is important methodologically: it gives cintana the status of sevā, which makes the sevā available to anyone in any situation. No external-acts required; cintana suffices.

मराठी: ही ओवी kāsava-grip-and-cintana-sevā mode नाव सांगते:

  1. Bhāva देवाच्या varma ला access करतो. तुझें वर्म ठावें — पाडियेलें भावें. Bhāva (faith-feeling) tarka जे उघडू शकत नाही ते उघडतं. देवाचा secret bhāva-ने fall होतो.

  2. Kāsava-grip antara मध्ये. रूप कासवाचे परी — धरुनि राहेन अंतरीं. Holding-mode. Kāsava (tortoise) grip करतो आणि सोडत नाही — bhakta देव-रूप ला antara (interior) मध्ये hold करतो. Once gripped, no tūṭi (break).

  3. Eye-with-eye joining. Dṛṣṭā-dṛṣṭi. Gaze-meeting — bhakta चा gaze देवाच्या gaze ला भेटतो. Eye-meeting active-form; फक्त internal-cintana नाही, external-eye-meeting पण.

  4. Cintana sevā. चिंतन ते तुझी सेवा. Constant-thinking स्वतः service. External-act आवश्यक नाही; cintana service. (Democratizing: कोणीही cintana करू शकतो; resources, status, training आवश्यक नाही sevā साठी.)

आज: Bhāva ला access करू द्या ते जे tarka करू शकत नाही; antara मध्ये kāsava-grip practice करा; dṛṣṭā-dṛṣṭi (gaze-meeting) शोधा; cintana ला sevā म्हणून ओळखा. Kāsava-grip casual-holding च्या उलट — no-tūṭi grip.

Methodologically महत्त्वाचं: cintana ला sevā चं status देतं, ज्यामुळे sevā कोणत्याही situation मध्ये कोणालाही available. External-acts आवश्यक नाहीत; cintana पुरेसं.

Where this applies

Name Bhakti

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