Abhanga 342
English: If the parimaḷa of food removed hunger — why this pāka in every house?
The verse
अन्नाच्या परिमळें जरि जाय भूक । तरि कां हे पाक घरोघरीं ॥१॥ आपुलालें तुम्ही करा रे स्वहित । वाचे स्मरा नित्य राम राम ॥ध्रु.॥ देखोनि जीवन जरि जाय तान । तरि कां सांटवण घरोघरीं ॥२॥ देखोनियां छाया सुख न पवीजे । जंव न बैसीजे तया तळीं ॥३ ॥ हित तरी होय गातां अईकतां । जरि राहे चित्ता दृढ भाव ॥४॥ तुका म्हणे होसी भावें चि तूं मुक्त । काय करिसी युक्त जाणिवेची॥५॥
Literal translation
English: If the parimaḷa of food removed hunger — why this pāka in every house? Do your own svahita — speak Rāma Rāma with the mouth always. If seeing jīvana removed thirst — why sāmṭavaṇa in every house? Seeing chāyā — sukha doesn't come — until you sit beneath. The hita comes from singing-hearing — if the citta holds firm bhāva. Tuka says: by bhāva itself, you become mukta — what will you do with yukti of jāṇīva?
मराठी: अन्नाच्या परिमळें जरि जाय भूक — तरि कां हे पाक घरोघरीं. आपुलालें तुम्ही करा रे स्वहित — वाचे स्मरा नित्य राम राम. देखोनि जीवन जरि जाय तान — तरि कां सांटवण घरोघरीं. देखोनियां छाया — सुख न पवीजे — जंव न बैसीजे तया तळीं. हित तरी होय गातां अईकतां — जरि राहे चित्ता दृढ भाव. तुकाराम म्हणतात — होसी भावें चि तूं मुक्त — काय करिसी युक्त जाणिवेची.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| अन्नाच्या परिमळें जरि जाय भूक | "if by parimaḷa (fragrance) of food, hunger went" |
| तरि कां हे पाक घरोघरीं | "then why this pāka (cooking) in every house?" |
| आपुलालें तुम्ही करा रे स्वहित | "do your own svahita (self-good)" |
| वाचे स्मरा नित्य राम राम | "speak Rāma Rāma with the mouth always" |
| देखोनि जीवन जरि जाय तान | "if by seeing jīvana (water), thirst went" |
| तरि कां सांटवण घरोघरीं | "then why sāmṭavaṇa (storing) in every house?" |
| देखोनियां छाया सुख न पवीजे | "seeing chāyā (shade) — sukha does not come" |
| जंव न बैसीजे तया तळीं | "until you sit beneath" |
| हित तरी होय गातां अईकतां | "hita comes — singing-hearing" |
| जरि राहे चित्ता दृढ भाव | "if the citta holds firm bhāva" |
| होसी भावें चि तूं मुक्त | "by bhāva alone — you become mukta" |
| काय करिसी युक्त जाणिवेची | "what will you do — with yukti of jāṇīva?" |
What it means
A famous bhakti-must-be-done-not-theorized abhang. Five claims:
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अन्नाच्या परिमळें जरि जाय भूक — तरि कां हे पाक घरोघरीं — if fragrance of food removed hunger, why cooking in every house. The fragrance-doesn't-feed analogy. Smelling food doesn't end hunger; cooking and eating do. So every household cooks. Knowledge-of-bhakti is like fragrance; doing-bhakti is like cooking.
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आपुलालें तुम्ही करा रे स्वहित — वाचे स्मरा नित्य राम राम — do your own svahita — speak Rāma Rāma always. The direct-instruction: do your own self-good; speak Rāma Rāma with the mouth always. The act is the cure; not the theorizing.
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देखोनि जीवन जरि जाय तान — तरि कां सांटवण घरोघरीं — if seeing water removed thirst, why store water in every house. The sight-doesn't-quench analogy. Seeing water doesn't end thirst; drinking does. So every household stores water. Glimpsing-bhakti is sight; consuming-bhakti is drinking.
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देखोनियां छाया सुख न पवीजे — जंव न बैसीजे तया तळीं — seeing shade, sukha doesn't come — until you sit beneath. The shade-doesn't-cool-from-distance analogy. Seeing the shade doesn't cool you; sitting-beneath does. Standing-near-bhakti is sight; sitting-in-bhakti is the sitting-beneath.
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हित तरी होय गातां अईकतां — जरि राहे चित्ता दृढ भाव — hita comes from singing-hearing — if citta holds firm bhāva. The practice-claim: gātām aikatām (singing and hearing) brings the hita — but — only if the citta holds firm bhāva. Mechanical-singing without bhāva does not work.
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तुका म्हणे होसी भावें चि तूं मुक्त — काय करिसी युक्त जाणिवेची — Tuka says: by bhāva itself you become mukta — what will you do with yukti of jāṇīva. The closing-contrast: bhāva makes mukta; yukti-jāṇīva (cleverness-knowledge) does not. What good is your jāṇīva-cleverness?
[T]
For someone today
This abhang names the bhakti-must-be-done-not-theorized rule:
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Fragrance doesn't feed. Knowing-about-bhakti is fragrance; doing-bhakti is the meal. Don't substitute knowledge for practice.
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Sight of water doesn't quench. Seeing-the-truth from a distance does not satisfy; drinking the practice does.
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Seeing shade doesn't cool. Standing-near-the-cooling-source does not cool you; sitting-beneath does. Be in the bhakti-shade, not just near it.
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Singing-hearing requires firm bhāva*. Gātām aikatām — only with firm bhāva — yields the hita. Mechanical-recitation without bhāva does not work*.
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Bhāva makes mukta; yukti-jāṇīva* does not. Hōsī bhāvē ci tūm mukta — kāya karisī yukta jāṇīvēcī. Cleverness of knowledge is useless for mukti; bhāva alone makes mukta. (Compare 245's upadeśa from any hand*; same anti-elite-knowledge register.)
For today: don't theorize about bhakti — do it; speak Rāma Rāma with the mouth always; let the citta hold firm bhāva while singing-hearing; recognize that yukti-jāṇīva won't make you mukta — only bhāva will; sit beneath the shade, don't just see it.
This is one of Tukaram's most-quoted on the action-vs-theory contrast. The fragrance-water-shade triple-analogy is especially memorable.
मराठी: ही ओवी bhakti-must-be-done-not-theorized rule नाव सांगते:
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Fragrance पोट भरत नाही. Bhakti-knowledge fragrance आहे; bhakti-doing meal. Knowledge ने practice substitute करू नका.
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पाणी पाहून तहान भागत नाही. Truth दूरून पाहणं satisfy करत नाही; practice drink केल्याने.
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छाया पाहून थंड वाटत नाही. Cooling-source जवळ standing कुणी थंड होत नाही; खाली बसल्यावर होतं. Bhakti-shade मध्ये बसा, फक्त near नाही.
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गाणं-ऐकणं firm bhāva* मागतं. गातां अईकतां — firm bhāva सहित — hita मिळतं. Mechanical-recitation without bhāva work करत नाही*.
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Bhāva mukta करतो; yukti-jāṇīva* नाही. होसी भावें चि तूं मुक्त — काय करिसी युक्त जाणिवेची. Knowledge ची cleverness mukti साठी useless; bhāva alone mukta करतो. (245 upadeśa भलत्या हातीं* compare — same anti-elite-knowledge.)
आज: Bhakti बद्दल theorize करू नका — करा; वाचे राम राम नित्य स्मरा; गातां-अईकतां chitta firm bhāva धरा; yukti-jāṇīva mukta करत नाही — bhāva करतो ओळखा; छायेखाली बसा, फक्त बघू नका.
Action-vs-theory contrast साठी Tukaram च्या most-quoted पैकी एक. Fragrance-water-shade triple-analogy especially memorable.
Where this applies
- Fragrance doesn't feed. Practice not knowledge.
- Sight doesn't quench. Drink the practice.
- Standing-near doesn't cool. Sit-beneath.
- Bhāva, not yukti-jāṇīva, makes mukta. Anti-cleverness.