Abhanga 366
A true devotee is proven not by wealth, body, or status but by complete love for God and a discipline that holds firm under hardship, regardless of caste.
The verse
वैष्णव तो जया । अवघी देवावरी माया ॥१॥ नाहीं आणीक प्रमाण । तन धन तृण जन ॥ध्रु.॥ पडतां जड भारी । नेमा न टळे निर्धारीं ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे याती । हो का तयाची भलती ॥३॥
Literal translation
The Vaiṣṇava is the one whose all māyā is upon the deva. No other pramāṇa — tana, dhana, tṛṇa, jana. (When) burden falls heavy — the nēma does not waver firmly. Tuka says: the yāti — let it be any whatever.
मराठी: वैष्णव तो जया — अवघी देवावरी माया. नाहीं आणीक प्रमाण — तन धन तृण जन. पडतां जड भारी — नेमा न टळे निर्धारीं. तुकाराम म्हणतां — याती — हो का तयाची भलती.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| वैष्णव तो जया | "the Vaiṣṇava — is the one whose..." |
| अवघी देवावरी माया | "all māyā — is upon the deva" |
| नाहीं आणीक प्रमाण | "no other pramāṇa (proof / measure)" |
| तन धन तृण जन | "tana (body), dhana (wealth), tṛṇa (grass), jana (people)" |
| पडतां जड भारी | "(when) burden falls heavy" |
| नेमा न टळे निर्धारीं | "the nēma — does not waver firmly" |
| याती हो का तयाची भलती | "the yāti — let it be — bhalatī (any whatever)" |
What it means
A famous Vaiṣṇava-marks abhang. Three claims:
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वैष्णव तो जया — अवघी देवावरी माया — the Vaiṣṇava — is one whose all māyā is upon the deva. The defining-mark: Vaiṣṇava is defined bymāyā-totally-on-the-deva. Māyā — love, affection. The Vaiṣṇava-essence is total-affection-on-the-deva; no other criterion.
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नाहीं आणीक प्रमाण — तन धन तृण जन — no other pramāṇa — body, wealth, grass, people. The exclusivity-claim: no other pramāṇa (no other measure / proof) for Vaiṣṇavaness. Tana, dhana, tṛṇa, jana — body, wealth, grass / trifle, people — are not the pramāṇa. The body-condition, the wealth-status, the trivial-things, the people-around — none of these are the proof of Vaiṣṇavaness.
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पडतां जड भारी — नेमा न टळे निर्धारीं — (when) burden falls heavy — nēma doesn't waver firmly. The test-under-burden: when burden falls heavy, the nēma (vow / discipline) does not waver — firmly (nirdhārīm). The Vaiṣṇava is tested by burden; the firm nēma is the mark.
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तुका म्हणे याती — हो का तयाची भलती — Tuka says: the yāti — let it be any whatever. The closing-radical-claim: the yāti (caste) of such a Vaiṣṇava — let it be any whatever. Any caste — Vaiṣṇavaness is defined by māyā-on-deva, not by yāti. Yāti is irrelevant for Vaiṣṇavaness. (Compare 337 yāti-kuḷa apramāṇa, guṇa is the cause; same anti-caste-essential register.)
[T]
For someone today
A true devotee is one whose whole heart is given entirely to God, with nothing held back. Wealth, physical condition, trivial possessions, or social connections prove nothing about this — they are simply not the measure. The real test comes when heavy burdens fall on a person: does their devoted discipline hold firm, or does it waver? Tukaram makes clear that caste has nothing to do with any of this — whatever caste someone is born into, what makes them a true devotee is this wholehearted love for God and steadfastness under pressure.
मराठी: खरा भक्त तोच असतो, ज्याचे संपूर्ण मन देवावर पूर्णपणे केंद्रित असते, काहीही राखून न ठेवता. धन, शरीरस्थिती, क्षुल्लक गोष्टी किंवा सामाजिक संबंध यांतून हे सिद्ध होत नाही — ते खरे मोजमाप नाहीतच. खरी कसोटी तेव्हा लागते जेव्हा जड संकट कोसळते — अशावेळी त्याची भक्तीची शिस्त टिकते की डळमळते? तुकाराम स्पष्ट सांगतात की याच्याशी जातीचा काहीही संबंध नाही — कोणत्याही जातीत जन्मलेला असो, त्याला खरा भक्त बनवते ते हेच पूर्ण मनाचे देवावरील प्रेम आणि संकटातही न ढळणारी स्थिरता.
Where this applies
- All māyā on deva. Defining-mark.
- No other pramāṇa. Exclusivity.
- Nēma under burden. Test.
- Any yāti. Anti-caste-essential.