संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 372 of 4582

Abhanga 372

English: If deva is sakhā — the whole jaga shows kṛpā.

When deva is sakhā then the world is kindly — and you have to recognize this register
When despite anubhava the jīva still struggles — and you accept this honest-fact
When fire can't harm the deva-kept Prahlāda — and you receive this protection-precedent

The verse

देव सखा जरी । जग अवघें कृपा करी ॥१॥ ऐसा असोनि अनुभव । कासाविस होती जीव ॥ध्रु.॥ देवाची जतन । तया बाधूं न शके अग्न ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे हरी । प्र्‍हादासि यत्न करी ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: If deva is sakhā — the whole jaga shows kṛpā. Even with such anubhava — the jīva still struggles. The deva's jatana — the agni cannot harm. Tuka says: Hari — did the yatna — for Prahlāda.

मराठी: देव सखा जरी — जग अवघें कृपा करी. ऐसा असोनि अनुभव — कासाविस होती जीव. देवाची जतन — तया बाधूं न शके अग्न. तुकाराम म्हणतां — हरी — प्र्‍हादासि यत्न करी.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
देव सखा जरी "if deva is sakhā"
जग अवघें कृपा करी "the whole jaga shows kṛpā"
ऐसा असोनि अनुभव "even with such anubhava"
कासाविस होती जीव "the jīva — struggles / is in kāsāvīsa"
देवाची जतन "the deva's jatana (keeping)"
तया बाधूं न शके अग्न "the agni — cannot harm (such-one)"
हरी प्र्‍हादासि यत्न करी "Hari — did yatna — for Prahlāda"

What it means

A short deva-sakhā-then-world-is-kindly abhang. Three claims:

  1. देव सखा जरी — जग अवघें कृपा करीif deva is sakhā — the whole jaga shows kṛpā. The opening-rule: if the deva becomes your sakhā (friend), the whole world shows kṛpā. The world's-kindness flows from the deva-as-sakhā relation; not from your direct-relation-to-the-world. (The world is the kṛpā-medium of the deva.)

  2. ऐसा असोनि अनुभव — कासाविस होती जीवeven with such anubhava — the jīva (still) struggles. The honest-fact: despite this anubhava (experience-of-the-rule), the jīva still struggles. Knowing the rule does not stop the struggling. (Kāsāvīsaagitation, struggling, restless-anxiety.) The jīva-struggles-despite-anubhava — this is honest-realism.

  3. देवाची जतन — तया बाधूं न शके अग्नdeva's keeping — agni cannot harm (such-one). The protection-claim: one whom the deva keepsfire cannot harm. The deva-kept-one is fire-proof.

  4. तुका म्हणे हरी — प्र्‍हादासि यत्न करीTuka says: Hari — did yatna — for Prahlāda. The Prahlāda-precedent: Hari himself did the yatna (effort) for Prahlāda. (Prahlāda was thrown into fire by Hiraṇyakaśipu; Hari protected him.) The Prahlāda-fire-protection precedent anchors the abstract claim.

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For someone today

This abhang names the deva-sakhā-then-world-is-kindly frame, with the Prahlāda-precedent:

  1. If deva is sakhā, the world shows kṛpā*. Dēva sakhā jarī — jaga avaghē kṛpā karī. The flow-rule: world's kindness flows from your friendship with the deva; don't try to befriend the world directly without befriending the deva*.

  2. Even with this anubhava, the jīva* still struggles. Aisā asōnī anubhava — kāsāvīsa hōtī jīva. Don't pretend the struggle has vanished. Recognize the honest-fact: knowing-the-rule doesn't dissolve the jīva-struggle. Don't shame yourself for the struggle*.

  3. The deva-kept-one is fire-proof. Dēvācī jatana — tayā bādhūm na śakē agna. Don't fear the literal-or-metaphorical fire when deva keeps. The protection is real.

  4. Hari did the yatna* for Prahlāda. Harī Prahlādāsi yatna karī. The deva himself made the effort for Prahlāda. The deva makes the effort for the kept-bhakta. (Compare 361 deva keeps yogīrāja's body-needs*; same care-frame.)

For today: cultivate the deva-as-sakhā relation; recognize that world-kindness flows from this; don't pretend the struggle has ended even with anubhava; trust that fire (literal or symbolic) cannot harm the deva-kept; take Prahlāda as your precedent.

This abhang is honest-realistic-protective: names the rule, names the honest struggle that persists, then names the protection and its precedent. The Prahlāda-precedent is one of Tukaram's most-quoted classical-precedents for deva-protection-from-fire.

मराठी: ही ओवी deva-sakhā-then-world-is-kindly frame, Prahlāda-precedent सहित नाव सांगते:

  1. Deva sakhā असेल — जग kṛpā* दाखवतं. देव सखा जरी — जग अवघें कृपा करी. Flow-rule: जगाची kindness तुमच्या deva सोबतच्या friendship मधून flow करते; Deva ला befriend न करता directly जग ला befriend करायचा प्रयत्न करू नका*.

  2. Anubhava असूनही jīva* struggle करतो. ऐसा असोनि अनुभव — कासाविस होती जीव. Struggle गायब झाला असं pretend करू नका. Honest-fact ओळखा: rule माहीत असणं jīva-struggle dissolve करत नाही. Struggle साठी स्वतःला shame करू नका*.

  3. Deva-kept-one fire-proof. देवाची जतन — तया बाधूं न शके अग्न. Deva keep करत असेलliteral-किंवा-metaphorical fire घाबरू नका. Protection real.

  4. Hari ने Prahlāda साठी yatna* केला. हरी प्र्‍हादासि यत्न करी. Deva ने स्वतः Prahlāda साठी effort केला. Deva kept-bhakta साठी effort करतो. (361 deva yogīrāja च्या body-needs keep करतो* — same care-frame.)

आज: Deva-as-sakhā relation cultivate करा; World-kindness या मधून flow करते ओळखा; Anubhava असूनही struggle संपलं असं pretend करू नका; Deva-kept ला fire (literal-symbolic) harm करू शकत नाही trust करा; Prahlāda ला तुमचं precedent ठेवा.

Honest-realistic-protective: Rule name करतं, persistent honest struggle name करतं, मग protection आणि त्याचं precedent name करतं. Prahlāda-precedentTukaram च्या most-quoted classical-precedents पैकी एकdeva-protection-from-fire साठी.

Where this applies

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