Abhanga 378
Being so absorbed in the divine that you forget ordinary things and seem indifferent to social expectations is not carelessness, it is the mark of the purest devotion, and deserves recognition rather than judgment.
The verse
दिलें ठेवूं तें विसरसी हातीं । नेणों काय बैसला हरि चित्तीं वो ॥१॥ व्याली माय ते लाजविली रांड । नाहीं थार दो ठायीं जाला खंड वो ॥धृ ॥ नाहीं मर्यादा निःसंग बावरी । मन हें गोविंदीं देह काम करी वो ॥२॥ नाहीं अचळ सावरावा ठावे । देखों उदासीन तुज देहभावें वो ॥३॥ दोघे एकवाटा बोलावया मात । नाहीं लाज धरिली दिला हात वो ॥४॥ परा भक्ति हे शुद्ध तुम्ही जाणा । तुका म्हणें ऐसें कळों यावें जना वो ॥५॥
Literal translation
Set thing — forgotten in hand — don't know what Hari has occupied in citta. The māya who gave birth — disgraced rāṇḍa — no thāra in two places, break came. No maryādā — niḥsanga, bāvarī — mana in Govinda, deha does karma. No acaḷa — to be steadied — see you udāsīna — in deha-bhāva. Both — walking together — to speak the māta — no lāja held — gave the hand. Parā-bhakti — śuddha — know it. Tuka says: should be known — to people.
मराठी: दिलें ठेवूं तें विसरसी हातीं — नेणों काय बैसला हरि चित्तीं. व्याली माय ते लाजविली रांड — नाहीं थार दो ठायीं जाला खंड. नाहीं मर्यादा — निःसंग बावरी — मन हें गोविंदीं देह काम करी. नाहीं अचळ सावरावा ठावे — देखों उदासीन तुज देहभावें. दोघे एकवाटा बोलावया मात — नाहीं लाज धरिली दिला हात. परा भक्ति हे शुद्ध तुम्ही जाणा. तुकाराम म्हणतां — ऐसें कळों यावें जना.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| दिलें ठेवूं तें विसरसी हातीं | "set thing — forgotten in hand" |
| नेणों काय बैसला हरि चित्तीं | "don't know — what Hari has occupied in citta" |
| व्याली माय ते लाजविली रांड | "the māya who gave birth — disgraced rāṇḍa" |
| नाहीं थार दो ठायीं जाला खंड | "no thāra — in two places — break" |
| नाहीं मर्यादा निःसंग बावरी | "no maryādā — niḥsanga — bāvarī" |
| मन हें गोविंदीं देह काम करी | "mana in Govinda — deha does karma" |
| नाहीं अचळ सावरावा ठावे | "no acaḷa (fixed-support) — to be steadied" |
| देखों उदासीन तुज देहभावें | "see you udāsīna — in deha-bhāva" |
| दोघे एकवाटा बोलावया मात | "both — walking together — to speak the māta" |
| नाहीं लाज धरिली दिला हात | "no lāja held — gave the hand" |
| परा भक्ति हे शुद्ध तुम्ही जाणा | "parā-bhakti — śuddha — know it" |
| ऐसें कळों यावें जना | "should be known — to people" |
What it means
A parā-bhakti distracted-but-absorbed abhang. Six claims:
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दिलें ठेवूं तें विसरसी हातीं — नेणों काय बैसला हरि चित्तीं — set thing forgotten in hand — don't know what Hari has occupied in citta. The opening-mark: the bhakta forgets things even held in hand — because Hari hasbaisalā(sat / occupied) in the citta. The forgetting is not negligence; it is absorption.
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व्याली माय ते लाजविली रांड — नाहीं थार दो ठायीं जाला खंड — the māya who gave birth disgraced as rāṇḍa — no thāra, in two places break. The social-disgrace claim: the bhakta is so socially-distracted, even the mother is disgraced; no thāra (rest) in either place; broken in both. (The parā-bhakta breaks worldly-thāra-status.)
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नाहीं मर्यादा — निःसंग बावरी — मन हें गोविंदीं देह काम करी — no maryādā — niḥsanga, bāvarī — mind in Govinda, body does karma. The dual-state: no maryādā kept; niḥsanga (renunciate) and bāvarī (stunned); mind in Govinda — body does karma. The parā-bhakta's signature: mind elsewhere, body still moving.
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नाहीं अचळ सावरावा ठावे — देखों उदासीन तुज देहभावें — no acaḷa to be steadied — see you udāsīna in deha-bhāva. The no-fixed-support claim: no place to steady oneself; you (the bhakta) appearudāsīnaindeha-bhāva. Body-relation is indifferent.
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दोघे एकवाटा बोलावया मात — नाहीं लाज धरिली दिला हात — both walking together to speak the māta — no lāja held, gave the hand. The both-together claim: the bhakta and the deva walk together to speak themāta(matter); no lāja kept; gave the hand. Mutual-companionship in the parā-bhakti state.
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परा भक्ति हे शुद्ध तुम्ही जाणा — तुका म्हणे ऐसें कळों यावें जना — parā-bhakti, śuddha — know it; Tuka says: should be known to people. The closing-teaching: this is parā-bhakti (highest devotion), śuddha (pure); should be known to people. Don't mistake the distracted-absorbed-state for negligence; it is the parā-bhakti mark.
[T]
For someone today
Tukaram describes a devotee so absorbed in God that they forget things right in their own hands and end up embarrassing their family, simply because their whole mind has come to rest on the divine. Polite social composure falls away, the mind stays fixed on Govinda even while the body keeps going through its daily motions, and the person looks indifferent to everything around them. In this state the devotee walks alongside God as an equal companion, speaking openly and without shame, hand in hand. Tukaram insists this apparent distraction and social awkwardness is not failure or carelessness, it is the mark of the highest, purest devotion, and he wants ordinary people to recognize it for what it is rather than judge it.
मराठी: देवाच्या ओढीत इतका बुडालेला भक्त तुकाराम इथे रेखाटतात, की तो हातातली वस्तूही विसरतो आणि आपल्याच घरच्यांना ओशाळवाणं करून सोडतो, कारण त्याचं संपूर्ण मन देवाच्या ठायी स्थिरावलेलं असतं. सभ्यतेचं, बाह्य वागण्याचं भान सुटतं, शरीर रोजची कामं करत राहतं पण मन मात्र गोविंदातच रमलेलं असतं, आणि त्यामुळे तो माणूस सगळ्याबद्दल उदासीन वाटू लागतो. या अवस्थेत भक्त देवाबरोबर जणू समान सोबती म्हणून चालतो, कोणताही संकोच न बाळगता मोकळेपणाने बोलतो, हातात हात घालून. हे दिसणारं विचलितपण किंवा सामाजिक अवघडलेपण म्हणजे अपयश किंवा हलगर्जीपणा नाही, हीच सर्वोच्च आणि शुद्ध भक्तीची खूण आहे, आणि लोकांनी हे ओळखावं, त्याला दोष देऊ नये, असं तुकाराम आग्रहाने सांगतात.
Where this applies
- Forgetting in hand = absorption. Not negligence.
- Niḥsanga, bāvarī; mana in deva, body does karma. Dual-state.
- Deha-bhāvaappearsudāsīna. Inward-attention sign.
- Both walking together. Mutual-companionship.
- Parā-bhakti, śuddha — known to people. Recognition.