Abhanga 399
Beauty and the sacred aren't confined to temples or icons — look up at the open sky and you can find it there too. If someone tries to make you feel embarrassed or foolish for carrying your faith quietly within you, don't accept that shame; what lives in your heart is yours to keep. Loving what matters most to you more than your own life, with barely a moment's separation, is not excess — it's devotion. And paradoxically, the more completely you give yourself in humble service to that love, the more whole and connected to something greater you become.
The verse
पाहावया माजी नभा । दिसे शोभा चांगली ॥१॥ बैसला तो माझे मनीं । नका कोणी लाजवूं ॥ध्रु.॥ जीवा आवडे जीवाहूनि । नव्हे क्षण वेगळा ॥२॥ जालें विश्वंभरा ऐसी । तुकया दासी स्वामीची ॥३॥
Literal translation
Looking in the nabha — beauty visible. He sat in my mana — let no one shame. Loved more than the jīva — not a moment vēgaḷā. Became Viśvambhara-equivalent — Tuka's dāsī — of svāmī.
मराठी: पाहावया माजी नभा — दिसे शोभा चांगली. बैसला तो माझे मनीं — नका कोणी लाजवूं. जीवा आवडे जीवाहूनि — नव्हे क्षण वेगळा. तुकाराम म्हणतां — जालें विश्वंभरा ऐसी — तुकया दासी स्वामीची.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| पाहावया माजी नभा | "looking — in the nabha (sky)" |
| दिसे शोभा चांगली | "śōbhā (beauty) visible" |
| बैसला तो माझे मनीं | "He sat — in my mana" |
| नका कोणी लाजवूं | "let no one lājavūm (shame)" |
| जीवा आवडे जीवाहूनि | "loved — more than the jīva" |
| नव्हे क्षण वेगळा | "not a kṣaṇa — vēgaḷā" |
| जालें विश्वंभरा ऐसी | "became — Viśvambhara-equivalent" |
| तुकया दासी स्वामीची | "Tuka's dāsī — of svāmī" |
What it means
A short deva-sat-in-mana-bhakta-became-Viśvambhara-equivalent abhang. Four claims:
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पाहावया माजी नभा — दिसे शोभा चांगली — looking in the nabha — beauty visible. The opening-vision: looking into the sky, fine beauty visible. Open-sky-darśana — finding beauty in the open.
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बैसला तो माझे मनीं — नका कोणी लाजवूं — He sat in my mana — let no one shame. The defense-of-the-inner-deva: He has sat in mymana; let no onelājavūm(make ashamed) of this. Don't shame the bhakta for the deva-in-the-mana.
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जीवा आवडे जीवाहूनि — नव्हे क्षण वेगळा — loved more than the jīva — not a kṣaṇa vēgaḷā. The intensity-claim: loved more than (my) jīva; not a moment separate. Constant-presence.
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जालें विश्वंभरा ऐसी — तुकया दासी स्वामीची — became Viśvambhara-equivalent — Tuka's dāsī of svāmī. The closing-claim: (I) becameViśvambhara-equivalent (= equal to the world-supporting deva itself); (I am) Tuka'sdāsī— of (the)svāmī. Becoming-equivalent-by-dāsī-bhāva.
[T]
For someone today
Beauty and the sacred aren't confined to temples or icons — look up at the open sky and you can find it there too. If someone tries to make you feel embarrassed or foolish for carrying your faith quietly within you, don't accept that shame; what lives in your heart is yours to keep. Loving what matters most to you more than your own life, with barely a moment's separation, is not excess — it's devotion. And paradoxically, the more completely you give yourself in humble service to that love, the more whole and connected to something greater you become.
मराठी: सौंदर्य आणि पवित्रता फक्त मंदिरात किंवा मूर्तीतच नसते — मोकळ्या आकाशाकडे पाहा, तिथेही ती सापडते. जर कोणी तुम्हाला तुमची शांत, आतली श्रद्धा बाळगल्याबद्दल लाजवण्याचा प्रयत्न करत असेल, तर ती लाज स्वीकारू नका; तुमच्या मनात जे वसते ते तुमचे स्वतःचे आहे. जे तुम्हाला सर्वात प्रिय आहे त्याच्यावर स्वतःच्या जीवापेक्षाही जास्त प्रेम करणे, एक क्षणही वेगळे न राहणे, हा अतिरेक नाही — ती भक्ती आहे. आणि गमतीची गोष्ट म्हणजे, त्या प्रेमासाठी जितकी पूर्णपणे नम्र सेवा तुम्ही देता, तितकेच तुम्ही अधिक परिपूर्ण आणि काहीतरी मोठ्याशी जोडलेले होता.
Where this applies
- Beauty in the open sky. Anywhere-darśana.
- Don't be shamed for inner-deva. Hold firm.
- More-than-life love; not separate. Constancy.
- DāsībecomesViśvambhara-equivalent. Servitude-equivalence.