संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 521 of 4582

Abhanga 521

English: The baḷiyā's ankita — we became baḷavanta.

When the bhakta becomes strong by being the strong-deva's ankita — and you have to recognize this register
When samsāra is kicked, the six-waves struck, jana-dhana-tana grass-equal — and you accept this combat-stance
When the bhakta sits on the head of mukti — and you receive this elevation

The verse

बळियाचे अंकित । आम्ही जालों बळिवंत ॥१॥ लाता हाणोनि संसारा । केला षडूर्मीचा मारा ॥ध्रु.॥ जन धन तन । केलें तृणाही समान ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे आतां । आम्ही मुक्तीचिया माथां ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: The baḷiyā's ankita — we became baḷavanta. Kicks struck samsāra — māra of ṣaḍ-ūrmī. Jana-dhana-tana — made tṛṇa-samāna. Tuka says: now — we are on mukti's māthā.

मराठी: बळियाचे अंकित — आम्ही जालों बळिवंत. लाता हाणोनि संसारा — केला षडूर्मीचा मारा. जन धन तन — केलें तृणाही समान. तुकाराम म्हणतां — आतां — आम्ही मुक्तीचिया माथां.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
बळियाचे अंकित "baḷiyā's — ankita"
आम्ही जालों बळिवंत "we — became — baḷavanta"
लाता हाणोनि संसारा "kicks — struck — samsāra"
केला षडूर्मीचा मारा "ṣaḍ-ūrmī — māra"
जन धन तन "jana-dhana-tana"
केलें तृणाही समान "made — tṛṇa-samāna"
आम्ही मुक्तीचिया माथां "we — mukti's māthā"

What it means

A short strong-deva's-ankita-bhakta-baḷavanta abhang. Combat-register: the bhakta is strong-because-bound-to-the-strongest. Four claims:

  1. बळियाचे अंकित — आम्ही जालों बळिवंत — the baḷiyā's ankita — we became baḷavanta. The opening-strength-claim: of the baḷiyā (the strong, the powerful) — the ankita (one-bound, branded-as-His, marked-with-His-mark); we have become baḷavanta (strong, mighty). Strength-by-association: the strong-deva's-bound-one is himself strong. (Compare 0486: bhōḷiyāmcā deva sācā ankita = the deva is the bound-one of the simple-hearted; here the inverse: we are the bound-ones of the strong. The ankita-relation is mutual.)

  2. लाता हाणोनि संसारा — केला षडूर्मीचा मारा — kicks struck samsāra — māra of ṣaḍ-ūrmī. The combat-claim: with lātā (kicks) we struck (hāṇōnī) samsāra; made the māra (assault, slaughter) of the ṣaḍ-ūrmī (six-waves = the six-impulses: hunger, thirst, sorrow, delusion, old-age, death; or the six-disorders of body-and-mind). Samsāra-and-the-six-impulses-defeated.

  3. जन धन तन — केलें तृणाही समान — jana-dhana-tana — made tṛṇa-samāna. The belittlement-claim: the jana (people, social-status), dhana (wealth, money), tana (body, physical-self) — made tṛṇa-samāna (grass-equal, blade-of-grass-worth). People-wealth-body-belittled-to-grass.

  4. तुका म्हणे आतां — आम्ही मुक्तीचिया माथां — Tuka says: now — we are on mukti's māthā. The closing-elevation-claim: Tuka says: now — we are on the māthā (head) of mukti. Above-mukti, on-its-head. Even-mukti is below us. The bhakta's elevation-claim is paradoxical: we are above the goal everyone seeks. (Compare 0499 hastīvarī māthā; same elevation-image but there above-cintā, here above-mukti.)

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the strong's-ankita-bhakta-baḷavanta register:

  1. Bound-to-the-strong, we became strong. Baḷiyā ankita — baḷavanta jālōm. Strength-by-association: the bhakti-relationship transfers strength. Don't try to be strong on your own.

  2. Kicked samsāra; struck the ṣaḍ-ūrmī*. Lātā hāṇōnī samsārā — ṣaḍ-ūrmī māra. The bhakta is in active-combat against samsāra and the six-impulses. Combat-stance*.

  3. People, wealth, body — grass-equal. Jana-dhana-tana — tṛṇa-samāna. The world's three-pillars belittled to grass. Don't-prioritize-them.

  4. On the head of mukti*. Mukti-cyā māthām. Even-the-goal-of-mukti is below us; we are above-it. Don't-stop-at-mukti; the bhakta-relationship is above-it*.

For today: bound-to-the-strongest, you become strong; kick the samsāra and the six-impulses; belittle people-wealth-body to grass; the bhakta sits on mukti's-head, not below it.

This abhang is Tukaram's combat-elevation register — the bhakta-as-baḷavanta-above-mukti. Compare 0499 hastīvarī māthā; same elevation-image. The ankita-baḷavanta and bhōḷiyāmcā-deva-sācā-ankita (0486) are mirror-claims: the deva is bound-to-the-bhakta, and the bhakta is bound-to-the-strong-deva. Mutual-ankita-relationship.

मराठी: ही ओवी strong's-ankita-bhakta-baḷavanta register नाव सांगते:

  1. Strong-ला-bound, आम्ही strong झालो. बळिया अंकित — बळवंत जालो. Strength-by-association: bhakti-relationship strength transfer करतं. स्वतःहून strong व्हायचा प्रयत्न नका.

  2. Samsāra कीक मारलं; ṣaḍ-ūrmī struck. लाता हाणोनि संसारा — षडूर्मी मारा. Bhakta samsāra आणि six-impulses विरुद्ध active-combat मध्ये. Combat-stance*.

  3. लोक, धन, तन — गवताच्या काडी इतकं. जन-धन-तन — तृणसमान. World च्या तीन-pillars गवत-काडी पर्यंत belittled. Prioritize नका.

  4. Mukti च्या डोक्यावर. मुक्तीच्या माथां. Mukti च goal सुद्धा आपल्या खाली; आपण त्याच्या वर. Mukti-stop नका; bhakta-relationship त्याच्यावर.

आज: Strongest-ला-bound, तुम्ही strong होता; Samsāra आणि six-impulses ला kick मारा; People-wealth-body गवत-काडी ला belittle; Bhakta mukti-डोक्यावर बसतो, खाली नाही.

Tukaram च-combat-elevation-register — Bhakta-as-baḷavanta-above-mukti. 0499 hastīvarī māthā compare; तीच elevation-image. Ankita-baḷavanta आणि bhōḷiyāmcā-deva-sācā-ankita (0486) mirror-claims: देव bhakta-ला-bound, आणि bhakta strong-देवाला-bound. Mutual-ankita-relationship.

Where this applies

Cosmology / Avatāra Bhakti jana-dhana-tana-as-grass on-the-head-of-mukti

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