संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 532 of 4582

Abhanga 532

English: I don't need Your brahma-jñāna — gōjirē saguṇa rūpa is enough.

When the bhakta refuses brahma-jñāna in favor of saguṇa-rūpa — and you have to recognize this register
When the deva is late and forgot His vacana — and you accept this delay-charge
When the bhakta has burned samsāra and sits in courtyard waiting — and you receive this scene

The verse

न लगे हें मज तुझें ब्रम्हज्ञान । गोजिरें सगुण रूप पुरे ॥१॥ लागला उशीर पतितपावना । विसरोनि वचना गेलासि या ॥ध्रु.॥ जाळोनि संसार बैसलों अंगणीं । तुझे नाहीं मनीं मानसीं तें ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे नको रागेजों विठ्ठला । उठीं देई मला भेटी आतां ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: I don't need Your brahma-jñānagōjirē saguṇa rūpa is enough. You are late, patita-pāvana — forgetting vacana, went. Burning samsāra, I sat in angaṇa — yet You are not in mana-mānasa. Tuka says: don't be angry, Viṭṭhal — get up, give me bhēṭa now.

मराठी: न लगे हें मज तुझें ब्रम्हज्ञान — गोजिरें सगुण रूप पुरे. लागला उशीर पतितपावना — विसरोनि वचना गेलासि या. जाळोनि संसार बैसलों अंगणीं — तुझे नाहीं मनीं मानसीं तें. तुकाराम म्हणतां — नको रागेजों विठ्ठला — उठीं देई मला भेटी आतां.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
न लगे हें मज तुझें ब्रम्हज्ञान "don't need — Your brahma-jñāna"
गोजिरें सगुण रूप पुरे "gōjirē saguṇa rūpa — enough"
लागला उशीर पतितपावना "late — patita-pāvana"
विसरोनि वचना गेलासि या "forgetting vacana — went"
जाळोनि संसार बैसलों अंगणीं "burned samsāra — sat angaṇa"
तुझे नाहीं मनीं मानसीं तें "You — not in mana-mānasa"
नको रागेजों विठ्ठला "don't be angry, Viṭṭhal"
उठीं देई मला भेटी आतां "get up — give bhēṭa now"

What it means

A don't-want-brahma-jñāna-saguṇa-rūpa-enough abhang. Famous bhakti-priority-over-jñāna statement. Three claims:

  1. न लगे हें मज तुझें ब्रम्हज्ञान — गोजिरें सगुण रूप पुरेdon't need Your brahma-jñāna — gōjirē saguṇa rūpa is enough. The priority-claim: I don't need (na lagē) Your brahma-jñāna (knowledge-of-brahman, advaita-realization); the gōjirē (lovely, charming) saguṇa-rūpa (form-with-attributes, the bhakti-form of the deva) is enough. Saguṇa-bhakti-over-nirguṇa-jñāna. Bhakta-doesn't-want-realization, wants-the-form.

  2. लागला उशीर पतितपावना — विसरोनि वचना गेलासि या — जाळोनि संसार बैसलों अंगणीं — तुझे नाहीं मनीं मानसीं तेंlate, patita-pāvana — forgetting vacana went — burned samsāra sat angaṇa — You not in mana-mānasa. The delay-and-forgetting-claim: You are late, patita-pāvana (purifier-of-the-fallen); forgetting Your vacana (promise), You went-off; I have jāḷōnī (burned) samsāra and baisalōm (sat) in the angaṇa (courtyard, the open-space-of-waiting); yet You are not in (Your-own) mana-mānasa (mind, awareness). I-have-done-my-part-You-have-forgotten.

  3. तुका म्हणे नको रागेजों विठ्ठला — उठीं देई मला भेटी आतांTuka says: don't be angry, Viṭṭhal — get up, give bhēṭa now. The closing-petition: Tuka says: don't rāgējōm (be-angry), Viṭṭhal; uṭhīm (get-up); give me bhēṭa (meeting) now. Get-up-and-meet-me. (The uṭhīm is striking: the deva is being-told to get-up, as if from sleep or distraction.)

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the don't-want-brahma-jñāna-saguṇa-rūpa-enough register:

  1. Refuse brahma-jñāna; saguṇa-rūpa* is enough. Brahma-jñāna na lagē — saguṇa rūpa pure. Bhakti-priority: the lovely-form-with-attributes is enough; don't need-realization. Don't-be-pulled-toward-jñāna-when-bhakti-suffices*.

  2. You are late; You forgot Your vacana; I have burned samsāra and wait in angaṇa*. Uśīra — vacana visarōnī — samsāra jāḷōnī angaṇī. The bhakta has done his-part: burned the worldly; he sits waiting; the deva is late. I-have-acted-You-haven't*.

  3. Don't be angry, Viṭṭhal — get up, give bhēṭa*. Rāgējōm nakō — uṭhīm — bhēṭa āmtam. Don't be angry; get up; give the meeting. Direct-imperative-to-the-deva*.

For today: the bhakta-priority is saguṇa-rūpa, not brahma-jñāna; the bhakta has done his-part by burning samsāra; the deva is being charged with being-late and being-angry; the petition: get-up-and-meet.

This abhang is Tukaram's saguṇa-bhakti-priority registerone of the strongest formulations of bhakti-over-jñāna in the Gatha. Compare 0507 Pāṇḍurangā tujhyā na kaḷatī māvā; same Pandharī-saguṇa-priority but here even more-explicit. The jāḷōnī-samsāra-angaṇī image is striking: the bhakta has burned-the-worldly and is now sitting in the courtyard waiting.

मराठी: ही ओवी don't-want-brahma-jñāna-saguṇa-rūpa-enough register नाव सांगते:

  1. Brahma-jñāna refuse; saguṇa-rūpa enough. ब्रम्हज्ञान न लगे — सगुण रूप पुरे. Bhakti-priority: lovely-form-with-attributes enough; realization-नको. Bhakti-suffice-असताना jñāna-कडे ओढ नका*.

  2. You late; vacana विसरला; मी samsāra burned आणि angaṇa* मध्ये वाट. उशीर — वचन विसरोनि — संसार जाळोनि अंगणीं. Bhakta आपलं-part केलं: worldly burned; तो वाट पाहत बसला; देव late. मी-केलं-You-नाही-केलं*.

  3. Rāgējōm नका, Viṭṭhaluṭhīm, bhēṭa दे. रागेजों नको — उठीं — भेटी आतां. Angry नका; get up; meeting दे. Direct-imperative-देवाला*.

आज: Bhakta-priority saguṇa-rūpa, brahma-jñāna नाही; Bhakta samsāra burn करून आपलं-part केलं; देवाला late-being आणि angry-being चं charge; petition: get-up-and-meet.

Tukaram च-saguṇa-bhakti-priority-registerGatha मधल्या bhakti-over-jñāna च्या strongest formulations पैकी एक. 0507 Pāṇḍurangā tujhyā na kaḷatī māvā compare; तीच Pandharī-saguṇa-priority पण इथे even-more-explicit. Jāḷōnī-samsāra-angaṇī image striking: Bhakta worldly-burned आणि now courtyard-वाट-पाहत.

Where this applies

Related verses