संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 579 of 4582

Abhanga 579

English: All — deva — sādhu — but — avaguṇa bādha.

When all are deva but the avaguṇa makes the difference — and you have to recognize this register
When sugarcane and onion grow in same plot but differ in taste — and you accept this image
When poison and nectar are not equal — and you receive this discrimination

The verse

अवघे देव साध । परी या अवगुणांचा बाध ॥१॥ म्हणउनी नव्हे सरी । राहे एका एक दुरी ॥ध्रु.॥ ऊंस कांदा एक आळां । स्वाद गोडीचा निराळा ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे नव्हे सरी । विष अमृताची परी ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: All — deva — sādhu — but — avaguṇa bādha. Thus — no sarī — stays — one-from-other — at distance. Ūsa — kāmdā — same āḷa — svāda gōḍī different. Tuka says: not equal — viṣa-amṛta parī.

मराठी: अवघे देव साध — परी या अवगुणांचा बाध. म्हणउनी नव्हे सरी — राहे एका एक दुरी. ऊंस कांदा एक आळां — स्वाद गोडीचा निराळा. तुकाराम म्हणतां — नव्हे सरी — विष अमृताची परी.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
अवघे देव साध "all — deva — sādhu"
परी या अवगुणांचा बाध "but — avaguṇa bādha"
म्हणउनी नव्हे सरी "thus — no sarī"
राहे एका एक दुरी "stays — one-from-other — at distance"
ऊंस कांदा एक आळां "ūsa — kāmdā — same āḷa"
स्वाद गोडीचा निराळा "svāda — gōḍī — different"
नव्हे सरी "not equal"
विष अमृताची परी "viṣa-amṛta — parī"

What it means

A all-deva-but-avaguṇa-makes-difference abhang. Discrimination-within-deva-immanence register. The bhakti-cosmology recognizes deva-immanence in all, but also recognizes that avaguṇa (defects) make some unequal. Three claims:

  1. अवघे देव साध — परी या अवगुणांचा बाध — म्हणउनी नव्हे सरी — राहे एका एक दुरी — all — deva — sādhu — but — avaguṇa bādha — thus — no sarī — stays — one-from-other — at distance. The opening-claim: all are deva, sādhu (good); but the bādha (harm, hindrance) of avaguṇa (defects); thus there is no sarī (equality); one stays at-distance from the other. Deva-immanence-in-all but avaguṇa-creates-hierarchy.

  2. ऊंस कांदा एक आळां — स्वाद गोडीचा निराळा — ūsa — kāmdā — same āḷa — svāda gōḍī — different. The agricultural-image: ūsa (sugarcane) and kāmdā (onion) — in the same āḷa (plot, irrigation-bed); but the svāda (taste) of gōḍī (sweetness) differs. Same-plot-of-earth-and-water but different-yield. Same-deva-immanence but different-quality-by-jāti*.

  3. तुका म्हणे नव्हे सरी — विष अमृताची परी — Tuka says: not equal — viṣa-amṛta — parī. The closing-poison-nectar-claim: Tuka says: not equal; the parī (way) of viṣa (poison) and amṛta (nectar) is different. Poison-and-nectar-not-equal. Final-discrimination. (Both come-from-the-same-cosmic-source but their effects-differ-radically.)

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the all-deva-but-avaguṇa-makes-difference register:

  1. All are deva, sādhu — but avaguṇa is the bādha. Avaghē deva sādhu — avaguṇa bādha. Deva-immanence is in all, but defects create real-hierarchy. Don't-flatten-all-to-equal.

  2. Sugarcane and onion in same plot — different taste. Ūsa-kāmdā āḷa — svāda gōḍī nirāḷa. Same-soil-water but different-yield by nature. Same-source-different-result.

  3. Not equal — poison and nectar. Viṣa-amṛta parī. Poison and nectar are not-equal even though both come from the cosmic-source. Final-discrimination.

For today: recognize deva-immanence in all but don't flatten by ignoring avaguṇa-bādha; same-soil-different-yield; poison-and-nectar-not-equal. Discrimination-within-immanence.

This abhang is Tukaram's discrimination-within-immanence register — holds two truths together: deva-in-all, but avaguṇa-makes-real-difference. Compare 0560 saints-incomparable; same discrimination but here from the deva-immanence-side. The ūsa-kāmdā-āḷa image is precise village-agricultural-wisdom.

मराठी: ही ओवी all-deva-but-avaguṇa-makes-difference register नाव सांगते:

  1. All deva, sādhu — पण avaguṇa चं bādha. अवघे देव साधु — अवगुण बाध. Deva-immanence सगळ्यात पण defects real-hierarchy. Equal-flatten नका.

  2. Ūsa आणि kāmdā same plot — different taste. ऊंस-कांदा आळ — स्वाद गोडी निराळा. Same-soil-water पण different-yield by nature. Same-source-different-result*.

  3. Equal नाहीत — viṣa आणि amṛta*. विष-अमृत परी. Poison आणि nectar equal नाहीत although both cosmic-source कडून. Final-discrimination*.

आज: Deva-immanence सगळ्यात पण avaguṇa-bādha-ignore नका; same-soil-different-yield; poison-and-nectar-not-equal. Discrimination-within-immanence.

Tukaram च-discrimination-within-immanence-register — दोन-truths एकत्र holds: deva-in-all, but avaguṇa-real-difference. 0560 saints-incomparable compare; तीच discrimination पण इथे deva-immanence-side ने. Ūsa-kāmdā-āḷa image precise village-agricultural-wisdom.

Where this applies

Cosmology / Avatāra Bhakti no-equality

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