Abhanga 590

Tukaram paints this as a moment of triumph: trumpets sounding, a joyful peal announcing a victory worth celebrating. The victory is over ego itself. He says that once you have conquered your own pride and arrogance and put it firmly under your foot, like stepping on its head, death and time no longer have any opening to trouble you, and there's no more extra struggle left to face. When ego is defeated like that, he says, reaching Vaikuṇṭha, the highest home, becomes simple and easy rather than some far-off, exhausting goal.

The verse

Literal translation

What it means

A win-ahamkāra-Vaikuṇṭha-easy abhang. Triumphal-discipline register. Three claims:

1. वाजतील तुरें — येणें आनंदें गजरें — tūrē will sound — ānanda gajara. The opening-celebration-claim: tūrē (trumpets) will sound;by ānanda's gajara (joyful-peal, victory-peal).Trumpets-sound-with-joy.Victory-celebration-coming.

2. जिंकोनियां अहंकार — पावटणी केलें शिर — काळा नाहीं वाव — परा श्रमा कोठें ठाव — jinkōnī ahamkāra — pāvaṭṇī — śira — kāḷa — no vāva — parā-śrama — where? The win-ahamkāra-claim: byjinkōnī(conquering, winning over)ahamkāra (ego, I-pride);(I) made the śira (head, of ahamkāra) into the pāvaṭṇī (step, threshold)(= I step on the head of ahamkāra); kāḷa (Time, Death) has no vāva (entry, scope, possibility);where is the ṭhāva (place) for parā-śrama (other-toil, remaining-effort)?When-ahamkāra-is-conquered-and-stepped-on, kāḷa-and-other-toil-have-no-place.

3. तुका म्हणे आतां — सोपें वैकुंठासी जातां — Tuka says: now — sopē Vaikuṇṭha. The closing-easy-Vaikuṇṭha-claim: Tuka says: now; sopē (easy) — going to Vaikuṇṭha. With-ahamkāra-conquered, Vaikuṇṭha-becomes-easy. Vaikuṇṭha-by-stepping-on-ahamkāra. (Compare 0531 cālata Vaikuṇṭha — niścinta sukha; same easy-Vaikuṇṭha but here through ahamkāra-conquest.)

[T]

For someone today

Tukaram paints this as a moment of triumph: trumpets sounding, a joyful peal announcing a victory worth celebrating. The victory is over ego itself. He says that once you have conquered your own pride and arrogance and put it firmly under your foot, like stepping on its head, death and time no longer have any opening to trouble you, and there's no more extra struggle left to face. When ego is defeated like that, he says, reaching Vaikuṇṭha, the highest home, becomes simple and easy rather than some far-off, exhausting goal.

मराठी: तुकाराम इथे विजयाचा क्षण रंगवतात — तुतारी वाजतात, आनंदाचा गजर होतो, साजरा करण्यासारखा हा विजय आहे. हा विजय आहे अहंकारावरचा. ते सांगतात की एकदा आपण आपला अहंकार जिंकून त्याच्या डोक्यावर पाय ठेवला, की काळाला किंवा मृत्यूला त्रास द्यायला जागाच उरत नाही, आणि पुढे आणखी काही झगडायचं शिल्लक राहत नाही. अहंकार असा हरवला की वैकुंठापर्यंत, म्हणजे सगळ्यात उंच घरापर्यंत पोचणं दूरचं, थकवणारं ध्येय न राहता सोपं आणि सहज होऊन जातं.

Where this applies

• Tūrē—ānanda-peal. Celebration.
• Step on ahamkāra-head. Conquest.
• No kāḷa / parā-śrama. Triumph.
• Sopē Vaikuṇṭha. Easy-by-conquest.

Related verses

• Abhanga 2448 — The easiest path to God is repeating divine names with love at home, right where you are,
• Abhanga 2494 — Living in devotion turns an ordinary day into a festival and removes the fear of birth and
• Abhanga 4481 — Tukaram promises that sincerely calling on the Lord's name, knowingly or unknowingly, with
• Abhanga 4482 — Tukaram teaches that no ritual equals sincerely speaking the Lord's name, that self-center