संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 594 of 4582

Abhanga 594

English: Doing dēvārcana — samta-jana came home.

When the saint comes during deva-worship — set aside the deva — and you have to recognize this register
When saints are worshipped before the deva — and you accept this priority
When saints are valid of any yāti — and you receive this anti-jāti claim

The verse

करितां देवार्चन । घरा आले संतजन ॥१॥ देव सारावे परते । संत पूजावे आरते ॥ध्रु.॥. शाळिग्राम विष्णुमूर्ती । संत हो का भलते याती ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे संधी । अधिक वैष्णवांची मांदी ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: Doing dēvārcanasamta-jana came home. Deva — set aside — saints — pūjā with āratī. Śāḷigrāma viṣṇu-mūrti — saints — any yāti. Tuka says: samdhi — additional Vaiṣṇavas' māmdī.

मराठी: करितां देवार्चन — घरा आले संतजन. देव सारावे परते — संत पूजावे आरते. शाळिग्राम विष्णुमूर्ती — संत हो का भलते याती. तुकाराम म्हणतां — संधी — अधिक वैष्णवांची मांदी.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
करितां देवार्चन "doing dēvārcana"
घरा आले संतजन "samta-jana — came home"
देव सारावे परते "deva — set aside"
संत पूजावे आरते "saint — pūjā with āratī"
शाळिग्राम विष्णुमूर्ती "śāḷigrāma viṣṇu-mūrti"
संत हो का भलते याती "saints — of any yāti"
तुका म्हणे संधी "samdhi"
अधिक वैष्णवांची मांदी "additional Vaiṣṇavas' māmdī"

What it means

A famous saint-priority-over-deva-pūjā abhang. One of the strongest saint-priority statements in the Gatha. Three claims:

  1. करितां देवार्चन — घरा आले संतजन — देव सारावे परते — संत पूजावे आरतेdoing dēvārcana — samta-jana came — deva — set aside — saints — pūjā āratī. The opening-saint-priority-claim: while doing dēvārcana (deva-worship); samta-jana (saint-people) came home; the deva should be parate sārāvē (set aside, moved away); the saints — pūjā with āratī (worship-with-the-lamp-circling). Saint-priority: when saints come, set-aside-the-deva-and-worship-the-saints-instead*. (This is one of the most-cited Tukaram-claims in Maharashtrian-bhakti-tradition: the saints-take-precedence-over-the-deva-Himself.)

  2. शाळिग्राम विष्णुमूर्ती — संत हो का भलते यातीśāḷigrāma viṣṇu-mūrti — saints — any yāti. The anti-jāti-claim: (don't worry about) śāḷigrāma (the sacred-stone-image of Viṣṇu) or viṣṇu-mūrti (Viṣṇu-idol); saints — let them be of any yāti (jāti, caste, kind). No-jāti-bar-for-saints; the saint of any-jāti takes-precedence-over-the-jāti-purity-rules-of-mūrti-worship. Anti-jāti-saint-priority.

  3. तुका म्हणे संधी — अधिक वैष्णवांची मांदीTuka says: samdhi — additional Vaiṣṇavas' māmdī. The closing-additional-Vaiṣṇavas-claim: Tuka says: at the samdhi (juncture, opportune-moment); the additional māmdī (gathering, throng) of Vaiṣṇavas (devotees-of-Viṣṇu) is greater. More-Vaiṣṇavas, more-saint-presence, more-precedence-over-mūrti-worship. Vaiṣṇava-throng-as-occasion.

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the saint-priority-over-deva-pūjā register:

  1. If saints come during dēvārcana, set aside the deva and worship saints with āratī*. Dēvārcana — samta-jana — deva sārāvē — saint āratī. Saint-priority over mūrti-worship. Saints-take-precedence-over-deva-Himself-when-they-come*.

  2. Saints of any yāti*; no jāti-bar. Saint — bhalatē yāti. No jāti-restriction for saint-worship. Anti-jāti-claim*.

  3. At the samdhi, more Vaiṣṇavas*, more occasion. Samdhi — Vaiṣṇavas' māmdī. More saint-gathering means more precedence-over-mūrti-rules. Vaiṣṇava-gathering-as-occasion*.

For today: if a saint comes during your deva-pūjā, the saint takes precedence — set aside the mūrti and worship the saint with āratī; saints are valid of any jāti — no caste-bar; more Vaiṣṇavas, more occasion.

This abhang is Tukaram's saint-priority-and-anti-jāti registerone of the strongest formulations. Compare 0560 saints-incomparable; same saint-priority but here over-the-deva-Himself in pūjā-context. The saint-bhalatē-yāti claim is anti-jāti. This abhang is widely-cited in Maharashtrian-Vārkarī tradition as warrant-for saint-precedence-and-anti-jāti.

मराठी: ही ओवी saint-priority-over-deva-pūjā register नाव सांगते:

  1. Dēvārcana च्या वेळी saint आले तर देव बाजूला, saint ला āratī-ने pūjā. Dēvārcana — samta-jana — देव सारावे — saint āratī. Mūrti-worship वर saint-priority. Saint-deva-Himself-वर-precedence-घेतात-आल्यावर*.

  2. कोणत्याही yāti* चे साधू; जाती-बार नाही. Saint — भलते याति. Saint-worship साठी जाती-restriction नाही. Anti-jāti-claim*.

  3. Samdhi ला, अधिक Vaiṣṇavas, अधिक occasion. Samdhi — Vaiṣṇavas' māmdī. Saint-gathering-अधिक mūrti-rules-वर-precedence. Vaiṣṇava-gathering-occasion*.

आज: Deva-pūjā च्या वेळी साधू आला तर साधूला priority — मूर्ती बाजूला, साधूला āratī-ने pūjā; कोणत्याही जातीचे साधू valid — caste-bar नाही; अधिक Vaiṣṇavas, अधिक occasion.

Tukaram च-saint-priority-and-anti-jāti-registerStrongest formulations पैकी एक. 0560 saints-incomparable compare; तीच saint-priority पण इथे देव-Himself-वर-pūjā-context-मध्ये. Saint-bhalatē-yāti claim anti-jāti. Maharashtrian-Vārkarī tradition मध्ये widely-cited as warrant for saint-precedence-and-anti-jāti.

Where this applies

Related verses