Abhanga 595
When your devotion is genuinely true, fear disappears, and the bond becomes strong enough that even arguing openly with the one you serve brings more joy rather than less, as long as right conduct holds between you.
The verse
ज्याची खरी सेवा । त्याच्या भय काय जीवा ॥१॥ करितां स्वामीसवें वाद । अधिक अधिक आनंद ॥ध्रु.॥. असावा तो धर्म । मग साहों जातें वर्म ॥२॥ वदे वाग्देवी । तुका विठ्ठली गौरवी ॥३॥
Literal translation
Kharī sevā — what bhaya — jīva? Svāmī-vāda — adhika-adhika ānanda. Dharma should be — then sāhōm — varma. Vāg-dēvī speaks — Tuka praises Viṭṭhalā.
मराठी: ज्याची खरी सेवा — त्याच्या भय काय जीवा?. करितां स्वामीसवें वाद — अधिक अधिक आनंद. असावा तो धर्म — मग साहों जातें वर्म. तुकाराम म्हणतां — वदे वाग्देवी — तुका विठ्ठली गौरवी.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ज्याची खरी सेवा | "whose kharī sevā" |
| त्याच्या भय काय जीवा | "what bhaya — jīva?" |
| करितां स्वामीसवें वाद | "svāmī-with — vāda" |
| अधिक अधिक आनंद | "adhika-adhika ānanda" |
| असावा तो धर्म | "dharma should be" |
| मग साहों जातें वर्म | "then — sāhōm — varma" |
| वदे वाग्देवी | "vāg-dēvī speaks" |
| तुका विठ्ठली गौरवी | "Tuka praises Viṭṭhalā" |
What it means
A true-sevā-no-fear-vāda-with-svāmī-ānanda abhang. Confidence-of-true-bhakta register. Three claims:
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ज्याची खरी सेवा — त्याच्या भय काय जीवा — kharī sevā — bhaya — jīva. The opening-no-fear-claim: one whosesevāiskharī(true, real, genuine); whatbhaya(fear) can hisjīva(life-soul) have? True-sevā-removes-jīva-fear.
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करितां स्वामीसवें वाद — अधिक अधिक आनंद — svāmī-vāda — adhika-adhika ānanda. The vāda-claim: doingvāda(debate, contention, argument) with thesvāmī; adhika-adhika ānanda (more-and-more joy).Vāda-with-deva-gives-increasing-joy. (This is a striking-claim: arguing-with-the-deva-is-bhakti-not-irreverence; the relationship-is-strong-enough-to-bear-debate-and-the-debate-itself-is-joy.)
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असावा तो धर्म — मग साहों जातें वर्म — वदे वाग्देवी — तुका विठ्ठली गौरवी — dharma should be — sāhōm — varma — vāg-dēvī speaks — Tuka praises Viṭṭhalā. The dharma-and-vāg-dēvī-claim: thedharma(rule) should be there; then thevarma(sore-spot, vital-point) will be sāhōm jātē (will-be-borne, will-tolerate);vāg-dēvī(speech-goddess, Sarasvatī) speaks; Tukagauravī(praises)Viṭṭhalā. With-dharma, even-the-varma-can-be-borne; the speech-goddess-herself speaks-the-praise-of-Viṭṭhalā.
[T]
For someone today
Tukaram says that when your service or devotion is genuinely true, your soul has nothing left to fear. This confidence is so solid that he can even argue, debate, and push back at his Lord, and instead of feeling like disrespect, that back-and-forth brings him more and more joy. The relationship is strong enough to hold real disagreement. As long as there is right conduct between you, even a painful or sensitive point can be borne without breaking the bond, and in the end it is that living, arguing devotion that becomes praise, as if the goddess of speech herself were speaking through him in honor of Vitthal.
मराठी: तुकाराम म्हणतात, तुमची सेवा किंवा भक्ती जर खरोखर खरी असेल, तर जिवाला कसलेच भय उरत नाही. हा विश्वास इतका पक्का असतो की ते आपल्या स्वामीशी वाद घालू शकतात, आणि तो वाद अनादर न वाटता उलट अधिकाधिक आनंद देतो. हे नाते इतके भक्कम आहे की खरा मतभेदही तो पेलू शकतो. जोपर्यंत दोघांमध्ये योग्य आचरण, धर्म आहे, तोपर्यंत एखादा दुखरा मुद्दाही नाते न तुटता सहन करता येतो, आणि शेवटी हीच जिवंत, वाद घालणारी भक्तीच स्तुती बनते, जणू वाग्देवी स्वतः तुकारामांतून विठ्ठलाचा गौरव करत बोलत असते.
Where this applies
- True sevā — no bhaya. Confidence.
- Vāda— moreānanda. Debate-as-bhakti.
- Dharma—sāhōm varma. Pain-borne.
- Vāg-dēvī speaks. Divine-channel.