Abhanga 598
Honestly admitting that your devotion is hollow and your inner life doesn't match your outer show is itself something God can use to make it real.
The verse
गातों भाव नाहीं अंगीं । भूषण करावया जगीं ॥१॥ परि तूं पतितपावन । करीं साच हें वचन ॥ध्रु.॥. मुखें म्हणवितों दास । चित्तीं माया लोभ आस ॥५॥ तुका म्हणे दावीं वेश । तैसा अंतरीं नाहीं लेश ॥३॥
Literal translation
Sing — bhāva not in anga — bhūṣaṇa — world. But — patita-pāvana — make vacana sācā. Mukha — dāsa — citta — māyā-lōbha-āsa. Tuka says: show vēśa — within — no lēśa.
मराठी: गातों भाव नाहीं अंगीं — भूषण करावया जगीं. परि तूं पतितपावन — करीं साच हें वचन. मुखें म्हणवितों दास — चित्तीं माया लोभ आस. तुकाराम म्हणतां — दावीं वेश — तैसा अंतरीं नाहीं लेश.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| गातों भाव नाहीं अंगीं | "sing — bhāva — not in anga" |
| भूषण करावया जगीं | "for bhūṣaṇa — in the world" |
| परि तूं पतितपावन | "but You — patita-pāvana" |
| करीं साच हें वचन | "make this vacana — sācā" |
| मुखें म्हणवितों दास | "with mukha — dāsa-called" |
| चित्तीं माया लोभ आस | "in citta — māyā-lōbha-āsa" |
| दावीं वेश | "show vēśa" |
| तैसा अंतरीं नाहीं लेश | "within — no lēśa" |
What it means
A self-confession-of-fakeness-but-deva-make-true abhang. Honest-self-charge register. Three claims:
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गातों भाव नाहीं अंगीं — भूषण करावया जगीं — sing — bhāva not in anga — bhūṣaṇa world. The opening-confession: I sing; butbhāvais not in theanga(body / inner-self); (I do it) forbhūṣaṇa(ornament / public-show) in the world.Singing-without-bhāva-for-public-show.Self-confession-of-emptiness.
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परि तूं पतितपावन — करीं साच हें वचन — मुखें म्हणवितों दास — चित्तीं माया लोभ आस — but patita-pāvana — make vacana sācā — mukha — dāsa-called — citta — māyā-lōbha-āsa. The deva-make-true-claim: but You arepatita-pāvana(purifier-of-the-fallen); make thisvacana(word)sācā(true); withmukhaI am calleddāsa; but incittaismāyā-lōbha-āsa(māyā-greed-hope). Self-charge: mukha-and-citta-don't-match; but the deva-can-make-it-true.
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तुका म्हणे दावीं वेश — तैसा अंतरीं नाहीं लेश — Tuka says: show vēśa — within — no lēśa. The closing-honest-confession: Tuka says: Idāvīm(show, exhibit) thevēśa(garb / outer-form); within (amtarīm) is not even alēśa(fragment, trace). Outer-garb-shown, inner-not-even-a-fragment. Honest-vēśa-and-no-lēśa-confession.
[T]
For someone today
This is Tukaram's raw, honest confession that his own devotion is sometimes hollow: he sings not out of real feeling but to look good in the world, calling himself God's servant with his mouth while his mind is still caught up in greed and worldly craving. Rather than hiding this, he says it plainly: the outer garb of devotion is on display, but inside there isn't even a trace of the real thing. Instead of giving up over that gap, he turns to God, the purifier of the fallen, and asks God to make his empty words true anyway. The lesson is that honestly admitting your own hollowness doesn't disqualify you from grace; it can be the very thing you hand over to be made real.
मराठी: ही तुकारामांची स्वतःबद्दलची प्रामाणिक कबुली आहे की त्यांची भक्तीसुद्धा कधी कधी पोकळ असते: ते खऱ्या भावनेने नव्हे तर जगात चांगलं दिसण्यासाठी गातात, तोंडाने स्वतःला देवाचा दास म्हणवतात, पण मनात अजूनही माया आणि लोभाची आस असते. हे लपवण्याऐवजी ते स्पष्टपणे सांगतात — बाहेरून भक्तीचा वेश दाखवला आहे, पण आतमध्ये त्याचा कणही नाही. या पोकळपणामुळे निराश होण्याऐवजी ते पतितपावन देवाकडे वळतात आणि विनवतात की माझं हे रिकामं बोलणं तूच खरं कर. यातून शिकवण अशी की आपल्या स्वतःच्या पोकळपणाची प्रामाणिक कबुली आपल्याला कृपेपासून दूर करत नाही — उलट तीच कबुली देवाला अर्पण करण्याची खरी गोष्ट ठरू शकते.
Where this applies
- Sing without bhāva. Empty-show.
- Mukha-citta mismatch. Self-charge.
- Vēśa— nolēśa. Honest-confession.
- Deva makes vacana true. Leverage.