संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 600 of 4582

Abhanga 600

Tukaram calls out spiritual fakes here: people whose mouths speak of ultimate knowledge while their minds are full of pride about their wealth. Serving or following someone like that, he says, brings the soul no real happiness. He is also realistic about his own age, admitting that many people have taken up the role of saint simply to earn their living, not out of genuine realization. But when a truly rare, genuine one appears, Tukaram says he prostrates himself flat on the ground before them. The teaching asks you to look past a person's talk and titles to what is actually driving them, while still trusting that authentic teachers exist and deserve real honor when you find them.

When the fake-saint speaks brahma-jñāna but has dhana-abhimāna — and you have to recognize this register

When for-the-belly saints became many in Kali — and you accept this realism

When the rare-true-one gets Tuka's full-body-bow — and you receive this praise

The verse

मुखें बोले ब्रम्हज्ञान । मनीं धनअभिमान ॥१॥ ऐशियाची करी सेवा । काय सुख होय जीवा ॥ध्रु.॥. पोटासाठीं संत । झाले कलींत बहुत ॥२॥ विरळा ऐसा कोणी । तुका त्यासि लोटांगणी ॥३॥

Literal translation

Mukha — brahma-jñāna — mana — dhana-abhimāna. Such — sevā — what sukha — jīva? For pōṭa — saints — Kali — many. Rare — such — Tuka — lōṭāngaṇī.

मराठी: मुखें बोले ब्रम्हज्ञान — मनीं धनअभिमान. ऐशियाची करी सेवा — काय सुख होय जीवा?. पोटासाठीं संत — झाले कलींत बहुत. तुकाराम म्हणतां — विरळा ऐसा कोणी — तुका त्यासि लोटांगणी.

Word-by-word gloss

Marathi	Meaning
मुखें बोले ब्रम्हज्ञान	"mukha — speak brahma-jñāna"
मनीं धनअभिमान	"mana — dhana-abhimāna"
ऐशियाची करी सेवा	"such — sevā"
काय सुख होय जीवा	"what sukha — jīva?"
पोटासाठीं संत	"for pōṭa — saints"
झाले कलींत बहुत	"Kali — many"
विरळा ऐसा कोणी	"rare — such"
तुका त्यासि लोटांगणी	"Tuka — lōṭāngaṇī"

What it means

A fake-brahma-jñāna-saints-many-in-Kali-rare-true-one abhang. False-saint-criticism with the rare-true-one praise. Three claims:

मुखें बोले ब्रम्हज्ञान — मनीं धनअभिमान — ऐशियाची करी सेवा — काय सुख होय जीवा — mukha — brahma-jñāna — mana — dhana-abhimāna — such — sevā — what sukha — jīva? The opening-fake-saint-criticism: withmukha speaks brahma-jñāna (knowledge of brahman);in mana (mind) is dhana-abhimāna (wealth-pride);doing sevā of such (a fake-saint)—what sukha can the jīva have?Mouth-and-mind-mismatch fake-saints; their sevā-gives-no-sukha.
पोटासाठीं संत — झाले कलींत बहुत — for pōṭa — saints — Kali — many. The Kali-context-claim: for thepōṭa(belly, livelihood); saints —jhālē(became) — many inKali. In Kali-yuga, many-have-become-saints-for-livelihood. Realistic-acknowledgement. Saints-as-livelihood-in-Kali.
विरळा ऐसा कोणी — तुका त्यासि लोटांगणी — rare — such — Tuka — lōṭāngaṇī. The closing-rare-true-one-praise: rare such (true) one; Tuka prostrates (himself) —lōṭāngaṇī(full-body-bow / supine-prostration) to him. To-the-rare-true-saint, Tuka prostrates himself. Rare-true-honor.

[T]

For someone today

मराठी: इथे तुकाराम ढोंगी साधुत्वावर कोरडे ओढतात: ज्यांचं तोंड ब्रह्मज्ञानाच्या गोष्टी बोलतं पण मनात धनाचा गर्व भरलेला असतो. अशा माणसाची सेवा केल्याने जीवाला खरं सुख मिळत नाही, असं ते सांगतात. आपल्या काळाबद्दलही ते वास्तववादी आहेत — कलियुगात अनेकजण केवळ पोटासाठी संतपद स्वीकारतात, खऱ्या अनुभूतीसाठी नव्हे. पण जेव्हा एखादा खराखुरा, दुर्मीळ असा माणूस भेटतो, तेव्हा तुकाराम म्हणतात की ते त्याच्यापुढे साष्टांग लोटांगण घालतात. ही शिकवण आपल्याला माणसाच्या बोलण्यापलीकडे, त्याच्या मनात खरोखर काय आहे हे बघायला सांगते, आणि तरीही खरे गुरू अस्तित्वात असतात यावर विश्वास ठेवून, ते सापडल्यावर त्यांचा खरा सन्मान करायला सांगते.

Where this applies

Mukha-mana mismatch. Recognize.
Sevāof fake — nosukha. Don't-serve.
Pōṭa-saints inKali. Realistic.
Viraḷā—lōṭāngaṇī. Rare-true.

Sant-sang / Sant-pūjā Bhakti