संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 659 of 4582

Abhanga 659

English: How shall we do bhakti?

When You have filled-everything-and-remained-over; what offering can we make — and you have to recognize this register
When what is not-You, what is left without You — and you accept this image
When Your nāma alone is all pūjā — Tuka takes the nāma-puṣpāñjali — and you receive this final-offering

The verse

काय आम्ही भक्ति करणें कैसी । काय एक वाहावें तुम्हांसी । अवघा भरोनि उरलासी । वाणीं खाणीं रसीं रूपगंधी ॥१॥ कसें करूं इंद्रियां बंधन । पुण्यपापाचें खंडण । काय व्रत करूं आचरण । काय तुजविण उरलें तें ॥२॥ काय डोळे झांकुनियां पाहूं । मंत्रजप काय ध्याऊं । कवणें ठायीं धरूनि भाव । काय तें वाव तुजविण ॥३॥ काय हिंडों कवण दिशा । कवणे ठायीं पाय ठेवूं कैसा । काय तूं नव्हेसि न कळे तैसा । काय मी कैसा पाहों आतां ॥४॥ तुझिया नामाची सकळ । पूजा अर्चन मंत्र माळ । धूप दीप नैवेद्य फळ तांबूल । घेऊं पुष्पांजुळ तुका म्हणे ॥५॥

Literal translation

English: How shall we do bhakti? — what one-thing shall we offer to You? — You have filled-everything-and-remained-over — in vāṇī, khāṇī, rasi, rūpa-gandhī. How shall we bind the indriyas? — puṇya-pāpa — khaṇḍana — what vrata-conduct shall we do? — what is uralē (left) without You? What — close eyes and look? — mantra-japa — what dhyāna? — in which ṭhāya hold bhāva? — what is vāva (vain) without You? What — wander — which direction? — where set foot — how? — what is not-You, un-knowable as such? — what shall I now look-at? — Your nāma is all — pūjā-arcana, mantra-māḷā, dhūpa-dīpa-naivēdya, phaḷa-tāmbūla — Tuka says: I take the puṣpāñjali.

मराठी: भक्ति कशी करूं? — एक काय वाहूं? — सर्व भरून-उरलासी — वाणी-खाणी-रसीं-रूपगंधीं. इंद्रियां bandhana कसें? — पुण्यपाप खंडण — व्रत-आचरण काय? — तुजविण काय उरलें?. डोळे झांकून पाहूं काय? — मंत्र-जप, ध्यान काय? — कोणत्या ठायीं भाव? — तुजविण वाव काय?. हिंडूं कोणत्या दिशा? — कुठें पाय ठेवूं कसा? — तूं नव्हेसि असें न-कळे — आतां कैसा पाहूं?. तुझिया नामाची सकळ — पूजा-अर्चन, मंत्र-माळ, धूप-दीप-नैवेद्य-फळ-तांबूल — पुष्पांजुळ घेऊं — Tuka म्हणे.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
काय आम्ही भक्ति करणें कैसी "what — we — bhakti do — how"
काय एक वाहावें तुम्हांसी "what one-thing — offer to You"
अवघा भरोनि उरलासी "avaghā (all) — filled — remained-over"
वाणीं खाणीं रसीं रूपगंधी "vāṇī (voice) — khāṇī (womb) — rasi (taste) — rūpa-gandhī"
कसें करूं इंद्रियां बंधन "how bandhana the indriyas?"
पुण्यपापाचें खंडण "puṇya-pāpa — khaṇḍana"
काय व्रत करूं आचरण "what vrata-ācaraṇa?"
काय तुजविण उरलें तें "what tujavīṇa — uralē?"
काय डोळे झांकुनियां पाहूं "what — close-eyes — see?"
मंत्रजप काय ध्याऊं "mantra-japa — what dhyāna?"
कवणें ठायीं धरूनि भाव "in which ṭhāya — hold bhāva?"
काय तें वाव तुजविण "what — vāva — tujavīṇa?"
काय हिंडों कवण दिशा "what — wander — which diśā?"
पाय ठेवूं कैसा "set foot — how?"
काय तूं नव्हेसि न कळे तैसा "what — is not-You — un-knowable"
तुझिया नामाची सकळ "Your nāma — all"
पूजा अर्चन मंत्र माळ "pūjā-arcana — mantra-māḷā"
धूप दीप नैवेद्य फळ तांबूल "dhūpa-dīpa-naivēdya-phaḷa-tāmbūla"
घेऊं पुष्पांजुळ तुका म्हणे "take puṣpāñjali — Tuka says"

What it means

A avaghā-bharūn-uralāsī-tujavīṇa-kāya-uralē-nāma-only-pūjā abhang. The structure is cascade-of-impossibility-questions — what bhakti-act has any place when You have already filled-everything? — followed by the answer: Your nāma alone is all pūjā-elements.

  1. Avaghā bharōni uralāsī — vāṇī, khāṇī, rasi, rūpa-gandhī. You have filled-all-and-remained-over: in vāṇī (voice), khāṇī (womb / source), rasi (taste / juice), rūpa-gandhī (form-and-fragrance). You-fill-and-exceed-everything-(senses-and-source-of-everything-sensible). (This is a complete-pervasion-claim.)

  2. Indriya-bandhana, puṇya-pāpa-khaṇḍana, vrata — what is uralē tujavīṇa? How-can-the-bhakti-techniques-have-meaning?: how bind the senses, cancel puṇya-pāpa, do vrata-conduct?; what is left-(uralē)-without-You?. No-bhakti-technique-has-meaning-without-You-already-being-everywhere.

  3. Eyes-closed, mantra-japa, dhyāna, bhāva-in-a-place — what is vāva tujavīṇa? How-can-the-meditation-techniques-have-meaning?: closing-eyes-and-looking, mantra-japa and dhyāna, holding bhāva in a particular ṭhāya; what is vāva (vain, empty) without You?. No-meditation-technique-has-meaning-without-You.

  4. What direction, where to set foot, what is not-You, what shall I now look-at? How-can-direction-and-place-have-meaning?: which direction shall I wander, where shall I set foot — how?; what is not-You, un-knowable as such?; what shall I now look-at?. No-direction-or-place-has-meaning-because-everything-is-You.

  5. Your nāma alone is all pūjā-elements — pūjā-arcana, mantra-māḷā, dhūpa-dīpa-naivēdya-phaḷa-tāmbūla — I take the puṣpāñjali. The resolution: Your nāma alone is the sakaḷa (entirety) of pūjā-arcana (worship-and-arcana), mantra-māḷā (rosary), *dhūpa-dīpa-naivēdya-phaḷa-tāmbūla (incense, lamp, food-offering, fruit, betel-leaf); Tuka says: I take the puṣpāñjali (handful of flowers, the closing-offering). Nāma-as-all-pūjā-elements-and-Tuka-takes-the-puṣpāñjali.

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the avaghā-bharūn-uralāsī-nāma-only-pūjā register:

  1. You fill-everything-and-remain-over; what offering can have meaning? Avaghā bharūn uralāsī. You-pervade-and-exceed-all. Pervasion-impossibility.

  2. Sense-binding, puṇya-pāpa-cancellation, vrata: what is left without You? Tujavīṇa kāya uralē. No-bhakti-technique-has-meaning-without-You-already-being-everywhere. Technique-impossibility.

  3. Closing-eyes, mantra-japa, dhyāna, bhāva-in-a-place: what is vāva without You? Vāva tujavīṇa. No-meditation-technique-has-meaning-without-You. Meditation-impossibility.

  4. Direction, foot-place, what-is-not-You: how shall I now look? Kavaṇa-diśā — kavaṇē-ṭhāyī. No-direction-or-place-has-meaning-because-everything-is-You. Direction-impossibility.

  5. Your nāma alone is all pūjā-elements; I take the puṣpāñjali. Nāma — sakaḷa-pūjā — puṣpāñjali. The resolution: the nāma is the entirety of pūjā; Tuka takes the puṣpāñjali (the final flower-offering). Nāma-as-all-pūjā-resolution.

For today: if You-fill-everything, no offering, technique, meditation, or direction has meaning by itself; the nāma alone is all-the-pūjā-elements; Tuka takes the puṣpāñjali**.

This abhang is Tukaram's all-techniques-collapse-into-nāma register — one of the most-philosophically-precise nāma-priority statements. Compare 0597 nāma sāra-of-sāra; same nāma-priority but here approached through cascade-of-bhakti-impossibility-questions resolved-in-nāma. The list-of-pūjā-elements (pūjā-arcana-mantra-māḷā-dhūpa-dīpa-naivēdya-phaḷa-tāmbūla-puṣpāñjali) is the standard-eight-or-so of upacāra.

मराठी: ही ओवी avaghā-bharūn-uralāsī-nāma-only-pūjā register नाव सांगते:

  1. तू-सर्व-भरून-उरलासी; कोणतें offering meaningful? Avaghā bharūn uralāsī. Pervasion-impossibility.

  2. Indriya-bandhana, puṇya-pāpa-खंडण, व्रत: तुजविण काय उरलें? Technique-impossibility. No-bhakti-technique meaningful-without-You-already-everywhere.

  3. डोळे-झांकून, mantra-japa, ध्यान, ठायीं-भाव: तुजविण वाव काय? Meditation-impossibility.

  4. दिशा, पाय, तू-न-असणारं काय, आतां कैसा पाहूं? Direction-impossibility. सर्व-तू-च असल्यामुळे direction-place meaningful नाही.

  5. तुझें नाम च सर्व पूजा-elements; पुष्पांजुळ घेऊं. Nāma — sakaḷa-pūjā — puṣpāñjali. Resolution: nāma च entirety-of-pūjā; Tuka puṣpāñjali (अंतिम flower-offering) घेतो. Nāma-as-all-pūjā-resolution.

आज: तू-सर्व-भरलं तर offering-technique-meditation-direction स्वतःहून meaningful नाही; नाम च सर्व पूजा-elements; Tuka puṣpāñjali घेतो.

Tukaram च-all-techniques-collapse-into-nāma-register — Most-philosophically-precise nāma-priority statements पैकी एक. 0597 nāma sāra-of-sāra compare; तीच nāma-priority पण इथे cascade-of-bhakti-impossibility-questions resolved-in-nāma च्या मार्गाने. Pūjā-elements list standard-eight-upacāra च.

Where this applies

Name Bhakti what-direction-where-foot

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