संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 692 of 4582

Abhanga 692

Every action can be offered as service, and a sincere inner conviction needs no outside witness beyond your own mind.

When whatever I do is offered as sēvā — and you have to recognize this register

When no bhēda in sarvātma between You and me — and you accept this image

When Jagannātha — this is not otherwise — and you receive this final certainty

The verse

जें जें कांही करितों देवा । तें तें सेवा समर्पें ॥१॥ भेद नाहीं सर्वात्मना । नारायणा तुज मज ॥ध्रु.॥ आम्ही दुजें नेणों कोणा । हें चि मना मन साक्ष ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे जगन्नाथा । हें अन्यथा नव्हे कीं ॥३॥

Literal translation

Whatever I do, deva — that-that I offer as sēvā. No bhēda in sarvātmā — Nārāyaṇa, You and me. We don't know any duja (other) — mana itself is the sākṣa to (the) mana. Tuka says: Jagannātha — this is not anyathā.

मराठी: जे-जे काही करतो, देवा — ते-ते सेवा समर्पें. सर्वात्मा त भेद नाही — Nārāyaṇa, तुज-मज मध्ये. आम्ही दुजा कोण न जाणीं — मनच मनाला साक्ष. Tuka म्हणे: Jagannāth — हें अन्यथा नव्हे कीं.

Word-by-word gloss

Marathi	Meaning
जें जें कांही करितों देवा	"whatever — I-do — deva"
तें तें सेवा समर्पें	"that-that — sēvā samarpē (offer)"
भेद नाहीं सर्वात्मना	"bhēda — none — sarvātmā"
नारायणा तुज मज	"Nārāyaṇa — You — me"
आम्ही दुजें नेणों कोणा	"we — duja (other) — don't-know"
हें चि मना मन साक्ष	"mana — sākṣa — to mana"
जगन्नाथा हें अन्यथा नव्हे कीं	"Jagannātha — this — anyathā — not, indeed"

What it means

A whatever-I-do-as-sēvā-no-bhēda-sarvātma-mind-witness-Tuka-not-otherwise abhang. Sēvā-samarpaṇa register. Three claims:

जे-जे करतो देवा — ते-ते सेवा समर्पें — सर्वात्मा त भेद नाही — Nārāyaṇa, तुज-मज. Whatever-I-do-as-sēvā-claim. Whatever I do,deva; that-that — I offer assēvā (samarpē);no bhēda (separation) in sarvātmā (the all-self);Nārāyaṇa — between You and me.Whatever-I-do-is-sēvā; the all-self has no You-and-me-separation.
दुजा कोण न जाणीं — मनच-मनाला-साक्ष. No-duja-mana-witness-claim. We don't know anyduja(other); themanaitself issākṣa(witness) to (the truth-of-this for) themana. No-other-known; mind-witnesses-itself. (The mind-witnessing-itself: I don't have an external-proof; my own mana is the witness that this is so.)
Tuka: Jagannātha — अन्यथा नव्हे. Closing-Jagannātha-not-otherwise-claim. Tuka says:Jagannātha — this is not anyathā (otherwise / not as I have stated).Jagannātha-confirms-this.Tuka stamps the claim.

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For someone today

Tukaram says that whatever he does, he simply offers it as service to God, because in the deepest sense there is no real separation between the divine and himself. He doesn't need anyone else to prove this to him, his own mind is witness enough to that truth. You don't need external validation for a sincere inner conviction; when you truly feel there's no gap between your actions and their offering to something greater, that feeling itself is the proof.

मराठी: तुकाराम म्हणतात की ते जे काही करतात, ते फक्त देवाची सेवा म्हणून अर्पण करतात, कारण खोलवर पाहता देव आणि आपल्यात खरा भेद नाहीच. हे सिद्ध करण्यासाठी त्यांना कोणाचीही गरज नाही, स्वतःचं मनच याची साक्ष देतं. मनापासून वाटणाऱ्या खात्रीसाठी बाहेरच्या पुराव्याची गरज नसते, जेव्हा तुम्हाला खरोखर वाटतं की तुमची कृती आणि तिचं अर्पण यांत अंतर नाही, तेच वाटणं पुरेसा पुरावा असतो.

Where this applies

Whatever-I-do =sēvā. Samarpaṇa.
Nobhēdainsarvātmā. Non-separation.
Mana sākṣa mana. Internal-witness.
Notanyathā. Stamp.