Abhanga 701
By closely watching your own mind and intellect as thoughts rise, you can let each one cut itself down, until only quiet witnessing remains.
The verse
मन वोळी मना । बुद्धी बुद्धी क्षण क्षणां ॥१॥ मी च मज राखण जालों । ज्याणें तेथें चि धरिलों ॥ध्रु.॥ जें जें जेथें उठी । तें तें तया हातें कुंटी ॥२॥ भांजिली खांजनी । तुका साक्ष उरला दोन्ही ॥३॥
Literal translation
Mana vōḷī manā — buddhi buddhi moment-by-moment. I myself became the rākhaṇa (of myself) — whoever (rose) there-itself I dharilōm. Whatever rises wherever — that, by-its-own-hand, kuṇṭī. Khāñjanī bhāñjilī — Tuka says: sākṣa uralā — both.
मराठी: मन मनाला वोळी (वळवी, परत आणी) — बुद्धी बुद्धीला क्षणक्षणीं. मी च मज राखण झालों — ज्याणें (उठलं) तेथें च धरिलों. जें-जें जेथें उठतं — तें-तें त्या हातें कुंटी (खंडली). खांजनी (फांस / सापळा) भांजली — Tuka म्हणे: साक्ष उरला, दोन्ही.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| मन वोळी मना | "mana — vōḷī — manā" |
| बुद्धी बुद्धी क्षण क्षणां | "buddhi-buddhi — moment-by-moment" |
| मी च मज राखण जालों | "I — myself — rākhaṇa — became" |
| ज्याणें तेथें चि धरिलों | "whoever (rose) — there-itself — dharilōm" |
| जें जें जेथें उठी | "whatever — wherever — rises" |
| तें तें तया हातें कुंटी | "that — by-its-own-hand — kuṇṭī (killed)" |
| भांजिली खांजनी | "khāñjanī (trap) — bhāñjilī (broken)" |
| साक्ष उरला दोन्ही | "sākṣa — uralā — both" |
What it means
A mana-cures-mana-buddhi-cures-buddhi-I-watchman-rises-killed-by-own-hand-trap-broken-Tuka-witness abhang. Vedānta-witness-only register. Three claims:
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मन-मनाला-वोळी — बुद्धी-बुद्धीला-क्षणीं — मी-च-राखण — उठलं-तेथेंच-धरिलों. Self-watchman-claim. Mana cures (vōḷī — turns-back, brings-back-on-track) themana; buddhi cures the buddhi, moment-by-moment;I myself became the rākhaṇa (watchman) (of myself);whoever (rose, i.e., whatever vṛtti arose) — there-itself I dharilōm (caught).Self-watching-self-self-cures-self.
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उठतं-तें-तया-हातें-कुंटी. Rises-killed-by-own-hand-claim. Whatever rises wherever — that,tayā hātē(by-its-own-hand) — iskuṇṭī(cut-off, killed). The-rising-vṛtti-is-killed-by-its-own-hand (= the very-arising contains-its-dying; or, the bhakta uses the vṛtti-itself to-kill-the-vṛtti).
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खांजनी-भांजली — Tuka: साक्ष-उरला-दोन्ही. Trap-broken-witness-remains-claim. Thekhāñjanī(the trap-net, the trap-snare) isbhāñjilī(broken); Tuka says: thesākṣa(witness) has-uralā(remained),dōnhī(both — i.e., when bothmanaandbuddhihave-self-cured-and-self-killed-vṛttis, the witness-of-them-both remains). Witness-only-remains-after-trap-broken. (This is the classical sākṣi-mātra — witness-only-state of Vedānta, here named in Marathi-bhakti vocabulary.)
[T]
For someone today
Tukaram describes watching his own mind correct itself and his own intellect correct itself, moment after moment, until he became his own guard, catching every stray thought the instant it rose. Whatever thought or impulse appeared was cut down by its own rising, the way a flame that flares up also burns itself out. The trap of the wandering mind is finally broken, and what remains is simply the witness, quietly watching both the mind and the intellect settle. You do not always need an outside teacher to steady you; sometimes just paying close, honest attention to your own thoughts as they arise is enough to let them dissolve on their own.
मराठी: तुकाराम सांगतात की त्यांचं मन स्वतःच स्वतःला सुधारत गेलं आणि बुद्धीही स्वतःच स्वतःला सुधारत गेली, क्षणाक्षणाला, इतकं की ते स्वतःच स्वतःचे राखणदार झाले - जो विचार उठला, त्याच क्षणी त्यांनी तो पकडला. जो विचार किंवा भाव उठला, तो स्वतःच्याच उठण्याने संपून गेला, जशी भडकलेली ज्वाळा स्वतःच विझते. भटकणाऱ्या मनाचा सापळा शेवटी तुटतो, आणि उरतो तो फक्त साक्षी - जो शांतपणे मन आणि बुद्धी दोन्ही स्थिर होताना पाहतो. स्थिर होण्यासाठी नेहमी बाहेरच्या गुरूची गरज नसते; कधीकधी आपल्याच विचारांकडे प्रामाणिकपणे, बारकाईने पाहणंच पुरेसं असतं, ते आपोआप विरून जातात.
Where this applies
- Self-cures-self. Mana-buddhi.
- Self-watchman. Vṛtti-control.
- Sākṣa-uralā-dōnhī. Witness-only.