Abhanga 704
This abhang names the bhakti-neti-neti register:
The verse
तें हीं नव्हे जें करितां कांहीं । ध्यातां ध्यायीं तें ही नव्हे ॥१॥ तें ही नव्हे जें जाणवी जना । वाटे मना तें नव्हे ॥ध्रु.॥ त्रास मानिजे कांटाळा । अशुभ वाचाळा तें ही नव्हे ॥२॥ तें ही नव्हे जें भोंवतें भोंवे । नागवें धांवे तें ही नव्हे ॥३॥ तुका म्हणे एक चि आहे । सहजिं पाहें सहज ॥४॥
Literal translation
English: Tē (it) — not what is by karitā kāhīm — dhyātā-dhyāyī — not. Not what is jāṇavī janā — vāṭē manā — not. Trāsa kāṇṭāḷā — aśubha vācāḷā — not. Not what bhōmvatē-bhōmvē — nāgavē-dhāvē — not. Tuka says: ēka ci āhē — sahajīm pāhē sahaja.
मराठी: तें — कांहीं-करितां-नव्हे — ध्यातां-ध्यायीं-नव्हे. जणावी-जना-नव्हे — मना-वाटे-तें-नव्हे. त्रास-कांटाळा-अशुभ-वाचाळा-नव्हे. भोंवतें-भोंवे-नव्हे — नागवें-धांवे-नव्हे. Tuka म्हणे: एक च आहे — सहजीं पाहें सहज.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| तें हीं नव्हे जें करितां कांहीं | "tē — not — by karitā kāhīm" |
| ध्यातां ध्यायीं तें ही नव्हे | "dhyātā-dhyāyī — not" |
| जें जाणवी जना | "jāṇavī janā — knowable-to-people" |
| वाटे मना तें नव्हे | "vāṭē manā — feels-to-mind — not" |
| त्रास मानिजे कांटाळा | "trāsa kāṇṭāḷā" |
| अशुभ वाचाळा तें ही नव्हे | "aśubha vācāḷā — not" |
| जें भोंवतें भोंवे | "bhōmvatē-bhōmvē" |
| नागवें धांवे तें ही नव्हे | "nāgavē-dhāvē — not" |
| एक चि आहे सहजिं पाहें सहज | "ēka-ci āhē — sahajīm pāhē sahaja" |
What it means
A neti-neti-not-by-doing-not-meditator-meditatee-not-knowable-not-running-naked-only-sahaja abhang. Bhakti-neti-neti register. The structure echoes the Upaniṣadic neti-neti ("not-this, not-this") applied to bhakti-and-asceticism-modes:
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करितां-कांहीं नव्हे — ध्यातां-ध्यायीं नव्हे. Not-by-doing-not-meditator-claim. It's not what is reached by karitā kāhīm (doing something — any kriyā); not what is dhyātā-dhyāyī (the meditator-meditatee duality). Not-by-action-not-by-meditation.
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जाणवी-जना नव्हे — मना-वाटे नव्हे. Not-knowable-to-people-not-mind-felt-claim. Not what is jāṇavī janā (made-known to people, transmissible by ordinary-knowing); not what vāṭē manā (feels-in-the-mind, comes as ordinary-thought). Not-knowable-not-feelable.
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त्रास-कांटाळा-अशुभ-वाचाळा नव्हे. Not-by-irritation-or-bad-speaking-claim. Not by taking trāsa (trouble, irritation) and kāṇṭāḷā (vexation, weariness); not the aśubha vācāḷā (the inauspicious-spoken — bad-speech, vain-speech, polemic). Not-by-stress-or-bad-speech.
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भोंवतें-भोंवे नव्हे — नागवें-धांवे नव्हे. Not-by-spinning-or-running-naked-claim. Not what bhōmvatē-bhōmvē (spins-around, the dervish-style spinning, the wandering-around); not the nāgavē-dhāvē (running-naked, the digambara naked-asceticism). Not-by-spinning-not-by-naked-running.
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Tuka: एक च आहे — सहजीं पाहें सहज. Only-one-is-sahaja-claim. Tuka says: ēka ci āhē (only one is, only One is); sahajīm pāhē sahaja (in sahaja (the natural-state), see sahaja (naturally)). Only-One-is; see-naturally-in-the-natural. (Reading: in the sahaja-state, He is seen sahaja* — naturally, without-effort.)
[T]
For someone today
This abhang names the bhakti-neti-neti register:
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Not by doing, not by meditator-meditatee. Not-action-meditation.
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Not knowable to people; not mind-felt. Not-ordinary-knowing.
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Not by irritation, vexation, bad-speaking. Not-stress-bad-speech.
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Not by spinning, not by running-naked. Not-asceticism-extremes.
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Only-one-is; see in sahaja, sahaja. Sahaja-only.
For today: He is not reached by kriyā (action), not by *dhyātā-dhyāyī-duality, not by jāṇa-of-people, not by mana-vāṭa, not by trāsa-kāṇṭāḷā or *aśubha-vācāḷa, not by bhōmvatē-bhōmvē or nāgavē-dhāvē; only One is — see naturally, in the natural-state*.
This abhang is Tukaram's bhakti-neti-neti-and-only-sahaja register — one of the most-Upaniṣadic-form abhangs. Compare 0702 Brahma-not-stuck-sahaja-bhāva (Tuka's mudra); same sahaja-bhāva-destination but here approached through a sequence of not-this, not-this exclusions. The closing sahajīm pāhē sahaja (in sahaja, see sahaja) is one of Tukaram's most-compact instructions.
मराठी: ही ओवी bhakti-neti-neti register नाव सांगते:
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करितां-नव्हे, ध्यातां-नव्हे. Not-action-meditation.
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Jāṇa-not-people-knowable, मना-वाटे नव्हे. Not-ordinary-knowing.
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त्रास-वाचाळा-नव्हे. Not-stress-bad-speech.
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भोंवतें-नव्हे, नागवें-धांवे नव्हे. Not-asceticism-extremes.
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एक-च-आहे; सहजीं-पाहें-सहज. Sahaja-only.
आज: तो kriyā-ने reach नाही, dhyātā-dhyāyī-duality-ने नाही, jāṇa-of-people-ने नाही, mana-vāṭa-ने नाही, trāsa-kāṇṭāḷā किंवा aśubha-vācāḷa-ने नाही, bhōmvatē-bhōmvē किंवा nāgavē-dhāvē-ने नाही; फक्त-One-आहे — sahaja-त, sahaja-नैसर्गिकपणे पाहावा.
Tukaram च-bhakti-neti-neti-and-only-sahaja-register — Most-Upaniṣadic-form abhangs पैकी एक. 0702 Brahma-not-stuck-sahaja-bhāva (Tuka mudra) compare; तीच sahaja-bhāva-destination पण इथे not-this, not-this exclusions च्या sequence-ने. Closing sahajīm pāhē sahaja Tukaram च्या most-compact instructions पैकी एक.
Where this applies
- Not by doing.* Not-action.
- Not by spinning.* Not-asceticism.
- Only-One-is.* Final.
- Sahajīm pāhē sahaja.** Sahaja-instruction.