Abhanga 704
The divine cannot be reached by effort, technique, secondhand knowledge, or extreme asceticism, only by resting naturally in your own effortless state.
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
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 bykaritā kāhīm(doing something — anykriyā); not what isdhyātā-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 isjāṇavī janā(made-known to people, transmissible by ordinary-knowing); not whatvāṭē 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 takingtrāsa(trouble, irritation) andkāṇṭāḷā(vexation, weariness); not theaśubha 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 whatbhōmvatē-bhōmvē(spins-around, the dervish-style spinning, the wandering-around); not thenāgavē-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 thesahaja-state, He isseen sahaja — naturally, without-effort.)
[T]
For someone today
Tukaram says God cannot be reached by doing something, and not even by the meditator meditating on a meditated-upon object. He cannot be grasped through what others tell you, or through whatever notion happens to occur to your mind. He is not found through irritation, weariness, or harsh, empty talk, nor through spinning around in ritual frenzy or running about in naked austerity. Only one thing is real, Tukaram says: rest naturally in your own natural state, and see Him there, naturally.
मराठी: तुकाराम म्हणतात, देव काही करून मिळत नाही, आणि ध्याता-ध्येय अशा भेदातूनही मिळत नाही. दुसऱ्यांनी सांगितलेल्या ज्ञानाने किंवा मनात उगीच येणाऱ्या कल्पनेनेही तो कळत नाही. त्रास, कंटाळा किंवा अशुभ बडबड यांनीही तो सापडत नाही, आणि गरगर फिरण्याने किंवा नागवे धावण्याने सुद्धा नाही. तुकाराम म्हणतात, एकच खरे आहे — सहज अवस्थेत राहून, तिथे त्याला सहजपणे पाहावे.
Where this applies
- Not by doing. Not-action.
- Not by spinning. Not-asceticism.
- Only-One-is. Final.
- Sahajīm pāhē sahaja. Sahaja-instruction.