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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 709 of 4582

Abhanga 709

English: Nāma-pāṭha — mukta-phaḷa — ōvaṇī — this sukha — saguṇa — abhinava.

When nāma-pāṭha is pearl-stringing; the sukha is fresh in saguṇa — and you have to recognize this register
When we are udāsīna toward nirguṇa; mōkṣa doesn't come to the bhakta-mind — and you accept this image
When give abhaya-dāna; say I have given — and you receive this final petition

The verse

नामपाठ मुक्ताफळांच्या ओवणी । हें सुख सगुणीं अभिनव ॥१॥ तरी आम्ही जालों उदास निर्गुणा । भक्तांचिया मना मोक्ष नये ॥ध्रु.॥ द्यावें घ्यावें ऐसें येथें उरे भाव । काय ठाया ठाव पुसोनियां ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे आतां अभयदान करा । म्हणा विश्वंभरा दिलें ऐसें ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: Nāma-pāṭhamukta-phaḷaōvaṇī — this sukhasaguṇaabhinava. So we — udāsa — to nirguṇamōkṣa — doesn't come to bhakta-mana. Dyāvē-ghyāvē — such — bhāva remains here — what — ṭhāyā ṭhāva pusōniyām? Tuka says: now — give abhaya-dāna — say — Viśvambhara — dilē aisē.

मराठी: नाम-पाठ — मुक्ता-फळांच्या ओवणी — हें सुख सगुणी अभिनव. म्हणून आम्ही निर्गुणाला उदास झालो — मोक्ष भक्ताच्या मना न-ये. द्यावें-घ्यावें असा भाव येथें उरतो — काय ठायां ठाव पुसोनियां?. Tuka म्हणे: आतां अभय-दान करा — म्हणा विश्वंभरा "दिलें असें".

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
नामपाठ मुक्ताफळांच्या ओवणी "nāma-pāṭhamukta-phaḷaōvaṇī (stringing)"
हें सुख सगुणीं अभिनव "this sukha — saguṇaabhinava (fresh)"
तरी आम्ही जालों उदास निर्गुणा "we — udāsa — to nirguṇa"
भक्तांचिया मना मोक्ष नये "mōkṣa — bhakta-mana — doesn't come"
द्यावें घ्यावें ऐसें येथें उरे भाव "dyāvē-ghyāvēbhāva — remains"
काय ठाया ठाव पुसोनियां "kāya ṭhāyā ṭhāva pusōniyām"
आतां अभयदान करा "now — abhaya-dāna — give"
म्हणा विश्वंभरा दिलें ऐसें "say — Viśvambhara — dilē aisē"

What it means

A nāma-pāṭha-pearl-stringing-saguṇa-abhinava-udāsīna-to-nirguṇa-give-abhaya-dāna abhang. Saguṇa-bhakti-mōkṣa-rejection register. Three claims:

  1. नाम-पाठ — मुक्ता-फळ ओवणी — सगुणी-अभिनव-सुख — निर्गुणाला उदास — मोक्ष भक्त-मना न-ये. Saguṇa-abhinava-and-no-mōkṣa-claim. Nāma-pāṭha (the recital of the nāma) is mukta-phaḷāmcyā ōvaṇī (the pearl-stringing — pearls of the mukta-phaḷa "liberated-fruit / pearl" strung-on-the-thread); this sukha is abhinava (fresh, novel) in saguṇa; so we have-become udāsa (indifferent, dispassionate) toward nirguṇa; mōkṣa doesn't come to the bhakta's mana. Saguṇa-pearl-stringing-is-fresh-sukha; therefore-udāsīna-to-nirguṇa-and-mōkṣa-doesn't-come. (This is one of the most-explicit declarations: saguṇa-bhakti is fresh-and-new*, more-loved than nirguṇa.)

  2. द्यावें-घ्यावें असा भाव — काय ठायां-ठाव पुसोनियां. Give-and-take-bhāva-claim. Dyāvē-ghyāvē (give-and-take) — such bhāva remains here; what (use is) emptying-place-by-place (= no need for the empty-everything-out logic of nirguṇa)?. In-saguṇa, give-and-take-bhāva-remains; we-don't-need-to-empty-place-by-place*.

  3. Tuka: अभय-दान — Viśvambhara, दिलें-असें म्हणा. Give-abhaya-dāna-claim. Tuka says: now give abhaya-dāna (the gift-of-fearlessness); say, Viśvambhara: 'dilē aisē (I-have-given-such-thing)'. Give-the-gift-of-fearlessness-and-say-You-gave-it. (The bhakta asks the deva to commit verbally — to say "given" — so the gift is sealed.)*

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For someone today

This abhang names the saguṇa-bhakti-fresh-mōkṣa-rejection register:

  1. Nāma-pāṭha is pearl-stringing; saguṇa-sukha is fresh; udāsīna to nirguṇa; mōkṣa doesn't come to bhakta-mind. Saguṇa-fresh.

  2. Give-and-take bhāva remains; no need to empty everywhere. Give-and-take-bhāva.

  3. Give abhaya-dāna; say it. Abhaya-dāna-petition.

For today: the nāma-recital is a string-of-pearls; the saguṇa-sukha is fresh in a way nirguṇa-mōkṣa is not; the bhakta is udāsīna toward nirguṇa, doesn't seek mōkṣa; the give-and-take relation is what bhakti-loves; now: Viśvambhara, give the abhaya-dāna and say it.

This abhang is Tukaram's saguṇa-bhakti-fresh-and-mōkṣa-rejection registerone of the most-explicit saguṇa-priority statements. Compare 0679 mōkṣa-not-bhakta-vāsanā (Tuka's mudra); same anti-mōkṣa-as-pursuit register but here organized through the saguṇa-fresh-pearl-stringing image. The abhinava-saguṇa-sukha phrasing is the diagnostic: saguṇa is fresh in a way that nirguṇa-mōkṣa-stillness is not.

मराठी: ही ओवी saguṇa-bhakti-fresh-mōkṣa-rejection register नाव सांगते:

  1. Nāma-pāṭha मुक्ता-फळ-ओवणी; सगुणी-अभिनव-सुख; निर्गुणाला उदास; मोक्ष भक्त-मना न-ये. Saguṇa-fresh.

  2. द्यावें-घ्यावें भाव; ठायां-ठाव-पुसोनियां काय?. Give-and-take-bhāva.

  3. अभय-दान करा; म्हणा "दिलें असें". Abhaya-dāna-petition.

आज: Nāma-recital pearl-string; saguṇa-sukha fresh-(nirguṇa-mōkṣa-नाही); Bhakta nirguṇa-ला udāsīna, mōkṣa न शोधे; Give-and-take relation bhakti-loves; आतां Viśvambhara abhaya-dāna द्या आणि सांगा.

Tukaram च-saguṇa-bhakti-fresh-and-mōkṣa-rejection-registerMost-explicit saguṇa-priority statements पैकी एक. 0679 mōkṣa-not-bhakta-vāsanā (Tuka mudra) compare; तीच anti-mōkṣa-as-pursuit register पण इथे saguṇa-fresh-pearl-stringing image च्या मार्गाने. Abhinava-saguṇa-sukha phrasing diagnostic — saguṇa fresh nirguṇa-mōkṣa-stillness-नाही असं.

Where this applies

Related verses