संत साहित्य
Work in progress. Translations and commentary are AI-generated and may contain inaccuracies or hallucinations — please use your own judgement and check against the original sources.
संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 713 of 4582

Abhanga 713

Doubt makes devotion waver, but grace and steady service sharpen your sight, so you can tell what is genuinely real and let go of temptation without delay.

When the truly-real is loved; vikalpa makes the bhāva fly — and you have to recognize this register
When by Your kṛpā-dāna we know śuddha from manda gold — and you accept this image
When don't delay tyāga when bhoga comes; añjana is Your sēvā — and you receive this final image

The verse

सत्य तो आवडे । विकल्पानें भाव उडे ॥१॥ आम्ही तुमच्या कृपादानें । जाणों शुद्ध मंद सोनें ॥ध्रु.॥ आला भोग अंगा । न लवूं उसीर त्या त्यागा ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे देवा । अंजन ते तुझी सेवा ॥३॥

Literal translation

Satyaāvaḍēvikalpabhāva — flies. We — Your kṛpā-dāna — know — śuddha-manda — gold. Bhoga came — angana lavūm usīratyāga. Tuka says: devaañjana — Your sēvā.

मराठी: सत्य तो आवडतो — विकल्पाने भाव उडतो. आम्ही तुमच्या कृपा-दानाने — शुद्ध-मंद-सोनं जाणतो. अंगाला भोग आला — त्या त्यागाला उसीर लावूं नये. Tuka म्हणे: देवा — अंजन ते तुझी सेवा.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
सत्य तो आवडे "satyaāvaḍē"
विकल्पानें भाव उडे "vikalpabhāva — flies"
आम्ही तुमच्या कृपादानें "we — Your kṛpā-dāna"
जाणों शुद्ध मंद सोनें "know — śuddha-manda — gold"
आला भोग अंगा "bhoga — came — anga"
न लवूं उसीर त्या त्यागा "na lavūm usīratyāga"
देवा अंजन ते तुझी सेवा "devaañjana — Your sēvā"

What it means

A truly-real-loved-vikalpa-flies-bhāva-Your-kṛpā-pure-from-base-don't-delay-tyāga-añjana-Your-sēvā abhang. Vikalpa-flies-bhāva-and-Your-añjana register. Three claims:

  1. सत्य आवडे — विकल्पाने भाव उडे — कृपा-दानें शुद्ध-मंद जाणतो. Satya-loved-vikalpa-flies-by-Your-grace-know-pure-base-claim. Satya (the genuinely-real) is āvaḍē (loved);by vikalpa (alternative-thought, doubt), bhāva (the bhakta-state) flies-away;we — by Your kṛpā-dāna (gift-of-compassion) — know śuddha (pure) and manda (base / fake) gold.Vikalpa-makes-bhāva-fly; only-Your-kṛpā-shows-pure-from-base.

  2. भोग अंगा — त्यागाला उसीर नको. When-bhoga-comes-don't-delay-tyāga-claim. Whenbhoga(experience-of-fruit, sense-experience) has-come on the body; don't delay (na lavūm usīra) intyāga(renouncing-of-it). Don't-let-bhoga-linger; tyāga-immediately.

  3. Tuka: देवा — अंजन तुझी सेवा. Añjana-is-Your-sēvā-claim. Tuka says:deva — the añjana (kohl, the eye-medicine for clarity-of-sight) is Your sēvā. Your-sēvā-is-the-añjana-that-clears-sight. (The añjana image: kohl is what makes the eye see-clearly; bhakti-sēvā is what gives the bhakta clear-vision-to-distinguish-pure-from-base.)

[T]

For someone today

Tukaram says what is truly real is what we come to love, but doubt and second guessing can make that devotion slip away. With God's grace, though, we learn to tell pure gold from fake, to see clearly what is genuine and what only looks valuable. When temptation or pleasure grabs hold of you, don't wait to let it go, because delay only lets it root deeper. And serving God, Tukaram says, is itself the medicine that clears your eyes so you can see truly.

मराठी: तुकाराम म्हणतात की जे खरं असतं तेच आपल्याला आवडतं, पण संशय आणि उलटसुलट विचारांमुळे ती भक्ती उडून जाऊ शकते. मात्र देवाच्या कृपेने आपल्याला शुद्ध सोनं आणि भेसळयुक्त सोनं यातला फरक कळतो, खरं काय आणि नुसतं चकाकणारं काय हे स्पष्ट दिसतं. जेव्हा एखादा मोह किंवा भोग अंगावर येतो, तेव्हा तो सोडायला उशीर करू नये, कारण उशीर केला की तो अधिकच घट्ट रुजतो. आणि देवाची सेवा हीच ते अंजन आहे, जे डोळे स्वच्छ करून खरं दिसू देतं, असं तुकाराम सांगतात.

Where this applies

Related verses