Abhanga 731
Tukaram refuses any teaching that erases the distinction between devotee and God, because he would rather protect that loving relationship than accept oneness as an idea.
The verse
याजसाठीं वनांतरा । जातों सांडुनियां घरा ॥१॥ माझें दिठावेल प्रेम । बुद्धी होईल निष्काम ॥ध्रु.॥ अद्वैताची वाणी । नाहीं ऐकत मी कानीं ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे अहंब्रम्ह । आड येऊं नेदीं भ्रम ॥३॥
Literal translation
For-this-sake — vanāntara — going — leaving — ghara. My prēma — diṭhāvēla — buddhi — niṣkāma. Advaita-vāṇī — I — not — listen — kāna. Tuka says: aham-Brahma — āḍa — won't-let — bhrama.
मराठी: याज-साठीं वनांतरा — जातों, सांडुनियां घरा. माझं दिठावेल प्रेम — बुद्धी निष्काम होईल. अद्वैताची वाणी — मी कानीं ऐकत नाहीं. Tuka म्हणे: अहं-ब्रह्म — आड येऊं नेदीं भ्रम.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| याजसाठीं वनांतरा | "for-this-sake — vanāntara" |
| जातों सांडुनियां घरा | "going — leaving — ghara" |
| माझें दिठावेल प्रेम | "my prēma — diṭhāvēla" |
| बुद्धी होईल निष्काम | "buddhi — becomes — niṣkāma" |
| अद्वैताची वाणी | "advaita-vāṇī" |
| नाहीं ऐकत मी कानीं | "I — not — listen — kāna" |
| अहंब्रम्ह | "aham-Brahma" |
| आड येऊं नेदीं भ्रम | "āḍa — won't-let — bhrama" |
What it means
A leaving-home-for-prema-protection-no-advaita-vāṇī-no-aham-Brahma-bhrama abhang. Anti-advaita-saguṇa-defense register. Three claims:
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वनांतरा-जातों — घरा-सांडून — प्रेम-दिठावेल — बुद्धी-निष्काम. Forest-for-prema-protection-claim. For-this-sake (yāja-sāṭhīm) — I'm going to thevanāntara(forest-interior), leaving theghara(home / household); myprēmawill bediṭhāvēla (protected, sprouted, tended-for) — i.e., the prēma-bhakti-feeling will be guarded;buddhiwill becomeniṣkāma(without-desire). Forest-for-prema-protection-and-niṣkāma-buddhi. (The forest-departure is for prema's sake — to keep the prema-feeling unmolested by household-distractions.)
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अद्वैत-वाणी — कानीं-ऐकत-नाहीं. No-advaita-vāṇī-in-ears-claim. Theadvaita-vāṇī(the advaita-doctrine, the non-dualist teaching thatall is oneand the bhakta-and-deity are one) — I don't listen to with my ears. Reject-advaita-teaching-deliberately.
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Tuka: अहं-ब्रह्म — आड-येऊं-नेदीं-भ्रम. Aham-Brahma-as-bhrama-blocked-claim. Tuka says:aham-Brahma (the advaitic mahā-vākya: I-am-Brahma) — I won't let the bhrama (delusion) come āḍa (in the way, in-between me and the deity).Aham-Brahma-as-bhrama-not-allowed-between-bhakta-and-deity. (For Tukaram,aham-Brahmawould dissolve thebhakta-and-deityrelation; he refuses this — calling itbhrama.)
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For someone today
In this verse, Tukaram says he would leave home and go into the forest just to protect his prema, the felt love between himself and God, and to keep his mind free of craving. He refuses to even listen to the advaita teaching that everything is one undivided reality. He calls the idea that I am Brahman a delusion, because if he accepted it, it would erase the very relationship between devotee and God that gives his devotion meaning, so he will not let it come in the way.
मराठी: या ओवीत तुकाराम म्हणतात की आपलं देवावरचं प्रेम अभंग राहावं आणि मन निष्काम व्हावं, यासाठी ते घरदार सोडून रानातही जायला तयार आहेत. सर्व काही एकच आहे असं सांगणारी अद्वैताची वाणी ते कानांनी ऐकतही नाहीत. अहं-ब्रह्म ही शिकवण ते भ्रम मानतात, कारण ती स्वीकारली तर भक्त आणि देव यांच्यातलं नातंच पुसलं जाईल, आणि म्हणून ते ती शिकवण आपल्या आणि देवाच्या नात्याच्या आड येऊ देत नाहीत.
Where this applies
- Forest forprema protection. Reason.
- Noadvaita-vāṇī. Reject.
- Aham-Brahma—bhrama. Block.