संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 733 of 4582

Abhanga 733

This abhang names the perfection-stops-language register:

When what's built has become akṣai (imperishable) — doesn't break — and you have to recognize this register
When the foundation is laid deep; no further onward — and you accept this image
When speech has been halted onward — and you receive this final image

The verse

अक्षई तें झालें । आतां न मोडे रचिलें ॥१॥ पाया पडिला खोले ठायीं । तेथें पुढें चाली नाहीं ॥ध्रु.॥ होतें विखुरलें । ताळा जमे झडती आलें ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे बोली । पुढें कुंटित चि जाली ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: Akṣai — became — now — na mōḍē — racilē. Pāyā — laid — khōla-ṭhāyīm — there — puḍhē-cālī — none. What was — vikhuralē — tāḷā jamē — jhaḍatī ālē. Tuka says: bōlī — puḍhē — kuṇṭita ci jālī.

मराठी: अक्षई झालं — आतां रचिलेलं मोडत नाही. पाया खोल-ठायीं पडला — तेथें पुढें चाली नाही. विखुरलेलं होतं — ताळ्यात जमलं — झडतीला आलं. Tuka म्हणे: बोली — पुढें कुंटीत-च जाली.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
अक्षई तें झालें "akṣai — became"
आतां न मोडे रचिलें "now — na mōḍē — racilē"
पाया पडिला खोले ठायीं "pāyā — laid — khōla-ṭhāyīm"
तेथें पुढें चाली नाहीं "there — puḍhē-cālī — none"
होतें विखुरलें "what was — vikhuralē"
ताळा जमे झडती आलें "tāḷā jamē — jhaḍatī ālē"
बोली पुढें कुंटित चि जाली "bōlī — puḍhē — kuṇṭita ci jālī"

What it means

A akṣai-built-no-break-foundation-deep-scattered-gathered-tāḷa-jhaḍatī-speech-halted abhang. Perfection-stops-language register. Three claims:

  1. अक्षई-झालं — रचिलेलं मोडत-नाही — पाया-खोल-ठायीं — पुढें-चाली-नाही. Akṣai-built-deep-foundation-no-onward-claim. It has become akṣai (imperishable, in-destructible); what is racilē (built-up, constructed) doesn't mōḍē (break); the pāyā (foundation) is laid in a khōla ṭhāyīm (deep place); there, no further onward-movement (puḍhē cālī nāhīm — the path doesn't go further than this). Akṣai-construction-on-deep-foundation-and-no-further-onward.

  2. विखुरलेलं — ताळ्यात-जमलं — झडतीला-आलं. Scattered-gathered-jhaḍatī-claim. What was vikhuralē (scattered, dispersed); gathered into tāḷa (rhythm, beat); jhaḍatī came (the jhaḍatī — the rhythmic-shaking, the dance-pose where the body-trembles-in-tāḷa). Scattered-elements-now-in-rhythm-and-jhaḍatī. (The jhaḍatī* in Vārkarī kīrtana is the rhythmic-shaking-dance that comes when the bhakta enters bhāva.)

  3. Tuka: बोली — पुढें कुंटीत-च-जाली. Speech-halted-onward-claim. Tuka says: bōlī (speech, language) — puḍhē (further) — kuṇṭita ci jālī (has-become halted, stopped, lame). Language-stops-onward-from-here. (At the point of akṣai-perfection, speech itself stops*; there's-no-further-language possible.)

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the perfection-stops-language register:

  1. Akṣai-becoming; built-up doesn't break; foundation laid deep; no further onward. Akṣai-and-deep-foundation.

  2. Scattered now gathered into rhythm; jhaḍatī came. Scattered-into-rhythm.

  3. Speech has halted onward. Speech-stops.

For today: what was being-built has now become akṣai (imperishable); the foundation is in a deep place — no-further-onward; scattered-elements have gathered into tāḷa and the jhaḍatī (rhythmic-shaking) has come; language itself is kuṇṭita (halted) onward — perfection silences speech.

This abhang is Tukaram's perfection-stops-language register — one of the most-precise upper-limit-of-bhakti statements. Compare 0723 body-fused-drop-in-ocean-not-separable (Tuka's mudra); same firmly-merged state but here approached through deep-foundation and speech-halted-onward. The bōlī kuṇṭita ci jālī (speech has-become halted) is a striking statement: at the top, language fails*.

मराठी: ही ओवी perfection-stops-language register नाव सांगते:

  1. Akṣai-झालं; पाया-खोल; पुढें-चाली-नाही. Akṣai-deep-foundation.

  2. विखुरलेलं — ताळ्यात-जमलं — झडती-आली. Scattered-into-rhythm.

  3. बोली — पुढें-कुंटीत. Speech-stops.

आज: Built-up-होत-असलेलं आतां akṣai (imperishable); foundation-deep-place — no-further-onward; Scattered-elements tāḷa-त-gathered आणि jhaḍatī (rhythmic-shaking) आली; Language स्वतः kuṇṭita (halted) onward — perfection-silences-speech.

Tukaram च-perfection-stops-language-register — Most-precise upper-limit-of-bhakti statements पैकी एक. 0723 body-fused-drop-in-ocean-not-separable (Tuka mudra) compare; तीच firmly-merged state पण इथे deep-foundation आणि speech-halted-onward च्या मार्गाने. Bōlī kuṇṭita ci jālī (speech has-become halted) striking — top-त, language fails.

Where this applies

Bhakti speech-halted-onward perfection-stops-language

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