Abhanga 736
English: Mukta — kāsayā — call?
The verse
मुक्त कासया म्हणावें । बंधन तें नाहीं ठावें ॥१॥ सुखें करितों कीर्तन । भय विसरलें मन ॥ध्रु.॥ देखिजेना नास । घालूं कोणावरी कास ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे साहे । देव आहे तैसा आहे ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: Mukta — kāsayā — call? Bandhana — not — ṭhāvē. Sukha — kīrtana — bhaya — visaralē mana. Dēkhijēnā — nāsa — kāsa — on whom — throw? Tuka says: sāhē — deva — is — as is.
मराठी: मुक्त — का म्हणावं? — बंधन तें ठाव-च नाही. सुखें कीर्तन करतो — मनाने भय विसरलं. देखीजे-ना — नाश — कास कोणावरी घालूं?. Tuka म्हणे: साहे — देव आहे तैसा आहे.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| मुक्त कासया म्हणावें | "mukta — kāsayā (why) — call" |
| बंधन तें नाहीं ठावें | "bandhana — not — ṭhāvē" |
| सुखें करितों कीर्तन | "sukha — kīrtana" |
| भय विसरलें मन | "bhaya — visaralē mana" |
| देखिजेना नास | "dēkhijēnā — nāsa" |
| घालूं कोणावरी कास | "kāsa — on whom — throw" |
| देव आहे तैसा आहे | "deva — is — as is" |
What it means
A why-call-mukta-bondage-not-known-sukha-kīrtana-no-destruction-deva-is-as-He-is abhang. Deva-suffices-as-He-is register. Three claims:
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मुक्त-का-म्हणावं — बंधन-ठाव-नाही — सुखें-कीर्तन — भय-विसरलं. Why-call-mukta-bondage-not-known-sukha-kīrtana-claim. Why call (oneself) mukta (liberated)? — bandhana (bondage) isn't even ṭhāvē (known, recognized); in sukha, I do *kīrtana; the mana has-forgotten bhaya. No-bondage-known-so-no-mukta-needed; sukha-kīrtana-mind-forgot-fear. (One of the most-precise post-bhakti claims: mukta is meaningful only-in-relation-to bandhana; if bandhana isn't known, mukta is meaningless.)
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देखीजे-ना नाश — कास-कोणावरी-घालूं. No-destruction-seen-no-gird-claim. I don't see (dēkhijēnā) any nāsa (destruction, ruin); on whom would I throw the kāsa (gird-up-loins, ready-for-action)?. No-destruction-seen-so-no-need-to-gird-up. (When the bhakta sees no destruction-coming, there's no need to gird-up against it.)
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Tuka: साहे — देव आहे-तैसा-आहे. Deva-is-as-He-is-claim. Tuka says: sāhē (suffices, abides, can-be-borne); deva is as He is. Deva-as-He-is-suffices. (Just-as-He-is, with-no-need-to-add-attributes, He suffices.)
[T]
For someone today
This abhang names the deva-suffices-as-He-is register:
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Why call mukta — bondage isn't even known. Why-call-mukta.
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In sukha I do kīrtana; mind has forgotten fear. Sukha-kīrtana.
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No destruction seen — on whom would I gird? — Deva is as He is, suffices. Deva-is-as-He-is.
For today: if bandhana isn't known, why call (oneself) mukta? — the very-question is meaningless; the bhakta does kīrtana in sukha; the mind has forgotten fear; no nāsa is seen, so no need to gird-up; deva is as He is — that-itself suffices.
This abhang is Tukaram's deva-suffices-as-He-is-no-bondage-known register — one of the most-relaxed bhakti-resolutions. Compare 0709 udāsīna-to-nirguṇa-mōkṣa-not-bhakta-mind (Tuka's mudra); same anti-mōkṣa-as-pursuit but here the angle is if-bandhana-isn't-known-mukta-is-pointless. The deva āhē taisā āhē (deva is as He is) is the most-relaxed possible stamp: He just-is, that's enough*.
मराठी: ही ओवी deva-suffices-as-He-is register नाव सांगते:
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Mukta-का-म्हणावं — बंधन-ठाव-नाही. Why-call-mukta.
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Sukha-कीर्तन; भय-विसरलं. Sukha-kīrtana.
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नाश-न-दिसे; कास-कोणावरी? — देव आहे-तैसा-आहे; साहे. Deva-is-as-He-is.
आज: Bandhana known-नसेल तर mukta का म्हणावं? — question-itself meaningless; Bhakta sukha-त kīrtana करतो; mana bhaya forgot; No nāsa seen, no need to gird-up; Deva is as He is — that-itself-suffices*.
Tukaram च-deva-suffices-as-He-is-no-bondage-known-register — Most-relaxed bhakti-resolutions पैकी एक. 0709 udāsīna-to-nirguṇa-mōkṣa-not-bhakta-mind (Tuka mudra) compare; तीच anti-mōkṣa-as-pursuit पण इथे angle if-bandhana-isn't-known-mukta-is-pointless. Deva āhē taisā āhē (deva is as He is) most-relaxed possible stamp — He just-is, that's enough*.
Where this applies
- No bandhana known. No mukta* needed.
- Sukha-kīrtana.** Resolved-state.
- Deva āhē taisā āhē.** Final.