Abhanga 736
Tukaram asks why he should even bother calling himself free, since he does not really feel any bondage in the first place, so the whole question is beside the point. He sings his devotional songs in simple happiness, and his mind has quietly forgotten to be afraid. He sees no ruin coming, so there is nothing to brace himself against, and he rests in the plain fact that God simply is what God is, and that is enough. This is a picture of a mind so settled in devotion that striving for liberation, and fear itself, have both lost their grip.
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
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; themanahas-forgottenbhaya. 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) anynāsa(destruction, ruin); on whom would I throw thekāsa(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
Tukaram asks why he should even bother calling himself free, since he does not really feel any bondage in the first place, so the whole question is beside the point. He sings his devotional songs in simple happiness, and his mind has quietly forgotten to be afraid. He sees no ruin coming, so there is nothing to brace himself against, and he rests in the plain fact that God simply is what God is, and that is enough. This is a picture of a mind so settled in devotion that striving for liberation, and fear itself, have both lost their grip.
मराठी: तुकाराम विचारतात, मी स्वतःला मुक्त तरी का म्हणावं, कारण मला बंधनाचा पत्ताच नाही, त्यामुळे हा प्रश्नच निरर्थक ठरतो. ते सुखाने कीर्तन करतात, आणि त्यांच्या मनाने अलगद भीती विसरून टाकली आहे. त्यांना कुठलाही नाश येताना दिसत नाही, त्यामुळे कशासाठी सज्ज व्हायचं याचं कारणच उरत नाही, आणि ते या साध्या सत्यावर विसावतात की देव आहे तसाच आहे, तेवढंच पुरेसं आहे. हे असं मन आहे जे भक्तीत इतकं स्थिर झालंय की मुक्तीची धडपड आणि भीती दोन्हींची पकड सुटून गेली आहे.
Where this applies
- Nobandhana known. No mukta needed.
- Sukha-kīrtana. Resolved-state.
- Deva āhē taisā āhē. Final.