संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 750 of 4582

Abhanga 750

Tukārām addresses each part of himself in turn and gives it a job to do: let your tongue speak the sweet name, let your eyes drink in the sight of Viṭhōbā's face, let your ears take in his qualities, let your mind run straight to his feet and stay there, and never let your life let go of him. Devotion, in this verse, is not only a matter of the heart. Every sense and faculty you have can be turned toward it, so that praise fills your whole self instead of staying stuck in one corner of it.

When vāca takes the sweet nāma; eyes take the mukha-sukha — and you have to recognize this register
When ears listen to the guṇa; mind runs to the feet — and you accept this image
When jīva, don't let go of this Kēśava — and you receive this final command

The verse

घेई माझे वाचे । गोड नाम विठोबाचें ॥१॥ तुम्ही घ्या रे डोळे सुख । पाहा विठोबाचें मुख ॥ध्रु.॥ तुम्ही ऐका रे कान । माझ्या विठोबाचे गुण ॥२॥ मना तेथें धांव घेई । राहें विठोबाचे पायीं ॥३॥ तुका म्हणे जीवा । नको सोडूं या केशवा ॥४॥

Literal translation

Take — my vāca — sweet — nāma — Viṭhōbā. You, eyes — take sukha — see — Viṭhōbā's mukha. You, ears — listen — my Viṭhōbā's guṇa. Mana — there — run-go — abide — Viṭhōbā's pāyīm. Tuka says: jīva — don't let go of this Kēśava.

मराठी: माझ्या वाचे, घे — Viṭhōbā चं गोड नाम. डोळ्यांनो, सुख घ्या — Viṭhōbā चें मुख पाहा. कानांनो, ऐका — माझ्या Viṭhōbā चे गुण. मना, तेथें धांव-घे — Viṭhōbā च्या पायीं रहा. Tuka म्हणे: जीवा — ह्या Kēśava-ला सोडूं नको.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
घेई माझे वाचे "take — my vāca"
गोड नाम विठोबाचें "sweet — nāma — Viṭhōbā"
तुम्ही घ्या रे डोळे सुख "you, eyes — take sukha"
पाहा विठोबाचें मुख "see — Viṭhōbā's mukha"
ऐका रे कान "listen — kāna"
माझ्या विठोबाचे गुण "my Viṭhōbā's guṇa"
मना तेथें धांव घेई "mana — there — run-go"
राहें विठोबाचे पायीं "abide — Viṭhōbā's pāyīm"
जीवा नको सोडूं या केशवा "jīva — don't let-go — this Kēśava"

What it means

A each-organ-takes-its-Viṭhōbā-portion-vāca-eyes-ears-mind-jīva abhang. Organ-by-organ-distribution-of-Viṭhōbā register. The structure is direct addresses to each faculty:

  1. माझ्या-वाचे — गोड-नाम-घेई. Vāca-takes-sweet-nāma-claim. Take, myvāca; Viṭhōbā's sweet nāma.

  2. डोळ्यांनो — सुख-घ्या — Viṭhōbā-मुख-पाहा. Eyes-take-sukha-see-mukha-claim. You, eyes — takesukha; seeViṭhōbā'smukha.

  3. कानांनो — ऐका — Viṭhōbā-गुण. Ears-listen-guṇa-claim. You, ears — listen —Viṭhōbā'sguṇa.

  4. मना — तेथें-धांव — Viṭhōbā-पायीं-रहा. Mana-runs-to-feet-claim. Mana — run there — abide atViṭhōbā'spāyīm.

  5. Tuka: जीवा — Kēśava-सोडूं-नको. Jīva-don't-let-go-Kēśava-claim. Tuka says:jīvadon't let go of thisKēśava.

This is a complete-faculty-distribution — each organ assigned its-Viṭhōbā-portion: vāca-the-name, eyes-the-mukha, ears-the-guṇa, mind-the-feet, jīva-don't-let-go.

[T]

For someone today

Tukārām addresses each part of himself in turn and gives it a job to do: let your tongue speak the sweet name, let your eyes drink in the sight of Viṭhōbā's face, let your ears take in his qualities, let your mind run straight to his feet and stay there, and never let your life let go of him. Devotion, in this verse, is not only a matter of the heart. Every sense and faculty you have can be turned toward it, so that praise fills your whole self instead of staying stuck in one corner of it.

मराठी: तुकाराम महाराज या अभंगात आपल्या प्रत्येक इंद्रियाला वेगळी सूचना देतात. जिभेला विठोबाचं गोड नाम घ्यायला सांगतात, डोळ्यांना विठोबाचं मुख पाहून सुख घ्यायला सांगतात, कानांना त्याचे गुण ऐकायला सांगतात, मनाला धावत जाऊन त्याच्या पायाशी राहायला सांगतात, आणि जिवाला हा केशव कधीही सोडू नकोस असं बजावतात. यातून हा संदेश मिळतो की भक्ती फक्त मनातच नसते, तर शरीराचं प्रत्येक इंद्रिय, प्रत्येक जाणीव त्यात सामील करता येते, जेणेकरून संपूर्ण अस्तित्व त्या भावाने भरून जातं, फक्त एखादा कोपरा नाही.

Where this applies

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