संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 805 of 4582

Abhanga 805

The rarest and most precious kind of disciple is one whose knowledge, feeling, and devotion have matured into natural renunciation, and such a person deserves to be cherished and protected.

When give such a śiṣya, Brahma-jñāni-niṣpuṇa, special in bhāva — and you have to recognize this register
When image of bhakti-prema, vairāgya-seat — and you accept this image
When Tuka does limba-lōṇa around such a body — and you receive this final reverence

The verse

देवा ऐसा शिष्य देई । ब्रम्हज्ञानी निपुण पाहीं ॥१॥ जो कां भावाचा आगळा । भक्तिप्रेमाचा पुतळा ॥ध्रु.॥ ऐशा युक्ति ज्याला बाणे । तेथें वैराग्याचें ठाणें ॥२॥ ऐसा जाला हो शरीरीं । तुका लिंबलोण करी ॥३॥

Literal translation

Devaaisāśiṣya — give — Brahma-jñāniniṣpuṇa. Who — bhāvaāgaḷābhakti-prēma-putaḷā. Such yuktibāṇēvairāgya-ṭhāṇa. Such — śarīra — Tuka — limba-lōṇa.

मराठी: देवा, ऐसा शिष्य देई — Brahma-ज्ञानी निपुण पाहीं. जो कां भावाचा आगळा — भक्ति-प्रेमाचा पुतळा. ऐशा युक्ति ज्याला बाणे — तेथें वैराग्याचें ठाणें. ऐसा जाला हो शरीरीं — Tuka लिंब-लोण करी.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
देवा ऐसा शिष्य देई "devaaisā śiṣya — give"
ब्रम्हज्ञानी निपुण पाहीं "Brahma-jñāniniṣpuṇa"
जो कां भावाचा आगळा "who — bhāvaāgaḷā"
भक्तिप्रेमाचा पुतळा "bhakti-prēma-putaḷā"
ऐशा युक्ति ज्याला बाणे "such yuktibāṇē"
तेथें वैराग्याचें ठाणें "vairāgya-ṭhāṇa"
ऐसा जाला हो शरीरीं "such — śarīra"
तुका लिंबलोण करी "Tuka — limba-lōṇa"

What it means

A give-such-śiṣya-Brahma-jñāni-niṣpuṇa-special-in-bhāva-image-of-bhakti-prema-vairāgya-seat-Tuka-limba-lōṇa abhang. Give-ideal-disciple-image register. Three claims:

  1. देवा-ऐसा-शिष्य — Brahma-jñāni-निपुण — भावाचा-आगळा — भक्ति-प्रेम-पुतळा. Ideal-śiṣya-claim. Deva, give such a śiṣyaniṣpuṇa in Brahma-jñāna; one who isāgaḷā(special, set-apart, exceptional) inbhāva; theputaḷā(image, doll, sculpted-figure) ofbhakti-prēma. Brahma-jñāni-niṣpuṇa-bhāva-special-bhakti-prema-image.

  2. Yukti-बाणे — वैराग्याचें-ठाणें. Vairāgya-seat-claim. In him, when suchyuktihasbāṇē(settled-into-him, become-natural); there is theṭhāṇa(seat) ofvairāgya. Vairāgya-seat-when-yukti-settled-in.

  3. ऐसा-शरीरीं — Tuka-लिंब-लोण. Tuka-does-limba-lōṇa-claim. When (such-a-one) has-become in the bodyTuka doeslimba-lōṇa. Tuka-reverences-the-ideal-disciple. (The limba-lōṇa is a wave-and-sacrifice gesture: usually mothers wave neem-leaves and salt around a child to ward-off evil; here Tuka does this for the ideal-disciple — the bhakta is so-precious that Tuka would-protect-him with this ritual.)

[T]

For someone today

Tukaram asks God for a very particular kind of disciple: someone skilled in true spiritual knowledge, exceptional in feeling, and a living picture of loving devotion. When that discernment truly settles into a person, real renunciation takes root in them naturally, not as a performance. Tukaram says that when he sees someone like this in the flesh, he wants to wave neem leaves and salt around them the way a mother protects her child from harm, because such a person is that precious and that rare. This is a picture of what real spiritual maturity looks like and a reminder to cherish and protect it wherever you find it, in yourself or in someone else.

मराठी: तुकाराम देवाकडे एक खास प्रकारचा शिष्य मागतात, जो खऱ्या ब्रह्मज्ञानात निपुण असेल, भावाने विशेष असेल आणि भक्तिप्रेमाची जिवंत मूर्ती असेल. अशी समज जेव्हा एखाद्यात खरोखर रुजते, तेव्हा त्याच्यात खरा वैराग्य आपोआप स्थिर होतो, दिखाव्यासाठी नाही. तुकाराम म्हणतात की जेव्हा असा माणूस प्रत्यक्षात दिसतो, तेव्हा आई जशी आपल्या मुलाला वाईट नजरेपासून वाचवण्यासाठी लिंब-मीठ ओवाळते तशी त्याला ओवाळून टाकावीशी वाटते, कारण असा माणूस तितकाच अनमोल आणि दुर्मीळ असतो. ही ओवी खऱ्या आध्यात्मिक प्रगल्भतेचे चित्र आहे आणि ती जपून ठेवण्याची आठवण करून देते, मग ती तुमच्यात असो वा दुसऱ्यात.

Where this applies

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