संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 852 of 4582

Abhanga 852

English: What — dēha — karavata — karamarī — toss — agni.

When should I saw myself, toss into fire? — and you have to recognize this register
When should I bear forest-austerities, or just hold the mōhana and sit? — and you accept this image
When should I apply ash, wander four corners, abandon food, destroy life? — and you allow this image

The verse

काय देह घालूं करवती करमरी । टाकुं या भितरी अग्नीमाजी ॥१॥ काय सेवूं वन शीत उष्ण तान । साहों कीं मोहन धरुनी बैसों ॥ध्रु.॥ काय लावूं अंगीं भस्म उधळण । हिंडूं देश कोण खुंट चारी ॥२॥ काय तजूं अन्न करूनि उपास । काय करूं नास जीवित्वाचा ॥३॥ तुका म्हणे काय करावा उपाव । ऐसा देई भाव पांडुरंगा ॥४॥

Literal translation

English: What — dēha — karavata — karamarī — toss — agni. What — vana — śīta-uṣṇa-tāna — bear — or — mōhana — hold — sit. What — anga — bhasma — wander — dēśa — khuṇṭa cārī. What — anna — upavāsa — nāsa — jīvitva. Tuka says: what — upāya — give — such — bhāva — Pāṇḍuranga.

मराठी: देह करवतीला (आरीला) घालूं — करमरी (कापायला)? — किंवा अग्नी-माजीं भीतरी टाकूं?. वन सेवूं — शीत-उष्ण-तान साहों? — किंवा मोहन (Hari) धरुनी बैसों?. अंगीं भस्म लावूं — उधळण? — कुठल्या देशीं चार-खुंट-नी हिंडूं?. अन्न तजूं — उपवास करूं? — जीवित्वाचा नास करूं?. Tuka म्हणे: काय उपाय करावा — ऐसा भाव दे, Pāṇḍurangā.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
काय देह घालूं करवती करमरी "what — dēha — karavata — karamarī"
टाकुं या भितरी अग्नीमाजी "toss — within — agni"
काय सेवूं वन शीत उष्ण तान "what — serve — vana — śīta uṣṇa tāna"
साहों कीं मोहन धरुनी बैसों "bear — or — mōhana — hold — sit"
काय लावूं अंगीं भस्म उधळण "what — apply — anga — bhasma"
हिंडूं देश कोण खुंट चारी "wander — dēśa — khuṇṭa cārī"
काय तजूं अन्न करूनि उपास "what — abandon — anna — upavāsa"
काय करूं नास जीवित्वाचा "what — nāsa — jīvitva"
काय करावा उपाव "what — upāya"
ऐसा देई भाव पांडुरंगा "such — give — bhāva — Pāṇḍuranga"

What it means

A should-I-saw-myself-toss-into-fire-serve-forest-bear-cold-heat-thirst-or-hold-mōhana-and-sit-apply-ash-wander-four-corners-abandon-food-do-upavāsa-destroy-jīvitva-what-upāya-give-such-bhāva-Pāṇḍuranga abhang. What-tapas-should-I-do-give-bhāva register. Five claims:

  1. देह-करवती-करमरी — अग्नी-भीतरी-टाकूं. Saw-or-fire-claim. Should I throw the dēha to the karavata (the saw — being-sawed-in-two as self-mortification)? *karamarī (= cut-cut, severed)? Or toss-it within agni? Saw-or-fire-self-destruction.

  2. वन-शीत-उष्ण-तान — मोहन-धरुनी-बैसों. Forest-or-mōhana-claim. Should I serve the vana (forest — wilderness-tapas), bearing śīta-uṣṇa-tāna (cold, heat, thirst — the classic forest-austerities)? Or, holding the *mōhana (the charmer = Hari), just baisōm (sit)? Forest-austerity-or-sit-with-mōhana. (The mōhana-dharuni-baisōm alternative: just hold the mōhana and sit-still — bhakti-as-rest contrasted with forest-tapas-as-toil.)

  3. भस्म-अंगीं — चार-खुंट-हिंडूं. Ash-or-wander-claim. Should I apply bhasma (ash) on the anga — udhaḷaṇa (tossing-it-on)? Wander what *dēśa, the four khuṇṭa (corners)? Sannyāsi-ash-and-wandering. (Sannyāsi-image: ash-smearing and wandering-the-four-corners — typical of Śaiva-renouncer-traditions.)

  4. अन्न-तजूं-उपवास — जीवित्वाचा-नास. Fast-or-self-destruction-claim. Should I abandon anna and do upavāsa? Should I do *nāsa of jīvitva? Fast-or-destroy-life.

  5. Tuka: उपाय-काय-करावा — ऐसा-भाव-दे-Pāṇḍurangā. What-upāya-give-such-bhāva-claim. Tuka says: what upāya should be done? — Give such a *bhāva, Pāṇḍurangā.. What-tapas-should-I-do — just-give-the-bhāva. (Tuka's brilliant-resolution: instead of any-of-these-tapas, just give me-the-bhāva — give me the devotional-attitude that-makes-tapas-unnecessary. The bhāva-prārthanā trumps all-the-tapas-options.)

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the what-tapas-should-I-do-just-give-the-bhāva register:

  1. Saw the body or toss into fire? Self-mortification-?

  2. Forest cold-heat-thirst, or just hold the mōhana and sit? Forest-or-sit.

  3. Ash on body, wander four corners? Sannyāsi-?

  4. Abandon food, destroy life? Fast-?

  5. What upāya? — give such a bhāva, Pāṇḍuranga. Just-give-bhāva.

For today: should I throw the dēha to the karavata, toss it in agni?; serve the vana with śīta-uṣṇa-tāna, or just *mōhana-dharuni-baisōm?; apply bhasma, wander the four *khuṇṭa?; abandon anna and do upavāsa, destroy *jīvitva?; what upāya should-be-done — just give such a bhāva, O Pāṇḍurangā**.

This abhang is Tukaram's what-tapas-should-I-do-just-give-the-bhāva register — one of the most-precise renunciation-vs-bhakti statements. Compare 0851 six-question-cross-examination (Tuka's mudra); same multi-question-format but here the questions are upāya-options rather than complaints. The aisā dēī bhāva Pāṇḍurangā (give such a bhāva, Pāṇḍuranga) is the precise short-circuit-of-tapas-with-bhāva claim*.

मराठी: ही ओवी what-tapas-should-I-do-just-give-the-bhāva register नाव सांगते:

  1. करवती-अग्नी. Self-mortification-?

  2. वन-मोहन-धरूनि-बैसों. Forest-or-sit.

  3. भस्म-चार-खुंट. Sannyāsi-?

  4. उपास-नास. Fast-?

  5. भाव-दे-Pāṇḍurangā. Just-give-bhāva.

आज: Dēha karavata-ला घालूं, agni-त टाकूं?; Vana सेवूं, śīta-uṣṇa-tāna साहों — किंवा mōhana धरुनी बैसों?; Bhasma लावूं, चार-khuṇṭa हिंडूं?; Anna तजूं, upavāsa; jīvitva-नास?; उपाय काय? — ऐसा bhāva दे, Pāṇḍurangā**.

Tukaram च-what-tapas-should-I-do-just-give-the-bhāva-register — Most-precise renunciation-vs-bhakti statements पैकी एक. 0851 six-question-cross-examination (Tuka mudra) compare; तीच multi-question-format पण इथे upāya-options च्या मार्गाने. Aisā dēī bhāva Pāṇḍurangā precise short-circuit-of-tapas-with-bhāva claim.

Where this applies

Anti-ritual / Yoga-bhakti Bhakti Pāṇḍuranga / Viṭhṭhal apply-ash-wander-four-corners

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