संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 870 of 4582

Abhanga 870

Without a real foundation of devotion, all your words are empty, and dry knowledge without love is worth almost nothing.

When without ādhāra, what story do you tell? — and you have to recognize this register

When until Paṇḍharī-rāva is known, all is empty — and you accept this image

When who values your dry brahma-jñāna? — and you allow this image

The verse

आधारावांचुनी । काय सांगसी काहाणी ॥१॥ ठावा नाहीं पंढरीराव । तोंवरी अवघें चि वाव ॥ध्रु.॥ मानिताहे कोण । तुझें कोरडें ब्रम्हज्ञान ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे ठेवा । जाणपण एक सवा ॥३॥

Literal translation

Ādhāra-vāmcunī — what — kāhāṇī. Ṭhāvā — none — Paṇḍharī-rāva — until — all — vāva. Mānitāhē — who — kōraḍē — brahma-jñāna. Tuka says: ṭhēvā — jāṇa-paṇa — eka savā.

मराठी: आधारा-वांचुनी — काय सांगसी काहाणी?. पंढरी-राव ठावा नाहीं — तों-वरी अवघें-च वाव (फुकट). कोण मानितो — तुझं कोरडें ब्रम्ह-ज्ञान?. Tuka म्हणे: ठेवा — जाण-पण एक-सवा (अल्प, क्षुद्र).

Word-by-word gloss

Marathi	Meaning
आधारावांचुनी	"ādhāra-vāmcunī"
काय सांगसी काहाणी	"what — sāngasi — kāhāṇī"
ठावा नाहीं पंढरीराव	"ṭhāvā — none — Paṇḍharī-rāva"
तोंवरी अवघें चि वाव	"until — all — vāva"
मानिताहे कोण	"mānitāhē — who"
तुझें कोरडें ब्रम्हज्ञान	"your — kōraḍē — brahma-jñāna"
ठेवा	"ṭhēvā"
जाणपण एक सवा	"jāṇa-paṇa — eka savā"

What it means

A without-ādhāra-empty-story-Paṇḍharī-rāva-not-known-all-is-vāva-no-one-values-dry-brahma-jñāna-knowledge-mere-pittance abhang. Kōraḍē-brahma-jñāna-anti-dry-knowledge register. Three claims:

आधारा-वांचुनी — काहाणी-काय — Paṇḍharī-राव-ठावा-नाहीं — अवघें-वाव. Without-ādhāra-empty-story-claim. Withoutādhāra(foundation), whatkāhāṇīdo you tell?; untilPaṇḍharī-rāvais known, until-then all-(of-it) isvāva(empty). No-foundation; no-story; without-Paṇḍharī-rāva, everything-is-empty.
कोण-मानितो — कोरडें-ब्रम्ह-ज्ञान. Anti-dry-brahma-jñāna-claim. Whovalues— yourkōraḍē (dry) brahma-jñāna?No-one-values-dry-Brahman-knowledge. (Strong polemic: bare jñāna without bhakti iskōraḍē(dry — no juice, no sap, no life) andno-one-values-it.)
Tuka: ठेवा — जाण-पण-एक-सवा. Knowledge-mere-pittance-claim. Tuka says: the ṭhēvā (deposit, treasure)—jāṇa-paṇa(knowledge / theconceit-of-knowing) is justeka savā(one-and-a-quarter, atrivial-amount). Knowledge-is-a-pittance-of-deposit. (The eka savā image: a trivial-coin-amount — like saying a paltry one-and-a-quarter. Knowledge, without the Paṇḍharī-rāva-foundation, is just-this trivial-amount.)

[T]

For someone today

Without a real foundation, actually knowing and loving God, anything you say is just empty talk. Tukaram is blunt: dry knowledge, the kind that carries no warmth or devotion, isn't worth anything to anyone. Being clever or well-read is a small, almost trivial thing next to a genuine relationship with the divine.

मराठी: खरा आधार नसेल, म्हणजे देवाशी खरंखुरं नातं आणि प्रेम नसेल, तर तुम्ही काहीही बोललात तरी ते पोकळच असतं. तुकाराम स्पष्ट सांगतात की कोरडं ज्ञान, ज्यात भक्तीची ऊब नाही, त्याला कोणीच किंमत देत नाही. नुसतं हुशार किंवा विद्वान असणं ही देवाशी असलेल्या खऱ्या नात्यापुढे अगदी क्षुल्लक गोष्ट आहे.

Where this applies

Without-foundation. Empty-story.
Dry-jñāna. Rejected.
Pittance. Trivial-deposit.

Bhakti Pāṇḍuranga / Viṭhṭhal