संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 883 of 4582

Abhanga 883

Steady, undivided devotion actively draws the divine near, giving it a form you can stand close to, as if your sincere call truly brings God down to you.

When the jīvhāra of jagat has come to our share — and you have to recognize this register
When we held with the jīva by sturdy eka-vidha bhāva — and you accept this image
When we brought Him to rūpa; He stands easy-and-near — and you allow this image

The verse

आमच्या हें आलें भागा । जीव्हार या जगाचें ॥१॥ धरूनियां ठेलों जीवें । बळकट भावें एकविध ॥ध्रु.॥ आणूनियां केला रूपा । उभा सोपा जवळी ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे अंकित केला । खालीं आला वचनें ॥३॥

Literal translation

Our — bhāga — jīvhāra — jagat. Jīva — baḷakaṭa-bhāva-eka-vidha. Rūpa — sōpā-javaḷī. Tuka says: ankita — down — vacana.

मराठी: ह्या जगाचा जीव्हार आमच्या भागा आला. जीवें धरूनियां ठेलों — बळकट भावें, एक-विध. आणूनियां रूपा केला — सोपा, जवळी उभा. Tuka म्हणे: अंकित केला — वचनें खालीं आला.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
आमच्या हें आलें भागा "our — bhāga"
जीव्हार या जगाचें "jīvhāra — jagat"
धरूनियां ठेलों जीवें "held — jīva"
बळकट भावें एकविध "baḷakaṭa — bhāva — eka-vidha"
आणूनियां केला रूपा "bringing — rūpa"
उभा सोपा जवळी "stands — sōpā — javaḷī"
अंकित केला "ankita"
खालीं आला वचनें "down — came — vacana"

What it means

A jīvhāra-of-jagat-came-to-our-share-held-with-jīva-by-sturdy-eka-vidha-bhāva-brought-to-rūpa-easy-and-near-made-ankita-came-down-by-vacana abhang. Made-Him-ankita-by-vacana register. Three claims:

  1. ह्या-जगाचा-जीव्हार-आमच्या-भागा — जीवें-धरूनियां-बळकट-भावें-एक-विध. Jīvhāra-to-our-share-and-eka-vidha-bhāva-claim. This came to ourbhāga: thejīvhāraof thisjagat; we held (Him) with thejīva, with baḷakaṭa bhāva, eka-vidha (single-mode, undivided).Jagat's-life-vital-came-to-us; held-with-undivided-bhāva.

  2. रूपा-केला — सोपा-जवळी-उभा. Brought-to-rūpa-stands-easy-near-claim. We brought (Him) and made (Him) takerūpa; He standssōpāandjavaḷī. Brought-to-form; stands-easy-and-close. (The Nirguṇa-becomes-Saguṇa-and-stands-near claim.)

  3. Tuka: अंकित-केला — वचनें-खालीं-आला. Made-Him-ankita-came-down-by-vacana-claim. Tuka says: (we) made (Him) ankita (subdued, branded — ankita = inscribed-into-our-account, the obligated-debtor);He came-down by the vacana. We-branded-Him-as-our-debtor; He-came-down-by-the-call. (The ankita-by-vacana claim: bhakti's vacana (call, word) literally brings-down Hari and makes-Him-ankita — bound-to-the-bhakta.)

[T]

For someone today

This verse makes a bold, tender claim: the very life and soul of this whole world became ours to hold, simply because we held on with steady, undivided devotion. Through that devotion the formless took a form we could stand close to, someone easy and near rather than distant and abstract. Tukaram goes even further and says the bhakta's sincere call actually brings God down and binds Him, as if devotion itself has the power to make the divine answerable to love. It is a reminder that steady, wholehearted devotion is not passive waiting; it actively draws the divine near.

मराठी: ही ओवी एक धाडसी, प्रेमळ दावा करते. या संपूर्ण जगाचा जीव्हार आमच्या वाट्याला आला, केवळ आम्ही स्थिर आणि एकनिष्ठ भावाने त्याला धरून ठेवले म्हणून. त्या भक्तीमुळे निराकार साकार रूप घेऊन आमच्याजवळ उभे राहिले, दूरचे किंवा अमूर्त नव्हे तर सोपे आणि जवळचे. तुकाराम त्याहूनही पुढे जाऊन म्हणतात की भक्ताची मनापासूनची हाक देवाला खरोखर खाली आणते आणि त्याला बांधून टाकते, जणू भक्तीलाच देवाला प्रेमापुढे उत्तरदायी बनवण्याची शक्ती आहे. स्थिर, एकनिष्ठ भक्ती ही निष्क्रिय वाट पाहणे नसून ती देवाला जवळ खेचून आणते, हे यातून दिसते.

Where this applies

Bhakti

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