संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 943 of 4582

Abhanga 943

Do only what keeps God in mind and drop the rest as wasted effort, because piling up clever knowledge becomes a weight that drowns you, while heartfelt faith is what actually carries you across.

When do the upāya by which Dēva is recalled; abandon the rest as empty — and you have to recognize this register
When be awake! why tire yourself uselessly? — and you accept this image
When load of jāṇīva drowns in bhava-pool — and you allow this image

The verse

आठवे देव तो करावा उपाव । येर तजीं वाव खटपटा ॥१॥ होई बा जागा होई वा जागा । वाउगा कां गा सिणसील ॥ध्रु.॥ जाणिवेच्या भारें भवाचिये डोहीं । बुडसी तों कांहीं निघेसि ना ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे देवा पावसील भावें । जाणतां तें ठावें कांहीं नव्हे ॥३॥

Literal translation

Āṭhavē — Dēva — upāya. Vāva — khaṭa-paṭa. Jāgā — siṇasīla. Jāṇīva — bhava-ḍōha — buḍasī — nighēsi. Tuka says: Dēva — bhāva — jāṇatām — ṭhāva — none.

मराठी: आठवे देव — तो उपाय करावा — येर वाव-खटपटा तजीं. होई बा जागा! होई वा जागा! — वाउगा कां गा सिणसील?. जाणिवेच्या भारें भवाच्या डोहीं — बुडसी, तोंवरी कांहीं निघसि-ना. Tuka म्हणे: देवा भावें पावसील — जाणतां तें ठावें कांहीं नव्हे.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
आठवे देव तो करावा उपाव "āṭhavē — Dēva — upāya"
येर तजीं वाव खटपटा "tajīm vāva — khaṭa-paṭa"
होई बा जागा होई वा जागा "hōī jāgā"
वाउगा कां गा सिणसील "vāugā — siṇasīla"
जाणिवेच्या भारें भवाचिये डोहीं "jāṇīva — bhava-ḍōha"
बुडसी तों कांहीं निघेसि ना "buḍasī — nighēsi"
देवा पावसील भावें "Dēva — bhāva"
जाणतां तें ठावें कांहीं नव्हे "jāṇatām — ṭhāva"

What it means

A do-the-upāya-by-which-Dēva-recalled-abandon-rest-as-empty-be-awake-load-of-jāṇīva-drowns-in-bhava-pool-reach-Dēva-by-bhāva-knowing-is-no-foothold abhang. Anti-jāṇīva-pro-bhāva register. Three claims:

  1. आठवे-देव-उपाय — येर-वाव — जागा-वाउगा-सिण. Be-awake-claim. Do thatupāyaby whichDēvaisāṭhavē; the rest isvāva; be awake — why tire uselessly?

  2. जाणीव-भार-भव-डोह — बुडसी-न-निघेसि. Jāṇīva-drowns-claim. Withjāṇīva'sbhāra, in the bhava-ḍōha; you'll drown, won't get out. Knowing-as-load-drowns-you.

  3. Tuka: देव-भावें — जाणतां-ठाव-नाहीं. Bhāva-reaches-claim. Tuka says: bybhāvayou reachDēva; jāṇatām is no ṭhāva at all.Knowing-is-not-a-foothold-only-bhāva-is.

[T]

For someone today

Tukaram tells you to do only the one thing that keeps God in your mind, and to let go of everything else as wasted effort. He asks why you tire yourself out with useless busyness when a simple wakefulness, remembering the divine, is enough. Piling up clever knowledge and cleverness becomes a weight that actually drags you down and drowns you in the churning pool of worldly life, instead of helping you cross it. What actually gets you to God is heartfelt faith, not intellectual knowing, because knowing alone gives you no real place to stand.

मराठी: तुकाराम सांगतात की फक्त तेवढंच कर ज्यामुळे देव आठवत राहील, बाकी सगळी धावपळ व्यर्थ आहे. ते विचारतात की साधी जागृती, म्हणजे देवाचं स्मरण, पुरेसं असताना तू का उगीच निष्फळ धडपडीने थकतोस. भरपूर हुशारी आणि जाणीव साठवत गेल्यास तीच ओझं बनते आणि संसाराच्या डोहात तुला पार करण्याऐवजी बुडवते. देवापर्यंत खरं तर मनापासूनचा भाव घेऊन जातो, नुसतं बौद्धिक ज्ञान नाही, कारण नुसत्या जाणिवेला उभं राहायला खरा आधारच नसतो.

Where this applies

Bhakti

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