संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 987 of 4582

Abhanga 987

This abhang names the ākāśā-ēvaḍhā-jīvanmukta register:

When smaller than the smallest atom; yet as-vast-as-ākāśa — and you have to recognize this register
When swallowed and tossed the corpse-body and bhava-bhrama — and you accept this image
When tripuṭī tossed; dīpa lit in the ghaṭa — and you allow this image

The verse

अणुरणीयां थोकडा । तुका आकाशाएवढा ॥१॥ गिळुनि सांडिलें कळिवर । भव भ्रमाचा आकार ॥ध्रु.॥ सांडिली त्रिपुटी । दीप उजळला घटीं ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे आतां । उरलों उपकारापुरता ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: Aṇu-raṇīyām — thōkaḍā. Ākāśā-ēvaḍhā. Kaḷivara — giḷuni sāṇḍilē. Bhava-bhrama — ākāra. Tripuṭi — sāṇḍilī. Dīpa — ujaḷalā — ghaṭa. Tuka says: uralōm — upakārā-puratā.

मराठी: अणु-रणीयां थोकडा — Tuka आकाशा-एवढा. गिळुनि सांडिलें कळिवर — भव-भ्रमाचा आकार. सांडिली त्रिपुटी — दीप उजळला घटीं. Tuka म्हणे: आतां — उरलों उपकारा-पुरता.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
अणुरणीयां थोकडा "aṇu-raṇīyām — thōkaḍā"
तुका आकाशाएवढा "Tuka — ākāśā-ēvaḍhā"
गिळुनि सांडिलें कळिवर "giḷuni sāṇḍilē — kaḷivara"
भव भ्रमाचा आकार "bhava-bhrama — ākāra"
सांडिली त्रिपुटी "tripuṭi"
दीप उजळला घटीं "dīpa — ghaṭa"
उरलों उपकारापुरता "upakārā-puratā"

What it means

A smaller-than-the-smallest-atom-yet-as-vast-as-ākāśa-swallowed-and-tossed-the-corpse-body-and-bhava-bhrama-tripuṭī-tossed-dīpa-lit-in-the-ghaṭa-I-remain-only-for-upakāra abhang. Ākāśā-ēvaḍhā-jīvanmukta register. Three claims:

  1. अणु-रणीयां-थोकडा — आकाश-एवढा. Smaller-than-atom-yet-vast-as-ākāśa-claim. Tuka is aṇu-raṇīyām thōkaḍā and ākāśā-ēvaḍhā (both at-once). Paradoxical-self-description: smallest-and-largest at-the-same-time. (Echo of Bhagavad-Gītā's aṇōr-aṇīyāmsam* — the bhakta-attained-Brahman.)

  2. गिळुनि-सांडिलें-कळिवर — भव-भ्रम-आकार — त्रिपुटी-सांडिली — दीप-घटीं-उजळला. Tripuṭī-tossed-dīpa-lit-claim. Swallowed and tossed-aside the kaḷivara; the ākāra of bhava-bhrama; the tripuṭi (knower-knowing-known) was sāṇḍilī; the dīpa lit-up in the ghaṭa. Body-and-tripuṭi-gone; inner-light-on.

  3. Tuka: आतां-उरलों-उपकारा-पुरता. Remain-only-for-upakāra-claim. Tuka says: now — I remain uralōm only upakārā-puratā (enough-for-others'-uplift). I-stay-now-only-to-help-others*. (Closing-sannyāsa-bodhisattva-like claim: the bhakta-now-acts only for upakāra of others.)

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the ākāśā-ēvaḍhā-jīvanmukta register:

  1. Smaller than the smallest atom; yet as-vast-as-ākāśa. Paradox.

  2. Swallowed and tossed the corpse-body and bhava-bhrama. Tripuṭī-tossed.

  3. Dīpa lit in the ghaṭa. Inner-light.

  4. Now I remain only for upakāra. For-others.

For today: aṇu-raṇīyām thōkaḍā, Tuka ākāśā-ēvaḍhā; kaḷivara giḷuni sāṇḍilē, bhava-bhrama ākāra; tripuṭi sāṇḍilī, *dīpa ujaḷalā ghaṭīm; now — uralōm upakārā-puratā**.

This abhang is Tukaram's ākāśā-ēvaḍhā-jīvanmukta register — one of the most-iconic jīvanmukta-statements in the Gatha. Compare 0885 kṣara-bhāgī-jagī-vyāpaka (Tuka's mudra); same jīvanmukti but here organized as aṇu-and-ākāśa-paradox. The uralōm upakārā-puratā (I remain only for upakāra) is the precise bodhisattva-claim*.

मराठी: ही ओवी ākāśā-ēvaḍhā-jīvanmukta register नाव सांगते:

  1. अणु-आकाश. Paradox.

  2. त्रिपुटी-सांडिली. Tripuṭī-tossed.

  3. दीप-घटीं. Inner-light.

  4. उपकारा-पुरता. For-others.

आज: Aṇu-raṇīyām thōkaḍā, Tuka ākāśā-ēvaḍhā; kaḷivara giḷuni sāṇḍilē, bhava-bhrama-ākāra; *Tripuṭi sāṇḍilī, dīpa ujaḷalā ghaṭīm; Uralōm upakārā-puratā*.

Tukaram च-ākāśā-ēvaḍhā-jīvanmukta-register — Most-iconic jīvanmukta-statements in the Gatha पैकी एक. 0885 (Tuka mudra) compare; तीच jīvanmukti पण इथे aṇu-and-ākāśa-paradox च्या मार्गाने. Uralōm upakārā-puratā precise bodhisattva-claim.

Where this applies

Name Bhakti

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