संत साहित्य
Work in progress. Translations and commentary are AI-generated and may contain inaccuracies or hallucinations — please use your own judgement and check against the original sources.
संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1009 of 4582

Abhanga 1009

Purify your devotion first, live simply and quietly, and trust that whatever God tells you is enough, even before you understand everything.

When could the truth not become known — could not sēvā become possible — and you have to recognize this register
When do what's good for samādhāna; serve the forest; don't speak — and you accept this image
When let bhāva become pure at your feet — only then give it, after selecting — and you allow this image

The verse

साच मज काय कळों नये देवा । काय तुझी सेवा काहे नव्हे ॥१॥ करावें तें बरें जेणें समाधान । सेवावें हें वन न बोलावें ॥ध्रु.॥ शुद्ध माझा भाव होइल तुझे पायीं । तरि च हें देई निवडूनि ॥२॥ उचित अनुचित कळों आली गोष्टी । तुझे कृपादृष्टी पांडुरंगा ॥३॥ तुका म्हणे मज पायांसवे चाड । सांगसी तें गोड आहे मज ॥४॥

Literal translation

Sāca — could-not — Dēva — sēvā — could-not. Barēsamādhānavana — don't speak. Śuddha bhāva — feet — give — nivaḍūni. Ucita-anucitakṛpā-dṛṣṭi — Pāṇḍuranga. Tuka says: cāḍa — feet — say — gōḍa.

मराठी: साच मज कळों नये का, Dēvā? — तुझी सेवा काहे नव्हे का? करावें तें बरें — जेणें समाधान — सेवावें हें वन — न बोलावें. माझा शुद्ध भाव तुझे पायीं होइल — तरि-च हें निवडूनि देई. उचित-अनुचित गोष्टी कळों आलीं — तुझे कृपा-दृष्टी, Pāṇḍurangā. Tuka म्हणे: मज पायां-सवें चाड — सांगसी तें गोड आहे मज.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
साच मज काय कळों नये देवा "sāca — could-not-be-known"
काय तुझी सेवा काहे नव्हे "sēvā — could-not-happen"
करावें तें बरें जेणें समाधान "barēsamādhāna"
सेवावें हें वन न बोलावें "vana — don't speak"
शुद्ध माझा भाव होइल तुझे पायीं "śuddha bhāva — feet"
तरि च हें देई निवडूनि "give — nivaḍūni"
उचित अनुचित कळों आली गोष्टी "ucita-anucita"
तुझे कृपादृष्टी पांडुरंगा "kṛpā-dṛṣṭi — Pāṇḍuranga"
तुका म्हणे मज पायांसवे चाड "cāḍa — feet"
सांगसी तें गोड आहे मज "say — gōḍa"

What it means

A could-the-truth-not-become-known-could-sēvā-not-become-possible-do-what's-good-by-which-comes-contentment-serve-this-forest-don't-speak-let-bhāva-become-pure-at-your-feet-only-then-give-it-after-selecting-ucita-anucita-known-by-your-grace-my-longing-with-your-feet-what-you-say-is-sweet abhang. Longing-with-feet-what-you-say-is-sweet register. Five claims:

  1. साच-कळों-नये — सेवा-नव्हे. Could-truth-not-become-known-claim. Could not the truth become known to me, Dēva?; could not yoursēvā become possible? (Tuka asks if these can be granted.)

  2. बरें-समाधान — वन-सेव-न-बोलावें. Do-what's-good-serve-forest-don't-speak-claim. Do that which isbarē (good), by which (comes) samādhāna;serve this vana (forest, solitude), don't speak. (The dispassion-instruction.)

  3. शुद्ध-भाव — पायीं — निवडूनि-देई. Let-bhāva-become-pure-only-then-give-after-selecting-claim. Let mybhāvaat yourpāyīmbecomeśuddha;only then give it, after nivaḍa (selecting, judging).

  4. उचित-अनुचित — कृपा-दृष्टी. Ucita-anucita-known-by-grace-claim. The matter ofucita-anucita (proper-improper) has become known;by your kṛpā-dṛṣṭi, Pāṇḍuranga.

  5. Tuka: पायां-सवें-चाड — सांगसी-गोड. Longing-with-feet-what-you-say-is-sweet-claim. Tuka says: mycāḍa (longing) is with (your) pāya;what you say is gōḍa (sweet) to me. (Whatever you say is sweet.)

[T]

For someone today

You don't need to have every answer about right and wrong before you begin devotion. Simply do what brings real peace, live simply and quietly without much talk, and let your heart grow pure by keeping your focus on Viṭṭhal's feet. Once that purity comes, discernment of what is proper and improper arrives on its own, through grace, not through overthinking. In the end, trust that whatever God tells you is enough and even sweet to hear, rather than something to argue with.

मराठी: तुला परमेश्वराच्या मार्गात सगळं आधीच समजून घेण्याची गरज नाही. जे केल्याने मनाला खरं समाधान मिळेल तेच कर, उगाच वाद घालू नकोस आणि साधेपणाने, शांतपणे राहा. विठ्ठलाच्या चरणी मन शुद्ध झालं की योग्य-अयोग्य याचं भान त्याच्याच कृपेने आपोआप येतं. शेवटी देव जे काही सांगतो ते गोड मानून स्वीकारणं, वादावादी न करता, हाच खरा विश्वास आहे.

Where this applies

Related verses