Abhanga 1015
All questions about what to know, do, or say resolve into one simple practice: keep your mind on God, and that turns even wrongdoing into merit.
The verse
जाणावें ते काय नेणावें ते काय । ध्यावे तुझे पाय हें चि सार ॥१॥ करावें तें काय न करावें तें काय । ध्यावें तुझे पाय हें चि सार ॥ध्रु.॥ बोलावें तें काय न बोलावें तें काय । ध्यावे तुझे पाय हें चि सार ॥२॥ जावें तें कोठें न वजावे आतां । बरवें आठवितां नाम तुझें ॥३॥ तुका म्हणे तूं करिसी तें सोपे । पुण्यें होती पापें आमुच्या मतें ॥४॥
Literal translation
Jāṇāvē — nēṇāvē — dhyāvē — pāya — sāra. Karāvē — na karāvē — dhyāvē — pāya — sāra. Bōlāvē — na bōlāvē — dhyāvē — pāya — sāra. Where — go — not — āṭhavitām — nāma. Tuka says: you-do — sōpē — pāpa — puṇya.
मराठी: जाणावें तें काय? नेणावें तें काय? — तुझे पाय ध्यावे — हें-च सार. करावें तें काय? न-करावें तें काय? — तुझे पाय ध्यावे — हें-च सार. बोलावें तें काय? न-बोलावें तें काय? — तुझे पाय ध्यावे — हें-च सार. जावें तें कोठें? न-वजावें आतां — तुझें नाम आठवितां बरवें. Tuka म्हणे: तूं करिसी तें सोपें — आमुच्या मतें पापें पुण्यें होती.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| जाणावें ते काय नेणावें ते काय | "jāṇāvē — nēṇāvē" |
| ध्यावे तुझे पाय हें चि सार | "dhyāvē — pāya — sāra" |
| करावें तें काय न करावें तें काय | "karāvē — na karāvē" |
| बोलावें तें काय न बोलावें तें काय | "bōlāvē — na bōlāvē" |
| जावें तें कोठें न वजावे आतां | "where — go — not — now" |
| बरवें आठवितां नाम तुझें | "āṭhavitām — nāma" |
| तुका म्हणे तूं करिसी तें सोपे | "you-do — sōpē" |
| पुण्यें होती पापें आमुच्या मतें | "pāpa — puṇya" |
What it means
A what-to-know-what-not-meditate-on-feet-this-is-essence-what-to-do-what-not-meditate-on-feet-this-is-essence-what-to-speak-what-not-meditate-on-feet-this-is-essence-where-to-go-where-not-name-when-remembered-good-what-you-do-is-easy-papas-become-puṇyas abhang. Papas-become-puṇyas register. Tukaram's threefold meditate-on-the-feet-this-is-the-sāra refrain. Five claims:
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जाणावें-नेणावें — पाय-सार. What-to-know-what-not-claim. What tojāṇāvē (know), what to nēṇāvē (not know)?;meditate on your pāya — this very is the sāra.
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करावें-न-करावें — पाय-सार. What-to-do-what-not-claim. What tokarāvē, what na karāvē?;meditate on your pāya — this very is the sāra.
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बोलावें-न-बोलावें — पाय-सार. What-to-speak-what-not-claim. What tobōlāvē, what na bōlāvē?;meditate on your pāya — this very is the sāra. (The threefold jñāna-karma-vāc — knowing, doing, speaking — all reduced to meditate on the feet.)
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जावें-कोठें — नाम-आठविणें. Name-when-remembered-good-claim. Where to go, where not to go now?; yournāmaisbarvē when āṭhavitām (remembered). (The fourth dimension — going / wandering — also reduced: just-remember-the-name andwherever is good.)
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Tuka: तूं-करिसी-सोपें — पाप-पुण्य. You-do-easy-papas-become-puṇyas-claim. Tuka says: what you do issōpē (easy);by our mata (view), pāpa (sins) become puṇya (merits). (When you act, evenpāpaturns intopuṇya — by your alchemy.)
[T]
For someone today
Tukaram reduces every question about what to know or not know, what to do or not do, what to say or not say, to a single answer: meditate on God's feet — that alone is the essence of it all. As for where to go or not go, simply remembering the Name makes any place good. He says that whatever God does through him becomes effortless, and in his understanding, even wrongdoing turns to merit when it is offered up this way.
मराठी: तुकाराम काय जाणावे किंवा न जाणावे, काय करावे किंवा न करावे, काय बोलावे किंवा न बोलावे या सर्व प्रश्नांचे उत्तर एकाच गोष्टीत सामावतात: देवाच्या चरणांचे ध्यान करावे - हेच सर्वांचे सार आहे. कुठे जावे किंवा न जावे याबाबतही, फक्त नामस्मरण केले की कोणतीही जागा चांगली ठरते. ते म्हणतात की देव त्यांच्याकडून जे काही करवून घेतो ते सहज घडते, आणि त्यांच्या दृष्टीने अशा समर्पणात पापही पुण्यात बदलते.
Where this applies
- Know-feet. Jāṇāvē.
- Do-feet. Karāvē.
- Speak-feet. Bōlāvē.
- Go-name. Āṭhavitām.
- Sins-become-merits. Pāpa-puṇya.