Abhanga 1045
Tukaram says the ancient sages sought liberation out of dread of being born again and again, and had to follow hard, demanding disciplines to get free. For devotees who simply love God, he says, that same freedom comes easily. When you learn to see ordinary life itself as sacred, calling it the very form of Vitthal, all the effortful striving the scriptures describe turns into a simple, open road. Tuka's closing wish is generous: not freedom for himself alone, but an unbroken, shared joy of love taken together with everyone.
The verse
मुनि मुक्त जाले भेणें गर्भवासा । आम्हां विष्णुदासां सुलभ तो ॥१॥ अवघा चि संसार केला ब्रम्हरूप । विठ्ठलस्वरूप म्हणोनियां ॥ध्रु.॥ पुराणीं उपदेश साधन उध्दट । आम्हां सोपी वाट वैकुंठींची ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे जनां सकळांसहित । घेऊं अखंडित प्रेमसुख ॥२॥
Literal translation
Muni — mukta — bhēṇē garbha-vāsa — Viṣṇu-dāsa — sulabha. Samsāra — brahma-rūpa — Viṭṭhala-svarūpa. Purāṇa — upadēśa-sādhana — uddhaṭa — sōpī vāṭa — Vaikuṇṭha. Tuka says: jana sakaḷām — akhaṇḍita prēma-sukha.
मराठी: मुनि मुक्त जाले — गर्भ-वासा भेणें — आम्हां Viṣṇu-दासांस तो सुलभ. अवघा-च संसार ब्रह्म-रूप केला — Viṭṭhala-स्वरूप म्हणोनियां. पुराणीं उपदेश-साधन उद्धट — आम्हां सोपी वाट Vaikuṇṭhīmची. Tuka म्हणे: जनांसकळांस-सहित — अखंडित प्रेम-सुख घेऊं.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| मुनि मुक्त जाले भेणें गर्भवासा | "muni — mukta — bhēṇē garbha-vāsa" |
| आम्हां विष्णुदासां सुलभ तो | "Viṣṇu-dāsa — sulabha" |
| अवघा चि संसार केला ब्रम्हरूप | "samsāra — brahma-rūpa" |
| विठ्ठलस्वरूप म्हणोनियां | "Viṭṭhala-svarūpa" |
| पुराणीं उपदेश साधन उध्दट | "purāṇa — upadēśa-sādhana — uddhaṭa" |
| आम्हां सोपी वाट वैकुंठींची | "sōpī vāṭa — Vaikuṇṭha" |
| जनां सकळांसहित | "jana sakaḷām" |
| घेऊं अखंडित प्रेमसुख | "akhaṇḍita prēma-sukha" |
What it means
A munis-became-liberated-out-of-fear-of-the-womb-for-us-the-servants-of-Viṣṇu-that-liberation-is-easy-the-entire-samsāra-has-been-made-into-brahma-form-by-calling-it-Viṭṭhala's-form-in-the-purāṇas-the-instruction-and-discipline-are-bold-prescribed-with-effort-for-us-the-way-to-Vaikuṇṭha-is-easy-with-all-the-people-let-us-take-uninterrupted-love-bliss abhang. Easy-way-uninterrupted-prema-sukha register. Four claims:
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मुनि-मुक्त-गर्भ-भय — विष्णु-दास-सुलभ. Easy-for-us-claim. Munis became mukta out-of-bhēṇē (fear) of garbha-vāsa (womb-residence); for usViṣṇu-dāsas, that (same mukti) is sulabha (easy). (The munis fled mukti fromfear of rebirth; for the bhakta, mukti is easy because of bhakti.)
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संसार-ब्रह्म-रूप — Viṭṭhala-स्वरूप. Samsāra-made-brahma-rūpa-claim. The entiresamsārahas been madebrahma-rūpa;calling-it Viṭṭhala-svarūpa. (By naming samsāra Viṭṭhala-svarūpa, the bhakta makes samsāra-itself-brahma.)
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पुराण-उद्धट — आम्हां-सोपी-वाट. Easy-way-to-Vaikuṇṭha-claim. Inpurāṇa,upadēśa-sādhanaisuddhaṭa (bold, prescribed-with-effort); for us thevāṭatoVaikuṇṭhaissōpī (easy).
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Tuka: जना-सकळांस — अखंडित-प्रेम-सुख. With-all-people-uninterrupted-prema-sukha-claim. Tuka says: with alljana;let's take akhaṇḍita prēma-sukha. (Inclusive: with everyone — let's take uninterrupted love-bliss.)
[T]
For someone today
Tukaram says the ancient sages sought liberation out of dread of being born again and again, and had to follow hard, demanding disciplines to get free. For devotees who simply love God, he says, that same freedom comes easily. When you learn to see ordinary life itself as sacred, calling it the very form of Vitthal, all the effortful striving the scriptures describe turns into a simple, open road. Tuka's closing wish is generous: not freedom for himself alone, but an unbroken, shared joy of love taken together with everyone.
मराठी: तुकाराम म्हणतात की जुन्या काळातील मुनींनी पुन्हा पुन्हा जन्म घ्यावा लागेल या भीतीने मुक्ती मिळवली, आणि त्यासाठी त्यांना कठीण व कष्टाची साधना करावी लागली. पण जे फक्त देवावर प्रेम करतात, त्यांच्यासाठी तीच मुक्ती अगदी सोपी होते. रोजचे सामान्य जीवनच पांडुरंगाचे रूप मानून पाहिले, की शास्त्रांनी सांगितलेली अवघड साधना एका साध्या, सोप्या वाटेत बदलते. तुका शेवटी एकट्यासाठी मुक्ती मागत नाहीत, तर सर्वांसोबत मिळून अखंड प्रेमसुख घेण्याची इच्छा व्यक्त करतात.
Where this applies
- Easy-for-us. Garbha-bhēṇē.
- Samsāra-Viṭṭhala. Brahma-rūpa.
- Easy-way. Sōpī-vāṭa.
- Uninterrupted. Akhaṇḍita.