संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1235 of 4582

Abhanga 1235

For today: the four-fold rule: if you take, do, sit, go — make it saints; they are oceans of sukha; take fill without break.

When the mind drifts to other things — Tuka prescribes the four-fold rule: take, do, sit, go — all only with saints; saints are oceans of sukha, take fill

The verse

घेसी तरी घेई संताची भेटी । आणीक ते गोष्टी नको मना ॥१॥ सर्वभावें त्यांचें देव भांडवल । आणीक ते बोल न बोलती ॥ध्रु.॥ करिसील तो करीं संतांचा सांगत । आणीक ते मात नको मना ॥२॥ बैससी तरी बैस संतां च मधीं । आणीक ते बुद्धी नको मना ॥३॥ जासी तरि जाई संतांचिया गांवां । होईंल विसावा तेथें मना ॥४॥ तुका म्हणे संत सुखाचे सागर । मना निरंतर धणी घेइ ॥५॥

Literal translation

English: If you take — take the saint's meeting; let no other matter be in the mind. Their capital is, sarva-bhāvē, the Deva — they speak no other speech. If you do — do the saints' company; let no other matter be in the mind. If you sit — sit only among saints; let no other intent be in the mind. If you go — go to the saints' village — the mind will find rest there. Tuka says: saints are oceans of sukha — mind, take fill without break.

मराठी: घेसी तर — संताची भेटी घेसी — दुसरी (कोणती-हि) गोष्ट मनांत नको. सर्वभावें त्यांचें भांडवल — देव — दुसरें ते बोलत नाहींत. करसील तर — संतांच्या सांगातीं कर — दुसरें मनांत नको. बैससी तर — संतांच्या-च मध्यें बैस — दुसरी बुद्धि नको. जाशील तर — संतांच्या गांवांत जा — मनाला विसावा तिथें. Tukā म्हणे — संत सुखाचे सागर — मना — निरंतर धणी घे.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
घेसी तरी घेई संताची भेटी "if you take, take the saint's bhēṭī (meeting)"
आणीक ते गोष्टी नको मना "let no other (āṇīka) gōṣṭī (matter) be in the mind"
सर्वभावें त्यांचें देव भांडवल "their bhāṇḍavala (capital) is — sarva-bhāvē — the Deva"
आणीक ते बोल न बोलती "they speak no other bōla"
करिसील तो करीं संतांचा सांगत "if you do — do the saints' company (sāngata)"
बैससी तरी बैस संतां च मधीं "if you sit, sit only (chi) among saints"
जासी तरि जाई संतांचिया गांवां "if you go, go to the saints' village"
होईंल विसावा तेथें मना "the mind will find visāvā (rest) there"
संत सुखाचे सागर "saints are oceans (sāgara) of sukha"
मना निरंतर धणी घेइ "mind, take fill (dhaṇī) nirantara (without break)"

What it means

Saint-only-everything teaching with the four-fold if-you prescription.

The structure is liturgical: ghēsī, karisīla, baisasī, jāsīif you take, do, sit, go — each followed by saint-restricted answer. Four conditions of life — receiving, acting, dwelling, traveling — all four restricted to samta-only.

The reasoning at the dhruva: sarva-bhāvē tyāncē Deva bhāṇḍavala — their capital is wholly the Deva; they speak no other speech. So receiving from them, doing with them, sitting with them, going to their village — all four are Deva-mediated. Tukaram's village-merchant vocabulary (bhāṇḍavala = capital) makes the claim concrete: the saints have invested everything in the Deva; their accounts are pure.

The closing — samta sukhāce sāgara — manā nirantara dhaṇī ghē'i — saints are oceans of sukha; mind, take fill nirantara (without break). Dhaṇī = brimming-fill, the Marathi word for drinking-one's-fill.

[T]

For someone today

For today: the four-fold rule: if you take, do, sit, go — make it saints; they are oceans of sukha; take fill without break.

Where this applies

Related verses