Abhanga 1236
The company of saints runs on an economy of love alone, and the only way in is to let go of pride and receive its gifts like a grateful beggar.
The verse
संतांचिये गांवीं प्रेमाचा सुकाळ । नाहीं तळमळ दुःखलेश ॥१॥ तेथें मी राहीन होऊनि याचक । घालितील भीक ते चि मज ॥ध्रु.॥ संतांचिये गांवीं वरो भांडवल । अवघा विठ्ठल धन वित्त ॥२॥ संतांचे भोजन अमृताचे पान । करिती कीर्तन सर्वकाळ ॥३॥ संतांचा उदीम उपदेशाची पेठ । प्रेमसुख साटीं घेती देती ॥४॥ तुका म्हणे तेथें आणिक नाहीं परी । म्हणोनि भिकारी जालों त्यांचा ॥५॥
Literal translation
In saints' village — abundance of prema; no anguish, no touch of sorrow. There I will live as yācaka — what bhikā they give will be enough for me. In saints' village, the increasing-capital is — entirely Viṭṭhala — wealth and property. Saints' meal is the drinking of amṛta; they do kīrtana all the time. Saints' business is the upadēśa-market; for prema-sukha (as currency) they take and give. Tuka says: there is no other path there — therefore I have become their bhikārī.
मराठी: संतांच्या गांवांत प्रेमाचा सुकाळ — तळमळ-दुःखलेश नाहीं. तिथें मी याचक होऊन रहाणार — तीं देतील ती भीक माझ्यासाठीं पुरें. संतांच्या गांवांत वाढ-भांडवल — सगळें-च विठ्ठल — धन-वित्त. संतांचें भोजन — अमृताचें पान — सर्व-काळ कीर्तन-च करतात. संतांचा उदीम — उपदेशाची पेठ — प्रेम-सुखासाठीं — घेतात-देतात. Tukā म्हणे — तेथें आणखी कांहीं नाहीं (तर पर) — म्हणून मी त्यांचा भिकारी झालों.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| संतांचिये गांवीं प्रेमाचा सुकाळ | "in saints' village — abundance (sukāḷa) of prema" |
| नाहीं तळमळ दुःखलेश | "no taḷamaḷa (anguish), no duḥkha-lēśa (touch of sorrow)" |
| तेथें मी राहीन होऊनि याचक | "there I will live as yācaka (beggar)" |
| घालितील भीक ते चि मज | "what bhikā they give will be enough for me" |
| संतांचिये गांवीं वरो भांडवल | "in saints' village, the increasing-capital (varō bhāṇḍavala)" |
| अवघा विठ्ठल धन वित्त | "is — entirely Viṭṭhala — wealth and property" |
| संतांचे भोजन अमृताचे पान | "saints' bhōjana — drinking of amṛta" |
| करिती कीर्तन सर्वकाळ | "they do kīrtana all the time" |
| संतांचा उदीम उपदेशाची पेठ | "saints' business (udīma) — the upadēśa-pēṭha (teaching-market)" |
| प्रेमसुख साटीं घेती देती | "for prema-sukha (= currency) — they take and give" |
| तेथें आणिक नाहीं परी | "there is no other path (parī)" |
| म्हणोनि भिकारी जालों त्यांचा | "therefore I have become their bhikārī (beggar)" |
What it means
Saints'-village-as-utopia abhang — companion to 1235. Tuka builds the entire economy of the saints'-village in village-merchant vocabulary:
| Standard village | Saints' village |
|---|---|
| Wealth (dhana-vitta) | Viṭṭhala |
| Capital (bhāṇḍavala) | Viṭṭhala (entirely) |
| Meal (bhōjana) | Amṛta-pāna (drinking nectar) |
| Constant labor | Kīrtana sarva-kāḷa |
| Business (udīma) | Upadēśa-pēṭha (the market of teaching) |
| Currency (sāṭīm) | Prema-sukha |
| What grows (sukāḷa) | Prema |
| What's absent | Taḷamaḷa, duḥkha-lēśa |
The closing posture: bhikārī jālōm tyāncā — I have become their beggar. This is yācaka-bhakti — Tuka takes himself out of the ankita (vassal) and dāsa (servant) categories and chooses the lowliest: bhikārī. The saints' village has no other relationship-class for him; the only way to receive their bhikā (alms) of prema-sukha is to be their bhikārī.
[T]
For someone today
For today: the saints'-village runs on a different economy — Viṭṭhala-as-wealth, amṛta-as-meal, kīrtana-as-labor, upadēśa-as-market, prema-as-currency; the only way in is to become a bhikārī.
Where this applies
- When you feel you have nothing impressive to offer a spiritual community except your presence
- When you're tired of transactional relationships and want to belong somewhere that runs on generosity instead
- When anxiety or scarcity feels endless and you need to imagine a place where none of that touches you
- When pride keeps you from asking for help and you need permission to simply receive