Abhanga 1294
For today: no offering fits the saints — they are brahmāṇḍa-jīvas; ocean-within-ocean; only bhāvē-saraṇa is the right gift.
The verse
मूळ करणें संतां । नाहीं मिळत उचिता ॥१॥ घडे कासयानें सेवा । सांग ब्रम्हांडाच्या जीवा ॥ध्रु.॥ सागर सागरीं । सामावेसी कैंची थोरी ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे भावें । शरण म्हणवितां बरवें ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: Making mūḷa to saints — nothing fitting is found. By what means can sevā be done? — say so, jīva of the brahmāṇḍa. Ocean within ocean — what greatness in your containing? Tuka says: with bhāva — saying-śaraṇa is good.
मराठी: संतांना मूळ करायचें (अर्पण घडवायचें) — पण उचित कांहीं मिळत नाहीं. कशानें सेवा घडावी? — सांग, ब्रह्मांडाच्या जीवा. सागर — सागरांत — समावेसी (सामावून घेसी) — कुठली थोरी? Tukā म्हणे — भावानें — शरण म्हणवून घेणें — बरवें.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| मूळ करणें संतां | "making mūḷa (offering / fetcher) to saints" |
| नाहीं मिळत उचिता | "nothing ucita (fitting / proper) is found" |
| घडे कासयानें सेवा | "by what means (kāsayānē) is sevā done?" |
| सांग ब्रम्हांडाच्या जीवा | "say (so), jīva of the brahmāṇḍa" |
| सागर सागरीं | "ocean — within ocean (sāgarīm)" |
| सामावेसी कैंची थोरी | "your sāmāvēśa (containing) — what greatness (in this)?" |
| भावें शरण म्हणवितां बरवें | "with bhāva — saying-śaraṇa (being-pronounced-as-saraṇa) is good (baravēm)" |
What it means
Saint-as-cosmos abhang. The opening dilemma: mūḷa karaṇē samtām — nāhīm miḷata ucitā — making mūḷa to saints, no fitting (offering) can be found. Mūḷa here = the appropriate offering brought when honoring (cf. 1248 mūḷa as fetcher); the bhakta wants to honor the saint but no gift fits.
The reason: brahmāṇḍācyā jīvā — the saints are the jīva of the brahmāṇḍa — the life-of-the-cosmos. To present a small offering to such a being is grotesque mismatch.
The image: sāgara sāgarīm — sāmāvēsī kaimcī thōrī — ocean within ocean — what greatness in your containing? The saints are like the ocean; whatever you bring (a cup of water, a river of water, even another ocean) — the saint already contains it. There's no greatness possible because there's no excess on the bhakta's side.
The closing prescription: bhāvē śaraṇa mhaṇavitām baravēm — with bhāva, saying-śaraṇa is the (only) good. The only fitting offering is bhāva itself, expressed as śaraṇa-mhaṇavanā — getting yourself called śaraṇa-of-his. Compare 1208 bhāvē śaraṇa mhaṇavitām baravēm — Tuka uses this phrase as a refrain for the only-bhāva-fits register.
[T]
For someone today
For today: no offering fits the saints — they are brahmāṇḍa-jīvas; ocean-within-ocean; only bhāvē-saraṇa is the right gift.
Where this applies
- No-fitting-mūḷa.* Mūḷa-samtām-nāhīm-ucita.
- Brahmāṇḍa-jīva.* Brahmāṇḍācyā-jīvā.
- Ocean-in-ocean.* Sāgara-sāgarīm.
- Only-bhāvē-śaraṇa.* Bhāvē-śaraṇa-mhaṇavitām.