Abhanga 1321
For today: anubhava accomplishes itself; the dross burns off in the crucible; one ānanda remains; we conquer samsāra precisely by becoming his kinkara.
The verse
अनुभवें अनुभव अवघा चि साधिला । तरि स्थिरावला मनु ठायीं ॥१॥ पिटूनियां मुसे आला अळंकार । दग्ध तें असार होऊनियां ॥ध्रु.॥ एक चि उरलें कायावाचामना । आनंद भुवनामाजी त्रयीं ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे आम्ही जिंकिला संसार । होऊनि किंकर विठोबाचे ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: By anubhava, all anubhava has been accomplished — then the manu has settled in its place. By being beaten in the crucible, the alankāra has come — the asāra has gone, burnt. One alone has remained for kāya-vācā-mana — ānanda in the three bhuvanas. Tuka says: we have conquered samsāra — having become Viṭhobā's kinkara.
मराठी: अनुभवें — अनुभव अवघा-च साधला — तरीच मनु ठायींत स्थिरावला. मुसें (साच्यांत) पिटून — अळंकार आलें — दग्ध (जळून-गेलें) तें असार होऊनी. एकच — कायावाचामनाला — उरलें — आनंद-च — तीन भुवनांत. Tukā म्हणे — आम्हीं संसार जिंकिला — विठोबाचे किंकर होऊनी.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| अनुभवें अनुभव अवघा चि साधिला | "by anubhava — all anubhava — has been sādhilā (accomplished)" |
| तरि स्थिरावला मनु ठायीं | "then — the manu (mind) has settled (sthirāvalā) in its place" |
| पिटूनियां मुसे आला अळंकार | "by being beaten (piṭūniyām) in the muse (crucible / mold) — the alankāra has come" |
| दग्ध तें असार होऊनियां | "burnt (dagdha) — the asāra (essence-less) has gone" |
| एक चि उरलें कायावाचामना | "one alone — has remained — for kāya-vācā-mana" |
| आनंद भुवनामाजी त्रयीं | "ānanda — in the three (trayīm) bhuvanas" |
| आम्ही जिंकिला संसार | "we have conquered (jimkilā) the samsāra" |
| होऊनि किंकर विठोबाचे | "having become — Viṭhobā's kinkara (servant)" |
What it means
Conquered-samsāra-by-becoming-servant abhang — the warkari-bhakti paradox at its sharpest.
The opening: anubhavē anubhava avaghā chi sādhilā — by anubhava, all anubhava has been accomplished. Anubhava (direct experience) accomplishes itself; you don't need any other instrument. Sthirāvalā manu ṭhāyīm — the manu has settled in its place — the wandering mind has reached home.
The middle metallurgy-image: piṭūniyām musē ālā alankāra — dagdha tē asāra hō'ūniyām — by being beaten in the muse (the crucible / mold), the alankāra (ornament) has come; the asāra (essence-less, the dross) has gone, burnt. The body-soul has been forged — beaten and refined — the dross burnt off. The bhakta is now alankāra (ornament) for Hari.
Ēka chi uralē kāya-vācā-manā — ānanda bhuvanāmājhī trayīm — one alone has remained for body-speech-mind — ānanda in the three bhuvanas. Body, speech, and mind have all collapsed into a single state: ānanda, present throughout the three worlds.
The closing — āmhī jimkilā samsāra — hō'ūnī kinkara Viṭhōbācē — we have conquered samsāra — by becoming Viṭhobā's kinkara (servant / dependent). The paradox: to conquer samsāra, become a servant. Sovereignty is not above; it's below. The kinkara (one-who-says-only "what?-what-shall-I-do?" — the etymological pun) is the jīta-samsāra (samsāra-conqueror).
This is among Tukaram's most concentrated jīvan-mukta declarations.
[T]
For someone today
For today: anubhava accomplishes itself; the dross burns off in the crucible; one ānanda remains; we conquer samsāra precisely by becoming his kinkara.
Where this applies
- Anubhava-accomplishes-anubhava.* Anubhavē-anubhava-sādhilā.
- Beaten-in-crucible-ornament-emerges.* Piṭūniyām-musē-alankāra.
- One-ānanda-remains-three-bhuvanas.* Ānanda-bhuvanāmājhī-trayīm.
- Conquered-samsāra-by-becoming-servant.* Jimkilā-samsāra-kinkara-Viṭhōbācē.