Abhanga 1353
Names and forms, including the gods we worship, are the touchable share of something ultimately formless, given to us so love and devotion have somewhere to land.
The verse
रूप नांवें माया बोलावया ठाव । भागा आले भाव तयावरि ॥१॥ सींव वाटे परी न खंडे पृथिवी । शाहाणे ते जीवीं समजती ॥ध्रु.॥ पोटा आलें तिच्या लोळे मांड्यांवरि । पारखी न करी खंतीं चित्तीं ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे भक्तीसाटीं हरिहर । अरूपीचें क्षरविभाग हें ॥३॥
Literal translation
Rūpa-and-nāma — māyā's place for speech — the bhāva that came as bhāga on top. Looks like a sīmva, yet the pṛthivī isn't broken — the śāhāṇē know in the jīva. The (child) that came in her pōṭa rolls on the māṇḍī — the pārakhī doesn't make khantī in citta. Tuka says: for bhakti's sake — Hari and hara — these are the kṣara-vibhāga of arūpa.
मराठी: रूप-नामें — मायेची बोलण्याची ठाव — त्या-वर भाग आले भाव. सींव (मर्यादा) वाटतें — पण पृथ्वी खंडित होत नाहीं — शहाणे जीवीं समजतात. पोटा आली ती-च — तिच्या मांडीवर लोळते — पारखी (बाह्य परीक्षक) चित्तीं खंती करत नाहीं. Tukā म्हणे — भक्ती-साठीं हरि-हर — अरूपाचा क्षर-विभाग हे.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| रूप नांवें माया बोलावया ठाव | "rūpa-and-nāma — māyā's ṭhāva (place) — for bōlāvayā (speech-purposes)" |
| भागा आले भाव तयावरि | "the bhāva — that came as bhāga (share) — on it" |
| सींव वाटे परी न खंडे पृथिवी | "(it) seems like a sīmva (boundary) — yet the pṛthivī (earth) is not khaṇḍē (broken)" |
| शाहाणे ते जीवीं समजती | "the śāhāṇē (wise) — know it in the jīva" |
| पोटा आलें तिच्या लोळे मांड्यांवरि | "the (child) that came in her pōṭa — rolls (lōḷē) on the māṇḍī (lap)" |
| पारखी न करी खंतीं चित्तीं | "the pārakhī (= she-examining-her-own / outsider-judge) — does not make khantī (regret) in citta" |
| तुका म्हणे भक्तीसाटीं हरिहर | "Tuka says — for bhakti's sake — Hari and hara" |
| अरूपीचें क्षरविभाग हें | "(these are) the kṣara-vibhāga (perishable-half) of arūpa (formless)" |
What it means
Hari-and-hara-as-kṣara-half-of-arūpa abhang. Philosophical compression of the saguṇa-as-half-of-nirguṇa doctrine.
The opening: rūpa nāmvē māyā bōlāvayā ṭhāva — bhāgā ālē bhāva tayā-vari — rūpa-and-nāma (= form-and-name) — these aremāyā's ṭhāva(= māyā's place)for speech— and thebhāvacame on top of those as abhāga(share). Form and name are māyā's-instruments-for-speech; the bhāva (devotional feeling) sits on top of them as the bhakta's share.
The image: sīmva vāṭē parī na khaṇḍē pṛthivī — śāhāṇē tē jīvīm samajatī — (political-borders) seem likesīmva(boundaries) — yet thepṛthivī(= earth itself) is notkhaṇḍita(broken / divided); theśāhāṇēknow in the jīva. The world looks divided into nation-states / kingdoms / castes / forms — but the underlying pṛthivī is one and unbroken. Wise know this in the jīva (= experientially).
The mother-image: pōṭā ālē ticyā lōḷē māṇḍyāmvarī — pārakhī na karī khantīm cittīm — the (child) that came into her pōṭa — rolls on hermāṇḍī(lap) — thepārakhī(theexamining-eyeof theoutsider-judge) does not makekhantī(regret) in (the mother's) citta. The mother who has birthed the child rolls him on her own lap — no outsider's-judgment matters to her. The pārakhī-as-outsider-examiner would judge by external criteria; the mother knows by the pōṭa-bond.
The closing philosophical statement: bhakti-sāṭīm Hari-hara — arūpīcē kṣara-vibhāga hē — for the bhakti-sake — Hari (= Viṣṇu) and hara (= Śiva) — these are thekṣara-vibhāga(theperishable-half / kṣara-portion) ofarūpa(the formless). Tukaram does the philosophical reconciliation: the saguṇa deities are the kṣara-vibhāga of the arūpa-Brahman — taken-on for the bhakti-sake. The bhakta loves Hari-and-hara as the touchable kṣara-portion of the untouchable arūpa. (Echoes 1291 kṣarā-akṣarācā bhāga karā lāga Paṇḍharīyē.)
[T]
For someone today
For today: form-and-name are māyā's place for speech; the wise know the unbroken pṛthivī beneath; Hari and hara are the kṣara-half of arūpa, taken on for the bhakti's sake.
Where this applies
- When you argue over which name or form of God is the correct one and forget they point to the same formless truth
- When political or social boundaries make you feel the world is fundamentally divided rather than one
- When you need an outsider's validation for a bond, like a parent's love, that doesn't require any proof
- When you're drawn to worship a specific deity or image and wonder if that's a lesser kind of devotion
- When you want to explain to a skeptic why devotion to a form of God still makes sense