Abhanga 1356
English: By the mūḷa of the mūḷa — all duḥkhas grow.
The verse
मुळाचिया मुळें । दुःखें वाढती सकळे ॥१॥ ऐसा योगियांचा धर्म । नव्हे वाढवावा श्रम ॥ध्रु.॥ न कळे आवडी । कोण आहे कैसी घडी ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे थीत । दुःख पाववावें चित्त ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: By the mūḷa of the mūḷa — all duḥkhas grow. Such is the yogis' dharma — not to increase śrama. The āvaḍī is not understood — who is which-ghaḍī? Tuka says: thīta — by duḥkha, the citta is brought-to-attainment**.
मराठी: मूळाच्या मूळानें — सकळ दुःखें वाढतात. ऐसा योगियांचा धर्म — नव्हे वाढवावा श्रम. आवडी न कळे — कोण आहे — कैसी घडी? Tukā म्हणे — थीत — दुःख — चित्तास पाववतें.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| मुळाचिया मुळें | "by the mūḷa of the mūḷa (= root-of-the-root)" |
| दुःखें वाढती सकळे | "all duḥkhas grow (vāḍhatī)" |
| ऐसा योगियांचा धर्म | "such is the yogis' dharma" |
| नव्हे वाढवावा श्रम | "(is) not — to increase (vāḍhavāvā) — śrama" |
| न कळे आवडी | "the āvaḍī (longing) is not understood" |
| कोण आहे कैसी घडी | "who is — which (kaisī) — ghaḍī (moment)?" |
| तुका म्हणे थीत | "Tuka says — thīta (incomplete)" |
| दुःख पाववावें चित्त | "(by) duḥkha — pāvavāvē (bring-to-attainment) — the citta" |
What it means
Duḥkhas-grow-from-root-of-root abhang. The opening insight: mūḷāciyā mūḷē — duḥkhē vāḍhatī sakaḷē — by the mūḷa of the mūḷa — all duḥkhas grow. Mūḷa is root; mūḷācī mūḷa is the root of the root — the deepest source. All duḥkha proliferates from a single deepest source (= avidyā / aham-kāra / samcita-mūla). Cut that, all duḥkhas wither.
The yogis' dharma: navhē vāḍhavāvā śrama — (the yogis' dharma is) not to increase śrama. Many seekers add more effort, more practices, more austerities; the yogi's approach is not to add. Cut the root, don't multiply the leaves.
The mystery: na kaḷē āvaḍī — kōṇa āhē kaisī ghaḍī — the āvaḍī (longing) is not understood — who is which ghaḍī? The moment-by-moment who/which of the longing isn't fully knowable; the bhakta's longing has a specificity that resists analysis.
The closing: Tukā mhaṇē thīta — duḥkha pāvavāvē citta — Tuka says — thīta (incomplete / unfulfilled) — duḥkha brings the citta to attainment. Thīta (= incompleteness, the unfulfilled-desire state) — paradoxically, duḥkha (suffering) is what brings the citta to attainment. Without the suffering of incompleteness, the citta wouldn't strive. Compare 1332 bare-jālē Devā nighālē divāḷē* (good that bankruptcy came); duḥkha-as-the-instrument-of-bhakti theology returns.
[T]
For someone today
For today: all duḥkhas grow from the root-of-the-root — cut that, don't multiply leaves; the yogi's dharma is not to increase śrama; thīta-duḥkha brings citta to attainment.
Where this applies
- Root-of-root-grows-all-duḥkhas.* Mūḷāciyā-mūḷē-duḥkhē-vāḍhatī.
- Yogi-doesn't-increase-śrama.* Navhē-vāḍhavāvā-śrama.
- Longing's-moment-mysterious.* Āvaḍī-kōṇa-kaisī-ghaḍī.
- Thīta-duḥkha-attains-citta.* Thīta-duḥkha-pāvavāvē-citta.