Abhanga 1383
For today: take cymbals and drum, sing praise, go once to Paṇḍharī — the purāṇic itihāsa is the sweet juice; you don't need to wander through scholastic categories.
The verse
पुराणींचा इतिहास । गोड रस सेविला ॥१॥ नव्हती हे आहाच बोल । मोकळें फोल कवित्व ॥ध्रु.॥ भावें घ्या रे भावें घ्या रे । येगदा जा रे पंढरिये ॥२॥ भाग्यें आलेति मनुष्यदेहा । तो हा पाहा विठ्ठल ॥३॥ पापपुण्या करील झाडा । जाइल पीडा जन्माची ॥४ ॥ घ्यावी हातीं टाळदिंडी । गावे तोंडीं गुणवाद ॥५॥ तुका म्हणे घटापटा । न लगे वाटा शोधाव्या ॥६॥
Literal translation
English: The purāṇas' itihāsa has been served as gōḍa-rasa. These are not āhāca words — not mōkaḷē phōla kavitva. Take with bhāva, take with bhāva — go yēgadā to Paṇḍharī. By bhāgya you've come to manuṣya-deha — see this Viṭṭhala. He will sweep-out pāpa-puṇya — janma-pīḍā will go. Take ṭāḷa-diṇḍī in hand — sing guṇa-vāda from the mouth. Tuka says: through ghaṭa-paṭa — paths don't need to be searched.
मराठी: पुराणांचा इतिहास — गोड-रस — सेविला. आहाच (अर्धवट) बोल — मोकळें फोल कवित्व — हे — नाहींत. भावें घ्या रे — भावें घ्या रे — एगदा (एकदा) जा रे — पंढरीयेला. भाग्यें — मनुष्य-देहाला आलात — तो हा — पाहा — विठ्ठल. पाप-पुण्याचा झाडा करेल — जन्माची पीडा जाईल. हातीं — टाळ-दिंडी घ्यावी — तोंडीं — गुणवाद गावा. Tukā म्हणे — घट-पट (तत्वज्ञानाच्या शास्त्रीय कोटी) यांच्या वाटा — शोधायला लागत नाहींत.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| पुराणींचा इतिहास गोड रस सेविला | "the purāṇas' itihāsa — has been served (sēvilā) — as gōḍa rasa (sweet-juice)" |
| नव्हती हे आहाच बोल मोकळें फोल कवित्व | "these are not āhāca (partial / half-grasped) words — not mōkaḷē phōla (loose-husk) kavitva" |
| भावें घ्या रे भावें घ्या रे | "take with bhāva — take with bhāva" |
| येगदा जा रे पंढरिये | "go yēgadā (once) to Paṇḍharī" |
| भाग्यें आलेति मनुष्यदेहा तो हा पाहा विठ्ठल | "by bhāgya you've come to manuṣya-deha — see this Viṭṭhala" |
| पापपुण्या करील झाडा जाइल पीडा जन्माची | "(he will) sweep-out (jhāḍā) pāpa-puṇya — the janma-pīḍā will go" |
| घ्यावी हातीं टाळदिंडी गावे तोंडीं गुणवाद | "take in hand the ṭāḷa-diṇḍī (cymbals and small-drum) — sing from the mouth — guṇa-vāda (praise)" |
| तुका म्हणे घटापटा न लगे वाटा शोधाव्या | "Tuka says — through ghaṭa-paṭa (philosophical pot-and-cloth scholastic-categories) — paths don't need to be searched" |
What it means
Take-cymbals-and-drum-and-go-to-Paṇḍharī abhang. A complete bhakti-program in 6 verses.
The opening reassurance: purāṇīncā itihāsa — gōḍa rasa sēvilā — the purāṇas' itihāsa — has been served as gōḍa rasa. What I'm telling you is the purāṇas' itihāsa (= history / story-tradition) served as sweet-juice; not invented, not arbitrary. Navhatī hē āhāca bōla — mōkaḷē phōla kavitva — these are not āhāca (partial / half-grasped) words; not mōkaḷē phōla (= loose-husk-only) kavitva. The kavitva isn't husk* (= form-without-content); it carries the actual grain.
The instructions: 1. Bhāvē ghyā rē bhāvē ghyā rē — yēgadā jā rē Paṇḍhariyē — take with bhāva; go yēgadā (once, even just once) to Paṇḍharī. 2. Bhāgyē ālēti manuṣya-dehā — tō hā pāhā Viṭṭhala — by bhāgya you came to manuṣya-deha; see this Viṭṭhala. (Compare 1352 manuṣya-dehā aisā ṭhāva.) 3. Pāpa-puṇyā karīla jhāḍā — jā'ila pīḍā janmācī — he will sweep-out pāpa-puṇya; the janma-pīḍā will go. Both pāpa and puṇya are swept; both bind. Removing both ends rebirth. 4. Ghyāvī hātīm ṭāḷa-diṇḍī — gāvē tōṇḍīm guṇa-vāda — take ṭāḷa-diṇḍī (cymbals and small-drum) in hand; sing guṇa-vāda (praise) from the mouth. (Compare 1299 ṭāḷa diṇḍī hātīm ghē'unī nācā.)
The closing dismissal of philosophy: ghaṭa-paṭā — na lagē vāṭā śōdhāvyā — (through) ghaṭa-paṭa (= the philosophers' pot-and-cloth categories) — paths don't need to be searched. Ghaṭa-paṭa refers to Nyāya-Vaiśeṣika scholastic examples (the pot and the cloth — used to demonstrate categories like padārtha, dravya, guṇa, karma). Tuka dismisses the entire scholastic edifice — no need to search paths through it. The bhakti-path is direct.
[T]
For someone today
For today: take cymbals and drum, sing praise, go once to Paṇḍharī — the purāṇic itihāsa is the sweet juice; you don't need to wander through scholastic categories.
Where this applies
- Purāṇic-itihāsa-as-sweet-juice.* Purāṇīncā-itihāsa-gōḍa-rasa.
- Not-half-grasped-not-husk.* Navhatī-āhāca-mōkaḷē-phōla.
- Take-with-bhāva-go-once-to-Paṇḍharī.* Bhāvē-ghyā-yēgadā-Paṇḍhariyē.
- Manuṣya-deha-by-fortune-see-Viṭṭhala.* Bhāgyē-manuṣya-dehā-pāhā-Viṭṭhala.
- Sweeps-pāpa-puṇya-janma-pīḍā-goes.* Pāpa-puṇyā-jhāḍā-janma-pīḍā-jā'ila.
- Cymbals-drum-praise.* Hātīm-ṭāḷa-diṇḍī-tōṇḍīm-guṇa-vāda.
- No-philosophical-paths-needed.* Ghaṭa-paṭā-na-lagē-vāṭā.