Abhanga 1405
For today: don't rely on the begging-bowl as your jiṇē — Nārāyaṇa disregards such; bhakti without bhāva and jīva-samarpaṇa is vyabhicāra; making the world your trust-object is the abhāgya itself; Viśvambhara does everything when your nirdhāra is satya — firmly hold his feet.
The verse
भिक्षापत्र अवलंबणें । जळो जिणें लाजिरवाणें । ऐसियासी नारायणें । उपेक्षीजे सर्वथा ॥१॥ देवा पायीं नाहीं भाव । भक्ति वरी वरी वाव । समर्पिला जीव । नाहीं तो हा व्यभिचार ॥ध्रु.॥ जगा घालावें सांकडें । दीन होऊनि बापुडें । हें चि अभाग्य रोकडें । मूळ आणि विश्वास ॥२॥ काय न करी विश्वंभर । सत्य करितां निर्धार । तुका म्हणे सार । दृढ पाय धरावे ॥३॥
Literal translation
Depending on the bhikṣā-pātra — let such lājiravāṇē jiṇē burn — Nārāyaṇa thoroughly upēkṣījē such. No bhāva in Deva's feet — bhakti only on the surface, hollow — jīva not given-over — that is vyabhicāra. Placing oneself in sānkaḍa before the world — becoming dīna-bāpuḍēm — this is abhāgya on-the-spot — root and (object of) trust. What won't Viśvambhara do — when nirdhāra is made satya? Tuka says: the sāra — firmly hold the feet.
मराठी: भिक्षा-पत्र — अवलंबणें; — जळो — जिणें — लाजिरवाणें; — ऐसियासी — नारायणें — उपेक्षीजे — सर्वथा. देवा — पायीं — नाहीं — भाव; — भक्ति — वरी-वरी — वाव; — समर्पिला — जीव — नाहीं — तो — हा — व्यभिचार. जगा — घालावें — सांकडें; — दीन — होऊनि — बापुडें; — हें-चि — अभाग्य — रोकडें; — मूळ — आणि — विश्वास. काय — न-करी — विश्वंभर? — सत्य — करितां — निर्धार; — Tukā म्हणे — सार; — दृढ — पाय — धरावे.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| भिक्षापत्र अवलंबणें | "bhikṣā-pātra (begging-bowl) — depending on (avalambaṇē)" |
| जळो जिणें लाजिरवाणें | "let burn (jaḷō) — jiṇē (life) — lājiravāṇē (= shameful)" |
| ऐसियासी नारायणें उपेक्षीजे सर्वथा | "such (a one) — Nārāyaṇa — upēkṣījē (disregards) — sarvathā (= thoroughly / in every way)" |
| देवा पायीं नाहीं भाव | "in Deva's feet — no bhāva" |
| भक्ति वरी वरी वाव | "bhakti — only on the surface (varī varī) — vāva (= hollow / empty)" |
| समर्पिला जीव नाहीं | "the jīva — not given-over (samarpilā nāhīm)" |
| तो हा व्यभिचार | "that — is vyabhicāra (= adultery / infidelity)" |
| जगा घालावें सांकडें | "to the world (jagā) — must be placed (ghālāvēm) — sānkaḍēm (straits / fix)" |
| दीन होऊनि बापुडें | "becoming dīna (poor / pitiful) — bāpuḍēm (helpless)" |
| हें चि अभाग्य रोकडें | "this very (chi) — abhāgya (misfortune) — rōkaḍēm (= cash / on-the-spot / undeniable)" |
| मूळ आणि विश्वास | "mūḷa (root) — and viśvāsa (= trust / faith — the object of trust)" |
| काय न करी विश्वंभर | "what would Viśvambhara (= world-supporter, Hari) — not do?" |
| सत्य करितां निर्धार | "when (one) makes (karītām) — nirdhāra (resolve / determination) — satya (true)" |
| सार | "sāra (essence)" |
| दृढ पाय धरावे | "dṛḍha (firmly) — pāya (feet) — dharāvē (= must be held)" |
What it means
Don't-rely-on-begging-bowl-bhakti abhang. The opening sweep: bhikṣā-pātra avalambaṇē — jaḷō jiṇē lājiravāṇē — aisiyāsī Nārāyaṇē upēkṣījē sarvathā — depending on thebhikṣā-pātra(begging-bowl) — let suchjiṇē(life) burn —lājiravāṇē(= shameful); —Nārāyaṇa—upēkṣījē(disregards) such —sarvathā(= thoroughly). The bhikṣā-pātra-life — as a religious posture — is lājiravāṇē (shameful); Nārāyaṇa thoroughly disregards such a one. (Striking inversion: the renouncer's bowl is not the road to Hari.)
The diagnosis: Devā pāyīm nāhīm bhāva — bhakti varī varī vāva — samarpilā jīva — nāhīm tō hā vyabhicāra — nobhāvain Deva's feet; — bhakti onlyon the surface(varī varī) — isvāva(= hollow / empty); — thejīvanot given-over —that is vyabhicāra (= adultery / infidelity).Vyabhicāra— thetechnical term for marital infidelity— is the verdict on bhakti withoutjīva-samarpaṇa(life-surrender). (Compare 1394'svyāpāra-tuṭīcā nāvaḍē— Tuka rejects loss-trade; here he rejectsinfidelity-trade.)
The further diagnosis: jagā ghālāvēm sānkaḍēm — dīna hō'ūnī bāpuḍēm — hēm chi abhāgya rōkaḍēm — mūḷa āṇi viśvāsa — placing oneself insānkaḍa(straits) before the world — becomingdīna-bāpuḍēm(= pitifully-helpless); — this very thing isabhāgya(misfortune) —rōkaḍēm(= cash / on-the-spot); — bothmūḷa(root) and (object of)viśvāsa(trust). To make the world your trust-object — to be dīna before people — is itself the abhāgya (the misfortune). (= Tuka's anti-mendicancy sub-register.)
The closing alternative: kāya na karī Viśvambhara — satya karītām nirdhāra — Tukā mhaṇē sāra — dṛḍha pāya dharāvē — what wouldViśvambhara(= world-supporter, Hari)notdo — whennirdhāra(resolve) issatya(true)? — Tuka says: thesāra— firmly hold the feet. The right course: Viśvambhara himself is the support — once your nirdhāra is satya, no need to go begging from the world; just firmly hold his feet.
[T]
For someone today
For today: don't rely on the begging-bowl as your jiṇē — Nārāyaṇa disregards such; bhakti without bhāva and jīva-samarpaṇa is vyabhicāra; making the world your trust-object is the abhāgya itself; Viśvambhara does everything when your nirdhāra is satya — firmly hold his feet.
Where this applies
- When you catch yourself performing sympathy or hardship to win others' favor instead of standing on your own resolve
- When your prayers feel like a routine you go through without ever truly surrendering your worries to God
- When you find yourself more anxious about what people think of you than about your own honesty before God
- When you feel like you have to beg or plead for support instead of trusting that firm faith brings its own strength