Abhanga 1411
For today: no need of place-time-mantra; just niścaḷa-mind utters karuṇā; he comes to your seat — the pure body is his throne; he eats dry-grain crunching when given with love; he takes only bhāva — Ananta will unite in your jīva.
The verse
न लगे देशकाळ । मंत्रविधानें सकळ । मनें चि निश्चळ । करूनि करुणा भाकावी ॥१॥ येतो बैसलिया ठाया । आसणें व्यापी देवराया । निर्मळ ते काया । अधिष्ठान तयाचें ॥ध्रु.॥ कल्पनेचा साक्षी । तरि आदरें चि लक्षी । आवडीनें भक्षी । कोरडें धान्य मटमटां ॥२॥ घेणें तरि भाव । लक्षी दासांचा उपाव । तुका म्हणे जीव । जीवीं मेळविल अनंत ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: No need of dēśa-kāḷa, all mantra-vidhāna — by the niścaḷa mana alone, having made (it so), karuṇā must be uttered. He comes to the seat where (one) sits — the Deva-rāyā pervades the āsaṇa — the nirmaḷa kāyā is his adhiṣṭhāna. He is sākṣī of kalpanā — yet aims only at ādara — by āvaḍī he eats kōraḍēm dhānya maṭa-maṭām. What he takes is only bhāva — he watches the dāsas' upāya. Tuka says: the jīva — Ananta will mingle in the jīva.
मराठी: न लगे — देश-काळ; — मंत्र-विधानें — सकळ; — मनें — चि — निश्चळ; — करूनी — करुणा — भाकावी. येतो — बैसलिया — ठाया; — आसणें — व्यापी — देव-राया; — निर्मळ — ते — काया; — अधिष्ठान — तयाचें. कल्पनेचा — साक्षी; — तरी — आदरें — चि — लक्षी; — आवडीनें — भक्षी; — कोरडें — धान्य — मटमटां. घेणें — तरी — भाव; — लक्षी — दासांचा — उपाव; — Tukā म्हणे — जीव; — जीवीं — मेळविल — अनंत.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| न लगे देशकाळ | "no need (na lagē) — of dēśa-kāḷa (place-time)" |
| मंत्रविधानें सकळ | "all (sakaḷa) — mantra-vidhāna (mantra-procedures)" |
| मनें चि निश्चळ | "by the mana alone (chi) — niścaḷa (unmoving)" |
| करूनि करुणा भाकावी | "having made (karūnī) — karuṇā (compassion-cry / lament-prayer) — must be uttered (bhākāvī)" |
| येतो बैसलिया ठाया | "he comes (yētō) — to (the) seat (ṭhāyā) where (one is) sitting" |
| आसणें व्यापी देवराया | "the āsaṇa (seat) — Deva-rāyā (king-Deva) — pervades (vyāpī)" |
| निर्मळ ते काया | "nirmaḷa (pure) — that kāyā (body)" |
| अधिष्ठान तयाचें | "his adhiṣṭhāna (= station / seat / abode)" |
| कल्पनेचा साक्षी | "kalpanā's (imagination's) — sākṣī (witness)" |
| तरि आदरें चि लक्षी | "yet (tarī) — ādara (regard / care) alone (chi) — he aims at (lakṣī)" |
| आवडीनें भक्षी | "by āvaḍī (love / fondness) — he eats (bhakṣī)" |
| कोरडें धान्य मटमटां | "kōraḍēm dhānya (= dry grain) — maṭa-maṭām (crunching crisply, onomatopoeia)" |
| घेणें तरि भाव | "what he takes (ghēṇēm) — only — bhāva" |
| लक्षी दासांचा उपाव | "he watches (lakṣī) — the upāya (means / contrivance) — of (his) dāsa (servants)" |
| तुका म्हणे जीव | "Tuka says — the jīva" |
| जीवीं मेळविल अनंत | "in the jīva — Ananta (the infinite, Hari) — will mēḷavila (= cause to mingle / unite)" |
What it means
No-need-of-place-time-mantra abhang. The opening democratization: na lagē dēśa-kāḷa — mantra-vidhānēm sakaḷa — manēm chi niścaḷa — karūnī karuṇā bhākāvī — no need of dēśa-kāḷa (place-time / proper-time-and-direction); — all the mantra-vidhāna (= mantra-procedures); — by the mana alone — niścaḷa (unmoving) — having made (it) — karuṇā must be uttered (bhākāvī). The radical anti-ritualism: no proper place / time / mantra-procedure is needed; only the niścaḷa-mana matters; from that, utter karuṇā (= the lament-prayer of compassion-seeking). (Foundational warkari democratization — countering brahmanical vidhāna-strictness.)
The arrival: yētō baisaliyā ṭhāyā — āsaṇēm vyāpī Devarāyā — nirmaḷa tē kāyā — adhiṣṭhāna tayācē — he comes to where (one is) sitting; — Deva-rāyā pervades the āsaṇa (seat); — the nirmaḷa kāyā — is his adhiṣṭhāna. The Deva-rāyā doesn't need to be brought anywhere — he comes to whatever āsaṇa the bhakta sits on. The nirmaḷa-kāyā (the pure body / heart) is his adhiṣṭhāna (= seat / station).
The endearing image: kalpanēcā sākṣī — tari ādarēm chi lakṣī — āvaḍīnēm bhakṣī — kōraḍēm dhānya maṭa-maṭām — (though) he is the sākṣī of kalpanā; — yet he aims only at ādara (= regard / care); — by āvaḍī (love) he eats — kōraḍēm dhānya (= dry grain) — maṭa-maṭām (crisp-crunching!). Maṭa-maṭām is onomatopoeia — the sound of crunching dry-grain. Hari, who is the all-witness, eats dry-grain crunching when given with love. (One of the most charming-Hari images in the Gatha — domestic, intimate, sound-rich.)
The closing: ghēṇēm tarī bhāva — lakṣī dāsāñcā upāva — Tukā mhaṇē jīva — jīvīm mēḷavila ananta — what he takes — is only bhāva; — he watches the upāya (means) of (his) dāsas; — Tuka says — the jīva — Ananta — will mingle in the jīva. Bhāva alone is what he takes; the upāya of the dāsa is what he watches. The promise: Ananta will mingle / unite — in the jīva, with the jīva.
[T]
For someone today
For today: no need of place-time-mantra; just niścaḷa-mind utters karuṇā; he comes to your seat — the pure body is his throne; he eats dry-grain crunching when given with love; he takes only bhāva — Ananta will unite in your jīva.
Where this applies
- No-place-time-mantra-just-niścaḷa-mind.* Na-lagē-dēśa-kāḷa-niścaḷa-manēm-karuṇā.
- Hari-pervades-the-seat-pure-body-is-his-throne.* Āsaṇa-vyāpī-Devarāyā-nirmaḷa-kāyā-adhiṣṭhāna.
- Hari-eats-dry-grain-crunching-with-love.* Āvaḍī-kōraḍēm-dhānya-maṭa-maṭām.
- Takes-only-bhāva-Ananta-mingles-in-jīva.* Bhāva-jīva-ananta-mēḷavila.