Abhanga 1412
For today: without bhakti-sukha in anubhava, what good is jñāna?; please, Hari, don't take my abhēda-words as license to disappear; only your feet give the mind peace; speech is bribed by your virtues — silence won't stay.
The verse
नाहीं आलें भक्तिसुख अनुभवा । तो मी ज्ञान देवा काय करूं ॥१॥ नसावें जी तुम्ही कांहीं निश्चिंतीनें । माझिया वचनें अभेदाच्या ॥ध्रु.॥ एकाएकीं मन नेदी समाधान । देखिल्या चरण वांचूनियां ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे वाचा गुणीं लांचावली । न राह उगली मौन्य मज ॥३॥
Literal translation
Bhakti-sukha hasn't come to anubhava — then what jñāna, Deva, shall I make of? Please, don't (you) be at all in niścinti by my abhēda-words. Suddenly the mana doesn't give samādhāna — except seeing (your) caraṇa. Tuka says: the vācā has been lāñcāvalī by your guṇa — maunya won't stay quiet for me.
मराठी: नाहीं — आलें — भक्ति-सुख — अनुभवा; — तो — मी — ज्ञान — देवा — काय — करूं? नसावें — जी — तुम्ही — कांहीं — निश्चिंतीनें; — माझिया — वचनें — अभेदाच्या. एकाएकीं — मन — नेदी — समाधान; — देखिल्या — चरण — वांचूनियां. Tukā म्हणे — वाचा — गुणीं — लांचावली; — न — राह — उगली — मौन्य — मज.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| नाहीं आलें भक्तिसुख अनुभवा | "(when) bhakti-sukha hasn't come to anubhava (experience)" |
| तो मी ज्ञान देवा काय करूं | "then — I — jñāna, Deva — what shall I do/make of?" |
| नसावें जी तुम्ही कांहीं निश्चिंतीनें | "don't be (nasāvēm) — you (politely), please (jī) — at all — in niścinti (carefree-ness)" |
| माझिया वचनें अभेदाच्या | "by my (mājhiyā) — words (vacanē) — of abhēda (= non-difference)" |
| एकाएकीं मन नेदी समाधान | "all-at-once (ēkā-ēkīm) — the mana — does not give (nēdī) — samādhāna (peace)" |
| देखिल्या चरण वांचूनियां | "(except) seeing (dēkhilyā) — (your) caraṇa (feet) — apart from (vāñcūniyām)" |
| तुका म्हणे वाचा गुणीं लांचावली | "Tuka says — the vācā (speech) — by guṇa (your virtues) — lāñcāvalī (= got bribed / addicted-to-bribes)" |
| न राह उगली मौन्य मज | "(silence) will not stay (rāha) — ugalī (= quiet / unbroken) — maunya (silence) — for me (maja)" |
What it means
Bhakti-sukha-not-in-anubhava-jñāna-useless abhang. A direct address to Hari. The opening: nāhīm ālēm bhakti-sukha anubhavā — tō mī jñāna Devā kāya karūm — (when) bhakti-sukha — hasn't come toanubhava(experience); — what shall I, Deva —make of jñāna? The dismissal of jñāna-without-bhakti-sukha-anubhava. Bhakti-sukha must come to anubhava (= direct-experience); without that, jñāna is what would I even do with it? (Foundational bhakti-anubhava-supremacy over jñāna.)
The plea-against-Hari's-equanimity: nasāvēm jī tumhī kāhīm niścintīnē — mājhiyā vacanēm abhēdācyā — please don't (you) be — at all — inniścinti(carefree-state) — by my words ofabhēda(non-difference). The bhakta has spoken abhēda-vacana (= words of non-duality, "I am thee" type) — but please don't take that as license to be carefree. I want bhakta-Bhagavan-difference — don't disappear into abhēda. (Tuka's classic dvaita-bhakti-protest-against-vedānta-collapse; compare 1300+ on the bride-bhakta register.)
The mind's condition: ēkā-ēkīm mana nēdī samādhāna — dēkhilyā caraṇa vāñcūniyām — suddenly (ēkā-ēkīm) — themana— does not givesamādhāna(peace); — except seeing (your)caraṇa. Without seeing your feet, the mana refuses to settle.
The closing self-revelation: vācā guṇīm lāñcāvalī — na rāha ugalī maunya maja — thevācā(speech) — by (your)guṇa(virtues) — has beenlāñcāvalī(= bribed, addicted-to-the-bribe); —maunya(silence) — will not stayugalī(= quiet / unbroken) — for me. The bhakta's speech is now bribed by Hari's virtues (= so addicted to praising them) — silence won't keep itself silent. Cannot help but speak.
[T]
For someone today
For today: without bhakti-sukha in anubhava, what good is jñāna?; please, Hari, don't take my abhēda-words as license to disappear; only your feet give the mind peace; speech is bribed by your virtues — silence won't stay.
Where this applies
- When you have studied a lot about spirituality but never actually felt its joy
- When you use lofty philosophical language about oneness but secretly still crave closeness and relationship
- When your mind will not rest until you can picture the presence of someone or something you love
- When you find yourself unable to stop talking about someone whose qualities move you