संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1416 of 4582

Abhanga 1416

For today: all form is swallowed by Time, only Hari-nāma stays separate; hold the imperishable at the throat, drink life into the belly; body-and-property is mirage-water; even the name of upādhi brings disgust — Hari himself gave this vairāgya.

When all forms are seen swallowed by Time — only Hari-nāma is separate; held it at the throat; body-property is mirage; disgust at upādhi

The verse

अवघा चि आकार ग्रासियेला काळें । एक चि निराळें हरिचें नाम ॥१॥ धरूनि राहिलों अविनाश कंठीं । जीवन हें पोटीं सांटविलें ॥ध्रु.॥ शरीरसंपित्त मृगजळभान । जाईल नासोन खरें नव्हे ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे आतां उपाधीच्या नांवें । आणियेला देवें वीट मज ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: The whole ākāra has been grāsiyēlēm by kāḷa — only one separate — is Hari's nāma. I have held the avināśa at the kaṇṭha — this jīvana — stored in the pōṭa. Body-and-property is mṛga-jaḷa-bhāna — will go destroyed — not kharēm. Tuka says: now, at the very nāma of upādhi — Deva has brought vīṭa for me.

मराठी: अवघा-चि — आकार — ग्रासियेला — काळें; — एक-चि — निराळें — हरिचें — नाम. धरूनी — राहिलों — अविनाश — कंठीं; — जीवन — हें — पोटीं — सांटविलें. शरीर-संपित्त — मृग-जळ-भान; — जाईल — नासोन — खरें — नव्हे. Tukā म्हणे — आतां — उपाधीच्या — नांवें; — आणियेला — देवें — वीट — मज.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
अवघा चि आकार ग्रासियेला काळें "the entire (avaghā chi) — ākāra (form / form-world) — grāsiyēlēm (= devoured / swallowed-up) — by kāḷa (Time)"
एक चि निराळें हरिचें नाम "one alone (ēka chi) — nirāḷē (separate) — Hari's nāma"
धरूनि राहिलों अविनाश कंठीं "having held (dharūnī) — I have remained — avināśa (imperishable) — at the kaṇṭha (throat)"
जीवन हें पोटीं सांटविलें "this jīvana (= life / drinking-water) — sāṭavilēm (stored up) — in the pōṭa (belly)"
शरीरसंपित्त मृगजळभान "śarīra-sampatti (= body and property) — mṛga-jaḷa-bhāna (= mirage-water-impression)"
जाईल नासोन खरें नव्हे "will go (jā'īla) — getting destroyed (nāsōna) — kharēm navhē (= is not real)"
उपाधीच्या नांवें "at the very nāma (name) — of upādhi (= adjunct / superimposed-attribute)"
आणियेला देवें वीट मज "Deva — has āṇiyēla (brought) — vīṭa (= disgust / saturation / aversion) — for me"

What it means

All-form-swallowed-by-time abhang. The opening cosmic-image: avaghā chi ākāra grāsiyēlā kāḷē — ēka chi nirāḷē Haricē nāmathe entire ākāra (form-world) — has been grāsiyēlēm (devoured) by kāḷa (Time); — only one alone stays nirāḷa (separate) — Hari's nāma. Tuka's cosmic-eschatological-vision: at the end-of-time, all form is swallowed by Time; only Hari-nāma stands outside Time's mouth. (Compare 1395's kāḷācā kāḷa — saints'-beloved-becomes-time-of-times; here Hari-nāma escapes Time's all-devouring.)

The bhakta's-strategy: dharūnī rāhilōm avināśa kaṇṭhīm — jīvana hēm pōṭīm sāṭavilēmI have held the avināśa (imperishable) — at the kaṇṭha (throat); — this jīvana (= life / drinking-water — pun) — has been sāṭavilēm (= stored up) in the pōṭa (belly). The bhakta has grasped the imperishable at the throat — and the jīvana (with its rich pun: life and drinking-water) is stored in the pōṭa. (Image of holding an amṛta-flask at the throat, drinking it down to store life in the belly.)

The renunciation-of-the-rest: śarīra-sampitti mṛga-jaḷa-bhāna — jā'īla nāsōna kharēm navhēbody-and-property — mṛga-jaḷa-bhāna (= mirage-water-illusion); — will godestroyednot real. The deer-water-illusion — the classic mirage that recedes when chased. Body-and-property will be destroyed; they're not real.

The closing testimony: upādhīcyā nāmvēm — āṇiyēlā Devēm vīṭa majaat the very nāma (name) of upādhi (= superimposed-attribute / adjunct); — Deva — has broughtvīṭa (= disgust / saturation) — for me. Upādhi — in Vedānta-technical-vocabulary — is the adjunctive attribute (body, mind, etc.) that seems-to-limit the formless. Tuka has vīṭa-saturation at the very name of upādhi. (= Deva himself has brought this disgust — i.e., the vairāgya is Hari's gift, not Tuka's effort.)

[T]

For someone today

For today: all form is swallowed by Time, only Hari-nāma stays separate; hold the imperishable at the throat, drink life into the belly; body-and-property is mirage-water; even the name of upādhi brings disgust — Hari himself gave this vairāgya.

Where this applies

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