संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1432 of 4582

Abhanga 1432

For today: steadfast bhāva is the bhakta's svadharma; firm resolution is the vital point — don't miss it; niṣkāma-niścaḷa trust in Viṭhṭhala; don't sniff after other paths; no one has ever heard of such a bhakta being abandoned.

When you'd commit to one-pointed bhakti — steadfast bhāva is bhakta's svadharma; niṣkāma-trust in Viṭhṭhal; no one ever heard of such a bhakta being disregarded

The verse

निष्ठावंत भाव भक्तांचा स्वधर्म । निर्धार हें वर्म चुकों नये ॥१॥ निष्काम निश्चळ विठ्ठलीं विश्वास । पाहों नये वास आणिकांची ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे ऐसा कोणें उपेक्षिला । नाहीं ऐकिला ऐसा कोणीं ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: Niṣṭhāvanta bhāva is bhaktas' svadharma — nirdhāra is the varma — don't miss (it). Niṣkāma niścaḷa viśvāsa in Viṭhṭhala — don't look for others' vāsa. Tuka says: has anyone disregarded such (a one)? — no one has heard of such.

मराठी: निष्ठावंत — भाव — भक्तांचा — स्वधर्म; — निर्धार — हें — वर्म — चुकों — नये. निष्काम — निश्चळ — विठ्ठलीं — विश्वास; — पाहों — नये — वास — आणिकांची. Tukā म्हणे — ऐसा — कोणें — उपेक्षिला? — नाहीं — ऐकिला — ऐसा — कोणीं.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
निष्ठावंत भाव भक्तांचा स्वधर्म "niṣṭhāvanta (steadfast) — bhāva — bhaktas' — svadharma (own-dharma)"
निर्धार हें वर्म चुकों नये "nirdhāra (firm-resolution) — this — varma (= vital point) — should not be missed (cukōm nayē)"
निष्काम निश्चळ विठ्ठलीं विश्वास "niṣkāma (desire-less) — niścaḷa (unwavering) — in Viṭhṭhala — viśvāsa (trust)"
पाहों नये वास आणिकांची "should not look (pāhōm nayē) — vāsa (smell / direction) — of others (āṇikāñcī)"
तुका म्हणे ऐसा कोणें उपेक्षिला "Tuka says — such (aisā) — by whom (kōṇēm) — upēkṣilā (disregarded)?"
नाहीं ऐकिला ऐसा कोणीं "no one (kōṇīm) — has heard (aikilā) — of such"

What it means

Steadfast-bhāva-is-bhakta's-svadharma abhang. The opening codification: niṣṭhāvanta bhāva bhaktāñcā svadharma — nirdhāra hēm varma cukōm nayēa niṣṭhāvanta (= steadfast) bhāva — is the bhakta's svadharma (= own-dharma); — nirdhāra (firm-resolution) — this is the varma (= vital-point); — should not be missed. The bhakta's svadharma is one thing: steadfastness in bhāva; the varma (= the secret-vital-spot in martial vocabulary) is firmness of resolution. (Compare Bhagavad-Gītā 18.45 sve sve karmaṇy abhirataḥ — each in his own duty; here the bhakta's "own duty" is steadfast bhāva.)

The double-quality: niṣkāma niścaḷa Viṭhṭhalīm viśvāsa — pāhōm nayē vāsa āṇikāñcīniṣkāma (desire-less), niścaḷa (unwavering) viśvāsa in Viṭhṭhala; — should not look — for vāsa (= smell / direction / dwelling) — of others (= other gods / other-paths / other-people). Two qualities: niṣkāma (no ulterior motive) and niścaḷa (no wavering); — don't sniff after other directions / dwellings. (Compare 1430's Viṭhṭhalāvāñcūnī-vāṇī-nā'ikēm* — adjacent abhang with the same one-point principle.)

The closing assurance: aisā kōṇēm upēkṣilā — nāhīm aikilā aisā kōṇīmhas anyone — upēkṣilā (disregarded) — such (a one)? — has anyone — heard — of such? The rhetorical-question: no one has ever heard of such a niṣṭhāvanta-bhakta being abandoned by Hari. (= the historical-claim: across all warkari tradition, no one with niṣṭhāvanta-bhāva-and-niṣkāma-niścaḷa-viśvāsa has been upēkṣita by Hari.)

[T]

For someone today

For today: steadfast bhāva is the bhakta's svadharma; firm resolution is the vital point — don't miss it; niṣkāma-niścaḷa trust in Viṭhṭhala; don't sniff after other paths; no one has ever heard of such a bhakta being abandoned.

Where this applies

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