Abhanga 1436
Sing only of the divine or stay silent, because using clever spiritual talk to prove your own enlightenment is a vain, self-contradicting show, and repeating it becomes plain shameless.
The verse
गासी तरि एक विठ्ठल चि गाई । नाहीं तरि ठायीं राहें उगा ॥१॥ अद्वैतीं तों नाहीं बोलाचें कारण । जाणीवेचा श्रम करिसी वांयां ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे किती करावी फजिती । लाज नाहीं नीतिं निलाजिरा ॥३॥
Literal translation
If you sing — sing only Viṭhṭhal — otherwise — at the place stay ugā. In advaita — there's no kāraṇa for bōlā — you do jāṇīva's śrama in vāyām. Tuka says: how much phajitī is to be made? — there's no lāja in nītī, you nilājirā.
मराठी: गासी — तरि — एक — विठ्ठल — चि — गाई; — नाहीं — तरि — ठायीं — राहें — उगा. अद्वैतीं — तों — नाहीं — बोलाचें — कारण; — जाणीवेचा — श्रम — करिसी — वांयां. Tukā म्हणे — किती — करावी — फजिती? — लाज — नाहीं — नीतिं — निलाजिरा.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| गासी तरि एक विठ्ठल चि गाई | "if you sing (gāsī tarī) — sing — Viṭhṭhala alone (chi)" |
| नाहीं तरि ठायीं राहें उगा | "otherwise — at the ṭhāyīm (place) — stay (rāhē) — ugā (silent / unmoving)" |
| अद्वैतीं तों नाहीं बोलाचें कारण | "in advaita (= non-duality) — there is no — kāraṇa (need) — of bōlā (talk)" |
| जाणीवेचा श्रम करिसी वांयां | "the jāṇīva (= self-awareness)'s — śrama (toil) — you do (karisī) — vāyām (in vain)" |
| तुका म्हणे किती करावी फजिती | "Tuka says — how much (kitī) — phajitī (disgrace) — is to be made?" |
| लाज नाहीं नीतिं निलाजिरा | "lāja (shame) — there is none — in nītī (conduct) — nilājirā (= shameless one)" |
What it means
Sing-only-Viṭhṭhal-or-stay-silent abhang. The opening alternative: gāsī tarī ēka Viṭhṭhala chi gā'ī — nāhīm tarī ṭhāyīm rāhē ugā — if you (do) sing — sing only oneViṭhṭhala; — otherwise — at theṭhāyīm(place / station) — stayugā(= silent / unmoving). Two-only-options: Viṭhṭhala-bhajan or silence. No third option. (Compare 1417's bōlaṇē-Devāviṇa-na — no talk except of Deva; here even sharper — no talk at all if not Viṭhṭhal-talk.)
The advaita-rebuke: advaitīm tōm nāhīm bōlācēm kāraṇa — jāṇīvēcā śrama karisī vāyām — inadvaita— there's nokāraṇa(need) forbōlā; — you do theśramaofjāṇīva(= self-awareness) invāyām(vain). The barb at advaita-vādīs: if it's all advaita, what are you talking-about? — you toil at jāṇīva (the I-am-Brahman knowing-process) — in vain. (Tuka's signature anti-advaita-talk move; cf. 1412's nasāvēm-niścintīnē — abhēda-vacanēm — please don't be carefree from my abhēda-words.)
The closing rebuke: kitī karāvī phajitī — lāja nāhīm nītim nilājirā — how muchphajitī— is to be made? — there's nolāja(shame) — in yournītī(conduct) — younilājirā(= shameless one). How much public-disgrace can you keep making? (= the advaita-talker keeps making a public spectacle of his self-contradiction). Nilājirā — the shameless one — is a strong rebuke. (Compare 1431's phajitī-dusarī-na — don't make a second disgrace; here the same phajitī-vocabulary, applied to advaita-talkers.)
[T]
For someone today
For today: if you sing, sing only Viṭhṭhal — else stay silent at your place; advaita has no need for talk — you toil at self-awareness in vain; how much disgrace will you keep making, shameless one?
Where this applies
- When you catch yourself talking just to fill a silence instead of remembering God.
- When someone lectures endlessly about being beyond duality while clearly wanting to be admired for it.
- When you're tempted to win a spiritual argument just to prove you understand more than others.
- When you keep repeating the same self-important claim even after people have stopped believing it.