Abhanga 1440
The joy of devotion is known only through lived love, not abstract knowledge, and devotees keep a loving distance from God on purpose so that love can flow, with communal singing and story carrying ordinary people along.
The verse
भक्तांचा महिमा भक्त चिं जाणती । दुर्लभ या गति आणिकांसी ॥१॥ जाणोनि नेणते जाले तेणें सुखें । नो बोलोनि मुखें बोलताती ॥ध्रु.॥ अभेदूनि भेद राखियेला अंगीं । वाढावया जगीं प्रेमसुख ॥२॥ टाळ घोष कथा प्रेमाचा सुकाळ । मूढ लोकपाळ तरावया ॥३॥ तुका म्हणे हें तों आहे तयां ठावें । जिहीं एक्या भावें जाणीतलें ॥४॥
Literal translation
The mahima of bhaktas — only bhaktas know — durlabha is this gati to others. Knowing, they have become not-knowing — by that sukha; not-speaking, they speak. In abhēda they have kept bhēda — in (their) body — for prēma-sukha to grow in the world. Cymbal-roar, kathā — prēma's sukāḷa — for the mūḍha lōka-pāḷa to be saved. Tuka says: this is known to those who, by one bhāva, have known.
मराठी: भक्तांचा — महिमा — भक्त — चिं — जाणती; — दुर्लभ — या — गति — आणिकांसी. जाणोनि — नेणते — जाले — तेणें — सुखें; — नो — बोलोनि — मुखें — बोलताती. अभेदूनि — भेद — राखियेला — अंगीं; — वाढावया — जगीं — प्रेम-सुख. टाळ — घोष — कथा — प्रेमाचा — सुकाळ; — मूढ — लोक-पाळ — तरावया. Tukā म्हणे — हें — तों — आहे — तयां — ठावें; — जिहीं — एक्या — भावें — जाणीतलें.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| भक्तांचा महिमा भक्त चिं जाणती | "bhaktas' mahima (greatness) — bhaktas alone (chi) — know" |
| दुर्लभ या गति आणिकांसी | "durlabha (rare) — this gati (way / state) — to others (āṇikām)" |
| जाणोनि नेणते जाले तेणें सुखें | "knowing — not-knowing — they have become — by that sukha" |
| नो बोलोनि मुखें बोलताती | "not-speaking (nō bōlōnī) — with the mukha — they speak" |
| अभेदूनि भेद राखियेला अंगीं | "in (the state of) abhēda — bhēda — they have kept (rākhiyēlā) — in the anga (body)" |
| वाढावया जगीं प्रेमसुख | "for increasing (vāḍhāvayā) — in the jaga (world) — prēma-sukha" |
| टाळ घोष कथा प्रेमाचा सुकाळ | "cymbal-roar (ṭāḷa-ghōṣa), kathā — prēma's sukāḷa (= festival / abundance)" |
| मूढ लोकपाळ तरावया | "the mūḍha (deluded) — lōka-pāḷa (= world-keepers / multitude) — to be saved (tarāvayā)" |
| तुका म्हणे हें तों आहे तयां ठावें | "Tuka says — this — is known (ṭhāvē) — to those (tayām)" |
| जिहीं एक्या भावें जाणीतलें | "who (jihīm) — by one — bhāva — have known" |
What it means
Bhakta-mahimā-only-bhaktas-know abhang. The opening: bhaktāñcā mahimā bhakta chi jāṇatī — durlabha yā gati āṇikāñsī — themahimaof bhaktas — onlybhaktasknow; —durlabha(rare) — thisgati— to others. Bhakti-greatness is self-recognized; outsiders can't reach it.
The paradox-trio: 1. jāṇōnī nēṇatē jālē tēṇē sukhēm — nō bōlōnī mukhēm bōlatātī — knowing, they havebecome not-knowing— by thatsukha; —not-speakingwith themukha, theyspeak. The learned-unlearning: the bhakta deliberately un-knows the abstract jñāna in order to taste the sukha of bhāva. Speaking-without-speaking: silent communication of the bhāva.
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a-bhēdūnī bhēda rākhiyēlā angīm — vāḍhāvayā jagīm prēma-sukha — in (the state of)abhēda— they havekept bhēda— in their body; — forincreasing— in the world —prēma-sukha. Bhēda-in-abhēda: even though the bhakta realizes the non-dual, he deliberately preserves duality (= the bhakta-Bhagavān difference) — for theprēma-sukhato grow in the world. Without bhēda, no prema; without prema, no sukha-flourishing. (= the great Tukaram-formulation of sa-viśēṣa-bhakti — qualified non-dualism; cf. 1412's abhēda-vacanēm-niścinti-na — same theme.)
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ṭāḷa-ghōṣa kathā prēmācā sukāḷa — mūḍha lōka-pāḷa tarāvayā — cymbal-roar,kathā, thesukāḷa(= festival-time / abundance) ofprēma— for themūḍha lōka-pāḷa(= deluded multitude) — to be saved. The kīrtana-festival is for the deluded masses' rescue. (= bhakti is the practical-soteriology; not for the few, but for the mūḍha.)
The closing: hēm tōm āhē tayām ṭhāvē — jihīm ēkyā bhāvēm jāṇītalēm — this is known — to those — who byonebhāvahaveknown. Only those of one-pointed bhāva know this. (Compare 1432's niṣṭhāvanta-bhāva-svadharma — same one-pointed bhāva.)
[T]
For someone today
For today: only bhaktas know bhakta-greatness; they become knowingly-not-knowing for the sukha; even in abhēda they keep bhēda for prema's flourishing in the world; cymbal-kīrtana saves the deluded multitude; this is known to those of one-pointed bhāva.
Where this applies
- When you've felt a kind of joy in prayer or devotion that's hard to explain to someone who hasn't experienced it.
- When you're tempted to over-intellectualize your faith instead of simply feeling and living it.
- When you wonder why devotion still involves a relationship with God rather than dissolving into pure oneness.
- When you attend or take part in group singing or storytelling and notice how it reaches people who might otherwise feel lost.