Abhanga 1443
Liberation is not far away or hard to reach, it is already close at hand, and an ordinary life lived with love has room enough for it.
The verse
मोक्षाचें आम्हांसी नाहीं अवघड । तो असे उघाड गांठोळीस ॥१॥ भक्तीचे सोहळे होतील जीवासी । नवल तेविशीं पुरवितां ॥ध्रु.॥ ज्याचें त्यासी देणें कोण तें उचित । मानूनियां हित घेतों सुख ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे सुखें देई संवसार । आवडीसी थार करीं माझे ॥३॥ ॥१२॥
Literal translation
Mokṣa is not avaghaḍa for us — it is ughāḍa at the gānṭha. Bhakti-sōhaḷē will happen to the jīva — what navala in fulfilling them? Giving what is one's own is ucita — counting (it as) hita, I take sukha. Tuka says: peacefully give samsāra — for my āvaḍī, make station, of mine.
मराठी: मोक्षाचें — आम्हांसी — नाहीं — अवघड; — तो — असे — उघाड — गांठोळीस. भक्तीचे — सोहळे — होतील — जीवासी; — नवल — तेविशीं — पुरवितां. ज्याचें — त्यासी — देणें — कोण — तें — उचित; — मानूनियां — हित — घेतों — सुख. Tukā म्हणे — सुखें — देई — संवसार; — आवडीसी — थार — करीं — माझे. ॥१२॥
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| मोक्षाचें आम्हांसी नाहीं अवघड | "of mokṣa — to us — there is no — avaghaḍa (difficult)" |
| तो असे उघाड गांठोळीस | "it — is — ughāḍa (open) — at the gānṭhōḷī (= the bundle / waist-knot)" |
| भक्तीचे सोहळे होतील जीवासी | "of bhakti — sōhaḷē (festivities) — will happen — to the jīva" |
| नवल तेविशीं पुरवितां | "what navala (wonder) — in fulfilling them (puravitām)?" |
| ज्याचें त्यासी देणें कोण तें उचित | "what is one's own (jyācēm tyāsī) — giving — that is — ucita (fitting)" |
| मानूनियां हित घेतों सुख | "counting (mānūniyām) (it as) hita (welfare) — I take (ghētōm) — sukha" |
| तुका म्हणे सुखें देई संवसार | "Tuka says — sukhēm (peacefully) — give — samsāra" |
| आवडीसी थार करीं माझे | "for (my) āvaḍī (love) — make (karīm) — thāra (station / station-place) — of mine" |
| ॥१२॥ | (sub-series marker = end of 12-abhang sub-series) |
What it means
Mokṣa-is-open-at-our-waist-knot abhang. The opening: mōkṣācēm āmhāmsī nāhīm avaghaḍa — tō asē ughāḍa gānṭhōḷīsa — ofmokṣa— to us — there is noavaghaḍa(difficult); — it is —ughāḍa(open) — at thegānṭhōḷī(= thewaist-bundle/knot). The gānṭhōḷī — the gānṭha at the waist of the cloth where one carries small things (money, keepsakes); — mokṣa is open in our waist-knot (= we carry mokṣa in our waist-bundle). Striking casual-domestic image for the cosmic-prize. (Compare 1397's navhē aisē kāhīm nāhīm avaghaḍa — there is nothing impossible; here applied to mokṣa specifically.)
The festivity-promise: bhaktīcē sōhaḷē hōtīla jīvāsī — navala tēviśīm puravitām — thesōhaḷē(festivities) ofbhakti— will happen — to thejīva; — whatnavala(wonder) — infulfillingthem? The bhakta isn't asking for mokṣa-as-cessation; he's asking for bhakti-festivities-as-positive-gift. Hari can fulfill these without astonishment (= it's nothing-special for him).
The exchange-principle: jyācēm tyāsī dēṇē kōṇa tēm ucita — mānūniyām hita ghētōm sukha — giving (back) what (already) belongs to one — that isucita(fitting); — counting (it as)hita(welfare) — I takesukha. (= what Hari gives is what was already his; — the transaction is fitting; — I count it as my welfare and take pleasure in it. Compare 1406's pityācēm-dhana-putrā — father's wealth-son.)
The closing prayer: sukhēm dē'ī samvasāra — āvaḍīsī thāra karīm mājhē — peacefully — give —samsāra; — for (my)āvaḍī(love) — make athāra(station / seat) — of mine. Don't take samsāra away — give it peacefully; just make a station for my love. (Pairs with 1420's ālā-bhāgāsī-tō-karīm-vēvasāva-parī-rāhō-bhāva-tujhyā-pāyīm — same gṛhastha-bhakti formula; cf. 1420's āvaḍīsī thāra dē'ī pāyīm — give āvaḍī station at the feet — direct verbal echo.)
The ॥१२॥ marker at the end: this abhang closes a 12-abhang sub-series. Going back, that means the sub-series likely runs 1432–1443 (12 abhangs) — a coherent block on bhakti-discrimination, anti-fake-spirituality, and bhakti-as-easy-path. (Adds another data point to Pattern P5 — sub-series clusters.)
[T]
For someone today
For today: mokṣa isn't difficult — it's already in our waist-bundle; the festivities of bhakti will come, no wonder in their fulfilling; what's given was already his to begin with — count it welfare and take pleasure; give me samsāra peacefully, but make a station for my love.
Where this applies
- When you think spiritual peace is only for people who renounce everything, and feel it's out of your reach
- When good things start coming to you and you feel undeserving or suspicious instead of simply grateful
- When you receive something good and feel guilty enjoying it, as if pleasure itself were wrong
- When you're juggling ordinary family and work life and worry there's no room left for what you love most