संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1448 of 4582

Abhanga 1448

For today: Hari becomes whatever each one meditates; saguṇa and nirguṇa meet at his feet on the brick; the all-sugar-body has no deficient piece — every part is fully Hari; whatever you do, he is the experiencer.

When the saguṇa-nirguṇa puzzle persists — Hari becomes whatever each meditates; the whole sugar-body has no deficient piece; whatever you do, Hari experiences

The verse

ज्याणें ज्याणें जैसें ध्यावें । तैसें व्हावें कृपाळें ॥१॥ सगुणनिर्गुणांचा ठाव । विटे पाव धरियेले ॥ध्रु.॥ अवघें साकरेचें अंग । नये व्यंग निवडितां ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे जें जें करी । तें तें हरी भोगिता ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: Whoever meditates as such — thus the kṛpāḷu becomes. The ṭhāva of saguṇa-nirguṇa — feet held on the viṭā. The entire sugar-anga — does not come vyanga when sorted. Tuka says: whatever (one) does — that, Hari is the bhōgītā.

मराठी: ज्याणें — ज्याणें — जैसें — ध्यावें; — तैसें — व्हावें — कृपाळें. सगुण-निर्गुणांचा — ठाव; — विटे — पाव — धरियेले. अवघें — साकरेचें — अंग; — नये — व्यंग — निवडितां. Tukā म्हणे — जें — जें — करी; — तें — तें — हरी — भोगिता.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
ज्याणें ज्याणें जैसें ध्यावें "whoever (jyāṇē jyāṇē) — meditates as such (jaisēm)"
तैसें व्हावें कृपाळें "thus (taisēm) — must (vhāvēm) become — the kṛpāḷu (compassionate one)"
सगुणनिर्गुणांचा ठाव "of saguṇa-nirguṇaṭhāva (place / seat)"
विटे पाव धरियेले "on the brick (viṭā) — feet (pāva) — (he has) held (dhariyēlē)"
अवघें साकरेचें अंग "the entire (avaghēm) — anga (body) — of sākara (sugar)"
नये व्यंग निवडितां "doesn't come (nayē) — vyanga (= deficient / piecemeal-cut) — when sorting out (nivaḍitām)"
तुका म्हणे जें जें करी "Tuka says — whatever (jēm jēm) — (one) does"
तें तें हरी भोगिता "that and that (tēm tēm) — Hari — (is) the bhōgītā (experiencer)"

What it means

Hari-becomes-what-each-meditates abhang. The opening: jyāṇē jyāṇē jaisēm dhyāvēm — taisēm vhāvēm kṛpāḷēwhoever, whoever — meditates as such — thus must (the kṛpāḷu) become. Hari, the compassionate-one, takes the form (saguṇa or nirguṇa) according to the bhakta's bhāva. (Compare Bhagavad-Gītā 4.11: yē yathā mām prapadyante tāms tathaiva bhajāmy aham — as people approach me, so I respond. Tukaram's own version of that.)

The Viṭṭhal-image: saguṇa-nirguṇāñcā ṭhāva — viṭē pāva dhariyēlēthe ṭhāva (place / seat) of saguṇa-nirguṇa — feet (pāva) — held — on the viṭā (brick). The Viṭṭhal-on-the-brick image: the place where saguṇa and nirguṇa meet is Viṭṭhal-standing-on-the-brick. (= the iconography itself encodes the non-difference between sa and nir; pairs with 1442's bhinna parī ēka — separate yet one.)

The sugar-body image: avaghē sākarēcēm anga — nayē vyanga nivaḍitāmthe entire body — of sākara (sugar); — doesn't become vyanga (= deficient / piece-cut) — when sorted out. The all-sugar-body image: a sugar-block, when divided, every piece is still sugar; no piece comes out deficient. No matter how you sort/divide, the whole-and-each-part is sugar. (= Hari, like a sugar-block, is fully present in every part; the saguṇa-nirguṇa division doesn't leave any piece deficient.)

The closing: jēm jēm karī — tēm tēm Harī bhōgītāwhatever (one) does — that, Hari is the bhōgītā (experiencer). (Compare 1419's draṣṭā Deva virahita samkalpā — Hari is samkalpa-less witness; here the inverse: Hari is the experiencer of all activities.)

[T]

For someone today

For today: Hari becomes whatever each one meditates; saguṇa and nirguṇa meet at his feet on the brick; the all-sugar-body has no deficient piece — every part is fully Hari; whatever you do, he is the experiencer.

Where this applies

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