संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1458 of 4582

Abhanga 1458

For today: no other devas; nothing lacking at his feet; no other kīrti spoken or heard; eyes only on his face, never leave Paṇḍharī; no mukti-toil, no samsāra-fear; only Keśava, nothing else.

When you'd take an exclusive bhakti-vow — no other devas, no other kīrti, no leaving Paṇḍharī, no mukti-pursuit, no samsāra-fear, only Keśava

The verse

न पूजीं आणिकां देवां न करीं त्यांची सेवा । न मनीं या केशवाविण दुजें ॥१॥ काय उणें जालें मज तयापायीं । तें मी मागों काई कवणासी ॥ध्रु.॥ आणिकाची कीर्ती नाइकें न बोलें । चाड या विठ्ठलेंविण नाहीं ॥२॥ न पाहें लोचनीं श्रीमुखावांचूनि । पंढरी सांडूनि न वजें कोठें ॥३॥ न करीं कांहीं आस मुक्तीचे सायास । न भें संसारास येतां जातां ॥४॥ तुका म्हणे कांहीं व्हावें ऐसें जीवा । नाहीं या केशवाविण दुजें ॥५॥

Literal translation

English: I will not worship other Devas, will not do their sēvā — will not take to mind anything other than Keśava. What has been deficient at his feet — that I would ask of anyone? I will not hear or speak others' kīrti — no relish except for this Viṭhṭhal. I will not see anything with my eyes except the śrī-mukha — won't leave Paṇḍharī, won't go anywhere. I will not make any desire for mukti-toil — will not fear samsāra coming-and-going. Tuka says: what should be like this for the jīva — there's nothing except Keśava, no second.

मराठी: न पूजीं — आणिकां — देवां; — न करीं — त्यांची — सेवा; — न मनीं — या — केशवाविण — दुजें. काय — उणें — जालें — मज — तयापायीं? — तें — मी — मागों — काई — कवणासी? आणिकाची — कीर्ती — नाइकें — न बोलें; — चाड — या — विठ्ठलेंविण — नाहीं. न पाहें — लोचनीं — श्रीमुखावांचूनि; — पंढरी — सांडूनि — न वजें — कोठें. न करीं — कांहीं — आस — मुक्तीचे — सायास; — न भें — संसारास — येतां — जातां. Tukā म्हणे — कांहीं — व्हावें — ऐसें — जीवा; — नाहीं — या — केशवाविण — दुजें.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
न पूजीं आणिकां देवां "I will not worship — other (āṇikām) — Devas"
न करीं त्यांची सेवा "I will not do — their — sēvā"
न मनीं या केशवाविण दुजें "I will not take to mind (na manīm) — except this Kēśava — (anything) dujēm (= second / other)"
काय उणें जालें मज तयापायीं "what — has been deficient (uṇē jālēm) — to me — at his feet (tayā-pāyīm)?"
तें मी मागों काई कवणासी "that — I — would ask (māgōm kāī) — to whom (kavaṇāsī)?"
आणिकाची कीर्ती नाइकें न बोलें "others' (āṇikācī) — kīrti (fame) — I do not hear (nā'ikēm) — I do not speak (na bōlēm)"
चाड या विठ्ठलेंविण नाहीं "cāḍa (= urge / relish) — except for this Viṭhṭhala — is none"
न पाहें लोचनीं श्रीमुखावांचूनि "I will not see (na pāhēm) — with eyes (lōcanīm) — except the śrī-mukha (glorious face)"
पंढरी सांडूनि न वजें कोठें "Paṇḍharī — having abandoned — I will not go (na vajēm) — anywhere"
न करीं कांहीं आस मुक्तीचे सायास "I will not make — any āsa (desire) — of mukti's — sāyāsa (toil)"
न भें संसारास येतां जातां "I will not fear (na bhē) — samsāra — coming and going"
तुका म्हणे कांहीं व्हावें ऐसें जीवा "Tuka says — what should be (vhāvēm aisēm) — for (the) jīva?"
नाहीं या केशवाविण दुजें "there is none — except this Kēśava — second / other"

What it means

Single-pointed-Keśava-vow abhang. A 5-verse list of exclusion-vows, each a na (negation):

(1) na pūjīm āṇikām Devām na karīm tyāñcī sēvā — na manīm yā Kēśavāviṇa dujēmwon't worship/serve other Devas; won't take anything other than Keśava to mind. The single-deity-vow — sharper than 1430's Viṭhṭhalāvāñcūnī-vāṇī-nā'ikēm — adds the won't worship other devas explicitly.

(2) kāya uṇē jālēm maja tayā-pāyīm — tēm mī māgōm kāī kavaṇāsīwhat's been deficient at his feet — that I would ask of anyone? The self-sufficient-feet-of-Hari-argument: if Hari has supplied all, who else to ask?

(3) āṇikācī kīrtī nā'ikēm na bōlēm — cāḍa yā Viṭhṭhalēmviṇa nāhīmwon't hear or speak others' fame; no relish except Viṭhṭhal. The speech-and-ear-vow.

(4) na pāhēm lōcanīm śrī-mukhāvāñcūnī — Paṇḍharī sāṇḍūnī na vajēm kōṭhēmwon't see anything except the śrī-mukha; won't leave Paṇḍharī to go anywhere. The eye-and-foot-vow.

(5) na karīm kāhīm āsa muktīcē sāyāsa — na bhē samsārāsa yētām jātāmno desire for mukti-toil; no fear of samsāra coming-and-going. The no-mukti-no-samsāra-fear-vow. (Pairs with 1457's nakō rē hē mukti — same renunciation of mukti-as-goal.)

The closing: kāhīm vhāvēm aisēm jīvā — nāhīm yā Kēśavāviṇa dujēmwhat should be like this for the jīva? — there is none except Kēśava, no second. The what-should-be phrasing acknowledges the human-desire-to-have-something; Kēśava is the only valid answer. (Compare 1421's avaghēm-bhāṇḍavala-Viṭhṭhala-ēkalā — entire capital is one Viṭhṭhal; same single-stake formulation.)

[T]

For someone today

For today: no other devas; nothing lacking at his feet; no other kīrti spoken or heard; eyes only on his face, never leave Paṇḍharī; no mukti-toil, no samsāra-fear; only Keśava, nothing else.

Where this applies

Related verses