Abhanga 1461
For today: blessed is the one who isn't a skilled speaker or knowing listener but holds bhāva in citta; he doesn't wash or bathe but japas Rāma always; doesn't know the formal practices but is compassionate to all beings; becomes knowingly-not-knowing — and Hari loves him more than his own life.
The verse
कुशळ वक्ता नव्हे जाणीव श्रोता । राहे भाव चित्ता धरूनियां ॥१॥ धन्य तो जगीं धन्य तो जगीं । ब्रम्ह तया अंगीं वसतसे ॥ध्रु.॥ न धोवी तोंड न करी अंघोळी । जपे सदाकाळीं रामराम ॥२॥ जप तप ध्यान नेणे याग युक्ती । कृपाळु जो भूतीं दयावंत ॥३॥ तुका म्हणे होय जाणोनि नेणता । आवडे अनंता जीवाहूनि ॥४॥
Literal translation
English: Not a kuśaḷa speaker, not a jāṇīva listener — bhāva stays held in citta. Blessed, blessed in the jaga — Brahma dwells in his anga. Doesn't wash face, doesn't bathe — japa Rāma-Rāma sadākāḷīm. Doesn't know japa-tapa-dhyāna or yāga-yukti — kṛpāḷu and dayāvanta to bhūtas. Tuka says: becomes jāṇōnī nēṇatā — Ananta loves him more than jīva.
मराठी: कुशळ — वक्ता — नव्हे — जाणीव — श्रोता; — राहे — भाव — चित्ता — धरूनियां. धन्य — तो — जगीं — धन्य — तो — जगीं; — ब्रम्ह — तया — अंगीं — वसतसे. न — धोवी — तोंड — न — करी — अंघोळी; — जपे — सदा-काळीं — राम-राम. जप — तप — ध्यान — नेणे — याग — युक्ती; — कृपाळु — जो — भूतीं — दयावंत. Tukā म्हणे — होय — जाणोनि — नेणता; — आवडे — अनंता — जीवाहूनि.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| कुशळ वक्ता नव्हे जाणीव श्रोता | "kuśaḷa (skilled) — speaker — is not — jāṇīva (= knowledgeable / aware) — listener" |
| राहे भाव चित्ता धरूनियां | "stays — bhāva — having held (dharūniyām) — (in) citta" |
| धन्य तो जगीं धन्य तो जगीं | "dhanya (blessed) — that one — in the jaga — twice" |
| ब्रम्ह तया अंगीं वसतसे | "Brahma — in his — anga (body) — dwells (vasatasē)" |
| न धोवी तोंड न करी अंघोळी | "doesn't wash — face (tōṇḍa); — does not bathe (anghōḷī)" |
| जपे सदाकाळीं रामराम | "japas — always (sadā-kāḷīm) — Rāma-Rāma" |
| जप तप ध्यान नेणे याग युक्ती | "japa, tapa, dhyāna — he doesn't know — yāga's yukti (technique)" |
| कृपाळु जो भूतीं दयावंत | "kṛpāḷu — toward bhūtas — dayāvanta (= compassionate)" |
| तुका म्हणे होय जाणोनि नेणता | "Tuka says — becomes — jāṇōnī nēṇatā (= knowingly not-knowing)" |
| आवडे अनंता जीवाहूनि | "Ananta loves — more than the jīva" |
What it means
Blessed-bhakta-no-rituals-just-japa abhang. A radical-democratization-portrait of the ideal bhakta. The opening: kuśaḷa vaktā navhē jāṇīva śrōtā — rāhē bhāva cittā dharūniyām — (he is) not a kuśaḷa (skilled) speaker — not a jāṇīva (knowledgeable) listener; — bhāva stays held in citta. Skill-in-speech is not required; knowledge-in-listening is not required; only bhāva-in-citta. (Compare 1440's jāṇōnī-nēṇatē-jālē-tēṇē-sukhēm — the same knowingly-not-knowing mode.)
The blessing-claim: dhanya tō jagīm dhanya tō jagīm — Brahma tayā angīm vasatasē — blessed in the jaga, blessed in the jaga (twice for emphasis); — Brahma — dwells in his body. Brahma resides in such a one — repeated for emphasis.
The radical anti-ritual: na dhōvī tōṇḍa na karī anghōḷī — japē sadā-kāḷīm Rāma-Rāma — doesn't wash face, doesn't bathe; — japas Rāma-Rāma — always. The shocking-claim: one who doesn't perform morning-purity-rituals (face-washing, bathing — basic śauca-acts) but japas Rāma always — has Brahma in his body. (Strong anti-purity-ritual-supremacy line; compare 1411's na-lagē-dēśa-kāḷa-mantra-vidhāna — same anti-vidhi register, here even more domestic.)
The further-disclaimers: japa tapa dhyāna nēṇē yāga yukti — kṛpāḷu jō bhūtīm dayāvanta — doesn't know — japa, tapa, dhyāna — yāga's yukti (technique); — but is kṛpāḷu and dayāvanta (compassionate) toward bhūtas. No formal practice — but compassion to all beings. (Pairs with 1427's dayā-kṣamā-śānti — Devācī vasati — virtues-where-Hari-dwells; same theme.)
The closing: hōya jāṇōnī nēṇatā — āvaḍē Anantā jīvāhūnī — (he) becomes jāṇōnī nēṇatā (= knowingly not-knowing); — Ananta — loves him — more than (his own) jīva. The jāṇōnī-nēṇatā (knowingly-unlearned) bhakta — Hari loves him more than the bhakta loves his own life. (Striking Hari-loves-bhakta-more-than-bhakta-loves-himself claim; compare 1457's janma-gōḍa-yā-sāṭīm — birth is sweet for this — same cherishing-mode.)
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For someone today
For today: blessed is the one who isn't a skilled speaker or knowing listener but holds bhāva in citta; he doesn't wash or bathe but japas Rāma always; doesn't know the formal practices but is compassionate to all beings; becomes knowingly-not-knowing — and Hari loves him more than his own life.
Where this applies
- Not-skilled-speaker-not-knowing-listener-bhāva-in-citta.* Kuśaḷa-vaktā-na-jāṇīva-śrōtā-na-bhāva-cittā.
- Brahma-dwells-in-his-body.* Brahma-angīm-vasatasē.
- Doesn't-wash-or-bathe-just-japa-Rāma.* Tōṇḍa-na-anghōḷī-na-japē-Rāma.
- No-formal-practice-but-compassion.* Japa-tapa-yāga-na-kṛpāḷu-bhūtīm-dayāvanta.
- Knowingly-not-knowing-Hari-loves-more-than-life.* Jāṇōnī-nēṇatā-Anantā-jīvāhūnī-āvaḍē.