Abhanga 1466
Knowledge about oneness that has no love behind it is empty and exhausting; real devotion outranks clever but loveless talk, whatever the speaker's status.
The verse
नाइकावे कानीं तयाचे ते बोल । भक्तीविण फोल ज्ञान सांगे ॥१॥ वाखाणी अद्वैत भक्तिभावेंविण । दुःख पावे सीण श्रोता वक्ता ॥ध्रु.॥ अहं ब्रम्ह म्हणोनि पाळित पिंडा । नो बोलावें भांडा तया सवें ॥२॥ वेदबाह्य लंड बोले जो पाषांड । त्याचें काळें तोंड संतांमध्ये ॥३॥ तुका म्हणे खंडी देवभक्तपण । वरिष्ठ त्याहूनि श्वपच तो ॥४॥
Literal translation
Don't hear in ears those bōla — without bhakti, phōla jñāna he tells. He expounds advaita without bhakti-bhāva — duḥkha undergoes sīṇa, śrōtā and vaktā. Saying 'aham Brahma' while feeding the piṇḍa — should not speak with that bhāṇḍā. The Veda-bāhya laṇḍa speaks pāṣāṇḍa — his black face among samtas. Tuka says: (he who) cuts Deva-bhakta-paṇa — than him, the śva-paca is variṣṭha.
मराठी: नाइकावे — कानीं — तयाचे — ते — बोल; — भक्तीविण — फोल — ज्ञान — सांगे. वाखाणी — अद्वैत — भक्ति-भावेंविण; — दुःख — पावे — सीण — श्रोता — वक्ता. अहं — ब्रम्ह — म्हणोनि — पाळित — पिंडा; — नो — बोलावें — भांडा — तया — सवें. वेद-बाह्य — लंड — बोले — जो — पाषांड; — त्याचें — काळें — तोंड — संतां-मध्ये. Tukā म्हणे — खंडी — देव-भक्त-पण; — वरिष्ठ — त्याहूनि — श्व-पच — तो.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| नाइकावे कानीं तयाचे ते बोल | "should not hear (nā'ikāvē) — in ears — his — those bōla (words)" |
| भक्तीविण फोल ज्ञान सांगे | "bhakti-vīṇa (without bhakti) — phōla (= chaff / hollow) — jñāna he tells" |
| वाखाणी अद्वैत भक्तिभावेंविण | "expounds (vākhāṇī) — advaita — without bhakti-bhāva" |
| दुःख पावे सीण श्रोता वक्ता | "duḥkha — undergoes — sīṇa (fatigue) — śrōtā (listener), vaktā (speaker)" |
| अहं ब्रम्ह म्हणोनि पाळित पिंडा | "saying aham Brahma — while feeding (pāḷita) — the piṇḍa (body)" |
| नो बोलावें भांडा तया सवें | "should not speak (bōlāvēm) — to bhāṇḍā (= rascal / quarreller) — with him" |
| वेदबाह्य लंड बोले जो पाषांड | "Vēda-bāhya (outside-Veda) — laṇḍa (rascal) — speaks — that pāṣāṇḍa" |
| त्याचें काळें तोंड संतांमध्ये | "his — kāḷēm tōṇḍa (= black face) — among samtas" |
| तुका म्हणे खंडी देवभक्तपण | "Tuka says — (one who) cuts (khaṇḍī) — Deva-bhakta-paṇa (= Deva-and-bhakta-distinction)" |
| वरिष्ठ त्याहूनि श्वपच तो | "variṣṭha (higher) — than him (tyāhūnī) — is the śva-paca (= cooker-of-dog-flesh)" |
What it means
Anti-fake-advaita-rascal abhang. The strongest anti-fake-advaita-talker line in this stretch — extends 1436's advaitīm-bōlā-na-jāṇīvēcā-śrama-vāyām and 1456's śabda-jñānī-Vedānta-bhinna-bhāva. The opening: nā'ikāvē kānīm tayāncē tē bōla — bhakti-vīṇa phōla jñāna sāngē — don't hear in (your) ears — his words; —without bhakti—phōla(= chaff / hollow) — is thejñānahe tells. Bhakti-less jñāna is chaff — same image as 1407's bhūsa-kāṇḍitī.
The diagnosis: vākhāṇī advaita bhakti-bhāvēmviṇa — duḥkha pāvē sīṇa śrōtā vaktā — expounds advaita without bhakti-bhāva — bothśrōtā and vaktā(listener and speaker) — undergoduḥkhaandsīṇa(fatigue). (= the bhakti-less-advaita-discourse exhausts both parties; cf. 1453's bhāvēmviṇa-bōlatī-sīṇa — same theme.)
The biting attack: aham Brahma mhaṇōnī pāḷita piṇḍā — nō bōlāvēm bhāṇḍā tayā savēm — sayingaham Brahma— whilefeedingthepiṇḍa(body); — should not —speak— to thatbhāṇḍā(= quarreller / rascal). The contradiction-exposure: if you really were Brahma, why are you feeding the body? (= the embodied-self-pampering contradicts the aham-Brahma-claim.) Such a person is abhāṇḍā(= mere quarrelsome speaker, fraud); don't even talk to him.
The next-level: Vēda-bāhya laṇḍa bōlē jō pāṣāṇḍa — tyācēm kāḷēm tōṇḍa samtām-madhyē — theVēda-bāhya(outside-Veda) —laṇḍa(rascal) — speaks — thatpāṣāṇḍa(heretic); — hiskāḷēm tōṇḍa(= black face) —among samtas. His face is black (= shamed) among saints. (Note: Veda-bāhya — Tuka now defends Veda-authority against out-of-Veda heresy; cf. 1439's anti-cārvāka — same Veda-defense.)
The closing-comparison: khaṇḍī Deva-bhakta-paṇa — variṣṭha tyāhūnī śva-paca tō — (one who)cuts—Deva-bhakta-paṇa(= the Deva-and-bhakta-distinction); —variṣṭha(= higher / better) —than him— is theśva-paca(= dog-flesh-cooker, the lowest classical caste-rank). Striking inversion: the bhakta-Deva-difference-cutter islowerthan theśva-paca. (Pairs with 1316's Vaiṣṇava cāmbhāra dhanya tyācī mātā — Vaiṣṇava-cāmbhāra is blessed; same caste-inversion-by-bhāva: birth-status doesn't matter; bhāva-toward-Hari does.)
[T]
For someone today
For today: don't hear bhakti-less jñāna — it's chaff; advaita without bhakti-bhāva exhausts both speaker and listener; one who says aham-Brahma while feeding the body is a quarrelsome-rascal — don't speak with him; the out-of-Veda heretic has a black face among saints; one who cuts Deva-bhakta-difference is lower than the dog-flesh-cooker.
Where this applies
- When someone lectures fluently about spiritual oneness but seems to have no warmth or humility
- When a talk about enlightenment leaves you feeling more drained than uplifted
- When you catch yourself claiming spiritual attainment while still indulging your ego or comfort
- When you are tempted to judge a devoted person's worth by their social status rather than their sincerity