Abhanga 1479
For today: brahmacārī recites the akṣara; gṛhastha does ṣaṭ-karma; vānaprastha disengages even in conjunction; samnyāsi releases mental-resolves; paramahamsa knows the natural vital-secret without caste-dharma-lineage; one who talks the varma but doesn't walk it is fallen, the Śruti says; nothing is without rule — the undisciplined suffers.
The verse
ब्रम्हचारी धर्म घोकावें अक्षर । आश्रमीं विचार षटकर्में ॥१॥ वानप्रस्थ तरी संयोगीं वियोग । संन्यास तो त्याग संकल्पाचा ॥ध्रु.॥ परमहंस तरी जाणे सहज वर्म । तेथें याती धर्म कुळ नाहीं ॥२॥ बोले वर्म जो चाले याविरहित । तो जाणा पतित श्रुति बोले ॥३॥ तुका म्हणे कांहीं नाहीं नेमाविण । मोकळा तो सीण दुःख पावे ॥४॥
Literal translation
English: Brahmacārī's dharma — recite the akṣara; in āśrama, vicāra and ṣaṭ-karma. Vānaprastha — viyōga even in samyōga; samnyāsa — tyāga of samkalpa. Paramahamsa — knows sahaja-varma; there, no yāti, dharma, kuḷa. One who speaks varma but walks without it — know him patita, says the Śruti. Tuka says: nothing is without nēma — the mōkaḷā undergoes sīṇa-duḥkha.
मराठी: ब्रम्हचारी — धर्म — घोकावें — अक्षर; — आश्रमीं — विचार — षट-कर्में. वानप्रस्थ — तरी — संयोगीं — वियोग; — संन्यास — तो — त्याग — संकल्पाचा. परमहंस — तरी — जाणे — सहज — वर्म; — तेथें — याती — धर्म — कुळ — नाहीं. बोले — वर्म — जो — चाले — या-विरहित; — तो — जाणा — पतित — श्रुति — बोले. Tukā म्हणे — कांहीं — नाहीं — नेमाविण; — मोकळा — तो — सीण — दुःख — पावे.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ब्रम्हचारी धर्म घोकावें अक्षर | "brahmacārī's dharma — should be recited (ghōkāvēm) — akṣara (Vedic syllables)" |
| आश्रमीं विचार षटकर्में | "in (the next) āśrama (= gṛhastha) — vicāra — ṣaṭ-karma (= six rituals)" |
| वानप्रस्थ तरी संयोगीं वियोग | "vānaprastha — even (tarī) — in samyōga (= union/conjunction) — viyōga (= disengagement)" |
| संन्यास तो त्याग संकल्पाचा | "samnyāsa — that — is tyāga — of samkalpa (= mental-resolves)" |
| परमहंस तरी जाणे सहज वर्म | "paramahamsa — knows — sahaja (= natural) — varma (vital-secret)" |
| तेथें याती धर्म कुळ नाहीं | "there (tēthēm) — yāti (caste), dharma, kuḷa (lineage) — there is none" |
| बोले वर्म जो चाले याविरहित | "(one who) speaks varma — but walks — without it (yā-virahita)" |
| तो जाणा पतित श्रुति बोले | "know (jāṇā) him — patita (fallen) — the Śruti says" |
| तुका म्हणे कांहीं नाहीं नेमाविण | "Tuka says — nothing (kāhīm) — is — without nēma (= rule)" |
| मोकळा तो सीण दुःख पावे | "the mōkaḷā (= unrestricted / undisciplined) — undergoes sīṇa duḥkha" |
What it means
Āśrama-dharma-with-walk-must-match-talk abhang. A codification of the four-stage system with a sharp closing-warning. The opening four verses give each āśrama's characteristic dharma:
(1) brahmacārī: recite the akṣara (= Vedic syllables, study). (2) gṛhastha (āśramī): vicāra + ṣaṭ-karma (= the six prescribed rituals: yajana-yājana-adhyayana-adhyāpana-dāna-pratigraha). (3) vānaprastha: samyōgīm viyōga (= even-in-conjunction, disengagement). Striking phrase — vānaprastha may outwardly still be in conjunction (with wife / family), but inwardly disengaged. (4) samnyāsa: tyāga of samkalpa (= renunciation of mental-resolves, not just outer signs). (5) paramahamsa: jāṇē sahaja varma — tēthēm yātī dharma kuḷa nāhīm — knows the natural / spontaneous varma (vital-secret); — there, no caste, no dharma, no lineage. The paramahamsa transcends all classifications. (Foundational: the highest-stage rises above āśrama itself.)
The walk-must-match-talk warning: bōlē varma jō cālē yā-virahita — tō jāṇā patita Śruti bōlē — one who speaks varma but walks without it — know him patita (fallen) — the Śruti says. Vidhi-walk must match the varma-talk — the patita-status is the Śruti's own verdict. (Pairs with 1466's aham-Brahma-pāḷita-piṇḍā-bhāṇḍā* — same charge.)
The closing-counsel: kāhīm nāhīm nēmā-vīṇa — mōkaḷā tō sīṇa duḥkha pāvē — nothing is — without nēma (rule); — the mōkaḷā (= undisciplined / unrestricted) — undergoes sīṇa-duḥkha. Even the highest is anchored in nēma; the mōkaḷā-claiming-to-be-beyond-rules in fact suffers from undiscipline. (Compare 1467's mana-unmana-vidhi-pāḷīm — same theme: vidhi-as-discipline-until-unmana.)
[T]
For someone today
For today: brahmacārī recites the akṣara; gṛhastha does ṣaṭ-karma; vānaprastha disengages even in conjunction; samnyāsi releases mental-resolves; paramahamsa knows the natural vital-secret without caste-dharma-lineage; one who talks the varma but doesn't walk it is fallen, the Śruti says; nothing is without rule — the undisciplined suffers.
Where this applies
- Brahmacārī-recites-Veda-syllable.* Brahmacārī-akṣara-ghōkāvēm.
- Vānaprastha-disengages-in-conjunction.* Samyōgīm-viyōga.
- Samnyāsi-releases-samkalpa.* Samnyāsa-tyāga-samkalpa.
- Paramahamsa-no-caste-dharma-lineage.* Paramahamsa-yātī-dharma-kuḷa-na.
- Talk-without-walk-is-fallen.* Bōlē-varma-cālē-virahita-patita.
- Without-rule-undisciplined-suffers.* Nēmā-vīṇa-mōkaḷā-sīṇa.