Abhanga 1480

A life devoted to God does not require formal robes or titles; what matters is inward fullness, contentment with whatever comes, and a mind kept steady.

The verse

Literal translation

What it means

We-are-kṣētrī-samnyāsīs self-portrait abhang. A 6-verse manifesto of internal-samnyāsa-vs-formal-samnyāsa. The opening claim: āmhī kṣētrīñcē samnyāsī — dēha-bharita Hṛṣīkēśī — nāhīm kēlī aiśī āśā-kāma-bōharī — we arekṣētrīñcē(= region-samnyāsīs, not formally-initiated); — body-filled withHṛṣīkēśī(Hari); — havenot done—āśā-kāma-bōharī(= the formal sweeping-out of desire-lust). Striking-claim: we are samnyāsīsof-our-region(= warkari-bhakta-style, not the formal Daśanāmi-samnyāsa); —body-filled with Hari— butwe did not do the formal renunciation. (= Tuka redefines samnyāsa asinternal-state, not formal-initiation.)

The carefree-stance: ālēm ayācita angā — sahaja tēm āmhām bhāgā — dātā Pāṇḍurangā — aisā karitām niścinti — what comes —unsought— to (the) body; — naturally — our share; —Pāṇḍuranga the dātā; — we are carefree. Whatever comes unsought is our share — Pāṇḍuranga is the giver; thus, niścinti (carefree). (Compare 1420's ālā-bhāgāsī-vēvasāva — same theme.)

The metaphorical-samnyāsi-paraphernalia: daṇḍa dharilā daṇḍāyamāna — muḷīm muṇḍilēm muṇḍaṇa — bandī banda kaupīna — bahir-vāsa au-ṭhaḍē — daṇḍa held standing firm; muṇḍana at the root (= mind-shaving, not head-shaving); bandī-banda-kaupīna (= the bond is the kaupīna); outer-garment is sky-bare (= we wear the sky as outer garment). Each formal-samnyāsa-paraphernalia is reinterpreted internally. (One of the most distinctive internal-samnyāsa portraits in the Gatha.)

The Time-conquest: kāḷē sādhiyēlā kāḷa — mana karūnī niścaḷa — laukikīm viṭāḷa — dharūnī asōm aikānta — byTime-itself,Kāla— conquered; — mind madeniścaḷa; —laukika-viṭāḷa(= worldly-avoidance); — holding — staying inaikānta(solitude). (= Time conquered by Time-itself / by abiding-in-time without resisting.)

The kārya-kāraṇa-regulation: kārya-kāraṇācī cālī — vācā-vācatvēm nēmilī — ēkā nēmēm cālī — sva-rūpīm chi rāhāṇē — the conduct of cause-effect — regulated by speech-and-its-suspension; — by one rule, the conduct — staying insva-rūpaalone. (= behavior is speech-and-silence-balanced; one rule = staying in sva-rūpa.)

The closing-claim: navhē vēṣa-dhārī — Tukā āhāca varavarī — āhē taisīm barīm — khaṇḍē nivaḍitōm Vēdāñcī — Tuka is not —vēṣa-dhārī(costume-keeper); — notjust-on-the-surface; —as-it-is,correctly; —I sort the khaṇḍas (sections) of theVedas. I'm not in costume — what I show is what I am — I sort even the Veda's sections (= I'm not just performing renunciation; I'm in fact at the level where I evaluate Veda-content). The Tuka-as-Veda-sorter is a strong-self-claim about his own spiritual-authority.

[T]

For someone today

For today: we are samnyāsīs of our region — body-filled with Hari, not formally renounced; what comes unsought is our share; Pāṇḍuranga the giver, we make ourselves carefree; the daṇḍa, muṇḍana, kaupīna, sky-garment are all interior; Kāla conquered by abiding in Time; we stay in sva-rūpa alone; not costume-wearers but as-we-are.

Where this applies

• When you feel you need certain titles, clothes, or credentials to be seen as truly spiritual or disciplined
• When you're anxious about what you don't have instead of being content with what comes to you unasked
• When you compare your inner devotion to someone else's outward display and feel inadequate
• When you want to simplify your life and root your identity in something more inward than appearances

Related verses

• Abhanga 2377 — This detailed meditation on Vitthal standing on a brick at Pandharpur, out of love for his
• Abhanga 2402 — For today: happily take rebirths — IF among the Paṇḍharī-Vārkarīs ; Hari-dāsas' company is
• Abhanga 2448 — The easiest path to God is repeating divine names with love at home, right where you are,
• Abhanga 2459 — Liberation does not have to be earned through grueling effort or endless searching; it is