Abhanga 1481
For today: just-enough food-clothing-hut for living; no citta-bondage anywhere — Hari stored in the heart; don't talk much, don't sit among people, keep alert buddhi controlling the indriyas; every ghaḍī gained by unweaving the three-guṇa fabric.
The verse
निर्वाहापुरतें अन्न आच्छादन । आश्रमासी स्थान कोंपी गुहा ॥१॥ कोठें ही चित्तासी नसावें बंधन । हृदयीं नारायण सांटवावा ॥ध्रु.॥ नये बोलों फार बैसों जनामधीं । सावधान बुद्धी इंद्रियें दमी ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे घडी घडीनें साधावी । त्रिगुणांची गोवी उगवूनि ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: Just-enough nirvāha-anna-ācchādana — for āśrama, kōmpī or guhā as sthāna. Nowhere should citta have bandhana — Nārāyaṇa in hṛdaya, stored. Don't talk much, don't sit among jana — sāvadhāna buddhi, indriyas dami. Tuka says: every ghaḍī should be sādhāvī — by unweaving tri-guṇa's gōvī.
मराठी: निर्वाहा-पुरतें — अन्न — आच्छादन; — आश्रमासी — स्थान — कोंपी — गुहा. कोठें — ही — चित्तासी — नसावें — बंधन; — हृदयीं — नारायण — सांटवावा. नये — बोलों — फार — बैसों — जना-मधीं; — सावधान — बुद्धी — इंद्रियें — दमी. Tukā म्हणे — घडी — घडीनें — साधावी; — त्रि-गुणांची — गोवी — उगवूनि.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| निर्वाहापुरतें अन्न आच्छादन | "nirvāhā (subsistence) — sufficient (puratēm) — anna (food), ācchādana (clothing)" |
| आश्रमासी स्थान कोंपी गुहा | "for āśrama — sthāna (place) — kōmpī (= small-hut), guhā (cave)" |
| कोठें ही चित्तासी नसावें बंधन | "nowhere — should citta — have bandhana (binding)" |
| हृदयीं नारायण सांटवावा | "in (the) hṛdaya — Nārāyaṇa — should be stored (sāṭavāvā)" |
| नये बोलों फार बैसों जनामधीं | "don't speak much (bōlōm phāra) — don't sit (baisōm) — among the jana" |
| सावधान बुद्धी इंद्रियें दमी | "sāvadhāna (alert) — buddhi; — indriyas — damī (control)" |
| तुका म्हणे घडी घडीनें साधावी | "Tuka says — ghaḍī (= moment) — by every ghaḍī — should be gained (sādhāvī)" |
| त्रिगुणांची गोवी उगवूनि | "of tri-guṇas — gōvī (= entanglement / weave) — ugavūnī (= unweaving)" |
What it means
Inner-samnyāsa-routine abhang. A practical-companion to 1480's self-portrait. The opening: nirvāhāpuratēm anna ācchādana — āśramāsī sthāna kōmpī guhā — just-enough — anna (food), ācchādana (clothing); — for the āśrama — sthāna (place) — kōmpī (small hut) or guhā (cave). The minimal-needs principle: only what subsistence requires — food, clothing, hut.
The interior-rule: kōṭhēm hī cittāsī nasāvēm bandhana — hṛdayīm Nārāyaṇa sāṭavāvā — nowhere should the citta have bandhana; — in the hṛdaya — Nārāyaṇa — should be stored. No citta-binding anywhere; Hari stored in the heart. (= outer-minimum + inner-fullness formula.)
The behavior-rule: nayē bōlōm phāra baisōm janā-madhī — sāvadhāna buddhī indriyēm damī — don't talk much, don't sit much among people; — alert buddhi — controls the indriyas. Minimal social-engagement + alert-buddhi (= active-self-discipline). (Compare 1410's sāvadhāna-buddhī — same alert-buddhi prescription.)
The closing-discipline: ghaḍī ghaḍīnēm sādhāvī — tri-guṇāñcī gōvī ugavūnī — every ghaḍī (24-minute unit) — should be gained (sādhāvī); — the tri-guṇa's gōvī (= entanglement / weave) — unweaving. Moment-by-moment, gain — by unweaving the three-guṇa-knot. The gōvī-image: the three-guṇas (sattva-rajas-tamas) form a gōvī (interlaced fabric / knot) that the bhakta unweaves moment-by-moment. (Compare Bhagavad-Gītā 14.5 onward — the triguṇa-bondage. Sādhanā-as-unweaving* is a distinctive Tukaram-image.)
[T]
For someone today
For today: just-enough food-clothing-hut for living; no citta-bondage anywhere — Hari stored in the heart; don't talk much, don't sit among people, keep alert buddhi controlling the indriyas; every ghaḍī gained by unweaving the three-guṇa fabric.
Where this applies
- Just-enough-food-clothing-hut.* Nirvāhāpuratēm-anna-ācchādana-kōmpī-guhā.
- No-citta-bondage-Hari-in-heart.* Citta-bandhana-na-hṛdayīm-Nārāyaṇa.
- Don't-talk-much-or-sit-among-people-control-indriyas.* Bōlōm-na-baisōm-na-buddhi-indriya-damī.
- Every-moment-by-unweaving-three-guṇas.* Ghaḍī-tri-guṇā-gōvī-ugavūnī.