संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1503 of 4582

Abhanga 1503

Suddenly seeing every being as equal to yourself, without seeking proof from anyone, is itself the sign that grace has truly arrived.

When you notice you no longer divide people into insiders and outsiders and wonder what changed in you
When someone doubts your inner experience and you feel no urge to convince them
When you meet a stranger and feel oddly like you are looking at yourself

The verse

अवघीं भूतें साम्या आलीं । देखिलीं म्यां कैं होतीं ॥१॥ विश्वास तो खरा मग । पांडुरंगकृपेचा ॥ध्रु.॥ माझी कोणी न धरो शंका । हो कां लोकां निद्वपद्व ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे जें जें भेटे । तें तें वाटे मी ऐसें ॥३॥

Literal translation

All bhūtas have come to sāmya — was it seen by me before? Viśvāsa is true, then — of Pāṇḍuranga-kṛpā. Let no one hold śankā about me — let people have nidva-padva. Tuka says: whoever meets — that, that, seems me-like.

मराठी: अवघीं — भूतें — साम्या — आलीं; — देखिलीं — म्यां — कैं — होतीं? विश्वास — तो — खरा — मग; — पांडुरंग-कृपेचा. माझी — कोणी — न — धरो — शंका; — हो — कां — लोकां — निद्व-पद्व. Tukā म्हणे — जें — जें — भेटे; — तें — तें — वाटे — मी — ऐसें.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
अवघीं भूतें साम्या आलीं "all (avaghīm) — bhūtas — have come — to sāmya (= equality / sameness)"
देखिलीं म्यां कैं होतीं "was-it-(that) — by me — seen (dēkhilīm) — kaim (formerly)?"
विश्वास तो खरा मग "viśvāsa — that — true — then"
पांडुरंगकृपेचा "of Pāṇḍuranga-kṛpā (= grace)"
माझी कोणी न धरो शंका "of me — no one — let (no one) hold (na dharō) — śankā (doubt)"
हो कां लोकां निद्वपद्व "let it be — to lōka (people) — nidva-padva (= back-and-forth / pendular variation)"
तुका म्हणे जें जें भेटे "Tuka says — whoever (jēm jēm) — meets"
तें तें वाटे मी ऐसें "that, that — seems (vāṭē) — me-like (mī aisēm)"

What it means

Sarva-bhūta-sama-darśana abhang. The opening realization: avaghīm bhūtēm sāmyā ālīm — dēkhilīm myām kaim hōtīmall beings — have come tosāmya(= equality / sameness); — was-it that I hadseenthem (in this way) before? The arrival of sarva-bhūta-sama-darśana (= the seeing-all-beings-as-equal state, classical Vedānta-and-bhakti achievement). I never saw them so before. (Compare Bhagavad-Gītā 6.32 sarvatra sama-darśanaḥ; 5.18 paṇḍitāḥ samadarśinaḥ. Tuka's witness of arriving-into that state.)

The certifying-trust: viśvāsa tō kharā maga — Pāṇḍuranga-kṛpēcātheviśvāsathat one is true— then; — ofPāṇḍuranga-kṛpā. Now the trust in Hari's grace is verified-truebecause the sama-darśana has actually arrived. (= the experiential-confirmation of grace.)

The social-invitation: mājhī kōṇī na dharō śankā — hō kām lōkām nidva-padvalet no one holddoubtabout me; — letpeoplehave theirnidva-padva(= pendular back-and-forth). Don't doubt me; people will swing back-and-forth in their views, that's their business. (= Tuka's invitation to trust; he asserts his state, doesn't argue for it.)

The closing-formula: jēm jēm bhēṭē — tēm tēm vāṭē mī aisēmwhoever meets — that, that —seems me-like. The bhakti-version of sarva-ātma-darśana: whoever I meet, I sense asme-like. (Striking-formulation: not "I am Brahman in everyone" (Vedānta), but "everyone seems me-like" (bhakti). The first-person sense-of-recognition rather than the metaphysical-claim.)

[T]

For someone today

For today: all beings have come to feel the same to me — I never used to see them this way before. That shift is proof that my trust in Hari's grace is real. Let no one doubt me — people will keep swinging back and forth in their opinions, and that's their business. Whoever I meet now feels like meeting myself.

मराठी: आजसाठी: सर्व प्राणिमात्र मला आता सारखेच वाटू लागले आहेत — पूर्वी मी त्यांना असं कधीच पाहिलं नव्हतं. हा बदलच सिद्ध करतो की हरिकृपेवरचा माझा विश्वास खरा आहे. कुणीही माझ्याबद्दल शंका घेऊ नये — लोक आपापल्या मतांमध्ये मागेपुढे झुलत राहतील, ती त्यांची गोष्ट आहे. आता जो कोणी मला भेटतो, तो मला माझ्यासारखाच वाटतो.

Where this applies

Related verses