Abhanga 1531
For today: in the jñānī's house, the very-process of seeking Deva produces aham-bhāva clinging at the back; abandon such means and firmly hold his feet; even Veda-pundits can't agree among themselves; the talked-of ātma-niṣṭhā shows upside-down behavior; yogis who haven't cooled their bodies grumble-and-growl; Hari, don't make me dependent on any of these.
The verse
ज्ञानियांचे घरीं चोजवितां देव । तेथें अहंभाव पाठी लागे ॥१॥ म्हणोनियां ऐसे सांडिले उपाय । धरियेले पाय दृढ तुझे ॥ध्रु.॥ वेदपारायण पंडित वाचक । न मळिती एक एकांमधीं ॥२॥ पाहों गेलों भाव कैसी आत्मनिष्ठा । तेथें देखें चेष्टा विपरीत ॥३॥ आपुलिया नाहीं निवाले जे अंगें । योगी करती रागें गुरगुरु ॥४॥ तुका म्हणे मज कोणांचा पांगिला । नको बा विठ्ठला करूं आतां ॥५॥
Literal translation
English: In jñānī's house, when Deva is cōjavitām — there, aham-bhāva clings at back. Therefore such upāyas abandoned — your pāya held dṛḍha. Veda-pārāyaṇa-paṇḍitas don't agree one-with-another. I went to see bhāva — what kind of ātma-niṣṭhā — there I see cēṣṭā viparīta. Those not cooled in own body — yogis make rage-grumbling. Tuka says: of whom is my pāngilā? — don't, dear Viṭhṭhala, do (this) now.
मराठी: ज्ञानियांचे — घरीं — चोजवितां — देव; — तेथें — अहं-भाव — पाठी — लागे. म्हणोनियां — ऐसे — सांडिले — उपाय; — धरियेले — पाय — दृढ — तुझे. वेद-पारायण — पंडित — वाचक; — न — मळिती — एक — एकां-मधीं. पाहों — गेलों — भाव — कैसी — आत्म-निष्ठा; — तेथें — देखें — चेष्टा — विपरीत. आपुलिया — नाहीं — निवाले — जे — अंगें; — योगी — करती — रागें — गुर-गुरु. Tukā म्हणे — मज — कोणांचा — पांगिला; — नको — बा — विठ्ठला — करूं — आतां.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ज्ञानियांचे घरीं चोजवितां देव | "in jñānī's — house — when Deva — is being cōjavitām (= sought / probed)" |
| तेथें अहंभाव पाठी लागे | "there — aham-bhāva — at back — clings (lāgē)" |
| म्हणोनियां ऐसे सांडिले उपाय | "therefore — such — upāyas — abandoned (sāṇḍilē)" |
| धरियेले पाय दृढ तुझे | "firmly (dṛḍha) — your feet — held" |
| वेदपारायण पंडित वाचक | "Veda-pārāyaṇa (recitation), paṇḍita-vācaka (= Pundit-readers)" |
| न मळिती एक एकांमधीं | "do not get-along (na maḷitī) — one with another" |
| पाहों गेलों भाव कैसी आत्मनिष्ठा | "I went to see — bhāva — what kind of ātma-niṣṭhā" |
| तेथें देखें चेष्टा विपरीत | "there — I see — cēṣṭā viparīta (= upside-down behavior)" |
| आपुलिया नाहीं निवाले जे अंगें | "those — not cooled (nivālē) — in their own body" |
| योगी करती रागें गुरगुरु | "yogis — make — by rāga (anger) — gura-guru (= grumbling-growling)" |
| तुका म्हणे मज कोणांचा पांगिला | "Tuka says — to me — whose — pāngilā (= obligation / dependence)?" |
| नको बा विठ्ठला करूं आतां | "don't, dear Viṭhṭhala — make (it) — now" |
What it means
Anti-academic-and-yogic-spirituality polemic abhang. A 5-verse sustained-diagnosis of pseudo-spiritual-categories. The opening: jñāniyāñcē gharī cōjavitām Deva — tēthēm ahambhāva pāṭhī lāgē — in the jñānī's house — when Deva is being sought — there — aham-bhāva — clings at the back. In the very-process of seeking-Deva-as-a-jñānī, aham-bhāva clings to the seeker. (Pithy diagnosis: jñāna-mode-itself produces aham-bhāva*.)
Tuka's response: aisē sāṇḍilē upāya — dhariyēlē pāya dṛḍha tujhē — such upāyas — abandoned; — firmly — your pāya — held. Tuka has abandoned all such upāyas; just firmly holds Hari's feet*.
The Veda-pundit observation: Veda-pārāyaṇa paṇḍita vācaka — na maḷitī ēka ēkām-madhīm — Veda-pārāyaṇa, paṇḍita-vācaka (= reciters) — do not get-along — one-with-another. Even the Veda-pārāyaṇa-pundits can't agree among themselves. (= the outer-credentials don't produce inner-harmony; cf. 1456's bhinna-bhāva-Vedānta.)
The ātma-niṣṭhā probe: pāhōm gēlōm bhāva kaisī ātma-niṣṭhā — tēthēm dēkhēm cēṣṭā viparīta — I went to see bhāva — what kind of ātma-niṣṭhā (= self-anchoredness); — there — I see — cēṣṭā viparīta (= upside-down behavior). I went to check the bhāva and ātma-niṣṭhā quality — found upside-down behavior. (= the talked-of-state doesn't match the visible-conduct.)
The yogi-image: āpuliyā nāhīm nivālē jē angē — yōgi karitī rāgē gura-guru — those — not cooled — in their own body; — yogis — make rage-grumbling. Yogis who haven't cooled-down-their-own-body grumble-and-growl in anger. (Striking: gura-guru — onomatopoeia for the growling-of-cats-or-dogs; applied to yogis — they sound like growling-animals* in their anger.)
The closing-prayer: Tukā mhaṇē maja kōṇāñcā pāngilā — nakō bā Viṭhṭhalā karūm ātām — Tuka says — to me — of whom — is the pāngilā (= dependence / obligation)?; — don't, dear Viṭhṭhala — make (it) — now. Don't make me dependent on any of these (jñānī, paṇḍita, yogi); take me directly.
[T]
For someone today
For today: in the jñānī's house, the very-process of seeking Deva produces aham-bhāva clinging at the back; abandon such means and firmly hold his feet; even Veda-pundits can't agree among themselves; the talked-of ātma-niṣṭhā shows upside-down behavior; yogis who haven't cooled their bodies grumble-and-growl; Hari, don't make me dependent on any of these.
Where this applies
- Jñānī's-house-aham-bhāva-clings.* Jñānī-ghara-cōjavitām-aham-bhāva.
- Veda-pundits-don't-agree.* Veda-pārāyaṇa-paṇḍita-na-maḷitī.
- Ātma-niṣṭhā-talked-but-upside-down-conduct.* Ātma-niṣṭhā-cēṣṭā-viparīta.
- Un-cooled-yogis-growl-in-anger.* Nivālē-na-anga-yōgi-rāgē-gura-guru.
- Don't-make-me-dependent-on-anyone-Viṭhṭhal.* Pāngilā-na-Viṭhṭhalā.