संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1634 of 4582

Abhanga 1634

For today: what Deva gives stays as it is — what doesn't happen by your effort?; the ocean-of-grace never neglects his dāsas — he knows their inner pain; the child doesn't know how to ask, but the mother knows the secret — and doesn't let any toil come to the child; Tuka says — my experience is through the body itself — vain words don't suffice for this.

When you'd describe mother-Hari knowing-without-asking — Deva's-giving-stays; never-neglects-dāsa-inner-pain; mother-knows-varma-no-toil; experience-through-body

The verse

जैसें तैसें राहे देवाचें हें देणें । यत्न करितां तेणें काय नव्हे ॥१॥ दासां कृपासिंधु नुपेक्षी सर्वथा । अंतरींची व्यथा कळे त्यासी ॥ध्रु.॥ मागों नेणे परी माय जाणे वर्म । बाळा नेदी श्रम पावों कांहीं ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे मज अनुभव अंगें । वचन वाउगें मानेना हें ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: Deva's giving stays as it is — what doesn't happen with effort? The kṛpā-sindhu never neglects the dāsas — knows their inner pain. (The child) doesn't know how to ask, but the mother knows the varma — doesn't let any toil come to the child. Tuka says: my anubhava is bodily — vain words don't suffice for this.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
जैसें तैसें राहे देवाचें हें देणें "as it is, so it staysDeva's giving"
यत्न करितां तेणें काय नव्हे "with effortwhat doesn't happen?"
दासां कृपासिंधु नुपेक्षी सर्वथा "to dāsaskṛpā-sindhudoes not neglectever"
अंतरींची व्यथा कळे त्यासी "inner painknowsto him"
मागों नेणे परी माय जाणे वर्म "doesn't know how to askbut — the motherknows — the secret"
बाळा नेदी श्रम पावों कांहीं "to (the) childdoesn't lettoilcomeany"
तुका म्हणे मज अनुभव अंगें "Tuka says — to meexperiencebodily"
वचन वाउगें मानेना हें "vain wordsdon't sufficethis"

What it means

Mother-Hari + dāsa-doesn't-need-to-ask abhang.

The opening: jaisēm taisēm rāhē Devācēm hēm dēṇēm — yatna karitām tēṇē kāya navhēDeva's giving stays as it is — what doesn't happen with effort? The double-claim: (a) what Deva gives stays-given (without one's effort); (b) anything happens with effort — but Deva's giving is independent of that.

The kṛpā-sindhu: dāsām kṛpā-sindhu nupēkṣī sarvathā — antarīñcī vyathā kaḷē tyāsīto dāsas, the kṛpā-sindhu does not neglect, ever — knows the inner pain. Kṛpā-sindhu = ocean-of-grace. He knows the inner pain of his dāsas — they don't need to say it.

The mother-image: māgōm nēṇē parī māya jāṇē varma — bāḷā nēdī śrama pāvōm kāhīm(the child) doesn't know how to ask, but the mother knows the varma — doesn't let any toil come to the child. Varma = the secret, the inner-need. The infant cannot articulate its need; the mother intuits it; ensures the child suffers no-toil. (Pattern P11: classical mother-Hari image.)

The closing: Tukā mhaṇē maja anubhava angē — vacana vāugēm mānēnā hēmTuka says: my anubhava is bodily — vain words don't suffice for this. Anubhava angē = experience through the body (= first-hand-experiential, not theoretical). Mere-words don't suffice (= only embodied-anubhava counts).

[T]

For someone today

For today: what Deva gives stays as it is — what doesn't happen by your effort?; the ocean-of-grace never neglects his dāsas — he knows their inner pain; the child doesn't know how to ask, but the mother knows the secret — and doesn't let any toil come to the child; Tuka says — my experience is through the body itself — vain words don't suffice for this.

Where this applies

Related verses