संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1660 of 4582

Abhanga 1660

For today: wherever you go, there near me you are; I will spread such bhāva that no place is empty (of you); my chitta is attached at your feet — and guard takes place from spot to spot; Tuka says — putting Deva in my belly, I tell him my tales.

When you'd assert Lord-is-near-everywhere + carry-Deva-in-belly — wherever-you-go-near-me; pasarīna-bhāva; chitta-jaḍalēm-pāyīm; Deva-pōṭīm-tells-tales

The verse

जेथें जेथें जासी । तेथें मज चि तूं पासी ॥१॥ ऐसा पसरीन भाव । रिता नाहीं कोणी ठाव ॥ध्रु.॥ चत्ति जडलें पायीं । पाळती हें ठायीं ठायीं ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे पोटीं । देव घालुनि सांगें गोष्टी ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: Wherever you go, there near me you are. Such bhāva I will spread — no place empty. Chitta attached at feet — guard place-by-place. Tuka says: putting Deva in the belly, tells the tales.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
जेथें जेथें जासी "whereveryou go"
तेथें मज चि तूं पासी "thereme veryyounear"
ऐसा पसरीन भाव "suchwill spreadbhāva"
रिता नाहीं कोणी ठाव "emptynoanyplace"
चत्ति जडलें पायीं "chittaattachedat feet"
पाळती हें ठायीं ठायीं "guardplace-by-place"
तुका म्हणे पोटीं "Tuka says — in belly"
देव घालुनि सांगें गोष्टी "putting Devatells tales"

What it means

Lord-near-me-everywhere + Deva-in-belly-tells-tales abhang.

The opening reversal: jēthē jēthē jāsī — tēthē maja chi tūm pāsīwherever you go — there near me you are. The startling-inversion: not "wherever I go, you are with me" but "wherever you go, you-are near-me". (= wherever you go, you-still-don't-leave-me; you-are-always-near-me; the immanence-of-the-Lord-from-the-bhakta's-locus.)

The bhāva-spread: aisā pasarīna bhāva — ritā nāhīm kōṇī ṭhāvasuch bhāva I will spread — no place empty. I will spread my bhāva so wide that no place is empty (of you). (Saturation-of-attention.)

The chitta-guard: chitti jaḍalēm pāyīm — pāḷatī hēm ṭhāyīm ṭhāyīmchitta attached at feet — guard place-by-place. My chitta is attached to your feet; (by that), guard takes place-by-place (= the chitta-at-feet acts as a continuous-protective-guard everywhere).

The closing: Tukā mhaṇē pōṭīm — Deva ghāluni sāngē gōṣṭīTuka says: in belly, putting Deva, tells tales. Deva-pōṭīm-ghāluni = putting Deva in (one's) belly (= carrying Deva inside, having him as one's interior-guest); sāngē gōṣṭī = tells (him) tales / converses with him. The bhakta carries Deva-inside-the-belly and converses with him. (Striking-folk-image: carrying-the-deity-inside-as-a-pocket-companion, telling-him-stories continuously.)

[T]

For someone today

For today: wherever you go, there near me you are; I will spread such bhāva that no place is empty (of you); my chitta is attached at your feet — and guard takes place from spot to spot; Tuka says — putting Deva in my belly, I tell him my tales.

Where this applies

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