Abhanga 1666
Genuine grace feels distinct from empty show, and reaching real spiritual depth requires an honest foundation, not shortcuts.
The verse
कृपेचा ओलावा । दिसे वेगळा चि देवा ॥१॥ मी हें इच्छीतसें साचें । न लगे फुकटशाईं काचें ॥ध्रु.॥ जेणें जाय कळसा । पाया उत्तम तो तैसा ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे घरीं । तुझ्या अवघिया परी ॥३॥
Literal translation
Kṛpā's wetness — appears separate — Devā. I desire this truly — don't need the free-glass-show. By which (one) goes to (the) kaḷasa — the foundation must be uttama. Tuka says: in your house — yours, of all kinds.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| कृपेचा ओलावा | "kṛpā's wetness" |
| दिसे वेगळा चि देवा | "appears — separate — Devā" |
| मी हें इच्छीतसें साचें | "I — desire this — truly" |
| न लगे फुकटशाईं काचें | "don't need — free-show — of glass" |
| जेणें जाय कळसा | "by which — goes — to peak (kaḷasa)" |
| पाया उत्तम तो तैसा | "the foundation — uttama — that-thus" |
| तुका म्हणे घरीं | "Tuka says — in (your) house" |
| तुझ्या अवघिया परी | "of yours — all kinds" |
What it means
Real-grace-not-free-glass-show + uttama-foundation abhang.
The kṛpā-wetness: kṛpēcā ōlāvā — disē vēgaḷā chi Devā — kṛpā's wetness — appears separate, Devā. Ōlāvā = moistness, wetness (= the quality of real-living-grace, not dry-formal-grace). Real-grace's-wetness is distinct (= recognizable as something-real, not fake).
The truly-desire: mī hēm icchītasēm sācēm — na lagē phukaṭa-śā'īm kācēm — I desire this truly — don't need the free-glass-show. Phukaṭa-śā'īm kāca = free-(or empty-)glass-show; phukaṭa = free-of-cost; kāca = glass / mirror. (= I want the real-jewel, not the free-show-glass / mirror-trinket.)
The foundation-claim: jēṇē jāya kaḷasā — pāyā uttama tō taisā — by which (one) goes to the kaḷasa (peak) — the foundation must be uttama. Kaḷasa = the finial-peak of a temple; pāyā = foundation. To reach the peak, the foundation must-be-excellent. (Striking-architectural-image: the spiritual-peak requires solid-foundation; no shortcut from kāca-foundation to kaḷasa.)
The closing: Tukā mhaṇē gharīm — tujhyā avaghiyā parī — Tuka says: in your house — yours, of all kinds. In your house, every-kind-of (= all-of)-yours (is available); but I want only the real-grace, not the false-show.
[T]
For someone today
For today: the real moistness of grace appears as something-separate, Devā; I truly desire that — I don't need the free-glass-show; the one that climbs to the peak — its foundation must be excellent; Tuka says — in your house, you have all kinds — but I want only the real.
Where this applies
- When you're offered an easy, showy version of something instead of the real, harder-won version
- When you're building toward a big goal and tempted to skip laying a solid foundation first
- When you can sense the difference between someone's performed devotion and their genuine feeling
- When you'd rather have something modest but real than something impressive but empty