Abhanga 1673
For today: the very telling of these stories tastes sweet — this is cash-down direct-experience; "sukha has come, sukha has come" — but it doesn't come over by my speaking; the inner state shouldn't be displayed — now why pursue further?; Tuka says — I will preserve this — this very, I will hold with my life.
The verse
सांगतां गोष्टी लागती गोडा । हा तो रोकडा अनुभव ॥१॥ सुख जालें सुख जालें । नये बोले बोलतां ॥ध्रु.॥ अंतर तें नये दिसों । आतां सोस कासया ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे जतन करूं । हें चि धरूं जीवेंसी ॥३॥
Literal translation
Telling gōṣṭīs tastes sweet — this is rōkaḍa anubhava. Sukha has come, sukha has come — doesn't come by speaking. The inner should not appear — now, why pursue? Tuka says: will preserve — this very will hold with life.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| सांगतां गोष्टी लागती गोडा | "telling — gōṣṭīs — taste sweet" |
| हा तो रोकडा अनुभव | "this — cash-down — anubhava" |
| सुख जालें सुख जालें | "sukha has come — sukha has come" |
| नये बोले बोलतां | "doesn't come — by speaking" |
| अंतर तें नये दिसों | "the inner — not should appear" |
| आतां सोस कासया | "now — pursuit — for what" |
| तुका म्हणे जतन करूं | "Tuka says — will preserve" |
| हें चि धरूं जीवेंसी | "this very — will hold — with life" |
What it means
Cash-down-anubhava + sukha-cannot-be-spoken abhang.
The sweet-telling: sāngatām gōṣṭī lāgatī gōḍa — hā tō rōkaḍā anubhava — telling gōṣṭīs tastes sweet — this is rōkaḍa-anubhava. Rōkaḍā = cash-down, immediate-payment; anubhava = experience. The very-telling has its own sweet-taste — this is direct-experience, not theory.
The repeated-claim: sukha jālēm sukha jālēm — na yē bōlē bōlatām — sukha has come, sukha has come — doesn't come by speaking. The double-utterance (sukha-jālēm-sukha-jālēm) emphasizes the fact; but the sukha doesn't transmit-by-speaking. (Paradox: I can say "sukha has come" but the sukha-itself is not in the saying.)
The inner-protection: antara tēm na yē disōm — ātām sōsa kāsayā — the inner shouldn't appear — now, why pursue? Once the inner is settled, why pursue further? (= don't display the inner-state; don't pursue further-effort either.)
The closing: Tukā mhaṇē jatana karūm — hēm chi dharūm jīvēmsī — Tuka says: will preserve — this very will hold with life. Will preserve this; will hold-it-with-life-itself.
[T]
For someone today
For today: the very telling of these stories tastes sweet — this is cash-down direct-experience; "sukha has come, sukha has come" — but it doesn't come over by my speaking; the inner state shouldn't be displayed — now why pursue further?; Tuka says — I will preserve this — this very, I will hold with my life.
Where this applies
- When you try to describe a moving spiritual or emotional experience and the words fall short.
- When you feel deep contentment and don't feel any need to announce it to others.
- When you're tempted to keep chasing more after you've already found real peace.
- When you want to protect a hard-won inner calm from being worn down by explaining it.