संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1683 of 4582

Abhanga 1683

For today: we do not see faults — sinner, holy, wise are all equal to us; all forms are yours, Devā — we will venerate them with feeling and do service; I have no longing for mukti — I don't recognize differences of stone-or-metal or enlarged-image-shape; Tuka says — I will gulp poison and amṛta alike, for your sake.

When you'd assert no-distinction-all-yours — don't-see-faults; pāpī-pavitra-śāhāṇā-equal; all-forms-yours; gulp-poison-amṛta-for-you

The verse

आम्ही न देखों अवगुणां । पापी पवित्र शाहाणा ॥१॥ अवघीं रूपें तुझीं देवा । वंदूं भावें करूं सेवा ॥ध्रु.॥ मज मुक्ती सवें चाड । नेणें पाषाण धातु वाड ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे घोटीं । विष अमृत तुजसाटीं ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: We do not see avaguṇa — sinner, holy, wise. All forms are yours, Devā — will venerate with bhāva, do sēvā. To me, no longing for mukti — don't recognize stone, metal, enlarged-shape. Tuka says: will gulp poison and amṛta for your sake.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
आम्ही न देखों अवगुणां "wedo not seeavaguṇas"
पापी पवित्र शाहाणा "sinner, holy, wise"
अवघीं रूपें तुझीं देवा "all formsyours — Devā"
वंदूं भावें करूं सेवा "will veneratewith bhāvado sēvā"
मज मुक्ती सवें चाड "to mewith muktino longing"
नेणें पाषाण धातु वाड "don't knowstone, metalenlarged-shape"
तुका म्हणे घोटीं "Tuka says — will gulp"
विष अमृत तुजसाटीं "poison and amṛtafor your sake"

What it means

No-distinction-all-forms-yours + gulp-poison-amṛta abhang.

The opening: āmhī na dēkhōm avaguṇām — pāpī pavitra śāhāṇāwe do not see avaguṇas — sinner, holy, wise (all equal). We don't perceive faults; we make no distinction among sinner, holy, and wise.

The all-forms: avaghīm rūpēm tujhīm Devā — vandūm bhāvē karūm sēvāall forms are yours, Devā — will venerate with bhāva, do sēvā. (= every form is your form; we venerate all with bhāva; the Viṣṇu-in-all-beings doctrine of 1619.)

The mukti-rejection: maja muktī savē cāḍa — nēṇē pāṣāṇa dhātu vāḍato me, no longing for mukti — don't recognize stone, metal, enlarged-shape. Pāṣāṇa-dhātu-vāḍa = stone-metal-large-shape (= the physical-image-distinctions of various-deities). (= we don't distinguish-by-material or by-size of the image; all are equally Lord.)

The closing: Tukā mhaṇē ghōṭīm — viṣa amṛta tujasāṭīmTuka says: will gulp poison and amṛta — for your sake. I'll gulp both viṣa (poison) and amṛta (nectar) — they are equal-for-your-sake. (Striking-formulation: no-distinction even between life-giving and death-giving; both equal in service.)

[T]

For someone today

For today: we do not see faults — sinner, holy, wise are all equal to us; all forms are yours, Devā — we will venerate them with feeling and do service; I have no longing for mukti — I don't recognize differences of stone-or-metal or enlarged-image-shape; Tuka says — I will gulp poison and amṛta alike, for your sake.

Where this applies

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