संत साहित्य
Work in progress. Translations and commentary are AI-generated and may contain inaccuracies or hallucinations — please use your own judgement and check against the original sources.
संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1688 of 4582

Abhanga 1688

For today: what is not done in the mind does not count as renunciation — there is no boredom-and-distress in the chitta of the truly-renounced; only Deva knows the inner-bhāva — the outer-color-display is false; if the dhyāna of the renounced thing remains within, then all that kind of tyāga is mere mockery; Tuka says — examine yourself — who is this second person who can tell you?

When you'd assert internal-renunciation > external-renunciation — not-done-in-mind-not-tyāga; outer-color-false; dhyāna-of-renounced-remains-within-as-shameful; examine-yourself

The verse

केलें नाहीं मनीं तया घडे त्याग । उबगें उद्वेग नाहीं चित्ती ॥१॥ देव चि हा जाणे अंतरींचा भाव । मिथ्या तो उपाव बाह्य रंग ॥ध्रु.॥ त्यागिल्याचें ध्यान राहिलें अंतरीं । अवघी ते परी विटंबना ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे आपआपण्यां विचारा । कोण हा दुसरा सांगे तुम्हां ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: Not done in mind — to that one is the tyāga (= no real tyāga); no boredom-distress in chitta. Deva alone knows the inner bhāva — the outer-color upāya is false. The dhyāna of the renounced thing remained within — all that kind is viṭambana. Tuka says: examine yourself — who is this second to tell you?

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
केलें नाहीं मनीं तया घडे त्याग "not done in mindto that oneis tyāga"
उबगें उद्वेग नाहीं चित्ती "boredom-and-distressnotin chitta"
देव चि हा जाणे अंतरींचा भाव "Deva aloneknowsthe inner bhāva"
मिथ्या तो उपाव बाह्य रंग "falsethat upāyaof outer-color"
त्यागिल्याचें ध्यान राहिलें अंतरीं "of-the-renounceddhyānaremainedwithin"
अवघी ते परी विटंबना "all that kindis viṭambanā"
तुका म्हणे आपआपण्यां विचारा "Tuka says — examine yourself"
कोण हा दुसरा सांगे तुम्हां "who is this secondto tell you?"

What it means

Internal-renunciation > external-renunciation abhang.

The opening: kēlēm nāhīm manīm tayā ghaḍē tyāga — ubagēm udvēga nāhīm chittīwhat's not done in mind, to that one is the tyāga (= the only real tyāga is in mind); no boredom-distress in chitta. External-tyāga without inner-renunciation is no tyāga at all; real tyāga has no inner-distress about what's been left.

The Deva-knows: Deva chi hā jāṇē antarīñcā bhāva — mithyā tō upāva bāhya rangaonly Deva knows the inner bhāva; the outer-color upāya is false. Outer-display-tactics fool people but not Deva.

The retained-dhyāna: tyāgilyācēm dhyāna rāhilēm antarīm — avaghī tē parī viṭambanathe dhyāna of the renounced remained within — all that kind is viṭambana. Viṭambana = mockery, shameful-show, parody. If you renounced X but X still occupies your dhyāna, the renunciation is mere viṭambana / a parody.

The closing self-examination: Tukā mhaṇē āpa-āpaṇyām vicārā — kōṇa hā dusarā sāngē tumhāmTuka says: examine yourself — who is this second to tell you? (= the only one who can tell you whether your renunciation is real is yourself; no second-witness needed.)

[T]

For someone today

For today: what is not done in the mind does not count as renunciation — there is no boredom-and-distress in the chitta of the truly-renounced; only Deva knows the inner-bhāva — the outer-color-display is false; if the dhyāna of the renounced thing remains within, then all that kind of tyāga is mere mockery; Tuka says — examine yourself — who is this second person who can tell you?

Where this applies

Related verses