Abhanga 1790
For today: brahma-jñāna is not perfected by mere speaking — until ātma-bōdha is in the chitta; what will you do uselessly with vacuous elaboration — the śrama is purely of mere-knowing-pretense; "I am deva" you tell people — while licking the pleasures of the senses; the sweetness of amṛta you tell others — while you yourself, starving, die; Tuka says — if the yearning remains, brahma is purely the ever-rising state.
The verse
नव्हे ब्रम्हज्ञान बोलतां सिद्ध । जंव हा आत्मबोध नाहीं चित्ती ॥१॥ काय करिसी वांयां लटिका चि पाल्हाळ । श्रम तो केवळ जाणिवेचा ॥ध्रु.॥ मी च देव ऐसें सांगसी या लोकां । विषयांच्या सुखा टोंकोनियां ॥२॥ अमृताची गोडी पुढिलां सांगसी । आपण उपवासी मरोनिया ॥३॥ तुका म्हणे जरि राहील तळमळ । ब्रम्ह तें केवळ सदोदित ॥४॥
Literal translation
English: Brahma-jñāna is not perfected by mere speaking — until ātma-bōdha is in the chitta. What will you do uselessly — the vacuous-pāl'hāḷa? — the śrama is purely of mere-knowing-pretense. "I am deva" — you tell these people — while licking the pleasures of viṣaya. The sweetness of amṛta — to others you tell — while you yourself, starving, die. Tuka says: if the taḷa-maḷa remains, brahma is purely sadōdita.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| नव्हे ब्रम्हज्ञान बोलतां सिद्ध | "not — brahma-jñāna — by mere speaking — is perfected" |
| जंव हा आत्मबोध नाहीं चित्ती | "until — this ātma-bōdha — is not in the chitta" |
| काय करिसी वांयां लटिका चि पाल्हाळ | "what will you do — uselessly — vacuous-pāl'hāḷa (= elaboration)" |
| श्रम तो केवळ जाणिवेचा | "the śrama — is purely — of jāṇīva (= mere-knowing-pretense)" |
| मी च देव ऐसें सांगसी या लोकां | "'I am deva' — thus — you tell — to these people" |
| विषयांच्या सुखा टोंकोनियां | "while licking — the pleasures of viṣaya" |
| अमृताची गोडी पुढिलां सांगसी | "the sweetness of amṛta — to others — you tell" |
| आपण उपवासी मरोनिया | "while you yourself — starving — die" |
| तुका म्हणे जरि राहील तळमळ | "Tuka says — if — the taḷa-maḷa (yearning) — remains" |
| ब्रम्ह तें केवळ सदोदित | "brahma — that purely — (is) sadōdita (= ever-rising)" |
What it means
Anti-fake-jñānī + ātma-bōdha-required abhang. One of the gatha's sharpest critiques of the verbal-jñānī.
The opening: navhē brahma-jñāna bōlatām siddha — jamva hā ātma-bōdha nāhīm chittī — brahma-jñāna is not perfected by mere speaking — until ātma-bōdha is in the chitta. Brahma-jñāna is not vāgvilāsa (= mere-verbal-display); it is ātma-bōdha-in-the-chitta. Foundational distinction: speaking-of-brahman vs. realizing-brahman.
The pāl'hāḷa-line: kāya karisī vāmyām laṭikā chi pāl'hāḷa — śrama tō kēvaḷa jāṇivēcā — what will you do uselessly with vacuous-elaboration — the śrama is pure mere-knowing-pretense. Pāl'hāḷa = elaboration / verbose-discourse; laṭikā = false / vacuous; jāṇīva = mere-knowingness / cleverness without realization. The verbal-elaborator merely-tires-himself with the labor-of-pretense.
The strikes:
Strike 1: mī cha dēva aisēm sāngasī yā lōkām — viṣayāñcyā sukhā ṭōnkōniyām — "I am deva" you tell these people — while licking the pleasures of viṣaya. Ṭōnkōniyām = licking / picking-at-with-the-tongue / sneaking-tastes. The advaita-claim of "I-am-deva" while-still-tasting-sense-pleasures is hypocrisy. (Targets the vāgvilāsī advaitin who talks but lives sensually.)
Strike 2: amṛtācī gōḍī puḍhilām sāngasī — āpaṇa upavāsī marōniyā — the sweetness of amṛta — to others you tell — while you yourself, starving, die. Devastating image: the verbal-jñānī talks-of-amṛta to others while-himself-starving-to-death. (= no actual-experience; only second-hand-rhetoric.)
The closing: Tukā mhaṇē jari rāhīla taḷamaḷa — brahma tē kēvaḷa sadōdita — Tuka says: if the taḷa-maḷa remains, brahma is purely sadōdita. Taḷa-maḷa = yearning, restless-longing; sadōdita = ever-rising, always-ascending. If the yearning still-remains, you have-not-reached brahma — for brahma is the ever-rising state where yearning is fulfilled.
This abhang is one of Tuka's most-quoted attacks on the verbal-jñānī — the amṛta-puḍhilām-upavāsī-marōniyām line is foundational for the Vārkarī tradition's insistence that bhakti is the actual-experience, not the rhetorical claim.
[T]
For someone today
For today: brahma-jñāna is not perfected by mere speaking — until ātma-bōdha is in the chitta; what will you do uselessly with vacuous elaboration — the śrama is purely of mere-knowing-pretense; "I am deva" you tell people — while licking the pleasures of the senses; the sweetness of amṛta you tell others — while you yourself, starving, die; Tuka says — if the yearning remains, brahma is purely the ever-rising state.
Where this applies
- Brahma-jñāna-not-by-speaking-needs-ātma-bōdha.* Brahma-jñāna-bōlatām-na-ātma-bōdha.
- Vacuous-elaboration-is-pretense-śrama.* Laṭikā-pāl'hāḷa-jāṇīva-śrama.
- I-am-deva-while-licking-viṣaya-pleasures.* Mī-deva-viṣaya-sukha.
- Amṛta-told-to-others-while-self-starving.* Amṛta-puḍhilā-upavāsī.
- Yearning-remains-brahma-is-sadōdita.* Taḷamaḷa-brahma-sadōdita.