संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1838 of 4582

Abhanga 1838

For today: by experience it comes to be known, Pāṇḍuranga — why be angry with you?; controlling, the chitta is not controlled — durjana — the mind harms me; inside samsāra, outside bhakti — therefore separation from your feet; Tuka says — what to do, I don't know the secret — I bear the karma as it comes.

When you'd confess that bhakti is external while samsāra is internal — anubhavē-rusāvē-na; chitta-nāvarē-durjana; antarī-samsāra-bāhyātkāra-bhakti; varma-na-karma-sōsūm

The verse

अनुभवें कळों येतें पांडुरंगा । रुसावें तें कां गा तुम्हांवरी ॥१॥ आवरितां चत्ति नावरे दुर्जन । घात करी मन माझें मज ॥ध्रु.॥ अंतरीं संसार भक्ति बाह्यात्कार । म्हणोनि अंतर तुझ्या पायीं ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे काय करूं नेणें वर्म । आलें तैसें कर्म सोसूं पुढें ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: By experience it comes to be known, Pāṇḍuranga — why be angry with you? The chitta is uncontrollable — durjana — the mind harms me. Inside is samsāra, outside is bhakti — therefore separation from your feet. Tuka says: what to do, I don't know the secret — I bear the karma as it comes ahead.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
अनुभवें कळों येतें पांडुरंगा "by experienceit comes to be knownPāṇḍuranga"
रुसावें तें कां गा तुम्हांवरी "to be angrywhywith you"
आवरितां चत्ति नावरे दुर्जन "controllingthe chitta is not controlleddurjana"
घात करी मन माझें मज "makes harmthe mind(of) mine to me"
अंतरीं संसार भक्ति बाह्यात्कार "insidesamsārabhakti outside"
म्हणोनि अंतर तुझ्या पायीं "thereforeseparationfrom your feet"
तुका म्हणे काय करूं नेणें वर्म "Tuka says — what to doI don't know the secret"
आलें तैसें कर्म सोसूं पुढें "karma comes thusI bear (it) ahead"

What it means

Inside-samsāra-outside-bhakti confession abhang. A self-honest assessment of the bhakta's-divided-state.

The opening: anubhavē kaḷōm yētē Pāṇḍurangā — rusāvē tē kām gā tumhāmvarīby experience it comes to be known, Pāṇḍuranga — why be angry with you?. I see-by-experience the cause of the gap — so I can't fairly-blame you.

The chitta-line: āvaritā chitta nāvarē durjana — ghāta karī mana mājhē majacontrolling, the chitta is not controlled — durjana — the mind harms me. The chitta is itself the durjana; my-own-mind harms-me.

The diagnosis: antarī samsāra bhakti bāhyātkāra — mhaṇōni antara tujhyā pāyīinside, samsāra; outside, bhakti — therefore separation from your feet. Brutal-self-diagnosis: my external-bhakti is genuine but my internal-samsāra-attachment causes the separation-from-the-Lord's-feet. (= the gap is internal, not the Lord's-fault.)

The closing: Tukā mhaṇē kāya karūm nēṇē varma — ālē taisē karma sōsūm puḍhēTuka says: what to do — I don't know the secret — I bear the karma as it comes ahead. Varma = the secret-vital-point / inner-truth. I don't-know-the-resolution; for-now I just-bear-the-karma-as-it-arises.

This abhang is Tuka's honest-self-confession of inner-samsāra-outer-bhakti split — pairs with 1774's vācā-cāpalyē-kuśaḷa register.

[T]

For someone today

For today: by experience it comes to be known, Pāṇḍuranga — why be angry with you?; controlling, the chitta is not controlled — durjana — the mind harms me; inside samsāra, outside bhakti — therefore separation from your feet; Tuka says — what to do, I don't know the secret — I bear the karma as it comes.

Where this applies

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