संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 2021 of 4582

Abhanga 2021

For today: one can make mountains of gold from stones — all forests, kalpa-trees; but Viṭhōbā's feet are rare — these means don't work; fill ocean with amṛta — make Kaḷa stand still; past-future-present known — ṛddhi-siddhī happy; sthāna-māna, yoga-mudras — wind to Brahmāṇḍa; Tuka says — even mokṣa stays behind — what are the other poor-things there?

When you'd insist all-supreme-attainments-fall-short-of-Viṭhōbā's-feet + even-mokṣa-stays-behind — sōnyāchē-parvata-pāṣāṇa-kalpa-tarū; durlabha-Viṭhōbāchē-pāya-upāya-na; amṛtē-sāgara-Gangā-Kaḷā-ugā; bhūta-bhaviṣya-vartamāna-ṛddhi-siddhī; sthāna-māna-yōga-mudrā-vārā-Brahmāṇḍa; mōkṣa-ālīkaḍē-itara-bāpuḍē

The verse

सोन्याचे पर्वत करवती पाषाण । अवघे रानोरान कल्पतरू ॥१॥ परि या दुर्लभ विठोबाचे पाय । तेथें हे उपाय न सरती ॥ध्रु.॥ अमृतें सागर भरवे ती गंगा । म्हणवेल उगा राहें काळा ॥२॥ भूत भविष्य कळों येईंल वर्तमान । करवती प्रसन्न रिद्धिसिद्धी ॥३॥ स्थान मान कळों येती योगमुद्रा । नेववेल वारा ब्रम्हांडासी ॥४॥ तुका म्हणे मोक्ष राहे आलीकडे । इतर बापुडें काय तेथें ॥५॥

Literal translation

English: One can make mountains of gold from stones — all forests, kalpa-trees. But Viṭhōbā's feet are rare — there these means don't work. Fill the ocean with amṛta — that Ganga — make Kaḷa stand still. Past-future-present can be known — ṛddhi-siddhī can be made happy. Sthāna-māna can be known — yoga-mudras — the wind can be carried to Brahmāṇḍa. Tuka says: even mokṣa stays behind — what are the other poor-things there?

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
सोन्याचे पर्वत करवती पाषाण "one can make mountains of gold from stones"
अवघे रानोरान कल्पतरू "all forests — kalpa-trees"
परि या दुर्लभ विठोबाचे पाय "but Viṭhōbā's feet are rare"
तेथें हे उपाय न सरती "there these means don't work"
अमृतें सागर भरवे ती गंगा "one can fill the ocean with amṛta — that Ganga"
म्हणवेल उगा राहें काळा "can make Kaḷa (death) stand still"
भूत भविष्य कळों येईंल वर्तमान "past-future-present can be known"
करवती प्रसन्न रिद्धिसिद्धी "ṛddhi-siddhī can be made happy"
स्थान मान कळों येती योगमुद्रा "sthāna-māna can be known — yoga-mudras"
नेववेल वारा ब्रम्हांडासी "the wind can be carried to Brahmāṇḍa"
तुका म्हणे मोक्ष राहे आलीकडे "Tuka says — even mokṣa stays behind"
इतर बापुडें काय तेथें "what are the other poor-things there"

What it means

All-supreme-attainments-fall-short-of-Viṭhōbā's-feet + even-mokṣa-stays-behind abhang. 1-ABHANG SUB-CLUSTER (confirmed by ॥१॥ at 2022).

The opening — gold and kalpa-trees: sōnyāchē parvata karavatī pāṣāṇa — avaghē rānōrāna kalpa-tarūmake mountains of gold from stones — all forests, kalpa-trees. Even-the-greatest-alchemical-transformations are-possible.

The hinge: pari yā durlabha Viṭhōbāchē pāya — tēthē hē upāya na saratībut Viṭhōbā's feet are rare — there these means don't work. All-these-supernatural-means-fall-short for Viṭhōbā's-feet.

The catalogue of supernatural achievements that fail: - amṛtē sāgara bharavē tī Gangā — mhaṇavēla ugā rāhē kāḷāfill the ocean with amṛta — that Ganga — make Kaḷa stand still. - bhūta bhaviṣya kaḷōm yēīla vartamāna — karavatī prasanna ṛddhi-siddhīpast-future-present knowable; ṛddhi-siddhī happy (= the eight siddhis). - sthāna māna kaḷōm yētī yōga-mudrā — nēvavēla vārā Brahmāṇḍāsīsthāna-māna, yoga-mudras; wind carried to Brahmāṇḍa (yogic powers).

THE CLIMACTIC CLOSING: Tukā mhaṇē mōkṣa rāhē ālīkaḍē — itara bāpuḍē kāya tēthēTuka says: even mokṣa stays behind — what are the other poor-things there?. Even-mokṣa stays-behind (in-front-of-Viṭhōbā's-feet); the-other-supernatural-things are-just-poor-things. One of Tukārām's most-classic bhakti-over-mokṣa statements.

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For someone today

For today: one can make mountains of gold from stones — all forests, kalpa-trees; but Viṭhōbā's feet are rare — these means don't work; fill ocean with amṛta — make Kaḷa stand still; past-future-present known — ṛddhi-siddhī happy; sthāna-māna, yoga-mudras — wind to Brahmāṇḍa; Tuka says — even mokṣa stays behind — what are the other poor-things there?

Where this applies

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