Abhanga 2047
For today: describing this sukha — no end-and-limit, no account; saints' feet fall on the head — sukha — what is kaivalya?; no other such gain — considering anything else; Tuka says — sweet — there my longing is fulfilled.
The verse
करितां या सुखा । अंतपार नाहीं लेखा ॥१॥ माथां पडती संतपाय । सुख कैवल्य तें काय ॥ध्रु.॥ ऐसा लाभ नाहीं । दुजा विचारितां कांहीं ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे गोड । तेथें पुरे माझें कोड ॥३॥ ॥२॥
Literal translation
Describing this sukha — no end-and-limit, no account. Saints' feet fall on the head — sukha — what is kaivalya? No other such gain — considering anything else. Tuka says: sweet — there my longing is fulfilled. ॥2॥
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| करितां या सुखा | "describing this sukha" |
| अंतपार नाहीं लेखा | "no end-and-limit, no account" |
| माथां पडती संतपाय | "saints' feet fall on the head" |
| सुख कैवल्य तें काय | "sukha — what is kaivalya" |
| ऐसा लाभ नाहीं | "no other such gain" |
| दुजा विचारितां कांहीं | "considering anything else" |
| तुका म्हणे गोड | "Tuka says — sweet" |
| तेथें पुरे माझें कोड | "there my longing is fulfilled" |
| ॥२॥ | "colophon-2 — closes 2-abhang saints'-feet-on-head cluster (2046-2047)" |
What it means
Saints'-feet-on-head + what-is-kaivalya-compared abhang. CLOSES 2-ABHANG SAINTS'-FEET-ON-HEAD CLUSTER (2046-2047).
The opening: karitām yā sukhā — anta-pāra nāhīm lēkhā — describing this sukha — no end-and-limit, no account. The sukha-of-saints'-feet-on-head is-indescribable, no-accounting.
THE KAIVALYA-COMPARISON: māthām paḍatī santa-pāya — sukha kaivalya tē kāya — saints' feet fall on the head — sukha — what is kaivalya?. When saints'-feet-fall-on-the-head, what-is-kaivalya in-comparison?. Echoes 1983's mokṣa-dismissal and 2021's mōkṣa rāhē ālīkaḍē.Bhakta-sanga exceeds-even-kaivalya.
The no-other-gain: aisā lābha nāhīm — dujā vichāritām kāhīm — no other such gain — considering anything else. No-other-gain considered.
The closing-sweet: Tukā mhaṇē gōḍa — tēthē purē mājhē kōḍa — Tuka says: sweet — there my longing is fulfilled. Kōḍa = longing, fond-desire. Sweet; my longing is-there-fulfilled.
Colophon ॥२॥ confirms 2-abhang saints'-feet-on-head cluster (2046-2047).
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For someone today
For today: describing this sukha — no end-and-limit, no account; saints' feet fall on the head — sukha — what is kaivalya?; no other such gain — considering anything else; Tuka says — sweet — there my longing is fulfilled.
Where this applies
- When you're chasing a big spiritual achievement instead of simply being near people who live simply and well
- When you feel a quiet joy from being with a wise or good-hearted person and wonder if it's enough
- When you're comparing worldly success or status against the comfort of real community
- When you doubt whether ordinary companionship with good people counts as real spiritual progress