संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 2178 of 4582

Abhanga 2178

For today: mud mixed into kastūrī — no separate reckoning; no bhēda between Deva and bhakti — let doubt's tricks end; fuel is fire by union's guṇa — streams are sea by seeing the sea; Tuka says — my witness-word — śuddha-bhāva is the cause.

When you'd assert Deva-bhakti-no-bhēda + śuddha-bhāva-is-the-cause — kastūrī-mṛttikā-vēgaḷī-lēkhūm; bhēda-nāhīm-Deva-bhakti-sandēha-yukti-sarōm; indhana-āgī-samyōga-sāgara-vāhāḷa; sākṣīchē-vachana-śuddha-bhāva

The verse

कस्तुरीचें अंगीं मीनली मृत्तिका । मग वेगळी कां येईंल लेखूं ॥१॥ तयापरि भेद नाहीं देवभक्तीं । संदेहाच्या युक्ति सरों द्याव्या ॥ध्रु.॥ इंधनें ते आगी संयोगाच्या गुणें । सागरा दरुषणें वाहाळ तों चि ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे माझें साक्षीचें वचन । येथें तों कारण शुद्ध भाव ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: Mud mixed into kastūrī's body — then how can it be reckoned separately? Like that — no bhēda between Deva and bhakti — let doubt's tricks end. Fuel is fire by union's guṇa — streams [are] sea just by seeing the sea. Tuka says: my witness-word — here, the cause is śuddha-bhāva.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
कस्तुरीचें अंगीं मीनली मृत्तिका "mud mixed into kastūrī's body"
मग वेगळी कां येईंल लेखूं "then how can it be reckoned separately"
तयापरि भेद नाहीं देवभक्तीं "like that — no bhēda between Deva and bhakti"
संदेहाच्या युक्ति सरों द्याव्या "let doubt's tricks end"
इंधनें ते आगी संयोगाच्या गुणें "fuel is fire by union's guṇa"
सागरा दरुषणें वाहाळ तों चि "streams [are sea] just by seeing the sea"
तुका म्हणे माझें साक्षीचें वचन "Tuka says — my witness-word"
येथें तों कारण शुद्ध भाव "here the cause is śuddha-bhāva"

What it means

Kastūrī-mud-merged + Deva-bhakti-no-bhēda + śuddha-bhāva-is-the-cause abhang.

The kastūrī-mud image: kastūrīchē angīm mīnalī mṛttikā — maga vēgaḷī kām yē'īla lēkhūmmud mixed into kastūrī's body — then how can it be reckoned separately. Kastūrī = musk (the fragrant deer-musk). Once-mud-is-mixed-into-kastūrī, it-takes-on-the-kastūrī-aroma; it-can-no-longer be-reckoned as-separate-mud. (= the lesser is-absorbed by-the-greater.)

The advaita-of-bhakti: tayāpari bhēda nāhīm Dēva-bhaktī — sandēhāchyā yukti sarōm dyāvyālike that — no bhēda between Deva and bhakti — let doubt's tricks end. Like-that, no-bhēda between Deva-and-bhakti; let doubt's-tricks-end. Striking unification: the-bhakta in Deva-is-as kastūrī-absorbing-mud.

The fuel-fire and stream-sea: indhanē tē āgī samyōgāchyā guṇē — sāgarā daruṣaṇē vāhāḷa tōm chifuel is fire by union's guṇa — streams [are sea] just by seeing the sea. Fuel-becomes-fire by-samyōga (union); streams-become-sea just-by-seeing/reaching the-sea. Two more transformation-by-contact images.

The closing — śuddha-bhāva: Tukā mhaṇē mājhē sākṣīchē vachana — yēthē tōm kāraṇa śuddha bhāvaTuka says: my witness-word — here, the cause is śuddha-bhāva. My-word-as-witness: the-cause (of-this-merging) is-śuddha-bhāva.

[T]

For someone today

For today: mud mixed into kastūrī — no separate reckoning; no bhēda between Deva and bhakti — let doubt's tricks end; fuel is fire by union's guṇa — streams are sea by seeing the sea; Tuka says — my witness-word — śuddha-bhāva is the cause.

Where this applies

Related verses