Abhanga 2179
Bhakti is namana — vairāgya is tyāga — jñāna is brahma-bhōga, brahma-tanu.
The verse
भक्ति तें नमन वैराग्य तो त्याग । ज्ञान ब्रम्हीं भोग ब्रम्हतनु ॥१॥ देहाच्या निरसनें पाविजे या ठाया । माझी ऐसी काया जंव नव्हे ॥ध्रु.॥ उदक अग्नि धान्य जाल्या घडे पाक । एकाविण एक कामा नये ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे मज केले ते चांचणी । बडबडीची वाणी अथवा सत्य ॥३॥ ॥३॥
Literal translation
Bhakti is namana — vairāgya is tyāga — jñāna is brahma-bhōga, brahma-tanu. By deha-dissolution one reaches this place — until this body is not 'mine'. Water, fire, grain — being there, cooking happens — one without the other is useless. Tuka says: they have tested me — babbling speech, or truth. ॥3॥
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| भक्ति तें नमन वैराग्य तो त्याग | "bhakti is namana — vairāgya is tyāga" |
| ज्ञान ब्रम्हीं भोग ब्रम्हतनु | "jñāna is brahma-bhōga — brahma-tanu" |
| देहाच्या निरसनें पाविजे या ठाया | "by deha-dissolution one reaches this place" |
| माझी ऐसी काया जंव नव्हे | "until this body is not 'mine'" |
| उदक अग्नि धान्य जाल्या घडे पाक | "water, fire, grain — being there, cooking happens" |
| एकाविण एक कामा नये | "one without the other is useless" |
| तुका म्हणे मज केले ते चांचणी | "Tuka says — they have tested me" |
| बडबडीची वाणी अथवा सत्य | "babbling speech, or truth" |
| ॥३॥ | colophon — closes 3-abhang sub-cluster |
What it means
Bhakti-vairāgya-jñāna-defined + cooking-triplet-analogy abhang. Ends with ॥३॥ — closes 3-abhang sub-cluster.
The definitional opening: bhakti tē namana vairāgya tō tyāga — jñāna brahmīm bhōga brahma-tanu — bhakti is namana, vairāgya is tyāga, jñāna is brahma-bhōga, brahma-tanu. Three-definitions: - bhakti = namana (bowing, reverence) - vairāgya = tyāga (renunciation) - jñāna = brahma-bhōga (enjoying-brahma) + brahma-tanu (brahma-as-body)
Deha-dissolution as gateway: dēhāchyā nirasanē pāvijē yā ṭhāyā — mājhī aisī kāyā jamva navhē — by deha-dissolution one reaches this place — until this body is not 'mine'. Until-the-body is-no-longer-mine, this-place isn't-reached.
The cooking-triplet analogy: udaka agni dhānya jālyā ghaḍē pāka — ēkāviṇa ēka kāmā nayē — water, fire, grain — being there, cooking happens — one without the other is useless. Like-cooking needs water+fire+grain (together-only-cooking-happens), so-too bhakti+vairāgya+jñāna (together-only-attainment-happens). A complementarity-thesis.
The closing — tested-me: Tukā mhaṇē maja kēlē tē chāñchaṇī — baḍabaḍīcī vāṇī athavā satya — Tuka says: they have tested me — babbling speech, or truth. Chāñchaṇī = testing, examination. They-have-tested-me — is-this babbling-speech, or-truth?
The ॥३॥ colophon closes a 3-abhang sub-cluster (2177-2179), thematically tied: 2177 (pramāṇa-defense), 2178 (kastūrī-mud-merged Deva-bhakti-no-bhēda), 2179 (definitional triplet).
[T]
For someone today
For today: bhakti is namana, vairāgya is tyāga, jñāna is brahma-bhōga-brahma-tanu; deha-dissolution paves the way — until body isn't 'mine'; water-fire-grain cooking — one without other useless; Tuka says — tested me — babbling or truth.
Where this applies
- When you treat devotion, renunciation, and wisdom as three separate projects instead of one practice that needs all three together
- When you keep saying 'my body, my life, my plans' and wonder why deeper peace never quite arrives
- When you're trying to grow spiritually through just one ingredient, like knowledge alone, while ignoring humility or letting go
- When you doubt whether your own words or teaching are genuine and are willing to let others be the judge of that