Abhanga 2263
The verse
पाषाण देव पाषाण पायरी । पूजा एकावरी पाय ठेवी ॥१॥ सार तो भाव सार तो भाव । अनुभवीं देव ते चि जाले ॥ध्रु.॥ उदका भिन्न पालट काईं । गंगा गोड येरां चवी काय नाहीं ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे हें भाविकांचें वर्म । येरीं धर्माधर्म विचारावें ॥३॥ ॥१०॥
Literal translation
English: ★ [The same] stone is the deva, stone is the step — one is worshipped, on the other the foot is placed. The essence is bhāva, the essence is bhāva ★ — by anubhava, the very Deva has come to be. Is there change in water by different-form — Ganges is sweet, does other [water] have no taste? Tukā says: this is the secret of the bhāvika — others should examine dharma-adharma. ॥10॥
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| पाषाण देव पाषाण पायरी | "[the same] stone is the deva, stone is the step" |
| पूजा एकावरी पाय ठेवी | "one is worshipped, on the other the foot is placed" |
| सार तो भाव सार तो भाव | "the essence is bhāva, the essence is bhāva" |
| अनुभवीं देव ते चि जाले | "by anubhava, the very Deva has come to be" |
| उदका भिन्न पालट काईं | "is there change in water by different-form" |
| गंगा गोड येरां चवी काय नाहीं | "Ganges is sweet — does other [water] have no taste" |
| तुका म्हणे हें भाविकांचें वर्म | "Tukā says — this is the secret of the bhāvika" |
| येरीं धर्माधर्म विचारावें | "others — [you] should examine dharma-adharma" |
| ॥१०॥ | colophon — closes the 10-abhang cluster (2254-2263) |
What it means
★ THE CELEBRATED ICONOCLASTIC-BHĀVA-DOCTRINE ABHANG ★. Pāṣāṇa-deva-pāṣāṇa-pāyarī + bhāva-is-the-essence + Ganges-vs-other-water abhang. ★ Closes the 10-abhang cluster (2254-2263) with ॥१०॥. ★
★ THE STONE-DEVA-STONE-STEP IMAGE ★: pāṣāṇa dēva pāṣāṇa pāyarī — pūjā ēkāvarī pāya ṭhēvī — [the same] stone is the deva, stone is the step — one is worshipped, on the other the foot is placed. Pāṣāṇa = stone. Pāyarī = step (of a stairway, esp. of a temple). ★ THE FAMOUS LINE: the deva [in the temple] is stone, the step [outside the temple] is also stone — yet one is-worshipped and on-the-other the-foot-is-placed. ★ The iconoclastic-question: if-it's-just-stone, why-the-distinction? The implicit answer: bhāva (= the bhakta's-attitude/intention) makes-the-difference. ★
★ THE BHĀVA-IS-ESSENCE DECLARATION ★: sāra tō bhāva sāra tō bhāva — anubhavīm dēva tē chi jālē — the essence is bhāva, the essence is bhāva — by anubhava, the very Deva has come to be. ★ THE-CORE-OF-TUKĀRĀM'S-DOCTRINE ★: the essence (sāra) is bhāva, the essence is bhāva (repetition for emphasis); by anubhava (direct-experience), the-very-Deva has-come-to-be (= the bhāva-makes-the-stone-into-Deva-through-anubhava). The bhāva-creates-the-Deva — the most-radical formulation of-the-bhakti-doctrine.
The Ganges-water comparison: udakā bhinna pālaṭa kāīm — Gangā gōḍa yērām chavī kāya nāhīm — is there change in water by different-form — Ganges is sweet, does other [water] have no taste? Is there a-(real)-change-in-water by its-different-name? The Ganges is-called-sweet, but-does-other-water have-no-taste? The same-essence underlying-the-different-names.
The closing — bhāvika's-secret vs. others' dharma-adharma: Tukā mhaṇē hē bhāvikāñchē varma — yērīm dharma-adharma vichārāvē — Tukā says: this is the secret of the bhāvika — others should examine dharma-adharma. Bhāvika = one of bhāva, the bhakta of feeling. Varma = secret-spot, essential-truth. This is-the-bhāvika's-secret; others-(who-don't-have-the-bhāva) should-examine the-(external)-dharma-adharma distinctions. A two-tier ethical-theory: for-the-bhāvika, bhāva is-everything; for-others (not-yet-in-bhāva), dharma-adharma distinctions still-apply.
The ॥१०॥ colophon closes a 10-abhang cluster (2254-2263): - 2254: mahā-pūjā = loka-dharma-discharge - 2255: bhakti-over-mukti (no-mukti-no-riddhi-siddhi) - 2256: enough-of-sanga (bhikārī-image) - 2257: dīnā-nātha-biruda-shame - 2258: all-kinship-collapses-into-Viṭhṭhal - 2259: ★ vēdācā-artha-āmhāmsī-chi-ṭhāvā ★ - 2260: dharaṇē-at-the-door (5+1 verses) - 2261: outer-washing-useless-mind-dirty-within - 2262: sugarcane-vs-onion-in-sugar-bed - 2263: ★ pāṣāṇa-deva-pāṣāṇa-pāyarī-bhāva-is-essence ★
A coherent 10-abhang doctrinal-cluster establishing Tukārām's-anti-ritualist-pro-bhāva-stance: the essence (sāra) is not-in-stone, not-in-Veda-recitation, not-in-ritual-purity, not-in-form, not-in-name — but in-bhāva.
[T]
For someone today
For today: ★ same stone — deva or step — one worshipped, other foot-placed; essence is bhāva, essence is bhāva — by anubhava, the Deva comes to be ★; Ganges sweet — other water has taste too; Tukā says — this is the bhāvika's secret — others examine dharma-adharma. ★
Where this applies
- Stone-deva-stone-step-pūjā-vs-foot-placed. Pāṣāṇa-dēva-pāṣāṇa-pāyarī-pūjā-pāya-ṭhēvī.
- Bhāva-is-essence-by-anubhava-Deva-comes-to-be. Sāra-bhāva-anubhavīm-dēva-jālē.
- Ganges-sweet-but-water-is-water.* Udakā-bhinna-pālaṭa-Gangā-gōḍa-yērām-chavī.
- Bhāvika's-secret-vs-others'-dharma-adharma.* Bhāvikāñchē-varma-yērīm-dharma-adharma.