संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 2270 of 4582

Abhanga 2270

English: By santa-sanga, [the Lord's] dwelling is all-time — he has gathered fully, in mūrti-form.

When you'd assert santa-sanga-Lord-dwells + sandalwood-fragrance-can't-be-hidden — santa-sangē-vāsa-sarva-kāḷa-mūrti-manta; ghālūniyām-kāḷa-bāhērī-antarīm-vāsa; āpulēsē-na-urōm-dilē-chōjavitām-sthaḷē; jhānkata-parimaḷa-chandanāchē-sthaḷa-chandana

The verse

संतसंगें याचा वास सर्वकाळ । संचला सकळ मूर्तिमंत ॥१॥ घालूनियां काळ अवघा बाहेरी । त्यासी च अंतरीं वास दिला ॥ध्रु.॥ आपुलेसें जिंहीं नाहीं उरों दिलें । चोजवितां भलें ऐसीं स्थळें ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे नाही झांकत परिमळ । चंदनाचें स्थळ चंदन चि ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: By santa-sanga, [the Lord's] dwelling is all-time — he has gathered fully, in mūrti-form. Placing kāḷa entirely outside — they gave him alone the inner-dwelling. Those who didn't leave anything as 'one's own' — examining, such are the excellent places. ★ Tuka says: fragrance can't be hidden — the sandalwood's place is sandalwood itself ★.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
संतसंगें याचा वास सर्वकाळ "by santa-sanga, [the Lord's] dwelling is all-time"
संचला सकळ मूर्तिमंत "he has gathered fully, in mūrti-form"
घालूनियां काळ अवघा बाहेरी "placing kāḷa entirely outside"
त्यासी च अंतरीं वास दिला "they gave him alone the inner-dwelling"
आपुलेसें जिंहीं नाहीं उरों दिलें "those who didn't leave anything as 'one's own'"
चोजवितां भलें ऐसीं स्थळें "examining, such are the excellent places"
तुका म्हणे नाही झांकत परिमळ "Tuka says — fragrance can't be hidden"
चंदनाचें स्थळ चंदन चि "the sandalwood's place is sandalwood itself"

What it means

Santa-sanga-Lord's-dwelling + sandalwood's-place-is-sandalwood abhang. ★ Contains the celebrated fragrance-can't-be-hidden line ★.

The opening — santa-sanga as all-time dwelling: santa-sangē yāchā vāsa sarva-kāḷa — sañchalā sakaḷa mūrti-mantaby santa-sanga, [the Lord's] dwelling is all-time — he has gathered fully, in mūrti-form. By-santa-sanga, the Lord's-dwelling is all-time; he-has-gathered-fully in-mūrti-form (= the Lord-takes-a-visible-form there).

The kāḷa-outside: ghālūniyām kāḷa avaghā bāhērī — tyāsī cha antarīm vāsa dilāplacing kāḷa entirely outside — they gave him alone the inner-dwelling. Kāḷa = kāla/Time/Death. Having-placed-kāḷa-entirely-outside, they (the saints) gave-him-alone (the Lord) the-inner-dwelling. The saints expel-Time and-house the-Eternal-Lord-within.

The no-one's-own: āpulēsē jimhī nāhīm urōm dilē — chōjavitām bhalē aisīm sthaḷēthose who didn't leave anything as 'one's own' — examining, such are the excellent places. Those-who-didn't-let-anything-remain-as-'one's-own'; examining, such-are-the-excellent-places (sthaḷa).

★ THE CELEBRATED SANDALWOOD-LINE ★: Tukā mhaṇē nāhī jhānkata parimaḷa — chandanāchē sthaḷa chandana chiTuka says: fragrance can't be hidden — the sandalwood's place is sandalwood itself. Parimaḷa = fragrance. Chandana = sandalwood. ★ The fragrance-cannot-be-hidden; the place-of-sandalwood is sandalwood-itself (= where sandalwood-is, it-cannot-pretend-to-be-anything-else; its-fragrance reveals-it). ★ A classic Tukārām similē — the saints' inner-bhakti reveals-itself-by-its-fragrance, like-the-sandalwood that-cannot-hide-itself.

[T]

For someone today

For today: by santa-sanga, Lord's all-time dwelling — gathered in mūrti-form; placing kāḷa outside — gave him alone inner-dwelling; those who left nothing as own — such are the excellent places; ★ Tuka says — fragrance can't be hidden — sandalwood's place is sandalwood itself. ★

Where this applies

Related verses