Abhanga 2316
Freedom is not a gift handed to you from outside; it grows from mastering your own cravings, and the real fruit is found in surrendering to God now rather than waiting for a distant reward.
The verse
नाहीं देवापाशीं मोक्षाचे गांठोळें । आणूनि निराळें द्यावें हातीं ॥१॥ इंद्रियांचा जय साधुनियां मन । निर्विषय कारण असे तेथें ॥ध्रु.॥ उपास पारणीं अक्षरांची आटी । सत्कर्मां शेवटीं असे फळ ॥२॥ आदरें संकल्प वारीं अतिशय । सहज तें काय दुःख जाण ॥३॥ स्वप्नींच्या घायें विळवसी वांयां । रडे रडतियासवें मिथ्या ॥४॥ तुका म्हणे फळ आहे मूळापाशीं । शरण देवासीं जाय वेगीं ॥५॥
Literal translation
There's no purse-of-mokṣa with the Lord — to bring out separately and give in hand. Winning the indriyas-and-mind — that's the cause for being viṣaya-less. Upāsa, pāraṇā, the strain of letters — sat-karma's-fruit is finally there. By adar, restrain the sankalpa-excess — know — natural — what is duḥkha. By dream-blows you swirl in vain — the false weeps with the weeper. Tuka says: the fruit is near the root — go quickly in śaraṇa to the Lord.
What it means
THE NO-MOKṢA-PURSE-WITH-LORD ABHANG. 5+1-verse anti-objectified-mokṣa + go-quickly-in-śaraṇa abhang.
THE OPENING LINE: nāhīm dēvāpāśīm mōkṣāchē gāṇṭhōḷē — āṇūni nirāḷē dyāvē hātīm — there's no purse-of-mokṣa with the Lord — to bring out separately and give in hand. Gāṇṭhōḷa = purse, bag-of-money. Nirāḷē = separately. The Lord doesn't-have-a-purse-of-mokṣa to-bring-out-separately and-give-in-the-bhakta's-hand. A revolutionary doctrinal-position: mokṣa is not-an-object that-the-Lord-keeps-in-a-bag-to-hand-over-to-the-bhakta. Mokṣa is-not-a-thing.
The actual cause: indriyāñchā jaya sādhuniyām mana — nir-viṣaya kāraṇa asē tēthē — winning the indriyas-and-mind — that's the cause for being viṣaya-less. Winning indriyas-and-mind: that's-the-(real)-cause for-(mokṣa =) viṣaya-less-ness.
The fasts and letters: upāsa pāraṇī akṣarāñchī āṭī — sat-karmām śēvaṭīm asē phaḷa — upāsa, pāraṇā, the strain of letters — sat-karma's-fruit is finally there. Upāsa-fasts, pāraṇā-fast-breaking, the strain-of-letter-recitation — sat-karma's-fruit is finally-there.
The restraint of excess sankalpa: ādarē sankalpa vārīm atiśaya — sahaja tē kāya duḥkha jāṇa — by adar, restrain the sankalpa-excess — know — natural — what is duḥkha. By-respectful-effort, restrain the-sankalpa-excess; know that-what's-natural — what is-duḥkha-there?
The dream-blows: svapnīñchyā ghāyē viḷavasī vāñyām — raḍē raḍatiyāsavē mithyā — by dream-blows you swirl in vain — the false weeps with the weeper. By dream-blows you-swirl-in-vain; the-false-(dream) weeps along-with-the-weeper.
The closing — fruit at the root: Tukā mhaṇē phaḷa āhē mūḷāpāśīm — śaraṇa Dēvāsīm jāya vēgīm — Tuka says: the fruit is near the root — go quickly in śaraṇa to the Lord. The fruit is-near-the-root (= śaraṇāgati-itself yields-the-fruit); go-quickly in-śaraṇa to-the-Lord.
[T]
For someone today
For today: no purse-of-mokṣa with the Lord — to bring out and give in hand; winning indriyas-mind — viṣaya-less; upāsa-pāraṇā-akṣara-strain — sat-karma's-fruit; restrain sankalpa-excess — natural — no duḥkha; dream-blows swirl in vain; Tuka says — fruit at the root — go quickly in śaraṇa to the Lord.
Where this applies
- When you expect a spiritual breakthrough or peace of mind to arrive as a reward handed to you from outside
- When you keep up disciplined habits or rituals but still feel far from actual freedom or calm
- When you find yourself thrashing in distress over something that turns out to be as unreal as a bad dream once you look closely
- When you keep chasing distant goals instead of taking the direct step of surrender that's available to you right now