Abhanga 2317
Do not perform renunciation for others; let your own mind honestly witness whether your devotion is real, since God's compassion can free you the moment you turn to him sincerely.
The verse
तजिलें भेटवी आणूनि वासना । दाविल्याचे जना काय काज ॥१॥ आळवावें देवा भाकूनि करुणा । आपुलिया मना साक्ष करीं ॥ध्रु.॥ नाहीं जावें यावें दुरूनि लागत । आहे साक्षभूत अंतरींचा ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे हा आहे कृपासिंधु । तोडी भवबंधु तात्काळिक ॥३॥
Literal translation
The renounced is reunited by vāsanā — what use of showing it to people? Invoke the Lord, pouring out karuṇā — make your own mind the witness. No need to come-and-go from afar — the witness is inside. Tuka says: he is the kṛpā-sindhu — immediately cuts the bhava-bondage.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| तजिलें भेटवी आणूनि वासना | "the renounced is reunited by vāsanā" |
| दाविल्याचे जना काय काज | "what use of showing it to people" |
| आळवावें देवा भाकूनि करुणा | "invoke the Lord, pouring out karuṇā" |
| आपुलिया मना साक्ष करीं | "make your own mind the witness" |
| नाहीं जावें यावें दुरूनि लागत | "no need to come-and-go from afar" |
| आहे साक्षभूत अंतरींचा | "the witness is inside" |
| तुका म्हणे हा आहे कृपासिंधु | "Tuka says — he is the kṛpā-sindhu" |
| तोडी भवबंधु तात्काळिक | "immediately cuts the bhava-bondage" |
What it means
No-display + witness-is-inside + Lord-kṛpā-sindhu-cuts-bhava abhang.
The opening — renounced-reunited-by-vāsanā: tajilē bhēṭavī āṇūni vāsanā — dāvilyāchē janā kāya kāja — the renounced is reunited by vāsanā — what use of showing it to people. What-was-renounced is-brought-back-(via)-vāsanā; what-use is-showing-it-to-people? (= the-renounced-things-come-back-through-vāsanā; display-doesn't-help.)
The pouring-out karuṇā: āḷavāvē Dēvā bhākūni karuṇā — āpuliyā manā sākṣa karīm — invoke the Lord, pouring out karuṇā — make your own mind the witness. Invoke-the-Lord pouring-out-karuṇā; make-your-own-mind the-witness. The inner-witness-criterion.
The no-coming-going: nāhīm jāvē yāvē durūni lāgata — āhē sākṣa-bhūta antarīñchā — no need to come-and-go from afar — the witness is inside. No-need to-come-and-go from-afar; the-witness is-inside.
The closing — kṛpā-sindhu cuts immediately: Tukā mhaṇē hā āhē kṛpā-sindhu — tōḍī bhava-bandhu tāt-kāḷika — Tuka says: he is the kṛpā-sindhu — immediately cuts the bhava-bondage. He is-the-kṛpā-sindhu (ocean-of-kṛpā); he-immediately-cuts the-bhava-bondage.
[T]
For someone today
For today: renounced is reunited by vāsanā — no use showing to people; invoke Lord pouring out karuṇā — make own mind witness; no come-and-go from afar — witness is inside; Tuka says — kṛpā-sindhu — immediately cuts bhava-bondage.
Where this applies
- When you make a public show of giving something up but privately know the old craving hasn't really left you
- When you catch yourself performing devotion or discipline for others to see rather than because you actually feel it
- When you're searching outside yourself, in far-off places or people, for something that could only ever be checked within your own honest conscience
- When you feel weighed down by worldly attachments and need a reminder that real, immediate relief is possible if you turn toward God sincerely