Abhanga 2369
For today: jīva lives in jīvana — fish dies in separation; as is the bhāva — so is the Dēva ; sun gives light to all — but jīvanu only to the lotus; mother carries the infant's concern.
The verse
जीव जीती जीवना संगें । मत्स्या मरण त्या वियोगें ॥१॥ जया चित्तीं जैसा भाव । तयां जविळ तैसा देव ॥ध्रु.॥ सकळां पाडीये भानु । परि त्या कमळाचें जीवनु ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे माता । वाहे तान्हे याची चिंता ॥३॥
Literal translation
The jīva lives in union with jīvana — the fish dies in separation from it. As is the bhāva in the chitta — so is the Dēva near them. The sun gives light to all — but life-essence to-the-lotus. Tuka says: mother — carries the breast-infant's concern.
What it means
THE CELEBRATED AS-BHĀVA-SO-DĒVA ABHANG — ONE OF TUKĀRĀM'S MOST-QUOTED TEACHINGS.
The fish-in-water: jīva jītī jīvanā sangē — matsyā maraṇa tyā viyōgē — the jīva lives in union with jīvana — the fish dies in separation from it. Jīvana = both water and life-itself. The jīva-lives in-union-with-jīvana; the-fish dies in-separation from-water/life. Bhakta-as-fish-in-Lord-as-water.
THE FAMOUS BHĀVA-DETERMINES-PROXIMITY: jayā chittīm jaisā bhāva — tayām javiḷa taisā Dēva — as is the bhāva in the chitta — so is the Dēva near them. As-is-the-bhāva (devotional-feeling) in-the-chitta (mind-heart), so-is-the-Dēva near-them. One of THE most-cited Tukārām teachings: God's-proximity is-determined-by-the-bhakta's-bhāva, not-by-external-ritual or-philosophical-correctness.
This-line is a foundational-statement of-Vārkarī bhakti-theology: bhāva (inner-feeling/devotion) is-the-sole-determinant of-divine-presence. Quoted-in countless-Marathi-kīrtans, prāvachanas, and-popular-bhakti-discourse.
The sun-and-lotus: sakaḷām pāḍīyē bhānu — pari tyā kamaḷāchē jīvanu — the sun gives light to all — but life-essence to-the-lotus. The-sun gives-light-to-all; but only-the-lotus has-its-jīvanu (life-essence-from-sun). The-sun is-universal but-the-receptive-lotus alone-gets-the-flowering.
The mother-image: Tukā mhaṇē mātā — vāhē tānhē yāchī chintā — Tuka says: mother — carries the breast-infant's concern. Mother carries-the-infant's-concern (= God-as-mother carries the-bhakta's-concerns).
[T]
For someone today
For today: jīva lives in jīvana — fish dies in separation; as is the bhāva — so is the Dēva ; sun gives light to all — but jīvanu only to the lotus; mother carries the infant's concern.
Where this applies
- When you feel distant from God and wonder if the fault is in the ritual or in your own heart
- When you notice two people receive the same opportunity but only one truly benefits from it
- When you are worried about someone and it helps to remember they are being cared for too
- When you want closeness with the divine but keep relying on outward performance instead of sincerity