Abhanga 2401
English: Taking sugar's name knows the sweetness — such is our association with Vaiṣṇavas.
The verse
साकरेचें नाम घेतां कळे गोडी । तैसी आम्हां जोडी वैष्णवांची ॥१॥ मोक्ष गांठी असे ठेविला बांधोनी । सोस तो भजनीं आवडीचा ॥ध्रु.॥ भोजनाची चिंता माय वाहे बाळा । आम्हांसि तरी खेळावरि चित्त ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे आम्ही देहउपकारें । गाऊं निरंतर नाचों लागों ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: Taking sugar's name knows the sweetness — such is our association with Vaiṣṇavas. ★★ Mokṣa is tied-and-stored at our waist — desire is in bhajana, with love ★★. ★ Mother carries food-concern for child — our chitta is on play ★. Tuka says: we by body-benefit — sing forever, begin to dance.
What it means
★★ THE MOKṢA-TIED-AT-WAIST + CHITTA-ON-PLAY ABHANG ★★. One of Tukārām's most-celebrated playful-bhakti images.
The sugar-sweetness: sākarēchē nāma ghētām kaḷē gōḍī — taisī āmhām jōḍī Vaiṣṇavāñchī — taking sugar's name knows the sweetness — such is our Vaiṣṇava-association. Just-mentioning sugar reveals-the-sweetness; such-is the Vaiṣṇava-association.
★★ THE FAMOUS MOKṢA-TIED-AT-WAIST ★★: mōkṣa gāṇṭhī asē ṭhēvilā bāndhōnī — sōsa tō bhajanīm āvaḍīchā — ★★ mokṣa is tied-and-stored at our waist — desire is in bhajana, with love ★★. Gāṇṭhī = knot at the waist (where coins are tied). ★★ Mokṣa is-already tied-at-our-waist (= secured, like-coins-tied-in-a-knot); the-only-desire is-in-bhajana, with-love. ★★ The bhakta's-paradox: mokṣa is already-secured (not a-future-goal); the-real-desire is the present-bhajana-itself.
★ THE CHITTA-ON-PLAY ★: bhōjanāchī chintā māya vāhē bāḷā — āmhāmsi tarī khēḷāvari chitta — ★ mother carries food-concern for child — our chitta is on play ★. ★ The-mother carries the-child's-food-concern; the-child's-chitta is-on-play. ★ The bhakta-as-child who-plays-while-the-Mother-God-handles-all-practicalities. A celebrated child-bhakti image.
The closing: Tukā mhaṇē āmhī dēha-upakārē — gāūm nirantara nāchōm lāgōm — we, by body-benefit, sing forever, begin to dance. By-the-body's-benefit, we sing-without-cease and-begin-to-dance.
[T]
For someone today
For today: Vaiṣṇava-association is sugar-sweet; ★★ mokṣa already tied at the waist — desire only in bhajana ★★; ★ mother carries food-concern — our chitta is on play ★; sing forever, begin to dance.
Where this applies
- ★★ Mokṣa-tied-at-waist-desire-in-bhajana ★★. ★★ Mōkṣa-gāṇṭhī-ṭhēvilā-bāndhōnī-sōsa-bhajanīm-āvaḍīchā ★★.
- Mother-carries-food-concern-chitta-on-play. Bhōjanāchī-chintā-māya-bāḷā-khēḷāvari-chitta.