Abhanga 2421
English: Even if I take ātmā as proof — the mind isn't still — what to do.
The verse
करूनि राहों जरी आत्मा चि प्रमाण । नश्चिळ नव्हे मन काय करूं ॥१॥ जेवलिया विण काशाचे ढेंकर । शब्दाचे प्रकार शब्द चि ते ॥ध्रु.॥ पुरे पुरे आतां तुमचें ब्रम्हज्ञान । आम्हासी चरण न सोडणें ॥२॥ विरोधें विरोध वाढे पुढतोपुढती । वासनेचे हातीं गर्भवास ॥३॥ सांडीमांडीअंगीं वसे पुण्यपाप । बंधन संकल्प या चि नांवें ॥४॥ तुका म्हणे नाहीं मुक्तता मोकळी । ऐसा कोण बळी निरसी देह ॥५॥
Literal translation
English: Even if I take ātmā as proof — the mind isn't still — what to do. Without eating, what's the belch — word-types are just words. ★★ Enough, enough now of your Brahma-jñāna — we won't release the feet ★★. Opposition grows opposition repeatedly — garbha-vāsa in vāsanā's hand. Let-go-and-arrangement, in the body live puṇya-pāpa — bondage is the very name of sankalpa. Tuka says: no free-mukti — what strong-one removes the body.
What it means
★★ THE CELEBRATED ANTI-BRAHMA-JÑĀNA POLEMIC ★★. One of Tukārām's sharpest critiques of intellectual-Vedānta.
The mind-not-still: karūni rāhōm jarī ātmā chi pramāṇa — naśchiḷa navhē mana kāya karūm — even if I take ātmā as proof — the mind isn't still. Even-with ātmā-as-proof-doctrine, the-mind doesn't-become-still.
The empty-belch: jēvaliyā viṇa kāśāchē ḍhēnkara — śabdāchē prakāra śabda chi tē — without eating, what's the belch — word-types are just words. Without-actually-eating, no-belch (of-satisfaction); word-types are-just-words (= jñāna-talk without-experience is-empty).
★★ THE CELEBRATED LINE ★★: purē purē ātām tumchē Brahma-jñāna — āmhāsī charaṇa na sōḍaṇē — ★★ enough, enough now of your Brahma-jñāna — we won't release the feet ★★. ★★ ENOUGH, ENOUGH now of-your-Brahma-jñāna; WE WON'T RELEASE the-feet (of-the-Lord). ★★ Tukārām's-firm-bhakti-stance against-the-Advaita-Vedānta-philosophers: their-Brahma-jñāna-theory cannot-displace the bhakta's-grip on-the-Lord's-feet.
The bondage-of-sankalpa: sāṇḍī-māṇḍī angīm vasē puṇya-pāpa — bandhana sankalpa yā chi nāmvē — bondage is the very name of sankalpa. The very-name of-bondage IS sankalpa (= intentional-mental-formation) — the bondage-is-not-some-external-thing.
The mukti-question: Tukā mhaṇē nāhīm muktatā mōkaḷī — aiśā kōṇa baḷī nirasī dēha — no free-mukti — what strong-one removes the body. There's-no-free-mukti; what-strong-one can-actually-remove-the-body?
★ HISTORICAL CONTEXT ★: This abhang is a direct-polemic against the Vedānta-jñāna-mārga popular among-Brahmin-philosophers of-the-time. Tukārām's position: jñāna-without-experience is-empty-words; give-us-the-feet, not-your-theories. The line charaṇa na sōḍaṇē (we-won't-release-the-feet) has become a Vārkarī-cliché for bhakti-prevails-over-jñāna.
[T]
For someone today
For today: ātmā-proof doesn't still the mind; words without experience are empty; ★★ enough of your Brahma-jñāna — we won't release the feet ★★; bondage is sankalpa's name; no free-mukti — body remains.
Where this applies
- ★★ Enough-of-your-Brahma-jñāna-we-won't-leave-the-feet ★★. ★★ Purē-purē-Brahma-jñāna-charaṇa-na-sōḍaṇē ★★.
- Bondage-is-sankalpa's-name.* Bandhana-sankalpa-yā-chi-nāmvē.