Abhanga 2429
The verse
भावें गावें गीत । शुद्ध करूनियां चित्त ॥१॥ तुज व्हावा आहे देव । तरि हा सुलभ उपाव ॥ध्रु.॥ आणिकांचे कानीं । गुण दोष मना नाणीं ॥२॥ मस्तक ठेंगणा । करी संतांच्या चरणा ॥३॥ वेचीं तें वचन । जेणें राहे समाधान ॥४॥ तुका म्हणे फार । थोडा तरी पर उपकार ॥५॥
Literal translation
English: ★★ Sing the song by bhāva — purifying the chitta ★★. ★ If you want Dēva — this is the easy means ★. ★ Others' merits-faults — don't bring to mind ★. ★ Keep head bowed — at saints' feet ★. ★ Spend the word — by which samādhāna remains ★. Tuka says: ★ much — at least a little para-upakāra ★.
What it means
★★ THE FIVE-PART PRACTICAL BHAKTI-PROGRAM ABHANG ★★. Tukārām's most-concise practical ethical-summary.
The five-step program — each step is one verse:
- Sing-the-song-by-bhāva (purify the chitta): bhāvē gāvē gīta — śuddha karūniyām chitta
- Don't-bring-others'-merits-and-faults-to-mind: āṇikāñchē kānīm — guṇa-dōṣa manā nāṇīm (= avoid gossip + judgment)
- Keep-head-bowed-at-saints'-feet: mastaka ṭhēngaṇā — karī santāñchyā charaṇā (= humility before sant-sanga)
- Spend-words-that-bring-samādhāna: vēchīm tē vachana — jēṇē rāhē samādhāna (= speech-as-peace-bringing)
- At-least-a-little-para-upakāra: thōḍā tarī para upakāra (= some altruistic-service)
The frame: tuja vhāvā āhē Dēva — tari hā sulabha upāva — if you want Dēva, this is the easy means. The whole-program is "easy" (sulabha) — accessible to-all without-elaborate-ritual.
This is one of Tukārām's most-compact practical-ethics-summaries, often used in modern Vārkarī education as a five-rule-of-life for bhaktas.
[T]
For someone today
For today: ★★ five-part bhakti-program ★★ — sing by bhāva (purify chitta); don't mind others' merits-faults; bow at saints' feet; speak samādhāna-bringing words; do at least a little para-upakāra.
Where this applies
- Sing-by-bhāva-purify-chitta. Bhāvē-gāvē-gīta-śuddha-chitta.
- Don't-mind-others'-merits-faults. Guṇa-dōṣa-manā-nāṇīm.
- Head-bowed-at-saints'-feet. Mastaka-ṭhēngaṇā-santāñchyā-charaṇā.
- Speak-samādhāna-words. Vēchīm-vachana-samādhāna.
- At-least-a-little-para-upakāra. Thōḍā-para-upakāra.