Abhanga 2517
English: Don't give chitta such remembrance — by which Dēva's feet become distant.
The verse
चित्ता ऐसी नको देऊं आठवण । जेणें देवाचे चरण अंतरे तें ॥१॥ आलिया वचनें रामनामध्वनि । ऐकावीं कानीं ऐसीं गोडें ॥ध्रु.॥ मत्सराचा ठाव शरीरीं नसावा । लाभेंविण जीवा दुःख देतो ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे राहे अंतर शीतळ । शांतीचें तें बळ क्षमा अंगीं ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: Don't give chitta such remembrance — by which Dēva's feet become distant. Rāma-nāma-dhvani in arriving-words — listen sweet. ★★ Matsara-place shouldn't be in body — gives duḥkha without gain ★★. ★★ Tuka says: let inside stay cool — peace's strength is kṣamā in body ★★.
What it means
★★ THE ETHICAL-SUMMARY ABHANG ★★. Three-part ethical-principle.
★★ MATSARA-DIAGNOSIS ★★: matsarāchā ṭhāva śarīrīm nasāvā — lābhēmviṇa jīvā duḥkha dētō — ★★ matsara-place shouldn't be in body — gives duḥkha without gain ★★. ★★ Matsara (envy, jealousy) should-have-no-place in-the-body; it-gives-duḥkha to-the-jīva without-any-gain. ★★ A psychological-ethical observation: envy harms-only-the-envious.
★★ ŚĀNTI-DEFINITION ★★: rāhē antara śītaḷa — śāntīchē tē baḷa kṣamā angīm — ★★ let inside stay cool — peace's strength is kṣamā in body ★★. ★★ Let-inside (antara) stay-COOL (śītaḷa); peace's-strength (śānti-bala) IS kṣamā (forgiveness) IN-THE-BODY. ★★ Śānti is-defined-as kṣamā — forgiveness is-the-active-form of-peace.
The opening: chittā aiśī nakō dē'ūm āṭhavaṇa — don't give chitta such remembrance by which Dēva's feet become distant. Anti-grudge-bearing memory-discipline.
★ HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE ★: This is one of Tukārām's most-concise ethical-summary abhangs — three principles: (1) memory-discipline (don't-remember-grievances), (2) matsara-elimination (envy-harms-only-the-envier), (3) śānti-as-kṣamā (peace = active-forgiveness). Used in Vārkarī ethical-instruction.
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For someone today
For today: ★ don't let chitta hold what distances Dēva ★; ★★ matsara gives duḥkha without gain ★★; ★★ śānti's strength is kṣamā in body ★★.
Where this applies
- Matsara-gives-duḥkha-without-gain. Matsarāchā-ṭhāva-śarīrīm-nasāvā-lābhēmviṇa-duḥkha.
- Śānti's-strength-is-kṣamā-in-body. Śāntīchē-tē-baḷa-kṣamā-angīm.