Abhanga 2833
A genuine-realization-criterion. He, who has become Deva by his own self — for him, all-of-this jana are Deva. Others must tell empty stories for mind-entertainment. The sated-one doesn't know others' hunger-thirst — he sees sukha joyfully in his own (state). Here, experience is needed — the weight-of-words doesn't work. Three operative-tests for genuine-realization: (1) does this person treat all-jana as-Deva? (2) is this story remaṭa-kahāṇī or anubhava-grounded? (3) is there any sign of empathic-recognition of others' tāna-bhūka, or just self-content-saying? The verse warns against the sated-self-realized who forgets to attend to others' hunger.
The verse
होईंल जाला अंगें देव जो आपण । तयासी हे जन अवघे देव ॥१॥
येरांनीं सांगावी रेमट काहाणी । चित्ता रंजवणी करावया ॥ध्रु.॥
धाला आणिकांची नेणे तान भूक । सुखें पाहें सुख आपुलिया ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे येथें पाहिजे अनुभव । शब्दाचें गौरव कामा नये ॥३॥
Literal translation
Hōīla jālā ange Deva jō āpaṇa — he, who has become Deva by his own anga (body, person); tayāsī he jana avaghe Deva — for him, all-of-this jana (people) are Deva. Yērāmnī sāngāvī remaṭa kahāṇī — others must tell remaṭa (empty, formal) kahāṇī (story); chittā rañjavaṇī karāvayā — for doing chitta-rañjana (mind-entertainment). Dhālā āṇikāmñcī neṇe tāna bhūka — the dhālā (sated one) — doesn't-know others' thirst-and-hunger; sukhē pāhe sukha āpuliyā — with sukha (joyfully) (he) sees sukha (joy) in his-own-(state). Tukā says: yēthē pāhije anubhava — here, anubhava (experience) is needed; śabdāñce gauravā kāmā naye — the gaurava (heaviness/dignity) of words does not kāmā (work, suffice).
What it means
A genuine-realization-criterion verse, continuing the polemic of 2832. Hōīla jālā ange Deva jō āpaṇa — tayāsī he jana avaghe Deva — he, who has become Deva by his own (body) — for him, all-of-this jana are Deva. The canonical-Tukārām criterion: the genuine-realization shows-as treating-all-people-as-Deva. (Echo of 2660-2661's jana-Janārdana-abhēda.) The self-realized-one sees the jana-as-Deva — not just claims-himself-Deva.
Yērāmnī sāngāvī remaṭa kahāṇī — chittā rañjavaṇī karāvayā — others must tell empty, formal stories — for mind-entertainment. The contrast: those-who-have-not-realized must tell remaṭa-kahāṇī (formal-empty-stories) for chitta-rañjana (mind-entertainment). The work-of-the-unrealized is story-telling-for-entertainment.
Dhālā āṇikāmñcī neṇe tāna bhūka — sukhē pāhe sukha āpuliyā — the sated-one doesn't know others' thirst-hunger; (he) sees sukha joyfully in his-own-(state). A double-edged-observation: the sated-one is unable-to-relate to-others' hunger. This is both a fact (you can't fake-hunger if you're not hungry) AND a critique (the sated-self-realized may forget to attend to others' real-needs).
Tukā mhaṇe yēthē pāhije anubhava — śabdāñce gauravā kāmā naye — Tukā: here, anubhava (experience) is needed; the gaurava (dignity, weight) of words doesn't work. The diagnostic: anubhava-is-required; no amount of weighty-words substitutes. This is the anti-paṇḍita-anti-fake-guru foundational claim.
For someone today
A genuine-realization-criterion. He, who has become Deva by his own self — for him, all-of-this jana are Deva. Others must tell empty stories for mind-entertainment. The sated-one doesn't know others' hunger-thirst — he sees sukha joyfully in his own (state). Here, experience is needed — the weight-of-words doesn't work. Three operative-tests for genuine-realization: (1) does this person treat all-jana as-Deva? (2) is this story remaṭa-kahāṇī or anubhava-grounded? (3) is there any sign of empathic-recognition of others' tāna-bhūka, or just self-content-saying? The verse warns against the sated-self-realized who forgets to attend to others' hunger.
Where this applies
- The canonical genuine-realization-shows-as-treating-all-jana-as-Deva criterion
- Recognizing anubhava is needed; mere-words don't work test
- Sated-doesn't-know-others'-hunger — the realized-one's-blind-spot
- Diagnostic for vetting realization-claims