Abhanga 2841
Tapāñce sāyāsa — the sāyāsa (effort, strain) of tapa; na lage gheṇē vanavāsa — (we) need not take vanavāsa (forest-renunciation).
The verse
तपाचे सायास । न लगे घेणें वनवास ॥१॥
ऐसें कळलें आम्हां एक । जालों नामाचे धारक ॥ध्रु.॥
जाळीं महाकर्में । दावीं निजसुख धर्में ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे येणें । कळिकाळ तें ठेंगणें ॥३॥
Literal translation
Tapāñce sāyāsa — the sāyāsa (effort, strain) of tapa; na lage gheṇē vanavāsa — (we) need not take vanavāsa (forest-renunciation). Aisē kaḷalē āmhām ēka — one (thing) such we have known; jālōm Nāmāñce dhāraka — we have become Nāma-dhāraka (Name-bearers). Jāḷī mahā-karme — (Nāma) burns mahā-karme (great-karmas); dāvī nija-sukha dharme — it shows nija-sukha (own-essential-joy) by dharma (its-own-property). Tukā says: yeṇe — by this; kaḷi-kāḷa te ṭhengaṇe — Kali-time becomes ṭhengaṇa (puny, dwarfed).
What it means
A short Nāma-supremacy verse. Tapāñce sāyāsa — na lage gheṇē vanavāsa — the strain of tapa — we don't need; we don't need vanavāsa-renunciation. The democratization-claim: the Vārkarī-bhakta doesn't need tapa-or-vanavāsa.
Aisē kaḷalē āmhām ēka — jālōm Nāmāñce dhāraka — one (such) we have known — we have become Nāma-dhāraka (Name-bearers). The bhakta's-discovery: one thing alone is enough — Nāma.
Jāḷī mahā-karme — dāvī nija-sukha dharme — (Nāma) burns mahā-karme — shows nija-sukha by dharma. Two operative-functions of Nāma: (1) burns great-karmas; (2) reveals the bhakta's-own-essential-joy. The dharma here means property, intrinsic-nature — Nāma's-own-nature is to do these things.
The close: Tukā mhaṇe yeṇe — kaḷi-kāḷa te ṭhengaṇa — by this — Kali-time becomes puny. The eschatological-claim: Kali-yuga, which-is-the-difficult-age, becomes puny-and-dwarfed for the Nāma-dhāraka.
For someone today
A canonical Nāma-supremacy text. The strain of tapa — (we) don't need; (we) don't need vanavāsa. One (such thing) we have known — we have become Nāma-bearers. (Nāma) burns mahā-karmas — shows own-joy by (its) dharma. By this — Kali-time becomes puny. Two operative-claims: (1) Nāma replaces tapa-and-vanavāsa; (2) Nāma burns-mahā-karmas and reveals nija-sukha. The verse is foundational for the democratization-of-bhakti — the householder need not abandon home/work; Nāma-dhāraka-status suffices. (Compare 2448's nāma-sankīrtana-sādhana-paim-sōpe.)
Where this applies
- The canonical Nāma-replaces-tapa-and-vanavāsa claim
- Recognizing Nāma alone suffices in Kali-yuga
- The democratization-claim: no-tapa-no-forest-renunciation-needed
- The Nāma-burns-karma + reveals-nija-sukha dual-function claim