Abhanga 2856
Naye vāṇṭūm mana — (one) should not vāṇṭūm (divide, distribute) the mind; kāmhī na dekhāve bhinna — nothing should-be-seen as bhinna (separate, different).
The verse
नये वांटूं मन । कांहीं न देखावें भिन्न ॥१॥
पाय विठोबाचे चित्ती । असों द्यावे दिवसराती ॥ध्रु.॥
नये काकुळती । कोणा यावें हरिभक्ति ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे साईं । करील कृपेची विठाईं ॥३॥
Literal translation
Naye vāṇṭūm mana — (one) should not vāṇṭūm (divide, distribute) the mind; kāmhī na dekhāve bhinna — nothing should-be-seen as bhinna (separate, different). Pāya Viṭhōbāñce chitti — the feet of Viṭhōbā — in (the) chitta; asō dyāve divasa-rātī — let-them-be — day-and-night. Naye kākuḷatī — (one) should not come into kākuḷatī (humble-supplication); kōṇā yāve Hari-bhakti — to whom should one come for Hari-bhakti? (i.e., to no-one — go-directly to Hari). Tukā says: Sāī — (O) Sāī (Lord, Friend); karīl krpe-cī Viṭhāī — the Viṭhāī (the feminine-form of Viṭhōbā) will do (her) krpā**.
What it means
A short exclusive-bhakti discipline verse. Naye vāṇṭūm mana — kāmhī na dekhāve bhinna — one should not divide the mind — nothing should-be-seen as separate. The opening exclusive-bhakti: don't divide the mind among many deities/objects; don't see anything as separate (from Hari).
Pāya Viṭhōbāñce chitti — asō dyāve divasa-rātī — Viṭhōbā's feet in the chitta — let-them-be day-and-night. The discipline: Viṭhōbā's-feet in chitta — day-and-night.
Naye kākuḷatī — kōṇā yāve Hari-bhakti — one should not come into supplication — to whom should one go (for) Hari-bhakti? The directness-rule: don't supplicate-others for Hari-bhakti; go-directly to Hari. (Compare 2856's general anti-supplication-of-others.)
The close: Tukā mhaṇe Sāī — karīl krpe-cī Viṭhāī — Sāī (Lord-friend) — the Viṭhāī will do (her) krpā. The closing-warrant: the Viṭhāī (feminine-Viṭhōbā) does the krpā — i.e., the Lord-himself does the work; no-other-intermediary needed.
The use of Sāī (a Sufi-mendicant-honorific for Lord-friend) and Viṭhāī (feminine-tender-form) shows Tukārām's flexible-vocabulary.
For someone today
A canonical exclusive-bhakti discipline. One should not divide the mind; nothing should-be-seen as separate. The feet of Viṭhōbā — let them be in chitta day-and-night. One should not come into supplication — to anyone (else) — for Hari-bhakti. Sāī — the Viṭhāī will do (her) krpā. Three operative-disciplines: (1) don't divide the mind; (2) Viṭhōbā's-feet-in-chitta day-and-night; (3) don't supplicate-others for Hari-bhakti. The closing-warrant: the Lord-herself (Viṭhāī) does the krpā — no intermediary needed. The don't-supplicate-others rule is striking — it places-the-bhakta directly-in-relation-with-the-Lord, bypassing all-third-parties.
Where this applies
- The canonical don't-divide-mind, no-bhinna-seeing discipline
- Recognizing Viṭhōbā's-feet-in-chitta-day-and-night exclusive-bhakti
- Don't-supplicate-others-for-Hari-bhakti directness-rule
- The Viṭhāī-does-the-krpā — direct-relation-with-Lord