Abhanga 2889
True wisdom is like the sun: it touches everyone equally and draws close to all, yet is never stained by anyone's faults.
The verse
शुद्ध ऐसें ब्रम्हज्ञान । करा मन सादर ॥१॥
रवि रसां सकळां शोषी । गुणदोषीं न लिंपे ॥ध्रु.॥
कोणासवें नाहीं चोरी । सकळांवरी समत्व ॥२॥
सत्य तरी ऐसें आहे । तुका पाहे उपदेशीं ॥३॥
Literal translation
Śuddha aise brahma-jñāna — pure such (is) brahma-jñāna; karā mana sādara — make (the) mindsādara(attentive, reverent). Ravi rasām sakaḷām shōṣī — theravi(sun)shōṣī(sucks up, dries) allrasas(juices); guṇa-dōṣī na limpē — but is notlimpē(smeared, stained) byguṇa-dōṣa(qualities-and-faults). Kōṇāsave nāhī chōrī — with no one (does the sun) havechōrī(stealth, partiality); sakaḷām-varī samatva — (there is)samatva(sameness) on/toward all. Satya tarī aise āhe — such, indeed, is thesatya(truth); Tukā pāhe upadeśī — Tukā looks-(this)-in theupadeśa(teaching).
What it means
A short sun-image-of-equanimity verse. Śuddha aise brahma-jñāna — karā mana sādara — pure (is) brahma-jñāna — make mind attentive. The opening-call to attention.
Ravi rasām sakaḷām shōṣī — guṇa-dōṣī na limpē — the sun sucks up all juices — but not stained by guṇa-dōṣa. The image: the sun absorbs water from ocean, lake, swamp, sewer — all-rasas-of-all-quality — but is-not-smeared-by-the-guṇa-dōṣa of-what-it-absorbs. The water-cycle-image of sun-as-untouched-but-touching-all.
Kōṇāsave nāhī chōrī — sakaḷām-varī samatva — no stealth with anyone — sameness on all. The sun's samatva — no-partiality, no-favoritism.
Satya tarī aise āhe — Tukā pāhe upadeśī — such, indeed, is the truth — Tukā looks (it) in the upadeśa. The bhakti-claim: Tukārām's teaching sees-this-very-truth — brahma-jñāna is sun-like: touching-all, untouched-by, equal-to-all.
The sun-image is a classic Sanskrit-Vedānta image for brahman-as-unaffected-by-its-effects. Tukārām applies it to upadeśa-as-warrant-for-equanimity.
For someone today
A canonical sun-image equanimity. Pure (is) brahma-jñāna — make mind attentive. The sun sucks up all juices — but is not stained by quality-and-fault. With no one (does the sun have) stealth — there is sameness toward all. Such, indeed, is the truth — Tukā looks (it) in the upadeśa. The verse provides the canonical sun-image of brahma-jñāna: touches-all, untouched-by, samatva-toward-all. The discipline-application: the bhakta should be sun-like — engage-with-all, untouched-by guṇa-dōṣa, equanimous-toward-all.
Where this applies
- When you feel dirtied or resentful after dealing with a difficult or dishonest person
- When you catch yourself favoring people who are easy to like and avoiding those who are not
- When you want to stay involved with the world without absorbing its negativity
- When you are trying to explain what real spiritual maturity looks like in daily behavior