Abhanga 2917
THE canonical non-dual identification text. Between you and me, no difference — done naturally as a sport. You are my form — I am certainly nothing-but-you. I (am) in you, Deva — you take sevā through my body. I am in you, immovable; in me is your strength. You speak with my mouth — I (am) in you with sukha. The contrary (exists only) in the place of naming.
The verse
तुज मज नाहीं भेद । केला सहज विनोद ॥१॥
तूं माझा आकार । मी तों तूं च निर्धार ॥ध्रु.॥
मी तुजमाजी देवा । घेसी माझ्या अंगें सेवा ॥२॥
मी तुजमाजी अचळ । मजमाजी तुझें बळ ॥३॥
तूं बोलसी माझ्या मुखें । मी तों तुजमाजी सुखें ॥४॥
तुका म्हणे देवा । विपरीत ठायीं नांवा ॥५॥
Literal translation
Tuja maja nāhī bheda — between you and me, there is no bheda (difference); kelā sahaja vinōda — (it is) a vinōda (sport, play) done naturally. Tūm mājhā ākāra — you are my ākāra (form, shape); mī tōm tūm chi nirdhāra — I (am) — tūm chi (you, certainly) — nirdhāra (it is decided, certain). Mī tujamāji Devā — I (am) in you, Deva; ghesī mājhyā ange sevā — you take sevā through my body. Mī tujamāji achaḷa — I (am) in you — achaḷa (immovable, fixed); majamāji tujhe baḷa — in me is your baḷa (strength). Tūm bōlasī mājhyā mukhe — you speak with my mouth; mī tōm tujamāji sukhe — I (am) — in you, with sukha. Tukā says: Devā — (O) Deva; viparīta ṭhāyī nāve — the viparīta (contrary, opposite) (exists only) in the ṭhāva (place) of nāva (the name, naming).
What it means
THE canonical 5-verse Tukārām non-dual identification text. The verse-structure: six reciprocal-identifications between I and you.
Verse 1: Tuja maja nāhī bheda — kelā sahaja vinōda — between you and me, no difference — done naturally as a sport. The opening foundational-claim: no bheda between bhakta and Lord; the apparent-distinction is a sahaja-vinōda (natural-sport).
Dhrūpada: Tūm mājhā ākāra — mī tōm tūm chi nirdhāra — you are my form — I am certainly nothing-but-you. The double-identification: (1) you are my form; (2) I am you.
Verse 2: Mī tujamāji Devā — ghesī mājhyā ange sevā — I (am) in you, Deva — you take sevā through my body. The reciprocal: I-in-you; you-take-sevā-through-my-body (i.e., when I perform sevā, you-yourself are performing-it-through-me).
Verse 3: Mī tujamāji achaḷa — majamāji tujhe baḷa — I (am) in you, immovable — in me is your strength. The double-direction: I-in-you (immovable); your-strength-in-me.
Verse 4: Tūm bōlasī mājhyā mukhe — mī tōm tujamāji sukhe — you speak with my mouth — I (am) in you with sukha. The mutual-indwelling: you-speak-through-me; I-rest-in-you-with-sukha.
Close: Tukā mhaṇe Devā — viparīta ṭhāyī nāve — the contrary (exists only) in the place of naming. The crucial-final-claim: the apparent-duality between us is ONLY in the naming; if we don't-name, there is no-contrary.
This is one of THE most-radical non-dual texts in the Tukārām corpus, while still preserving the bhakti-relationship. Unlike pure-advaita which dissolves-the-relationship, Tukārām holds-the-relationship as vinōda (sport) while-claiming-non-duality. The bhakti-non-dualism of Vārkarī tradition.
For someone today
THE canonical non-dual identification text. Between you and me, no difference — done naturally as a sport. You are my form — I am certainly nothing-but-you. I (am) in you, Deva — you take sevā through my body. I am in you, immovable; in me is your strength. You speak with my mouth — I (am) in you with sukha. The contrary (exists only) in the place of naming.
The verse presents bhakti-non-dualism: (1) no bheda between bhakta and Lord; (2) the apparent-distinction is sahaja-vinōda (natural-sport); (3) six reciprocal-identifications; (4) the contrary-only-in-naming. The discipline-implication: recognize that all your-acts are the Lord's; all the Lord's-acts are through-you; the duality-is-only-in-naming. This is Tukārām's highest-non-dual-bhakti — pairs with 2837 (brahmāṇḍa-Paṇḍharī), 2891 (reciprocal-family-relation), 2660-2661 (jana-Janārdana-abhēda) as the non-dual-bhakti canonical-cluster.
Where this applies
- THE canonical Tukārām non-dual identification text
- Recognizing you-speak-with-my-mouth; I-am-in-you-with-sukha identification
- Contrary-only-in-name — the apparent-duality-is-only-naming-effect claim
- Pairs with 2837 (brahmāṇḍa-Paṇḍharī), 2891 (reciprocal-family-relation), 2660-2661 (jana-Janārdana-abhēda)
- The bhakti-non-dualism of Vārkarī tradition