Abhanga 3054
Since deep spiritual knowledge is genuinely hard to reach, honoring and serving those who have already walked the path is the more accessible way across.
The verse
ब्रम्हज्ञान जरी कळें उठाउठी । तरि कां हिंपुटी वेदशास्त्रें ॥१॥
शास्त्रांचे भांडण जप तीर्थाटणें । उर्वीचें भ्रमण या च साटीं ॥ध्रु.॥
याचसाटीं जप याचसाटीं तप । व्यासें ही अमुप ग्रंथ केले ॥२॥
या च साटीं संतपाय हे सेवावे । तरि च तरावें तुका म्हणे ॥३॥
Literal translation
Brahma-jñāna jarī kaḷe uṭhāuṭhī — if brahma-jñāna would come uṭhā-uṭhī (in-an-instant); tari kām himpuṭī veda-śāstre — why are the Vedas-and-śāstras himpuṭī (exhausted). Śāstrāñce bhāṇḍaṇa japa tīrthāṭaṇe — śāstra-disputes, japa, tīrthāṭana; urvīñce bhramaṇa yā cha sāṭīm — the urvī-bhramaṇa — for-this (very-reason). Yāchasāṭīm japa yāchasāṭīm tapa — for-this japa, for-this tapa; Vyāse hī amupa grantha kele — Vyāsa even-made uncountable grantha. Yā cha sāṭīm santa-pāya he sevāve — for-this, sant-pāya must-be-served; tari cha tarāve Tukā mhaṇe — only-then is one to-be-carried-across, Tukā says.
What it means
A canonical 3-verse jñāna-hard-go-to-sants argument by Tukārām.
The argument: 1. If-brahma-jñāna-were-instant, why-are-the-Vedas-śāstras-exhausted? 2. Śāstra-disputes, japa, tīrthāṭana, world-wandering, Vyāsa's-uncountable-books — all-exist-because-jñāna-is-hard 3. Therefore — serve-sant-pāya; only-then crossed
The argument is practical-and-empirical: the very-existence-of-vast-Vedic-literature is-evidence that-jñāna-is-not-easy. Tukārām doesn't-reject-jñāna-paths but-recognizes-their-difficulty and-points-to-sant-pāya-sevā as-the-accessible-path.
Compare-Tukārām's 2934 (Vedānta-carries-water at-Hari-bhakta's-house), 3050 (sants'-māgī-māti), 2657 (yoga-asādhya-for-everyone).
For someone today
Tukārām's argument that spiritual knowledge is hard, so go to the sants. If brahma-jñāna would come in-an-instant — why are the Vedas-and-śāstras exhausted? The disputes of śāstras, japa, tīrthāṭana, the wandering of the earth — for-this (very-reason). For-this — japa; for-this — tapa; Vyāsa even-made uncountable books. For-this — sant-pāya must-be-served; only-then is one carried-across. The verse permits the practical recognition that jñāna is difficult, and the redirection to serving the sants' feet.
मराठी: तुकारामांचा हा युक्तिवाद आहे की ज्ञान मिळवणे कठीण आहे, म्हणून संतांकडे जावे. जर ब्रह्मज्ञान क्षणार्धात मिळत असते, तर वेद-शास्त्रे इतकी थकून का गेली असती? शास्त्रांचे वाद, जप, तीर्थाटण, पृथ्वीभर भटकणे — हे सर्व याचसाठी आहे. याचसाठी जप, याचसाठी तप; व्यासांनीही अगणित ग्रंथ रचले. म्हणूनच संतांचे पाय सेवावेत — तेव्हाच तरून जाता येते, असे तुका म्हणतात. या अभंगातून हा व्यावहारिक बोध होतो की ज्ञान मिळवणे कठीण आहे, म्हणून संतसेवेकडे वळावे.
Where this applies
- When you feel discouraged that spiritual understanding isn't coming easily to you.
- When you're overwhelmed by how much there is to study or learn on your own.
- When you look to a mentor or guide instead of trying to figure everything out alone.