Abhanga 3064
Tukārām's anti-rote-learning text. The great egoism must first fall; (then) receiving instruction feels like sukha. In-vain is the heaping of memorization — until the inner-place is not pure. Does a horse carry a small load? — without-bhāva, so is memorization. Hold a firm-bhāva — if (you) want Paṇḍharī-rāva. The verse permits the canonical ordering: ahamtā-falls → upadeśa-becomes-sweet → bhāva is the only-effective-substance.
The verse
थोर ती गळाली पाहिजे अहंता । उपदेश घेतां सुख वाटे ॥१॥
व्यर्थ भराभर केलें पाठांतर । जोंवरी अंतर शुद्ध नाहीं ॥ध्रु.॥
घोडें काय थोडें वागवितें ओझें । भावेंविण तैसें पाठांतर ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे धरा निष्ठावंत भाव । जरी पंढरीराव पाहिजे तो॥३॥
Literal translation
Thōra tī gaḷālī pāhije ahamtā — the great ahamtā must first fall; upadeśa ghetām sukha vāṭe — (then) receiving upadeśa feels like sukha. Vyartha bharā-bhara kele pāṭhāntara — vyartha (in-vain) — the bharā-bhara of pāṭhāntara; jōvarī antara śuddha nāhī — until the antara is not śuddha. Ghōḍe kāya thōḍe vāgavite ōjhe — does a horse carry a small load; bhāvemviṇa taise pāṭhāntara — without-bhāva, so is pāṭhāntara. Tukā mhaṇe dharā niṣṭhāvanta bhāva — Tukā says: hold a niṣṭhāvanta-bhāva; jarī Paṇḍharī-rāva pāhije tō — if you want Paṇḍharī-rāva.
What it means
★ A canonical 3-verse anti-rote-learning text by Tukārām.
The argument: 1. Ahamtā must first fall — only-then upadeśa-feels-sweet 2. Memorization is in-vain without-pure-antar 3. A horse carries a heavy load — so does pāṭhāntara-without-bhāva (= the burden-without-meaning) 4. Hold niṣṭhāvanta-bhāva if (you) want Paṇḍharī-rāva
★ The horse-carrying-load = pāṭhāntara-without-bhāva image is canonical. It connects-to-3060 (sugar-on-bull-husk-at-end) and similar-load-bearer-imagery. The pāṭhāntara (memorization of-religious-texts) is-useless if-the-inner-state-is-not-purified.
The ordering is precise: first ahamtā-must-fall, then upadeśa-comes-as-sukha. Without-falling-of-ahamtā, even the-most-elevated-upadeśa is rejected-or-felt-as-burden.
Compare-Tukārām's 3054 (brahma-jñāna-hard-serve-sant-pāya), 2855 (Hari-mhaṇatām).
For someone today
Tukārām's anti-rote-learning text. The great egoism must first fall; (then) receiving instruction feels like sukha. In-vain is the heaping of memorization — until the inner-place is not pure. Does a horse carry a small load? — without-bhāva, so is memorization. Hold a firm-bhāva — if (you) want Paṇḍharī-rāva. The verse permits the canonical ordering: ahamtā-falls → upadeśa-becomes-sweet → bhāva is the only-effective-substance.
Where this applies
- ★ Canonical anti-rote-learning text
- Ahamtā-must-fall-before-upadeśa-feels-sweet ordering
- Horse-carrying-load = pāṭhāntara-without-bhāva canonical-image
- Companion to 3054