Abhanga 3130
Endless philosophical debate never fits together like a mismatched lock, but sincere remembrance of God's Name and genuine heartfelt faith are what actually carry a person safely across danger.
The verse
भेदाभेदताळा न घडे घालितां । आठवा रे आतां नारायण ॥१॥
येणें एक केलें अवघें होय सांग । अच्युताच्या योगें नामें छंदें ॥ध्रु.॥
भोंवरे खळाळ चोर वाटा घेती । पावल मारिती सिवेपाशीं ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे येथें भावेंविण पार । न पविजे सार हें चि आहे ॥३॥
Literal translation
Bhedābhedatāḷā na ghaḍe ghālitām — the bhedābheda-tāḷā does not fit when placed; āṭhavā re ātām Nārāyaṇa — remember now, Nārāyaṇa. Yeṇe eka kele avaghe hōya sānga — by this one, everything becomes sanga; achyutāñcyā yōge nāme chande — by Achyuta's yoga, Name's chanda. Bhōmvare khaḷāḷa chōra vāṭā ghetī — whirlpools, rapids; thieves take paths; pāvala māritī sivepāśīm — they kill at the boundary. Tukā mhaṇe yethe bhāvemviṇa pāra — Tukā says: here without bhāva, no pāra; na pavije sāra he chi āhe — not crossed; this itself is sāra.
What it means
A 3-verse warning-and-method text by Tukārām.
The argument: Bhedābheda-arguments (the-philosophical-disputes) don't-fit; instead, remember-Nārāyaṇa. By-Achyuta-yoga and-Name's-chanda, everything-becomes-united. (Warning:) there-are-whirlpools, rapids, and-thieves; they-kill-at-the-boundary. Without-bhāva, no-crossing — this-itself-is-sāra.
The closing-claim is striking: here, without-bhāva, no-pāra (no-crossing). This (the-essential-bhāva) is-the-sāra. Bhāva-not-philosophical-distinction is-the-crossing-method.
For someone today
Tukārām's bhedābheda-warning. The lock-and-key of distinction-non-distinction does not fit when placed. Remember now, Nārāyaṇa. By this one thing, everything becomes united — by the yoga of Achyuta and the Name's longing. (There are) whirlpools and rapids; thieves take (other) paths; they kill at the boundary. Here, without bhāva, no crossing — this itself is the essence. The verse offers this bhakti claim: heartfelt devotion, not philosophical distinctions, is what carries one across.
मराठी: तुकाराम भेदाभेदाच्या वादाबद्दल इशारा देतात. भेद-अभेदाची कुलूप-किल्ली कधी नीट जुळत नाही; त्याऐवजी आता नारायणाचे स्मरण करा. अच्युताच्या योगाने आणि नामाच्या ओढीने एकाच गोष्टीने सारे काही एकरूप होते. वाटेत भोवरे, खळखळणारे प्रवाह आणि चोर असतात, जे सीमेवरच घात करतात. तुकाराम म्हणतात, इथे भावाशिवाय पैलतीर गाठता येत नाही, हेच खरे सार आहे. अशा प्रकारे हा अभंग सांगतो की तात्त्विक भेदाभेद नव्हे, तर मनापासूनचा भाव हाच खरा तरून जाण्याचा मार्ग आहे.
Where this applies
- Tukārām's bhedābheda-doesn't-fit; bhāva-alone-crosses text