संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 3135 of 4582

Abhanga 3135

Ekavidha āmhī na dharūm pālaṭa — we are ekavidha — won't hold to pālaṭa; na samḍūm te vāṭa sāmpaḍalī — won't abandon the vāṭa found.

Tukārām's ekavidha-won't-change; you-yourself-are-my-sākṣī claim

The verse

एकविध आम्ही न धरूं पालट । न संडूं ते वाट सांपडली ॥१॥ म्हणवूनि केला पाहिजे सांभाळ । माझें बुद्धीबळ पाय तुझे ॥ध्रु.॥ बहुत न कळे बोलतां प्रकार । अंतरा अंतर साक्ष असे ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे आगा जीवांच्या जीवना । तूं चि नारायणा साक्षी माझा ॥३॥

Literal translation

Ekavidha āmhī na dharūm pālaṭawe are ekavidha — won't hold to pālaṭa; na samḍūm te vāṭa sāmpaḍalīwon't abandon the vāṭa found. Mhaṇavūnī kelā pāhije sāmbhāḷatherefore (you) must do sāmbhāḷa; mājhe buddhi-baḷa pāya tujhemy buddhi-baḷa is your pāya. Bahuta na kaḷe bōlatām prakāramany prakāras not known when spoken; antarā antara sākṣa aseantara-antara is the sākṣa. Tukā mhaṇe āgā jīvāñcyā jīvanāTukā says: O Jīvāñcyā-jīvanā; tūm chi Nārāyaṇā sākṣī mājhāyou yourself, Nārāyaṇa, are my sākṣī.

What it means

A 3-verse bhakti-steadfastness text by Tukārām.

The claim: We are-ekavidha (single-fold); won't-change-pālaṭa; won't-abandon-the-path-found. Therefore-you-must-do-sāmbhāḷa. My-intellect-strength is-your-pāya. Many-prakāras can't-be-spoken; antara-antara is-the-sākṣī. Jīvāñcyā-jīvanā, you-yourself are-my-sākṣī.

The closing-claim is striking: the-Lord-himself-is-the-bhakta's-witnessJīvāñcyā-jīvanā (life-of-lives) is the address.

For someone today

Tukārām's bhakti-steadfastness. We are one-fold — (we) will not change. (We) will not abandon the path (we) have found. Therefore (you) must cherish — my buddhi-strength is your feet. Many of the modes cannot be known when spoken; the innermost is the witness. O Life-of-lives — you yourself, Nārāyaṇa, are my witness. The verse permits the bhakta-claim that the-Lord-himself-is-the-bhakta's-sākṣī.

Where this applies