Abhanga 3347
Anubhavāvāñchūna sōnga sampādaṇe — pretending sōnga without anubhava; navhe he karaṇe svahitāñce — this is not the work of svahita.
The verse
अनुभवावांचून सोंग संपादणें । नव्हे हें करणें स्वहिताचें ॥१॥
तैसा नको भुलों बाहिरल्या रंगें । हित तें चि वेगें करूनि घेई ॥ध्रु.॥
बहुरूपी रूपें नटला नारायण । सोंग संपादून जैसा तैसा ॥२॥
पाषाणाचें नाव ठेविलें देव । आणिका तारी भाव परि तो तैसा ॥३॥
कनक झाड म्ह वंदिलें माथां । परिं तें अर्था न मिळे माजी ॥४॥
तुका म्हणे त्याचा भाव तारी त्यास । अहंभावीं नास तो चि पावे ॥५॥
Literal translation
Anubhavāvāñchūna sōnga sampādaṇe — pretending sōnga without anubhava; navhe he karaṇe svahitāñce — this is not the work of svahita. Taisā nakō bhulōm bāhiralyā range — don't be fooled by outer color; hita te chi vege karūnī gheī — take (your) hita quickly. Bahurūpī rūpe naṭalā Nārāyaṇa — Nārāyaṇa is bahurūpī, taking rūpas; sōnga sampādūna jaisā taisā — finishing the sōnga as-it-is. Pāṣāṇāñce nāva ṭhevile Deva — the stone has been given the Name Deva; āṇikā tārī bhāva pari tō taisā — by bhāva, (he) rescues others — but (stone) is so. Kanaka jhāḍa mha vandile māthām — the gold tree — (someone) bowed head on it; parim te arthā na miḷe māji — but no artha is found in it. Tukā mhaṇe tyāñcā bhāva tārī tyāsa — Tukā says: their bhāva rescues them; ahambhāvīm nāsa tō chi pāve — the aham-bhāvī attains nāsa.
What it means
★ A canonical 5-verse anti-fake-bhakti polemic by Tukārām.
The 3 illustrations of-fake-bhakti vs-real-bhāva: 1. Pāṣāṇa-given-Name-of-Deva — the stone-rescues-others by-the-bhāva-(of-the-worshipper) but-the-stone-itself-is-just-stone (the-rescue-happens-by-the-worshipper's-bhāva, not-by-the-stone) 2. Kanaka-jhāḍa (gold-tree) — someone-bowed-head-on-it but-no-artha-(meaning, treasure) is-found-in-it (the-gold-shape-without-substance) 3. Bahurūpī-Nārāyaṇa — the-Lord-himself takes-multiple-forms, finishing-the-sōnga-as-it-is
The closing-claim: their-bhāva-rescues-them; the-aham-bhāvī attains-nāsa. The-pure-bhāva is-the-saving-grace; the-pride attains-destruction.
★ This is canonical-anti-fake-bhakti — external-form without-internal-bhāva is-fake; the-rescue is-in-bhāva-not-form.
For someone today
Tukārām's anti-fake-bhakti polemic. Pretending the form without direct-experience — this is not the work of own-good. Do not be fooled by outer color; take your good quickly. Nārāyaṇa is multi-form, taking forms — finishing the role as-it-is. (Even) the stone has been given the Name Deva — by feeling (he) rescues others — but the (stone) is only stone. The gold tree — (someone) bowed (their) head on it — but no meaning is found in it. Their feeling rescues them — but the pride-filled attains only destruction. The verse permits the canonical anti-fake-bhakti: form-without-anubhava-is-empty; bhāva-saves, aham-bhāva-destroys.
Where this applies
- ★ Canonical anti-fake-bhakti polemic
- Stone-given-Deva-Name, gold-tree canonical-images
- Companion to 3118 (anubhava-vs-pāṭha), 3064 (anti-rote-learning)