Abhanga 3543
Jaisā nirmaḷa Gangā-ōgha — like the pure Gangā-flow; taisā bhāga vōgarīm — so the bhāga (poured) by ladle.
The verse
जैसा निर्मळ गंगाओघ । तैसा भाग वोगरीं ॥१॥
प्रेम वाढे ग्रासोग्रासीं । ब्रम्हरसीं भोजन ॥ध्रु.॥
तृप्तीवरि आवडी उरे । ऐसे बरे प्रकार ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे पाख मन । नारायण तें भोगी ॥३॥
Literal translation
Jaisā nirmaḷa Gangā-ōgha — like the pure Gangā-flow; taisā bhāga vōgarīm — so the bhāga (poured) by ladle. Prema vāḍhe grāsō-grāsīm — prema grows mouthful-by-mouthful; brahma-rasīm bhōjana — the bhōjana (is) in brahma-rasa. Trptīvarī āvaḍī ure — on trpti, fondness remains; aise bare prakāra — such (is the) good mode. Tukā mhaṇe pākha mana — Tukā says: the pure-winnowed mana; Nārāyaṇa te bhōgī — Nārāyaṇa enjoys that.
What it means
A short 3-verse brahma-rasa-bhōjana text by Tukārām. The image: the bhakti-meal flows-like-the-pure-Gangā; the-vōgaraṇī (cosmic-server) pours-the-portion; with-each-mouthful, prema-grows; the-bhōjana is-in-the-brahma-rasa-itself; even-after-trpti, the-āvaḍī-remains. The pure-winnowed mana — that, Nārāyaṇa enjoys.
★ The reciprocity is striking: the bhakta-eats the-bhakti-meal, but-the-Nārāyaṇa-enjoys-the-pure-mana of-the-bhakta. The eating-and-being-eaten is non-dual. Compare-Tukārām's 2806 (pavitra-anna-Hari-chintana-bhojana), 2874 (kavaḷō-kavaḷī Govinda-Name bhakta-bhojana).
For someone today
Tukārām's brahma-rasa-bhōjana image. Like the pure Gangā-flow — so the portion (poured) by the server's ladle. Prema grows mouthful-by-mouthful — the feast (is) in the brahma-rasa. Even after satiation, fondness remains — such (is the) good mode. The winnowed mind — that, Nārāyaṇa enjoys. The verse permits the canonical bhakti-as-brahma-rasa-bhojana with the pure-mind-as-Nārāyaṇa's-feast image.
Where this applies
- Tukārām's Gangā-pure-bhakti-meal; brahma-rasa-bhojana canonical-image
- Companion to 2806, 2874