Abhanga 3546
Tukārām's non-dual text. The overflowed-ocean meets the Ganges in (its) flow — (it) is playing-with-itself. The gap in-between is all conceptual-overlay; (so is it) between you and us — that very (mode). The pot and the shrine are in the sky's belly — only by word is there a cut — and (the cut) is there only (verbally). The seed shows the seed — fruit-flower came-and-went in vain. The verse permits the canonical non-dual claim with three Advaita-bhakti images.
The verse
क्षरला सागर गंगा ओघीं मिळे । आपण चि खेळे आपणाशीं ॥१ ॥
मधील ते वाव अवघी उपाधि । तुम्हां आम्हांमधीं ते चि परी ॥ध्रु.॥
घट मठ जाले आकाशाचे पोटीं । वचनें चि तुटी तेथें चि तें ॥२ ॥
तुका म्हणे बीजें बीज दाखविलें । फल पुष्प आलें गेलें वांयां ॥३॥
Literal translation
Kṣaralā sāgara Gangā ōghīm miḷe — the overflowed-ocean meets the Gangā in (its) flow; āpaṇa chi kheḷe āpaṇāśīm — (it is) playing with itself. Madhīla te vāva avaghī upādhi — the gap in-between is all upādhi; tumhām āmhāmmadhīm te chi parī — between you and us — that very (mode). Ghaṭa maṭha jāle ākāśāñce pōṭīm — pot-and-shrine are in ākāśa's belly; vachane chi tuṭī tethe chi te — only by word is there tuṭī — there only (verbally). Tukā mhaṇe bīje bīja dākhavile — Tukā says: the seed shows-the-bīja; phala puṣpa āle gele vāmyā — fruit-flower came-and-went in vain.
What it means
★ A canonical 3-verse non-dual text by Tukārām with three images: 1. Ocean-meeting-Gangā = the ocean-plays-with-itself; the gap-in-between is upādhi (conceptual-overlay) 2. Pot-and-shrine in-ākāśa's-belly = vachana-only-makes-the-cut; the-cut-is-there-only-in-words 3. Bīja-shows-the-bīja; fruit-flower came-and-went in vain
The doctrinal-claim: the appearance-of-duality is upādhi (verbal-conceptual-overlay); the bīja (essence) is-only-bīja; intermediate-fruit-and-flower are vāmyā (in-vain). Compare-Tukārām's 3059 (non-dual-3-image), 3122 (mirror, sindhu-vāhāḷa), 2474 (lavana-samarasa).
For someone today
Tukārām's non-dual text. The overflowed-ocean meets the Ganges in (its) flow — (it) is playing-with-itself. The gap in-between is all conceptual-overlay; (so is it) between you and us — that very (mode). The pot and the shrine are in the sky's belly — only by word is there a cut — and (the cut) is there only (verbally). The seed shows the seed — fruit-flower came-and-went in vain. The verse permits the canonical non-dual claim with three Advaita-bhakti images.
Where this applies
- ★ Canonical non-dual text — sea-Ganges, ghaṭa-maṭha-ākāśa, bīja-shows-bīja
- Companion to 3059, 3122, 2474