Abhanga 3840
True worship of God is caring for all living beings, and real sainthood means becoming a source of life and support for everyone, not holding a special status.
The verse
देवाची पूजा हे भूताचें पाळण । मत्सर तो सीण बहुतांचा ॥१॥
रुसावें फुगावें आपुलियावरि । उरला तो हरि सकळ ही ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे संतपण यां चि नांवें । जरि होय जीव सकळांचा ॥३॥
Literal translation
Devāñcī pūjā he bhūtāñce pāḷaṇa — Deva's pūjā is the pāḷaṇa of bhūtas; matsara tō sīṇa bahutāñcā — matsara is the sīṇa of many. Rusāve fugāve āpuliyāvari — let anger-and-pout be on one's own; uralā tō Hari sakaḷa hi — what remains is Hari, sakaḷa-hi. Tukā mhaṇe santapaṇa yām chi nāve — Tukā says: santapaṇa is this name; jari hōya jīva sakaḷāñcā — if (one) becomes jīva of all.
What it means
A canonical 3-verse santapaṇa-doctrine text by Tukārām.
The argument: Deva's-pūjā is-care-of-creatures; matsara is-the-toil-of-many. Let-anger-and-pout-be-on-oneself; what-remains is Hari (everything-else). Santapaṇa is-this-very-name — becoming-the-jīva-of-all.
The closing-doctrine is foundational: santapaṇa (sainthood) = becoming-the-jīva (life) of-all-creatures. Sainthood-is-not-a-status but-a-mode-of-becoming-the-life-of-all.
Compare-Tukārām's 2657 (bhakti = bowing-to-jīva-jantu-bhūta), 3020 (every-bhūta-becomes-sajjana-sakhe).
For someone today
Tukārām's teaching on sainthood. The pūjā of Deva is the care of creatures; envy is the toil of many. Let anger and pouting be on one's own self; what remains is Hari, all of it. Santapaṇa is this very name — when one becomes the jīva of all. The verse permits this canonical doctrine: sainthood means becoming a source of life for everyone.
मराठी: तुकारामांची संतपणाबद्दलची ही शिकवण. देवाची पूजा म्हणजे सर्व प्राण्यांचे पालन; मत्सर हा अनेकांचा शीण असतो. राग, रुसवा-फुगवा स्वतःपुरता ठेवावा; उरतो तो सगळाच हरि. संतपण याच नावाने ओळखले जाते — जेव्हा माणूस सर्वांचा जीव बनतो. या ओवीत हा मूलभूत सिद्धांत मांडला आहे — संतपण म्हणजे सर्वांसाठी जीवनाचा आधार बनणे.
Where this applies
- Canonical santapaṇa = jīva-of-all-creatures doctrine
- Deva's-pūjā = bhūta-pāḷana canonical
- Companion to 2657, 3020