Abhanga 4099
Bhrātāra-sukha-can't-tell-first.
The verse
भ्रतारअंगसंगें सुखाची वेवस्था । आधीं तों सांगतां नये कोणा ॥१॥
तथापि सांगणें कुमारिकेपाशीं । ते काय मानसीं सुख मानी ॥ध्रु.॥
तैसा आत्मबोध आधीं बोलों नये । बोलासी तो काय सांपडेल ॥२॥
तथापि सांगणें बहिर्मुखापाशीं । तो काय संतोषासी मूळ होय ॥३॥
तुका म्हणे संत सुखाचे विभागी । ब्रम्हानंद जगीं साधुरूपें ॥४॥
Literal translation
Bhrātāra-sukha-can't-tell-first. Tell-kumārikā-what-can-she-recognize? Ātma-bōdha-can't-be-told-first-words-can't-find. Tell-bahir-mukha-no-root-of-samtoṣa. Tukā: santas-share-sukha — brahmānanda-in-sādhu-rūpa.
What it means
★★ A 4-verse anubhava-incommunicable text — companion to 2949 (which uses the same maithuna-analogy more compactly). The husband's-body-contact joy cannot be told to anyone beforehand. Even if you tell a young unmarried girl — what joy can her mind recognize? Just so, ātma-bōdha cannot be spoken first; would the words even find it? Even if you tell someone whose-face-is-outward — what root of contentment can that have? The santas are the partners-of-sharing of this joy; brahmānanda is in the world — in the form of the sādhu. The maithuna-analogy (consummated-marriage-joy-incommunicable-to-virgin) is Tukārām's signature image for anubhava-vs-śābdika-knowledge — repeated here at length. The conclusion: brahmānanda is shared among santas, in sādhu-form. Pair with 2949 (maithuna-analogy compact), 3118 (anubhava-vs-pāṭha).
For someone today
Tukārām: bhrātāra-sukha-can't-be-told-to-kumārikā; ātma-bōdha-can't-be-told-to-bahir-mukha; only-santas-share-as-brahmānanda.
Where this applies
- ★★ Tukārām's anubhava-incommunicable; santas-share-as-brahmānanda canonical
- Pair with 2949 (maithuna-analogy compact), 3118 (anubhava-vs-pāṭha)