संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 4155 of 4582

Abhanga 4155

Tukaram distills his practice into something simple: speak truthfully, hold your senses in check, and beyond that he says he knows nothing except heartfelt devotion. Only these two things really matter to God, he says, everything else he sings is just playful embellishment. His true kirtana is not performed on any physical seat, but from the seat of his own mind, meaning his worship comes from inward stillness, not outward display.

When you choose honesty and self-control over cleverness or showing off.

When you notice your prayer or practice has become a display for others rather than genuine feeling.

When you look for quiet focus of mind as the true place for devotion, not just outward ritual.

The verse

मुखें संति इंद्रियें जती । आणिक नेणे भाव भक्ती॥१॥ देवा हे चि दोन्ही पदें । येर गाइलीं विनोदें ॥२॥ चित्ताचें आसन । तुका करितो कीर्त्तन ॥३॥

Literal translation

Mukhe santī indriye jatī — āṇika neṇe bhāva bhaktī — by-mouth truth/peace, by-senses renunciate — I know nothing else but bhāva-bhakti. Deva he chi dōnhī pade — yēra gāilīm vinōde — Deva, these two verses alone — the rest sung in play. Chittāche āsana — Tukā karito kīrttana — the seat of chitta — Tukā does kīrtana.

What it means

A compact 3-verse self-statement. Truth-in-mouth, restraint-in-senses; only-bhāva-bhakti-known; Lord, these-two-verses-alone-(matter); the-rest-sung-in-play; chitta-is-the-seat — there-Tukā-does-kīrtana. The āsana of chitta image: kīrtana is performed not on a wooden seat but on the seat-of-mind itself.

For someone today

मराठी: तुकाराम आपली साधना अगदी साध्या शब्दांत सांगतात: बोलताना सत्य बोलावे, इंद्रियांवर संयम ठेवावा, आणि याशिवाय भावभक्तीखेरीज दुसरे काही आपल्याला ठाऊक नाही असे ते म्हणतात. देवासाठी खरोखर फक्त हेच दोन गुण महत्त्वाचे आहेत, बाकी सर्व फक्त गमतीने गायलेले आहे. त्यांचे खरे कीर्तन कोणत्याही भौतिक आसनावर होत नाही, तर स्वतःच्या मनाच्या आसनावर होते, म्हणजे त्यांची भक्ती बाहेरच्या देखाव्यातून नव्हे तर आंतरिक शांततेतून येते.

Where this applies

When you want to simplify your spiritual practice down to what truly matters
When you're tempted by elaborate rituals instead of simple honesty and self-restraint
When you want your worship or work to come from genuine inner focus rather than performance
When you wonder what to prioritize in a busy life full of many practices

Bhakti two-pades-essence