Abhanga 4250
The verse
तीर्थे फळती काळें जन्में आगळिया । संतदृष्टी पाया हेळामात्रें ॥१॥
सुखाचे सुगम वैष्णवांचे पाय । अंतरींचा जाय महाभेव ॥ध्रु.॥
काळें हि न सरे तपें समाधान । कथे मूढजन समाधिस्थ ॥२॥
उपमा द्यावया सांगतां आणीक । नाहीं तिन्ही लोक धुंडाळितां ॥३॥
तुका म्हणे मी राहिलों येणें सुखें । संतसंगें दुःखें नासावया ॥४॥
Literal translation
Tīrthas-fruit-with-kāḷa-many-births — sant-drṣṭi-by-hēḷā-mātra. Vaiṣṇavas-feet-sugama-of-sukha — antar-mahābhēva-goes. Kāḷa-not-enough-for-tapa — kathā-makes-mūḍha-samādhi-stha. No-upamā-in-3-lōkas. Tukā: stayed-with-sukha — sant-sanga-destroys-duḥkha.
What it means
★★ THE canonical 4-verse sant-foot-superior-to-tīrtha text. Tīrthas fruit only by time, by many-births' extra-labor; the sant's foot-glance (fruits) in a trice. The easy-path of joy is at the Vaiṣṇavas' feet; the great-fear inside goes away. Even by time, tapas-contentment isn't attained; (but) kathā makes the foolish-people established in samādhi. To give a comparison — even searching the three worlds, there is no other. Tukā says: I have stayed with this joy — sant-sanga destroys sorrow. The radical claim: (1) tīrthas need extra-life-times; sant-foot-glance is instant; (2) tapa-samādhāna is unreachable even with full time; kathā gives mūḍha-jana samādhi-state; (3) no comparison exists in 3 worlds. Pair with 2887 (sant-pūjā warrant), 4130 (puṇya-fruited-santas-met).
For someone today
Tukārām: tīrthas-take-many-lives-to-fruit — but-a-sant's-foot-glance-fruits-in-a-trice; kathā-makes-the-foolish-samādhi-fixed.
Where this applies
- ★★ Tukārām's THE sant-foot-superior-to-tīrtha-fruit canonical foundational