संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 4349 of 4582

Abhanga 4349

Tukaram says: let the mind settle first, and then let the mouth speak only what is already there. When your inside and outside match, everything feels sweet and nothing feels forced. He compares this to a jewel, which only shows its real beauty when it sits in a setting made for it. In the same way, your words and actions only shine when they truly come from an inner place, not when they are put on for show.

When you say one thing but feel another and sense the mismatch wearing you down

When you want your outer behavior to genuinely reflect your inner peace rather than fake it

When you are trying to make your devotion feel sincere rather than staged

The verse

बैसो आतां मनीं । आले तैसें चि वदनीं ॥१॥ मग अवघें चि गोड । पुरे सकळ हि कोड ॥ध्रु.॥ बाहेरील भाव । तैसा अंतरीं हि वाव ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे मणि । शोभा दाखवी कोंदणीं ॥३॥

Literal translation

Settle-in-mana — comes-to-mouth-as-is. Everything-sweet — all-puzzle-fulfilled. Outer-bhāva = inner-vāva. Tukā: maṇi — śōbhā-in-koṇdana.

What it means

A 3-verse inner-outer-congruence text. Let it settle in my mind — what comes out comes to my mouth just as is. Then everything is sweet — all the charm is fulfilled. The outer mode is the same as the inner space. Tukā says: the jewel shows its beauty in its setting. The image: maṇi-only-shines-in-its-koṇdana (jewel only sparkles in its proper-setting) — the bhāva needs the right inner-setting to show its glory.

For someone today

मराठी: तुकाराम म्हणतात, आधी मन शांत आणि स्थिर होऊ द्या, आणि मग तोंडातून तेच बाहेर येऊ द्या जे आतमध्ये खरोखर आहे. जेव्हा आतलं आणि बाहेरचं एकसारखं असतं, तेव्हा सगळं गोड वाटतं आणि काहीही खोटं वाटत नाही. ते याची तुलना रत्नाशी करतात, जे आपल्या योग्य कोंदणात बसल्यावरच खरी शोभा दाखवते. तसंच तुमचे शब्द आणि कृती तेव्हाच खऱ्या अर्थाने चमकतात जेव्हा ते मनातून येतात, केवळ दाखवण्यासाठी नसतात.

Where this applies

Tukārām's settle-in-mana — maṇi-in-koṇdana canonical inner-outer-congruence

Autobiographical Bhakti