Abhanga 4456
The verse
शिव शक्ति आणि सूर्य गणपति । एक चि म्हणती विष्णूस ही ॥१॥
हिरा गार दोनी मानिती समान । राजस भजनें वांयां जाती ॥ध्रु.॥
अन्य देवतांसि देव म्हणऊन । तामस जीवन तमोयोग्या ॥२॥
वांयां जायासाठीं केलासे हव्यास । अन्य देवतांस देवपण ॥३॥
आपुलिया मुखें सांगतसे धणी । नव्हे माझी वाणी पदरींची ॥४॥
धन्य ते वैष्णव भजती केशव । साित्वक हे जीव मोक्षा योग्य ॥५॥
तुका म्हणे मोक्ष नाहीं कोणापासीं । एका गोविंदासी शरण व्हा रे ॥६॥
Literal translation
Śiva-Śakti-Sūrya-Gaṇapati — one-only-saying-Viṣṇu. Hīrā-gāra-considered-equal — rājasa-bhajana-vāyām. Other-devatā-as-Deva — tāmasa-jīvana-tamō-yōgya. For-vāyām-going — hauvyāsa-made — other-devatā-deva-paṇa. Own-mouth-the-dhaṇi-tells — not-my-padarīmchī-vāṇī. Dhanya-vaiṣṇavas-bhaja-Kēśava — sāttvika-mokṣa-yōgya. Tukā: mokṣa-nowhere — only-Govinda-refuge.
What it means
★★ A 6-verse anti-pañchāyatana exclusive-Vaiṣṇava polemic. Śiva, Śakti, and Sūrya, Gaṇapati — those who call them one-with Viṣṇu (or: identify them all with Viṣṇu). They consider diamond and hailstone equal — their rājasa worship goes in vain. Calling other deities 'Deva' — is tāmasa living, fit for darkness. They have made effort for going-in-vain — by giving godhood to other deities. From his own mouth, the Lord tells this — it is not my own-cloth speech. Blessed are those vaiṣṇavas who worship Kēśava — those sāttvika souls are fit for liberation. Tukā says: liberation is not with anyone (else) — go to refuge with only one Govinda. The polemic: Tukārām here explicitly rejects the pañchāyatana view (5-deity worship — Śiva, Śakti, Sūrya, Gaṇapati, Viṣṇu treated as five-equal-forms). He says treating-them-as-equal is treating-diamond-and-hailstone-as-equal — rājasa-bhajana = wasted. Only-Viṣṇu-Kēśava-Govinda gives mokṣa. Crucial qualifier: he disclaims this is his-own-statement — the dhaṇi (Lord) himself speaks from-own-mouth, not my-out-of-cloth speech — i.e., this is scriptural-revealed-position. Contextualize with Tukārām's elsewhere-warmth toward Śiva (Hari-Hara-self in 2618). Pair with 2374 (anti-folk-deity polemic), 4456 itself sits-as-most-systematic.
For someone today
Tukārām: treating-all-deities-as-equal = treating-diamond-and-hailstone-as-equal — that-worship-goes-vain — only-the-Vaiṣṇava-who-worships-Kēśava-is-fit-for-liberation — refuge-with-only-one-Govinda.
Where this applies
- ★★ Tukārām's MOST-EXPLICIT anti-pañchāyatana exclusive-Vaiṣṇava polemic canonical