Abhanga 4458
Deva-in-body — vrthā-wanders-nirdaiva.
The verse
देहीं असोनियां देव । वृथा फिरतो निर्दैव ॥१॥
देव आहे अंतर्यामीं । व्यर्थ हिंडे तीर्थग्रामीं ॥ध्रु.॥
नाभी मृगाचे कस्तुरी । व्यर्थ हिंडे वनांतरीं ॥२॥
साखरेचें मूळ ऊंस । तैसा देहीं देव दिसे ॥३॥
दुधीं असतां नवनीत । नेणे तयाचें मथित ॥४॥
तुका सांगे मूढजना । देहीं देव कां पाहाना ॥५॥
Literal translation
Deva-in-body — vrthā-wanders-nirdaiva. Deva-in-antaryāmīm — vyartha-himḍē-tīrtha-grāma. Musk-in-deer's-navel — wanders-in-forest. Sugarcane-mūla-of-sugar — so-Deva-shows-in-body. Butter-in-milk — doesn't-know-its-churned-form. Tukā-tells-mūḍha-jana — why-don't-you-see-Deva-in-body.
What it means
★★ A canonical 5-verse anti-external-search text with 3 vivid analogies for Deva-is-inside-the-body-yet-you-search-outside. Deva being in the body — the luckless one wanders in vain. Deva is in the inner-self — yet wanders in vain in pilgrim-villages. The musk is in the navel of the deer — yet it wanders in the forest. The root of sugar is the sugarcane — so does Deva show in the body. Butter being in milk — one does not know its churned-form. Tukā tells the foolish-people — why don't you see Deva in the body? The three analogies: (1) musk-deer (the deer searches the forest for the source of musk-scent that comes from its own navel — classic Indian image of self-ignorance), (2) sugar-from-sugarcane (the sweetness has a known-source within, not somewhere else), (3) butter-in-milk (the curd's-content is already present but must be churned-out). Bridge to inner-bhakti: the body-itself contains-Deva — pilgrimage to outer-tīrthas misses the inner-presence. Pair with 4250 (sant-foot-glance-superior-to-tīrtha), 4404 (Paṇḍharī-darśana-mokṣa), 3098 (Viṭṭhal-mājhā-jīva).
For someone today
Tukārām: the-Deva-is-in-your-very-body — yet-you-wander-pilgrim-villages-luckless — like-the-musk-deer-running-the-forest-for-its-own-navel-scent — why-don't-you-see-Deva-in-the-body?
Where this applies
- ★★ Tukārām's Deva-in-body — anti-external-search 3-image cluster (musk-deer/sugarcane/butter-in-milk) canonical