Taatiche Abhang : Abhang 12

 

Taatiche Abhang 

Abhanga 12

१२ – अवघी साधन हातवटी

अवघी साधन हातवटी ।

मोलें मिळत नाही हाटीं ॥१॥

शुद्ध ज्याचा भाव झाला ।

दुरी नाही देव त्याला ॥२॥

कोणी कोणास शिकवावें ।

सार साधुनिया घ्यावें ॥३॥

लडिवाळ मुक्ताबाई ।

जीव मुदल ठायीचे ठायीं ॥४॥

तुम्ही तरुनी विश्व तारा ।

ताटी उघडा ज्ञानेश्वरा ॥५॥

All the means and skills needed to reach God consciousness are not for sale in the market. 

God is within the reach of a person who has a pure heart. 

Who can teach self knowledge to another?

Each one must introspect and find the essence for themselves. 

Muktabai is just your pampered little sister. ( Although she tried to teach you) you are already a man of self knowledge and wisdom.

You redeem yourself and alongside redeem rest of the world.

Open the door oh Dnyaaneshwara!

अवघी entire, any

साधन tools

हातवटी skills

मोलें price, value

मिळत found

नाही not

हाटीं in the market 

शुद्ध pure

ज्याचा whose

भाव attitude 

झाला became 

दुरी far

नाही not

देव God

त्याला for him

कोणी who

कोणास to whom

शिकवावें can teach 

सार essence 

साधुनिया collect, extract, absorb, succeed

घ्यावें take

लडिवाळ pampered kid 

मुक्ताबाई Muktabai 

जीव heart, life, soul

मुदल capital, original amount 

ठायीचे ठायीं where it was, at its original place

तुम्ही you

तरुनी swim

विश्व world

तारा save

ताटी उघडा ज्ञानेश्वरा Open the door O Dnyaaneshwara

Discussion:

अवघी साधन हातवटी ।

मोलें मिळत नाही हाटीं ॥१॥

Reaching the highest level of divine consciousness is not some sort of a magical trick. There is no pill you can swallow and wake up enlightened the next morning. There is no college you can enroll in and graduate with a certificate in a given time. You cannot go to the market with a suitcase full of cash and buy the tools and skills necessary to reach that state.

Take the example of obesity. People seek solutions to obesity. Of course there are several means available for a consumer in today’s market to overcome obesity. There are fancy meal preparations, supplements,pills, injections and even surgeries that tout fast solutions. After a trial of any of the above there are good results, sometimes impressive results. Alas, the results last for a very short time. The weight returns as fast as it was shed. 

Living with obesity is as painful as living in ignorance. Reaching enlightenment is very similar to the daunting task of shedding weight permanently. It needs efforts from the inside. One must adopt a new way of thinking and behaving to let go old faulty habits that are the root of the problem. No amount of money or quick fixes can bring about internal change. 

The entire Bhagwad Gita is a manual for the efforts necessary to reach one’s divine state. So are many other holy texts from around the globe. In different words and through different examples they all lay down the basics of the life one must live to purify the consciousness. The same principles of love, compassion, selfless service, lack of greed, control over anger, overcoming laziness and single pointed devotion are  primary ones that are highlighted there. One needs to start from where one is and practice sincerely to improve on each front. Skills of karmayoga come with practice and time. What we have to learn to do we can only learn by doing. Hence when we start it is not expected that we will be perfect.

शुद्ध ज्याचा भाव झाला ।

दुरी नाही देव त्याला ॥२॥

Despite the imperfections at the beginning if we commit to try for perfection we will reach our goal sooner or later.

With practice comes better understanding and understanding leads to knowledge. Knowledge confers purity and purity reveals wisdom. Thus gradual purification takes one closer to the experience of divinity. 

कोणी कोणास शिकवावें ।

सार साधुनिया घ्यावें ॥३॥

Each person, being a spark of the divine, inherently has the wisdom in himself. Thus he does not need to be taught about what exists in him already. However ignorance can bring forgetfulness. To keep himself from slipping again into dulled consciousness he must proactively  learn by observing within and around him, picking and holding on to the essence of life close to his heart.

लडिवाळ मुक्ताबाई ।

जीव मुदल ठायीचे ठायीं ॥४॥

Muktabai said what she had to. But she knew fully well that whatever she said was not new learning for her brother. After all, her brothers had raised her and taught her everything they knew. 

“I am just your pampered little sister. Pardon me if I stepped out of my limits to advise you. You didn’t need my advice because you are already blessed with the knowledge. I couldn’t possibly add or remove what you already knew. I simply reiterated what you always knew but appeared to have temporarily forgotten.” She says here. 

Another angle to look at the two above couplets is to consider them connected to each other. कोणी कोणासशिकवावें one mustn’t ever take it upon themselves to ‘teach’ another. A better attitude is to try and learn from another. Take the essence from any interaction. There is always something in another person that is lacking in ourselves. सार साधुनिया घ्यावें

Such audacity to ‘teach’ is palatable only when the relationship between two people is very close like Muktabai and Dnyaaneshwar or there is genuine love in the heart. In such situations even if it appears like one is stepping off limits the mutual understanding and respect permits such transgression. Muktabai asserts her bond when she realizes she probably overspoke. लडिवाळ मुक्ताबाई

 The net result is balanced. No one portrays or is perceived as being smarter or dumber than the other, neither the teacher nor the one who is taught. They both are wise and humble from beginning till end. 

जीव मुदल ठायीचे ठायीं.

This concluding part of the couplet carries much significance in the spiritual realm. Firstly, knowledge is such a wealth that never recedes from its original amount when shared with others. A teacher’s essence or soul remains ever full even after everything he knows is imparted to the student. 

Secondly this concept where the original capital remains intact after loaning someone mirrors the philosophy underlying the origin of all creation. The universe was created out of the eternal divine principle, referred to as Para Bramha by the Vedas. But even after the entire Universe was ‘removed’ from IT,  the parent entity remained complete. When the universe undergoes dissolution and merges into the Para Bramha , nothing will be added to the completeness of the divine principle. It will always remain in a state of completeness. This is famously expressed in the Sanskrit verse:

ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदम् पूर्णात् पूर्णमुदच्यते | 

पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते |

Om poornamadah poornamidam poornaat poornamudachyate

Poornasya poornamaadaaya poornamevaavashishṣyate

This verse is frequently recited and meditated upon at the end of spiritual discussions. 

तुम्ही तरुनी विश्व तारा ।

ताटी उघडा ज्ञानेश्वरा ॥५॥

Those who travel by air are familiar with the safety instructions demonstrated before the flight takes off. The flight attendants tell you that in event of low pressure the oxygen masks will automatically drop from above and if you have a child with you you must first put on your own mask before helping the child put on his. One must be safe before saving another or both will be in trouble. A person must first learn to swim before he can save a drowning person. 

In abhang 6 it was discussed how one saint can lead the way for many.

एक आपण साधू झाले ।
येर कोण वाया गेले ? 

Almost the entire abhang 8 is dedicated to the subject of helping others. In that she used the term tarnopaay तरणोपाय to describe the means for self emancipation. The entire exercise to evolve into a better person is not for the limited purpose of one individual but for the entire humanity. 

As she wraps up her message she speaks her heart out to her dear brother to express her deepest wish that prompted her to counsel him. 

I want to see you freeing yourself from all afflictions and rising to the highest level of perfection so you can help others to rise with you. For this, now open the door O Dnyaaneshwara and lend yourself to the people. 

The culmination of all progress is service. Unless that happens all efforts and gains are meaningless.

 

From personal suffering must arise the thirst for emancipation and the result of emancipation must be the desire to free others from their suffering. 

This is when life comes a full circle.

What a beautiful message this little sister has shared with us under the pretext of comforting her brother ! 

Qualities:

Effort in spiritual pursuit 

Pure attitude 

Uplift oneself and others simultaneously 

The second photo included in this post was taken on February 8th at a home in Daund near Pune where I was invited to speak about Muktabai’s Taatiche Abhang. I am happy to conclude the discourse today with all 12 abhangas. 

Hari Om Tat Sat 🙏🏼🙏🏼