The Necessity of Experience

बहुतांच्या आम्ही न मिळो मतासी । कोणी कैसी कैसी भावनेच्या ॥१॥

We do not agree with the opinions of many; people hold all manner of notions. Time is wasted in futile debate, and false…

त्याचें सुख नाहीं आलें अनुभवा । कठिण हें जिवा तोंचिवरी ॥१॥

Until one tastes that bliss firsthand, the path feels hard upon the soul. But once known, it guards you from past sorrow…

दुजें खंडे तरी । उरला तो अवघा हरि ॥ आपणाबाहेरी । न लगे ठाव धुंडावा ॥१॥

When duality is broken, only Hari remains; there is no need to search for him outside yourself. Know this much: pen the …

जन विजन जालें आम्हां । विठ्ठलनामा प्रमाणें ॥१॥

Wilderness and society have become the same to me, measured by the name of Vitthal. Wherever I look, I see Vitthal as fa…

ढेकरें जेवण दिसे साचें । नाहीं तरि काचें कुंथाकुंथी ॥१॥

A belch proves that one has truly eaten; otherwise the straining and groaning are just empty show. All this talk, both k…

न ये नेत्रां जळ । नाहीं अंतरीं कळवळ ॥१॥

When tears do not come to the eyes and there is no stirring of compassion within, then all this talk is empty cleverness…

नुगवे तें उगवून सांगितलें भाई । घालुनियां ताळा आतां शुद्ध राखा घाई ॥१॥

What could not be solved, I have solved and told you plainly, brother. Now lock it in and guard it with pure vigilance. …

आम्हां निकट वासें । कळों आलें जैसें तैसें । नाहीं अनारीसें । कान्होबाचे अंतरीं ॥…

We who live close to Him have come to know Him just as He is. There is nothing crooked in Krishna's heart. People are to…

न देखोन कांहीं । म्या पाहिलें सकळ ही ॥१॥

Without seeing anything, I have seen everything. I became one with all things, and the sense of me and mine fell away. W…

मांडे पुर्‍या मुखें सांगों जाणे मात । तोंडीं लाळ हात चोळी रिते ॥१॥

One can describe fine breads and pastries with the mouth, but the tongue only salivates while the hands remain empty. Su…

शिकल्या बोलाचे सांगतील वाद । अनुभव भेद नाहीं कोणा ॥१॥

Those who have learned arguments from books will debate endlessly, yet none of them has the direct experience of truth. …

साधूनी बचनाग खाती तोळा तोळा । आणिकातें डोळां न पाहवे ॥१॥

Those who have practiced can swallow deadly poison by the measure and remain unharmed, while others cannot even bear to …

एक तटस्थ मानसीं । एक सहज चि आळसी ॥१॥

One sits absorbed in inner stillness; another is simply lazy. Both appear the same outwardly, but only a true discerner …

शोधिसील मूळें । त्याचें करीसी वाटोळें ॥१॥

When you search anything to its root, you destroy it utterly. Such is the outcry of the saints: your shores of argument …

स्वप्नीचिया गोष्टी । मज धरिलें होतें वेठी । जालिया सेवटीं । जालें लटिकें सकळ ॥१॥

The affairs of a dream had held me captive, but when it ended, everything was revealed as false. In vain I had cried out…

अन्नाच्या परिमळें जरि जाय भूक । तरि कां हे पाक घरोघरीं ॥१॥

If the mere fragrance of food could satisfy hunger, why would anyone cook in every household? Seek your own highest good…

म्हणउनी खेळ मांडियेला ऐसा । नाहीं कोणी दिशा वर्जीयेली ॥१॥

This is why such a game was set in motion: no direction has been left out. All that exists is my own kin; the root of an…

एकली राणागोविंदा सवें । गेलें ठावें तें जालें ॥१॥

Alone, I went with Govinda, and what was hidden became known. Do not call me unchaste; nothing impure came near me. I ha…

अंगीं देवी खेळे । कां रे तुम्हासी न कळे । कोणाचे हे चाळे । सुख दुःख न मनितां ॥१॥

The goddess plays within this body; why can you not see it? Whose sport is this, unconcerned with pleasure or pain? I am…

न चलती हात पाय दृष्टी फिरली कैसी । जाणतां न देखों गा क्षर आणि अक्षरासी ॥१॥

My hands and feet will not move; my sight has turned inward so that I can no longer perceive the perishable or the imper…

बोल बोले अबोलणे । जागें बाहेर आंत निजेलें । कैसें घरांत घरकुल केलें । नेणों आंधा…

He speaks the speech that is silence; he is awake outside yet asleep within. How he has built a nest inside the house, w…

काय सांगों तुझ्या चरणांच्या सुखा । अनुभव ठाउका नाहीं तुज ॥१॥

How can I describe the joy of your feet? Even you do not know that experience. How strange it sounds to speak of it alou…

बोलों अबोलणें मरोनियां जिणें । असोनि नसणें जनि आम्हां ॥१॥

To speak is to be silent; to die is to truly live; to exist among people is to not exist at all. In the midst of enjoyme…

कांहीं च मी नव्हें कोणिये गांवींचा । एकट ठायींचा ठायीं एक ॥१॥

I belong to no village at all; I am alone, one with the One. I go nowhere and return from nowhere; all that I speak is w…

नटनाट्ये अवघें संपादिलें सोंग । भेद दाऊं रंग न पालटे ॥१॥

Like an actor, I have put on the whole costume of this play, yet however the scene may change, the true color beneath do…

रवि रश्मीकळा । नये काढितां निराळा ॥१॥

The rays cannot be separated from the sun. In the same way, God has become fused with my very being. How can sweetness b…

येथील हा ठसा । गेला पडोनियां ऐसा ॥१॥

The imprint of this place has fallen upon me and remains. In the house of God there is a sacred silence; his company is …

एक वेळ प्रायिश्चत्त । केलें चित्त मुंडण ॥1॥

Once and for all I performed the expiation: I shaved the head of my mind. The fault called ego has been laid waste and e…

बाहिर पडिलों आपुल्या कर्तव्यें । संसारासि जीवें वेटािळलों ॥1॥

By my own doings I have fallen out of my true nature and become entangled in worldly life with all my heart. Yet the two…

मन वोळी मना । बुिद्ध बुद्धी क्षण क्षणां ॥1॥

The mind folds back into itself; intellect dissolves into intellect, moment by moment. I have become my own guardian, he…

ब्रह्म न लिंपे त्या मेळें । कर्माअकर्मा वेगळें ॥1॥

Brahman is untouched by any association, separate from both action and inaction. Only that one knows It who has experien…

तें हीं नव्हे जें करितां कांहीं । ध्यातां ध्यायीं तें ही नव्हे ॥1॥

What is done through effort, that is not It. What is reached through meditation, that is not It either. What is taught t…

वचनें ही नाड । न बोले तें मुकें खोड ॥1॥

Speech can mislead, and silence can be a defect. True welfare lies apart from both, between speaking and not speaking. D…

मुसावलें अंग । रंगीं मेळविला रंग ॥1॥

The body has been saturated; color has merged with color. The two have become firmly one, returned to their original sou…

अक्षइऩ तें झालें । आतां न मोडे रचिलें ॥1॥

What has been built is now imperishable; what has been established cannot be undone. The foundation has been laid deep, …

ओनाम्याच्या काळें । खडें मांडविलें बाळें ॥1॥

In the time of ignorance, a child sets up pebbles and plays house. That same game continues forward once the habit takes…

भाव तैसें फळ । न चले देवापाशीं बळ ॥1॥

As the feeling, so is the fruit; force has no power before God. Like attracts like; each recognizes the other in the hea…

एक भाव चित्तीं । तरीं न लगे कांहीं युक्ती ॥1॥

When there is single-minded devotion in the heart, no technique or strategy is needed. I have come to know this through …

वत्स पळे धेनु धांवे पाठीलागीं । प्रीतीचा तो अंगीं आयुर्भाव ॥1॥

When a calf runs, the cow chases after it. The natural impulse of love is in her very being. Can what is taught ever ser…

कृष्णांजनें जाले सोज्वळ लोचन । तेणें दिले वान निवडुनी ॥1॥

The eyes, anointed with divine collyrium, have become clear. By that vision, all things have been sorted and distinguish…

भोगावरि आह्मीं घातला पाषाण । मरणा मरण आणियेलें ॥1॥

I have crushed all attachment to sensory experience. I have brought death to death itself. You pervade the universe; am …

पदोपदीं दिलें अंग । जालें सांग कारण ॥1॥

At every step I have offered myself; the cause is now complete. I have claimed this ground and stood firm. The rest of t…

गावे ह्मणउनि गीत । धरुनि राहे तैसें चित्त ॥1॥

One wants to sing a song, but the mind must also remain absorbed in it. This is the truly difficult thing: that seeing f…

कळल हे खुण । तरि दावी नारायण ॥1॥

If you have recognized this sign, then show it as Narayana. Truth dwells with the saints; for others, fear stands in the…

चालावा पंथ तो पाविजे त्या ठाया । ऐकिल्या वांयां वारता त्या ॥1॥

One must walk the path to reach the destination. Merely hearing the news is not enough. Listen, the matter requires effo…

अक्षरांचा श्रम केला । फळा आला तेणें तो ॥1॥

The labor of learning has borne fruit. He grasps the depths of everything, holding nothing back in reserve. When the har…

भवसिंधूचें हें तारूं । मज विचारूं पाहातां ॥1॥

When I consider it, this is the vessel to cross the ocean of existence. I shall hold Your feet in my heart; all happines…

चित्त ग्वाही तेथें लौकिकाचें काइऩ । स्वहित तें ठायीं आपणापें ॥1॥

The witness of your own conscience is what matters; what use is public opinion? True self-interest lies within yourself.…

चिंतनें अचिंत राहिलों निश्चळ । तें चि किती काळ वाढवावें ॥1॥

Through contemplation I became free of thought and remained still. How long should I extend that state? The time for sil…

निर्गुणाचे घ्यावें गुणासी दर्शन । एकाएकीं भिन्न भेद घडे ॥1॥

To see the formless through form, to find difference within oneness: this is a paradox. Between You and me, let no dista…

तुज च पासाव जालोंसों निर्माण । असावें तें भिन्न कासयानें ॥1॥

I was created from You alone. Why then should there be any separation? Look within and consider: there is nothing more o…

आह्मी बळकट जालों फिराउनी । तुमच्या वचनीं तुह्मां गोऊं ॥1॥

We have grown strong again and will now catch You in Your own words. What happened before is past. Now the vital secrets…

अणुरणीयां थोकडा । तुका आकाशाएवढा ॥1॥

Says Tuka: smaller than the smallest atom, yet as vast as the sky. I have swallowed and spat out the whole form of world…

ठकिलें काळा मारिली दडी । दिली कुडी टाकोनियां ॥1॥

I have tricked time itself and given death the slip, casting off this false covering. For ages I wore that old blanket, …

धीर तो कारण साहे होतो नारायण । नेदी होऊं सीण वाहों चिंता दासांसी ॥1॥

The one who endures with patience becomes Narayana Himself. He does not let His servants suffer or carry worry. Sing kir…

फीरतफीरत पाया सारा । मीटत लोले धन किनारा ॥1॥

Wandering and wandering, I exhausted the whole journey. Closing my eyes, I reached the shore of wealth, but even pilgrim…

माया मोहोजाळीं होतों सांपडलों । परि या विठ्ठला कृपा आली ॥1॥

I was caught in the net of illusion, but Vitthal's grace descended upon me. He pulled me out and set me apart, letting m…

मज अंगाच्या अनुभवें । काइऩ वाइऩट बरें ठावें ॥1॥

By my own bodily experience I have come to know what is good and what is bad. I have seen both sides and my mind no long…

देह नव्हे मी हें सरे । उरला उरे विठ्ठल ॥1॥

When the realization dawns that 'I am not this body,' only Vitthala remains. Therefore take advantage and spend your tim…

देखण्याच्या तीन जाती । वेठी वार्ता अत्यंतीं ॥1॥

There are three kinds of seeing: by obligation, by hearsay, and by direct experience. As is the devotion, so is the frui…

अनुभवें अनुभव अवघा चि साधिला । तरि िस्थरावला मनु ठायीं ॥1॥

Through experience upon experience, everything has been mastered. Then the mind became steadfast in its place. Like gold…

निवडोनि वाण काढिले निराळे । प्रमाण डोहळे यावरि ते ॥1॥

The true ones have been sorted and set apart; let their longings be the final measure. Each one's share bears fruit for …

वचनांचे मांडे दावावे प्रकार । काय त्या साचार कौतुकाचे ॥1॥

What are the delights of mere words spread out on display? True joy in them is uncertain. When you return home, the sorr…

साधनांच्या कळा आकार आकृति । कारण नवनीतीं मथनाचें ॥1॥

The arts and forms of spiritual practice are necessary, just as churning is needed to obtain butter. For the bird, there…

नाहीं येथें वाणी । सकळां वणाअ घ्यावी धणी ॥1॥

Here no single voice can claim to satisfy all. It has become like a mirror: it shows each person their own color. Says T…

ठेविलें जतन । करूनियां निज धन ॥1॥

That which is one's true wealth has been kept carefully preserved. The seed from which everything originates has been gr…

मरणा हातीं सुटली काया । विचारें या निश्चयें ॥1॥

The body has been released from the hands of Death by the strength of discernment. Sorrow has vanished, and the natural …

न संगावें वर्म । जनीं असों द्यावा भ्रम ॥1॥

Do not reveal the secret to the crowd; let the world remain in its delusion. Otherwise, the undeserving will simply foll…

अभिन्नव सुख तरि या विचारें । विचारावें बरें संतजनीं ॥1॥

There is a wondrous joy in this contemplation; let it be considered well among the holy. In the memory of his form, both…

रवीचा प्रकाश । तो चि निशी घडे नाश । जाल्या बहुवस । तरि त्या काय दीपिका ॥1॥

The sun's own light destroys the night. However many lamps there may be, what can they do before it? Let only this dwell…

माया साक्षी आह्मी नेणों भीड भार । आप आणि पर नाहीं दोन्ही ॥1॥

We witness maya without regard for obligation or burden. There is neither self nor other; both are gone. For the sake of…

हातीं घेऊनियां काठी । तुका लागला किळवरा पाठी ॥1॥

Taking a stick in hand, Tuka chased after the filth of worldliness. He carried it to the cremation ground, the very plac…

नव्हतियाचा सोस होता । झडो आतां पदर ॥1॥

The yearning for what never existed has now ended; let that curtain finally drop. What was to be seen has been seen. Fro…

येथूनियां ठाव । अवघे लक्षायाचे भाव ॥1॥

From this place onward, all aims and intentions become clear. The feet of God are the highest point; that is where my fo…

नव्हे खळवादी मता च पुरता । सत्याची हे सत्ता उपदेश ॥1॥

This is not the argument of a quarrelsome mind or a merely opinionated stance. This is the authority of truth itself, pr…

अवघीं भूतें साम्या आलीं । देखिलीं म्यां कैं होतीं ॥1॥

All beings have come to a state of equality before my eyes. When did I ever see them otherwise? True faith is born of Pa…

ब्रह्मरूपाचीं कर्में ब्रह्मरूप । विरहित संकल्प होती जाती ॥1॥

The actions of one established in Brahman are themselves Brahman, arising and passing without selfish intent. Just as a …

ज्याचा ऐसा अनुभव । विश्व देव सत्यत्वें ॥1॥

He whose experience is this, that the world is truly God: God dwells near to that one, and sins are destroyed by his ver…

रज्जुसर्पाकार । भासयेलें जगडंबर ॥1॥

Just as a rope is mistaken for a serpent, so this whole elaborate world is a superimposition. Therefore I remember your …

ह्मणवितों दास । परि मी असें उदास ॥1॥

I call myself a servant, yet I am truly detached. This is my firm conviction, yet I stand apart even from that convictio…

येथीलिया अनुभवें । कळों जीवें हें येतसे ॥1॥

From the experience of this world, the soul comes to understand. In both places there is one life; the tenderness I feel…

करावें तें काम । उगाच वाढवावा श्रम ॥1॥

Do the work that must be done; why increase labor needlessly? Everything has become one; in this kingdom, speech and mov…

आनुहातीं गुंतला नेणे बाहए रंग । वृित्त येतां मग बळ लागे ॥1॥

One who is absorbed in the inner, unstruck sound does not notice the outer spectacle. When awareness returns, strength s…

ब्रह्मरसगोडी तयांसी फावली । वासना निमाली सकळ ज्यांची ॥1॥

The sweetness of the nectar of Brahman has been tasted by those whose every desire has been extinguished. They carry no …

तुझाठायीं ओस । दोन्ही पुण्य आणि दोष ॥1॥

In you, both merit and sin are equally void. How much has fallen away, and how much remains? We have grasped this in our…

स्वयें पाक करी । संशय तो चि धरी । संदेहसागरीं। आणीक परी बुडती ॥1॥

The one who cooks the meal himself still harbors doubt; and those who drown in the ocean of suspicion are of yet another…

नव्हे ब्रह्मYाान बोलतां सिद्ध । जंव हा आत्मबोध नाहीं चित्तीं ॥1॥

Knowledge of Brahman is not attained merely by speaking of it, so long as the Self-awareness has not entered the heart. …

रज्जु धरूनियां हातीं । भेडसाविलीं नेणतीं । कळों येतां चित्तीं । दोरी दोघां सारिख…

Holding a rope in hand, the ignorant were frightened; once recognized, the rope appears the same to both. Between You an…

मुंगी आणि राव । आह्मां सारखाची जीव ॥1॥

An ant and a king are equal in our eyes; the life force in each is the same. Attachment and desire are gone; they were t…

आह्मी जाणों तुझा भाव । कैंचा भH कैंचा देव । बीजा नाहीं ठाव । कैंचें फळ शेवटीं ॥1…

We know Your secret, O God. Where is the devotee? Where is God? When the seed has no place to stand, how can there be fr…

आह्मी बोलों तें तुज कळे । एक दोहीं ठायीं खेळे॥1॥

What we say, You understand; the One plays in both places. What need is there for explanation? Rama knows the innermost …

दुर्बळा वाणीच्या एक दोनि सििद्ध । सदैवा समाधि विश्वरूपीं ॥1॥

For the weak, there are one or two small powers; for the fortunate, there is samadhi in the universal form. Has that man…

न ह्मणे कवणां सिद्ध साधक गंव्हार । अवघा विश्वंभर वांचूनियां ॥1॥

I will not call anyone accomplished, striving, or ignorant; all I see is the One who sustains the universe. When singing…

अिग्नमाजी गेलें । अिग्न होऊन तें च ठेलें ॥1॥

Whatever enters fire becomes fire itself. What remains of its former name and nature? When iron touches the philosopher'…

फळाची तों पोटीं । घडे वियोगें ही भेटी ॥1॥

Within the fruit itself, even through separation, the meeting takes place. The essence is contemplation, the remembrance…

लय लक्षूनियां जालों ह्मणती देव । तो ही नव्हे भाव सत्य जाणा ॥1॥

Those who attained absorption and were called divine, know that even this is not the ultimate truth. Those who became gr…

धनासीं च धन । करी आपण जतन ॥1॥

True wealth takes care of itself. Calling upon You, O Panduranga, brings real sweetness, a genuine treasure. The proof o…

अनुभवा आलें । माझें चित्तींचें क्षरलें ॥1॥

What was hidden in my heart has now come to experience and dissolved. He stays near, yet there remains a distance, for H…

कस्तुरीचें अंगीं मीनली मृित्तका । मग वेगळी कां येइऩल लेखूं ॥1॥

When earth mingles with musk, how can they be separated again? In the same way there is no difference between God and de…

भिH तें नमन वैराग्य तो त्याग । Yाान ब्रह्मीं भोग ब्रह्मतनु ॥1॥

Devotion is bowing, dispassion is renunciation, and knowledge is the experience of Brahman in a body made of Brahman. Th…