Abhanga 109
This abhang names a precise inner gesture: honor and dishonor — roll them up. Most spiritual instruction says transcend or let go. Tukaram says roll up and put away — a more practical action. The honor-dishonor pair is real; it doesn't dissolve; you pack it. The act of packing IS the deity's darshan, in this verse — there is no other gesture required. After packing, Time stops (the hurried-pressure quality of life subsides). When agitation-waves arise — bear them; थोडें आहे — there's not much left. The not much left is structurally important: the bearing is finite, not infinite.
The verse
मान अपमान गोवे । अवघे गुंडूनी ठेवावे ॥१॥ हें चि देवाचें दर्शन । सदा राहे समाधान ॥ध्रु.॥ शांतीची वसती । तेथें खुंटे काळगती ॥२॥ आली ऊर्मी साहे । तुका म्हणे थोडें आहे ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: Honor and dishonor — wrap them all up and put them away. This very act is the deity's darshan — samādhāna always remains. The dwelling of peace — there Time itself stops. (When) the swell rises — bear it. Tuka says: only a little remains.
मराठी: मान-अपमान — सर्व गुंडाळून ठेवा. हीच देवाचं दर्शन — समाधान सदा राहतं. शांतीची वसती — तिथे काळगती खुंटते. ऊर्मी आली — साहा. तुकाराम म्हणतात — थोडंच आहे.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| मान अपमान गोवे | "honor and dishonor — wrap them up" |
| अवघे गुंडूनी ठेवावे | "roll all (of it) up and set it aside" |
| हें चि देवाचें दर्शन | "this very (act) is the deity's darshan" |
| सदा राहे समाधान | "samādhāna always remains" |
| शांतीची वसती | "the dwelling-place of peace" |
| तेथें खुंटे काळगती | "there Time itself stops" |
| आली ऊर्मी साहे | "(when) the wave / swell rises — bear it" |
| थोडें आहे | "(it is) only a little" |
What it means
The opening gesture-image is precise: गुंडूनी ठेवावे — roll up and set aside. Not push-away, not transcend — roll up, like packing something into a small bundle and putting it on the shelf. The honor-dishonor pair is not destroyed; it is put away. The structural claim: that act IS the deity's darshan. You don't darshan first and then roll-up; the rolling-up itself is the darshan. The closing image शांतीची वसती तेथें खुंटे काळगती — in peace's dwelling, Time itself stops — names the felt-quality of arrived peace: time-pressure ends. The bear-the-swell instruction is for the in-between: there will still be waves; bear them; थोडें आहे — only a little remains. [T]
For someone today
This abhang names a precise inner gesture: honor and dishonor — roll them up. Most spiritual instruction says transcend or let go. Tukaram says roll up and put away — a more practical action. The honor-dishonor pair is real; it doesn't dissolve; you pack it. The act of packing IS the deity's darshan, in this verse — there is no other gesture required. After packing, Time stops (the hurried-pressure quality of life subsides). When agitation-waves arise — bear them; थोडें आहे — there's not much left. The not much left is structurally important: the bearing is finite, not infinite.
मराठी: ही ओवी एक अचूक आंतरिक हालचाल नाव सांगते: मान-अपमान — गुंडाळा. बहुतेक आध्यात्मिक सूचना transcend किंवा let-go म्हणतात. तुकाराम गुंडाळून ठेवा म्हणतात — अधिक practical कृती. मान-अपमानाची जोडी खरी आहे; ती विरघळत नाही; तुम्ही पॅक करता. पॅक करणं हीच देवाचं दर्शन — दुसरी हालचाल लागत नाही. पॅक केल्यानंतर काळ थांबतो (जीवनातला hurried-दबाव संपतो). agitation-waves आल्यावर — सहन करा; थोडंच आहे. थोडंच राहिलेलं रचनात्मकदृष्ट्या महत्त्वाचं — सहन finite, infinite नाही.
Where this applies
- Honor-dishonor still firing. Roll up. Put away.
- Time speeding up. Peace's dwelling stops it.
- Wave of agitation rising. थोडें आहे.