Abhanga 140
English: Even now, why aren't you steady, kid?
The verse
अझुनि कां थीर पोरा न म्हणसी किर । धरुनियां धीर लाजे बुर निघाला ॥१॥ मोकळा होतासि कां रे पडिलासि डाई । वरिलांचा भार आतां उतरेसा नाहीं ॥ध्रु.॥ मेळवूनि मेळा एकाएकीं दिली मिठी । कवळिलें एक बहु बैसविलीं पाठीं ॥२॥ तळील तें वरी वरील तें येतें तळा । न सुटे तोंवरी येथें गुंतलिया खेळा ॥३॥ सांडितां ठाव पुढें सईल धरी हात । चढेल तो पडेल ऐसी ऐका रे मात ॥४॥ तुका म्हणे किती आवरावे हात पाय । न खेळावें तोंच बरें वरी न ये डाय ॥५॥
Literal translation
English: Even now, why aren't you steady, kid? Having held patience, shame has slipped out (lost). You were free — why have you fallen-out? The load on top is no longer being lifted. Gathered all-at-once, embraced; one was clutched, many were seated on the back. The lower comes to the top, the top comes to the lower — until released, caught in this game. Leaving the place ahead — the hand holds open. Whoever climbs will fall — listen to that. Tuka says: how much should hands and feet be restrained? Best not to play — until डाई (the fall-out) does not come on top.
मराठी: अजूनही पोरा, स्थिर का होत नाहीस? धीर धरूनही — लाज बुर बाहेर निघाली. मोकळा होतास — डाईमध्ये का पडलास? वरचा भार आता उतरत नाही. एकाएकी मेळा मिळवून मिठी दिली; एक कवळला, अनेक पाठीवर बसवले. तळचं वर येतं, वरचं तळा — सुटेपर्यंत खेळात गुंतलात. ठाव सोडताना पुढे — हात सईल धरा; चढेल तो पडेल — ऐका. तुकाराम म्हणतात — किती आवरावे हात-पाय? — न खेळणेच बरं — वर डाय येण्यापूर्वी.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| अझुनि कां थीर पोरा न म्हणसी किर | "even now, why aren't you steady, kid?" |
| धरुनियां धीर लाजे बुर निघाला | "having held patience — shame has slipped out" |
| मोकळा होतासि कां रे पडिलासि डाई | "you were free — why have you fallen-out (डाई)?" |
| वरिलांचा भार आतां उतरेसा नाहीं | "the load on top is no longer being lifted" |
| तळील तें वरी वरील तें येतें तळा | "the lower comes to the top, the top to the lower" |
| न सुटे तोंवरी येथें गुंतलिया खेळा | "until released — caught in this game" |
| सांडितां ठाव पुढें सईल धरी हात | "leaving the place ahead — the hand holds sail (loose / open)" |
| चढेल तो पडेल | "whoever climbs will fall" |
| किती आवरावे हात पाय | "how much should hands and feet be restrained?" |
| न खेळावें तोंच बरें वरी न ये डाय | "best not to play, until डाई (fall-out) doesn't come on top" |
What it means
Continuation of 0139's ball-game allegory. The डाई (fall-out / out-of-game) state is being addressed: the player who has dropped is now bearing the climbing-others; the loads are heavy; the up-becomes-down, down-becomes-up dynamic of attachment-and-loss continues. The structural insight: चढेल तो पडेल — whoever climbs will fall — climbing in the game (status, attachment, accumulation) guarantees a fall. The closing instruction is unusually conservative: न खेळावें तोंच बरें — best not to play — until the डाई (fall-out) cannot reach you. [T] [Tradition]
For someone today
This abhang's most useful line is चढेल तो पडेल — whoever climbs will fall. The climbing in life-game terms is accumulating-status-attachment-position. The fall is structurally guaranteed. The wise move is न खेळावें — not playing the climb-game in the first place, until you've reached a stage where the fall-out cannot land on you. Most modern life is a climbing-game; Tukaram is offering the alternative posture: don't accumulate height, because the up-becomes-down dynamic will catch you.
The closing — किती आवरावे हात पाय — how much should hands and feet be restrained? — is honest acknowledgment of the difficulty. The cure isn't fighting the climb; it is not entering it.
मराठी: ओवीची सर्वात उपयुक्त ओळ — चढेल तो पडेल. life-game terms मध्ये चढणं म्हणजे status-attachment-position जमा करणं. पडण्याची structurally guarantee. शहाणी हालचाल न खेळावें — climb-game सुरुवातीलाच न खेळणं — जोपर्यंत डाई तुम्हाला झेपू शकत नाही. बहुतेक आधुनिक जीवन climbing-game; तुकाराम पर्याय posture देतायत: उंचीची जमवण नका, कारण up-becomes-down dynamic तुम्हाला पकडेल.
शेवट — किती आवरावे हात पाय — कठीणता प्रामाणिक मान्य करते. उपाय climb सोबत लढणं नाही — त्यात न शिरणं.
Where this applies
- Caught in a climb, sensing the fall coming. चढेल तो पडेल.
- Already fallen-out, load not lifting. Wait for the game-grip to release.
- Not-playing is the wisdom. Step back from the field.