Abhanga 140
This abhang's most useful line is चढेल तो पडेल — whoever climbs will fall. In the terms of life's game, climbing means accumulating status, attachments, and position, and the fall that follows is built into the structure. The wise move is not playing that climbing game in the first place — waiting until you've reached a stage where the fall-out can no longer touch you. Most modern life is exactly this kind of climbing game, and Tukaram offers the alternative: don't build up height, because the up-becomes-down dynamic will eventually catch you.
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
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. In the terms of life's game, climbing means accumulating status, attachments, and position, and the fall that follows is built into the structure. The wise move is not playing that climbing game in the first place — waiting until you've reached a stage where the fall-out can no longer touch you. Most modern life is exactly this kind of climbing game, and Tukaram offers the alternative: don't build up height, because the up-becomes-down dynamic will eventually catch you.
The closing line — how much should hands and feet be restrained? — is an honest admission of how hard this is. The cure isn't fighting the climb once you're in it; it's simply not entering it.
मराठी: या ओवीतील सर्वात उपयुक्त ओळ म्हणजे चढेल तो पडेल. जीवनाच्या खेळाच्या भाषेत चढणं म्हणजे प्रतिष्ठा, आसक्ती आणि स्थान जमा करत राहणं — आणि त्यानंतर येणारं पडणं ही रचनेतच बांधलेली गोष्ट आहे. शहाणपणाची कृती म्हणजे सुरुवातीलाच हा चढण्याचा खेळ न खेळणं — जोपर्यंत तुम्ही अशा टप्प्यावर पोहोचत नाही की पडझड तुम्हाला स्पर्शही करू शकणार नाही. आजचं बरंचसं आयुष्य हाच चढण्याचा खेळ आहे, आणि तुकाराम पर्याय देतात — उंची वाढवू नका, कारण वर-जाणं-खाली-येणं हे चक्र शेवटी तुम्हाला पकडणारच.
शेवटची ओळ — हात-पाय किती आवरावेत — ही अडचण किती खरी आहे याची प्रामाणिक कबुली आहे. उपाय चढाईत उतरून तिच्याशी लढणं नाही — तर मुळात तिच्यात न शिरणं हाच आहे.
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.