संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 143 of 4582

Abhanga 143

This abhang is for the rare moment when real joy arrives. Tukaram's instructions are precise: (1) recognize the rarity — this comes by accumulated punya; (2) don't watch — dance — engagement, not spectatorship; (3) let the joy reach the inner — eye-joy must travel to heart-joy or it doesn't take; (4) keep some leftover for those coming — don't consume the whole moment selfishly; the cascade is meant to overflow.

When you encounter a moment of genuine harshananda (rapture-joy) and you have to recognize the rarity
When you've found a practice / community / experience that produces real joy and you have to keep some for those coming
When kalikāla (the iron age) feels heavy and you have to remember the cascade is the antidote

The verse

हारस आनंदाचा । घोष करा हरिनामाचा । कोण हा दैवाचा । भाग पावे येथील ॥१॥ पुण्य पाहिजे बहुत । जन्मांतरींचें संचित । होईल करीत । आला अधिकारी तो ॥ध्रु.॥ काय पाहातां हे भाई । हरुषें नाचा धरा घाई । पोटभरी कांहीं । घेतां उरी कांहीं ठेवा ॥२॥ जें सुख दृष्टी आहे । तें च अंतरीं जो लाहे । तुका म्हणे काय । कळिकाळ तें बापुडें ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: A cascade of joy — make the harinama roar! Whose fortune does this fall to? Much punya — accumulated through past lifetimes — is needed; only the qualified one gets it. What are you watching, brother? — dance with rapture, make haste! Fill your belly some — but keep something leftover (for those coming). What joy is at the eye — let the heart receive it. Tuka says: then what is the wretched kali-time?

मराठी: आनंदाचा हारस — हरिनामाचा घोष करा. हे दैव कुणाला मिळेल? जन्मांतरींचं संचित — खूप पुण्य लागतं; अधिकारी आलाय — त्याला मिळेल. काय बघताय, भाई? हरुषाने नाचा — घाई करा. पोटभरी काहीतरी घ्या — पण उरी काहीतरी ठेवा (इतरांसाठी). जे डोळ्यांत सुख आहे — ते हृदयाला पोहोचवा. तुकाराम म्हणतात — मग कलिकाळ तो बापुडा.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
हारस आनंदाचा "(this) cascade of joy"
घोष करा हरिनामाचा "make the harinama roar"
कोण हा दैवाचा भाग पावे येथील "whose fortune-portion does this fall to?"
पुण्य पाहिजे बहुत जन्मांतरींचें संचित "much punya — accumulated from past lifetimes — is needed"
होईल करीत आला अधिकारी तो "(only) the one who has come qualified (by past practice) gets it"
हरुषें नाचा धरा घाई "with rapture, dance — make haste"
पोटभरी कांहीं घेतां उरी कांहीं ठेवा "fill your belly somewhat — but keep some leftover (for others)"
जें सुख दृष्टी आहे तें च अंतरीं जो लाहे "what joy is at the eye — let it reach the inner"
कळिकाळ तें बापुडें "(then) what is kali-time — the wretched-one?"

What it means

A harshananda (rapture-joy) abhang. The cascade-of-joy image is precise: there is a moment when the harinama produces a roar (घोष) of pure delight; this is an event, not an ordinary state. The structural claim: this is rareपुण्य पाहिजे बहुत जन्मांतरींचें संचितmuch accumulated punya from past lifetimes is needed. The closing instruction is quietly social: पोटभरी कांहीं घेतां उरी कांहीं ठेवाeat some, keep some for those still coming. Even rapture should not be consumed fully and selfishly. The closing victory: कळिकाळ तें बापुडेंthen what is kali-time? — once joy reaches inner, the cosmic-troubles don't have purchase. [T]

For someone today

This abhang is for the rare moment when real joy arrives. Tukaram's instructions are precise: (1) recognize the rarity — this comes by accumulated punya; (2) don't watch — dance — engagement, not spectatorship; (3) let the joy reach the inner — eye-joy must travel to heart-joy or it doesn't take; (4) keep some leftover for those coming — don't consume the whole moment selfishly; the cascade is meant to overflow.

The closing — कळिकाळ तें बापुडेंthen what is kali-time? — names the post-joy claim: the cosmic-troubles you were worrying about don't have force once the inner-joy has arrived. The practice's reward is not avoiding kali-time but having it not-matter.

मराठी: ही ओवी rare क्षणासाठी जेव्हा खरा आनंद येतो. तुकारामांच्या सूचना अचूक: (१) दुर्मिळता ओळखा — हे साठलेल्या पुण्याने येतं; (२) बघू नका — नाचा — engagement, spectatorship नाही; (३) आनंदाला आत पोहोचू द्या — eye-joy ला हृदय-joy होईपर्यंत प्रवास करावा लागतो; (४) येणाऱ्यांसाठी काहीतरी ठेवा — स्वार्थीपणे consume करू नका; cascade overflow होण्यासाठी आहे.

शेवट — कळिकाळ तें बापुडेंमग कलिकाळ काय? — post-joy दावा: तुम्ही ज्या cosmic-troubles ची काळजी करत होता त्यांना ताकद नाही — एकदा आत-आनंद आला. साधनेचं reward kali-time टाळणं नाही — तो-न-झेपणारा होणं.

Where this applies

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