Abhanga 144
This abhang is a types gallery for any communal moment requiring generosity. The diagnostic for each type: do you hold back at the meal? Carry false load? Eat what's offered without bringing your own? Hoard your sidori while wisdom degrades? The structural claim: सिदोरी वांचून बुद्धि केला अवघ्यां वाखा — hoarding the lunch-bundle destroys wisdom for all. Hoarding is not personal-thrift; it is common-good destruction. The cure is don't hold back — नका कांहीं मागें पुढें ठेवूं — bring what you have to the table.
The verse
नका कांहीं मागें पुढें रे ठेवूं खरें च बोला । वंची वंचला तो चि रे येथें भोवंडा त्याला ॥१॥ ताक सांडी येर येर रे काला भात भाकरी दहीं । आलें घेतो मध्यें बैसला नाहीं आणवीत तें ही ॥ध्रु.॥ एक उभा भार वाहोनि पाहे उगाचि खोटा । एक ते करूनि आराले आतां ऐसें चि घाटा ॥२॥ एकें चाराबोरा गुंतलीं नाहीं जीवन चित्तीं । एक एका चला म्हणती एक हुंबरी घेती ॥३॥ गांठीचें तें सोडूं नावडे खाय आइतें दिलें । सांपडलें वेठी वोढी रे भार वाहातां मेलें ॥४॥ जैसें होतें शिळे संचित तैसें लागलें खावें । हातोहातीं गेलें वेचुनि मग पडिलें ठावें ॥५॥ एक ते आळसी तळीं रे वरी वाढिल्या काखा । सिदोरी वांचून बुद्धि रे केला अवघ्यां वाखा ॥६॥ मोकलितां तुम्ही शरण आम्ही कवणासि जावें । कृपावंते कृपा केली रे पोट भरे तों खावें ॥७॥
Literal translation
English: Do not hold anything back — speak truth! The deceiver is himself deceived — let him be turned-around here. (At the kala-meal) — buttermilk-milk-rice-bread-curd — what comes, he takes — sits in the middle, doesn't bring his own. One stands carrying a load — uselessly false; one (who) has done, has stalled at the threshold. One is caught in charibora — life is not in his heart; one says come, one (just) hums. (One) doesn't like opening the gathered-bundle — eats what's been given ready; caught in vetha (forced labor), pulled, died bearing the burden. As the stale-stock was — so he had to eat — went hand-to-hand till spent — then known. One is lazy below — armpits raised above; by hoarding the sidori — wisdom is destroyed for all. (But) if you abandon us — we who have surrendered — to whom shall we go? Compassionate one, you have shown grace — let us eat till the belly is full.
मराठी (आधुनिक — sjummari): काही मागं-पुढं ठेवू नका — खरंच बोला. फसवणारा स्वतःच फसतो — इथे त्याला भोंवडा. (कालाच्या जेवणात) ताक-दूध-काला-भात-भाकरी-दही — येतं ते घेतो — मध्ये बसलेला — आपलं काही आणत नाही. एक उभा भार वाहतो — व्यर्थ खोटं; एक करून — थांबलाय आता. एक चारबोऱ्यात गुंतलाय — जिवन चित्तात नाही; एक "चला" म्हणतो, एक हुंबरी घेतो. (एक) गांठीचं उघडायला आवडत नाही — आयतं घेतो; वेठीत सापडला — भार वाहता मेला. शिळं संचित होतं तसं खायला लागलं — हातो-हाती संपलं. एक खालचा आळशी — काखा वर वाढवल्या; सिदोरी वाचवून — सर्वांची बुद्धी वाखा. तुम्ही सोडलं तर शरणार्थी आम्ही कुठे जायचं? कृपावंत — कृपा केली — पोट भरे तों खावं.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| नका कांहीं मागें पुढें रे ठेवूं खरें च बोला | "do not hold-back anything — speak truth" |
| वंची वंचला तो चि रे येथें भोवंडा त्याला | "the deceiver is himself deceived — let him be turned-around here" |
| ताक सांडी येर येर रे काला भात भाकरी दहीं | "(at the kala-meal) buttermilk, milk, kālā (mixed-rice), bread, curd" — list of what's being shared |
| आलें घेतो मध्यें बैसला नाहीं आणवीत तें ही | "what comes — he takes; sits in the middle — does not bring his own" |
| एक उभा भार वाहोनि पाहे उगाचि खोटा | "one stands carrying a load — uselessly false" |
| एक ते करूनि आराले आतां ऐसें चि घाटा | "one having done — has stalled now at the threshold" |
| गांठीचें तें सोडूं नावडे खाय आइतें दिलें | "(one) doesn't like opening his bundle — eats what's been given ready" |
| सांपडलें वेठी वोढी रे भार वाहातां मेलें | "caught in vetha (forced-labor), pulled — died carrying the burden" |
| एक ते आळसी तळीं रे वरी वाढिल्या काखा | "one is lazy at the bottom — armpits raised on top" (= idle pose) |
| सिदोरी वांचून बुद्धि रे केला अवघ्यां वाखा | "(by) hoarding the sidori (lunch-bundle) — wisdom is destroyed for all" |
| मोकलितां तुम्ही शरण आम्ही कवणासि जावें | "if you abandon us — we who have surrendered — to whom shall we go?" |
| पोट भरे तों खावें | "eat till the belly is full" |
What it means
A long types-at-the-meal allegory. The setting: the kala — the cowherd-Krishna's communal meal in Vrindavan, where everyone shared mixed-rice (kālā). Tukaram catalogs the types who fail at the meal: the deceiver who tries to take without sharing, the burden-carrier-for-show, the fence-stalker, the one stuck in his own charibora (small-business), the bundler who won't open his lunch and eats only what's offered, the one trapped in vetha (forced-labor) who dies carrying loads, the lazy-with-pose, the sidori-hoarder who destroys wisdom for all by hoarding. The closing turn is bhakti: if you abandon us — to whom shall we go? — and the gracious deity offers eat till the belly is full. [T] [Tradition]
For someone today
This abhang is a types gallery for any communal moment requiring generosity. The diagnostic for each type: do you hold back at the meal? Carry false load? Eat what's offered without bringing your own? Hoard your sidori while wisdom degrades? The structural claim: सिदोरी वांचून बुद्धि केला अवघ्यां वाखा — hoarding the lunch-bundle destroys wisdom for all. Hoarding is not personal-thrift; it is common-good destruction. The cure is don't hold back — नका कांहीं मागें पुढें ठेवूं — bring what you have to the table.
The closing posture is the bhakta's: if abandoned, to whom shall we go? — the deity has shown grace — eat till the belly is full. The grace is not measured; eat fully. The eating-fully is the receiving-of-grace.
मराठी: ही ओवी कुठल्याही उदारता मागणाऱ्या communal क्षणासाठी types gallery. प्रत्येक type साठी diagnostic: तुम्ही जेवणात मागे ठेवता? खोटा भार वाहता? आपलं न आणून दिलेलं खाता? सिदोरी hoard करता — आणि सर्वांची बुद्धी degrade होते? रचनात्मक दावा: सिदोरी वांचून बुद्धि केला अवघ्यां वाखा — लंच-bundle hoarding सर्वांची wisdom नष्ट करते. Hoarding personal-thrift नाही — common-good destruction. उपाय मागं-पुढं ठेवू नका — नका कांहीं मागें पुढें ठेवूं — तुमच्याकडे जे आहे ते टेबलला आणा.
शेवटची posture भक्ताची: सोडलं तर कुणाकडे जायचं? — देवाने कृपा केली — पोट भरे तों खावं. कृपा मोजलेली नाही; पूर्ण खा. पूर्ण-खाणं हीच कृपा-स्वीकारणं.
Where this applies
- Holding back at communal moment. Recognize the holding as the loss.
- Reading types in the gathering. Tukaram's catalog is the lens.
- Refuge-and-grace arrived. पोट भरे तों खावें.