संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 146 of 4582

Abhanga 146

This abhang corrects the anxiety of wondering whether you're favored or not. Tukaram's claim is that no other exists in the deity's heart — there is no second-class status in his attention. The pain people feel comes from their own vāsanā — their projections, comparisons, and expectations, not from any unfairness in how things are given. What's distributed comes according to capacity: you receive what you're able to carry. So stop comparing your share to others' — everyone gets what they can carry. If your share feels small, ask whether your own capacity is small, or whether you're measuring yourself against comparisons that don't matter.

When you wonder if you've been secondary to someone in the deity's regard — and you have to remember the no-other claim
When you compare your share to others' and feel shortchanged — and you have to remember each according to capacity
When you've been pained and want to blame — and Tukaram redirects: pain comes from your own vāsanā

The verse

आम्हां निकट वासें । कळों आलें जैसें तैसें । नाहीं अनारीसें । कान्होबाचे अंतरीं ॥१॥ पीडती आपुल्या भावना । जैसी जयाची वासना । कर्माचा देखणा । पाहे लीळा कौतुक ॥ध्रु.॥ खेळ खेळे न पडे डाईं । ज्याचा भार त्याच्या ठायीं । कोणी पडतील डाईं । कोणी कोडीं उगवीती ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे कवळ । हातीं घेऊनि गोपाळ । देतो ज्यांचें बळ । त्यांसि तैसा विभाग ॥३॥

Literal translation

By living close, we have come to know things as they are — there is no other in Kanha's heart. People are pained by their own feelings — each according to his vāsanā. (Hari) is the seer of karma — watches the play and the wonder. He plays the game and does not fall out; the load goes where it belongs. Some fall out; some unravel the riddle. Tuka says: Gopāla, taking the morsel in hand, gives — to each, the share that matches their strength.

मराठी: त्याच्या जवळ राहून — कळलंय जसं तसं — कान्होबाच्या अंतरात दुसरं नाही. लोक स्वतःच्या भावनांनी पीडतात — ज्याची वासना तसा. कर्माचा देखणा — लीला-कौतुक पाहतो. खेळ खेळतो — डाईत पडत नाही; ज्याचा भार त्याच्या ठायी. काही डाईत पडतात; काही कोडं उगवतात. तुकाराम म्हणतात — गोपाळ कवळ हाती घेऊन — ज्याचं जे बळ त्याला तसा विभाग देतो.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
आम्हां निकट वासें "by living close to (Kanha)"
कळों आलें जैसें तैसें "we have come to know things as they are"
नाहीं अनारीसें कान्होबाचे अंतरीं "there is no other in Kanha's heart"
पीडती आपुल्या भावना "people are pained by their own feelings"
जैसी जयाची वासना "according to each one's vāsanā"
कर्माचा देखणा पाहे लीळा कौतुक "(he is) the seer-of-karma, watching the play and wonder"
खेळ खेळे न पडे डाईं "(he) plays the game; doesn't fall out (डाई)"
ज्याचा भार त्याच्या ठायीं "the load goes to where it belongs"
कोणी पडतील डाईं कोणी कोडीं उगवीती "some fall out; some unravel the riddle"
देतो ज्यांचें बळ त्यांसि तैसा विभाग "(he) gives — to each, the share that matches their strength"

What it means

A deity-as-distributor abhang. Three claims: (1) no other in Kanha's heart — the deity has no favorites-vs-non-favorites category internally; (2) the pain people feel is from their own vāsanā, not from the deity's apportioning; (3) each gets according to capacityदेतो ज्यांचें बळ त्यांसि तैसा विभाग. The deity distributes by bal (capacity / strength), not by favoritism. The closing connects to 0145's kālā-circle image: the morsel-giving is structural, not personal-preferential. [T]

For someone today

This abhang corrects the anxiety of wondering whether you're favored or not. Tukaram's claim is that no other exists in the deity's heart — there is no second-class status in his attention. The pain people feel comes from their own vāsanā — their projections, comparisons, and expectations, not from any unfairness in how things are given. What's distributed comes according to capacity: you receive what you're able to carry. So stop comparing your share to others' — everyone gets what they can carry. If your share feels small, ask whether your own capacity is small, or whether you're measuring yourself against comparisons that don't matter.

मराठी: ही ओवी 'मी आवडता आहे की नाही' या चिंतेला उत्तर देते. तुकारामांचा दावा असा की देवाच्या हृदयात दुसरं कुणीच वेगळं नाही — त्याच्या नजरेत कुणी दुय्यम नाही. लोकांना जे दुःख होतं ते त्यांच्या स्वतःच्या वासनेतून येतं — त्यांचे स्वतःचे भ्रम, तुलना आणि अपेक्षा — देवाच्या वाटणीतील अन्यायामुळे नाही. जे मिळतं ते ज्याच्या त्याच्या क्षमतेनुसार मिळतं — जितकं पेलता येईल तितकंच मिळतं. त्यामुळे आपला वाटा दुसऱ्यांशी तुलना करणं थांबवा — प्रत्येकाला जे पेलता येतं तेच मिळतं. जर तुमचा वाटा छोटा वाटत असेल, तर स्वतःला विचारा — तुमची क्षमता खरंच छोटी आहे, की तुम्ही चुकीच्या तुलनांशी स्वतःला मोजत आहात.

Where this applies

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