संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 301 of 4582

Abhanga 301

This abhang names a precise category-error and its remedy:

When you've been attached to the mine claim — and the abhang names this without-shame critique
When only Nārāyaṇa releases from kāḷa" — and you accept this exclusive-release claim
When the chāṇḍāḷa doesn't know the jīva-kaḷā — and you receive the warning

The verse

माझें म्हणतां याला कां रे नाहीं लाज । कन्या पुत्र भाज धन वित्त ॥१॥ कोणी सोडवी ना काळाचे हातींचें । एकाविणें साचें नारायणा ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे किती सांगावें चांडाळा । नेणे जीवकळा कोण्या जीतो ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: Calling these mine — why no shame? — kanyā, putra, bhāj, dhana-vitta. No one releases from kāḷa's hand — except Nārāyaṇa, truly. Tuka says: how much to tell the chāṇḍāḷa? — doesn't know — by which jīva-kaḷā (he) lives.

मराठी: माझें म्हणतां याला कां रे नाहीं लाज — कन्या पुत्र भाज धन वित्त. कोणी सोडवी ना काळाचे हातींचें — एकाविणें साचें नारायणा. तुका म्हणे किती सांगावें चांडाळा — नेणे जीवकळा कोण्या जीतो.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
माझें म्हणतां याला कां रे नाहीं लाज "calling these mine — why no shame?"
कन्या पुत्र भाज धन वित्त "kanyā (daughter), putra (son), bhāj (wife), dhana-vitta (wealth-property)"
कोणी सोडवी ना काळाचे हातींचें "no one releases from kāḷa's hand**"
एकाविणें साचें नारायणा "except Nārāyaṇa, truly"
किती सांगावें चांडाळा "how much to tell the chāṇḍāḷa**"
नेणे जीवकळा कोण्या जीतो "doesn't know — by which jīva-kaḷā (life-art) (he) lives"

What it means

A no-shame-mine-claim abhang. Three claims:

  1. माझें म्हणतां याला कां रे नाहीं लाज — कन्या पुत्र भाज धन वित्त — calling these mine — why no shame? — daughter, son, wife, wealth-property. The list of mine-claims that should produce shame: kanyā, putra, bhāj, dhana-vitta. (Bhāj — wife in colloquial-Marathi.) The shame is structurally appropriate: these are not actually-yours (they have their own jīva, their own karma, their own destinies); calling them mine is category-error.

  2. कोणी सोडवी ना काळाचे हातींचें — एकाविणें साचें नारायणा — no one releases from kāḷa's hand — except Nārāyaṇa truly. The exclusive-release claim. Kāḷa (death / time) holds everything; no kanyā / putra / bhāj / dhana-vitta releases anyone from kāḷa's grip. Only Nārāyaṇa releases truly. (Compare 248's all in death's hand; 286's Hanumat banished kāḷa.)

  3. तुका म्हणे किती सांगावें चांडाळा — नेणे जीवकळा कोण्या जीतो — how much to tell the chāṇḍāḷa — doesn't know jīva-kaḷā by which he lives. The closing-frustration. Chāṇḍāḷa in Tukaram's recoded register = the wickedly-acting one (compare 75, 213, 246). How many times do we have to tell? The chāṇḍāḷa doesn't know the jīva-kaḷā — the art / craft / power by which he himself lives. He thinks he lives by his own mine-claims; he doesn't recognize the actual jīva-source.

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names a precise category-error and its remedy:

  1. The mine-claims* are category-errors. Mājhē mhaṇatā yālā kā re nāhī lāja. Calling daughter, son, spouse, wealth, property as mine is category-error. They are not actually-yours; they have their own jīva, karma, destiny. No shame in this category-error is itself a symptom of unawareness*.

  2. Only Nārāyaṇa releases from kāḷa. Eka-vīṇē sāchē Nārāyaṇā. The exclusive-release-mechanism. Kanyā-putra-bhāj-dhana-vitta cannot release you from kāḷa's grip; they too are in kāḷa's grip. Only Nārāyaṇa releases.

  3. The chāṇḍāḷa doesn't know the jīva-kaḷā* by which he lives. Neṇē jīva-kaḷā kōṇyā jītō. The most-revealing line. The chāṇḍāḷa thinks he lives by his own mine-claims / wealth / family; he doesn't recognize the actual jīva-kaḷā (the art / craft / power by which the jīva is alive) — which is Nārāyaṇa-mediated. Without this recognition, how many times does one have to tell?*

For today: check your mine-claims for category-error; recognize that only Nārāyaṇa releases from kāḷa; recognize the jīva-kaḷā by which you live as Nārāyaṇa-mediated; don't be the chāṇḍāḷa who doesn't know what is keeping him alive.

This abhang is important psychologically: it names the silent-error-of-mine-claims — most people don't experience the mine-claims as errors because they have no shame about them. Tukaram's claim is that the shame should be there; the shame's absence is itself the symptom.

मराठी: ही ओवी एक precise category-error आणि त्याचा remedy नाव सांगते:

  1. Mine-claims category-errors. माझें म्हणतां याला कां रे नाहीं लाज. Daughter, son, spouse, wealth, property ला mine म्हणणं category-error. ते actually-yours नाहीत; त्यांचं स्वतःचं jīva, karma, destiny आहे. Category-error साठी no-shame स्वतः unawareness चं symptom.

  2. फक्त Nārāyaṇa kāḷa पासून सोडवतो. एकाविणें साचें नारायणा. Exclusive-release-mechanism. Kanyā-putra-bhāj-dhana-vitta तुम्हाला kāḷa च्या grip मधून सोडवू शकत नाहीत; तेही kāḷa च्या grip मध्ये. फक्त Nārāyaṇa सोडवतो.

  3. Chāṇḍāḷa ला जीव-कळा* — ज्याने तो जगतो — माहीत नाही. नेणे जीवकळा कोण्या जीतो. सर्वात-revealing line. Chāṇḍāḷa वाटतं तो स्वतःच्या mine-claims / wealth / family ने जगतो; actual जीव-कळा (art / craft / power ज्याने jīva alive आहे) recognize करत नाही — जी Nārāyaṇa-mediated. या recognition शिवाय किती वेळा सांगायचं?*

आज: तुमच्या mine-claims category-error साठी check करा; फक्त Nārāyaṇa kāḷa पासून सोडवतो ओळखा; तुम्ही ज्याने जगता ती जीव-कळा Nārāyaṇa-mediated आहे ओळखा; जो जगवतोय ते माहित नसलेले chāṇḍāḷa होऊ नका.

Psychologically महत्त्वाचं: mine-claims च्या silent-error नाव सांगते — बहुतेक लोक mine-claims errors म्हणून experience करत नाहीत कारण त्याबद्दल no-shame आहे. तुकारामांचा दावा shame असायला हवा; shame ची absence स्वतःच symptom.

Where this applies

Mortality / Vairāgya Name Bhakti no-shame-mine-claim

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