Abhanga 313
Helping someone keep a vow earns you merit, while breaking someone's commitment, or letting yours be broken, drags everyone down, so protect vows and devotion rather than undermine them.
The verse
करवितां व्रत अर्धे पुण्य लाभे । मोडवितां दोघे नरका जाती ॥१॥ शुद्धबुद्धि होय दोघां एक मान । चोरासवें कोण जिवें राखे ॥ध्रु.॥ आपुलें देऊनी आपुला चि घात । न करावा थीत जाणोनियां ॥२॥ देऊनियां वेच धाडी वाराणसी । नेदावें चोरासि चंद्रबळ ॥३॥ तुका म्हणे तप तीर्थ व्रत याग । भक्ति हे मारग मोडूं नये ॥४॥
Literal translation
Causing (another's) vrata — half puṇya gained. Breaking (it) — both go to naraka. Śuddha-buddhi — gives equal māna to both — with a thief, who safeguards life? Giving of your-own — ghāta of your-own-self — don't do, knowingly. Spend, send (it) to Vārāṇasī — don't give chandra-bala to the thief. Tuka says: tapa, tīrtha, vrata, yāga, bhakti — these mārgas — don't break.
मराठी: करवितां व्रत अर्धे पुण्य लाभे — मोडवितां दोघे नरका जाती. शुद्धबुद्धि होय दोघां एक मान — चोरासवें कोण जिवें राखे. आपुलें देऊनी आपुला चि घात — न करावा थीत जाणोनियां. देऊनियां वेच धाडी वाराणसी — नेदावें चोरासि चंद्रबळ. तुकाराम म्हणतां — तप तीर्थ व्रत याग — भक्ति हे मारग मोडूं नये.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| करवितां व्रत अर्धे पुण्य लाभे | "causing (another's)vrata(to happen) — halfpuṇyagained" |
| मोडवितां दोघे नरका जाती | "breaking (vrata) — both (the breaker and the broken) go to naraka" |
| शुद्धबुद्धि होय दोघां एक मान | "śuddha-buddhi — gives equalmānato both" |
| चोरासवें कोण जिवें राखे | "with a thief — who safeguards (one's) life?" |
| आपुलें देऊनी आपुला चि घात | "giving of your-own —ghātaof your-own-self" |
| न करावा थीत जाणोनियां | "don't make / don't do — knowingly" |
| देऊनियां वेच धाडी वाराणसी | "spend, send (it) toVārāṇasī" |
| नेदावें चोरासि चंद्रबळ | "don't givechandra-bala(lunar-strength / lunar-help) to the thief" |
| तप तीर्थ व्रत याग भक्ति हे मारग मोडूं नये | "tapa, tīrtha, vrata, yāga, bhakti — thesemārgas— don't break" |
What it means
A causing-vs-breaking-vrata abhang. Five claims:
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करवितां व्रत अर्धे पुण्य लाभे — मोडवितां दोघे नरका जाती — causing-vrata = half-puṇya; breaking-vrata = both go to naraka. The causation-ethics. Helping another do their vrata = half-puṇya gained for the helper. Breaking another's vrata (or being-broken) = both (the breaker and the broken) go to naraka. The causation-asymmetry: helping is auspicious for both; breaking is naraka for both.
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शुद्धबुद्धि होय दोघां एक मान — चोरासवें कोण जिवें राखे — śuddha-buddhi gives equal māna to both — with a thief, who safeguards life? The honest-recognition: both the breaker and the broken receive the naraka-māna equally. With a thief, no-one safeguards life — don't expect protection from the breaking-partner.
-
आपुलें देऊनी आपुला चि घात — न करावा थीत जाणोनियां — giving of your-own = ghāta of your-own-self — don't do knowingly. Don't give your own resources (= participating, enabling, agreeing) to the breaking — that is your-own-ghāta. Knowingly-doing this is the worst.
-
देऊनियां वेच धाडी वाराणसी — नेदावें चोरासि चंद्रबळ — spend, send to Vārāṇasī — don't give chandra-bala to the thief. Spend / send (your resources / efforts) toVārāṇasī(= the holy-destination); don't givechandra-bala(auspicious-time / lunar-strength) to the thief. The redirect-to-the-holy rule. (Chandra-bala in jyotiṣa is auspicious-lunar-time for a deed; don't give that auspicious-time to the thief's deed.)
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तुका म्हणे तप तीर्थ व्रत याग भक्ति हे मारग मोडूं नये — tapa-tīrtha-vrata-yāga-bhakti — these mārgas — don't break. The closing-rule. The five mārgas — tapa (austerity), tīrtha (pilgrimage), vrata (vow-observance), yāga (sacrifice), bhakti — don't break. These are the legitimate-paths; breaking them — yours or others' — is forbidden.
[T]
For someone today
Helping someone else keep a vow earns you real merit, almost as much as if it were your own; but causing someone to break their vow — or letting your own be broken — drags both people down together. Someone who tempts you to abandon a commitment is, in this sense, like a thief: don't expect them to look out for your wellbeing. Knowingly giving in and letting that happen is really doing harm to yourself, so direct your energy toward what's genuinely worthwhile instead of handing your time and goodwill over to whoever is undermining your commitment. Tukaram closes by naming several paths — austerity, pilgrimage, vows, ritual sacrifice, and devotion — and says plainly: protect all of these, don't let them be broken, whether they're yours or someone else's.
मराठी: दुसऱ्याला त्याचं व्रत पाळायला मदत करणं तुम्हाला खरं पुण्य मिळवून देतं, जवळजवळ तेवढंच जितकं ते तुमचं स्वतःचं व्रत असतं; पण कोणाला त्याचं व्रत मोडायला लावणं — किंवा स्वतःचं व्रत मोडू देणं — दोघांनाही एकत्र खाली ओढतं. जो कोणी तुम्हाला तुमची बांधिलकी सोडून द्यायला भुरळ घालतो, तो या अर्थाने चोरासारखा असतो — त्याच्याकडून तुमच्या भल्याची अपेक्षा ठेवू नका. जाणीवपूर्वक हे घडू देणं म्हणजे खरं तर स्वतःचंच नुकसान करणं, त्यामुळे तुमची शक्ती खऱ्या अर्थाने मोलाच्या गोष्टीकडे वळवा, तुमचा वेळ आणि सद्भावना तुमची बांधिलकी मोडणाऱ्याच्या हाती सोपवू नका. तुकाराम शेवटी अनेक मार्ग सांगतात — तप, तीर्थ, व्रत, यज्ञ आणि भक्ती — आणि स्पष्टपणे म्हणतात, हे सगळे मार्ग जपा, ते तुमचे असोत किंवा दुसऱ्याचे, ते मोडू देऊ नका.
Where this applies
- Helping another's vrata = half-puṇya. Auspicious causation.
- Breaking-vrata = both go to naraka. Don't break, yours or others'.
- Breaking-partner = thief. Don't expect protection.
- Redirect resources to Vārāṇasī, not to the thief.
- Five mārgas (tapa-tīrtha-vrata-yāga-bhakti) — don't break. Universal respect.