संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 313 of 4582

Abhanga 313

This abhang names the causation-ethics of vrata and other mārgas:

When you're enabling another's vrata — and the abhang says half-puṇya gained
When you're breaking / being-broken by another — and you have to recognize both go to naraka
When don't break the tapa-tīrtha-vrata-yāga-bhakti mārgas — and you receive this rule

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

English: 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) — half puṇya gained"
मोडवितां दोघे नरका जाती "breaking (vrata) — both (the breaker and the broken) go to naraka"
शुद्धबुद्धि होय दोघां एक मान "śuddha-buddhi — gives equal māna to both"
चोरासवें कोण जिवें राखे "with a thief — who safeguards (one's) life?"
आपुलें देऊनी आपुला चि घात "giving of your-own — ghāta of your-own-self"
न करावा थीत जाणोनियां "don't make / don't do — knowingly"
देऊनियां वेच धाडी वाराणसी "spend, send (it) to Vārāṇasī**"
नेदावें चोरासि चंद्रबळ "don't give chandra-bala (lunar-strength / lunar-help) to the thief"
तप तीर्थ व्रत याग भक्ति हे मारग मोडूं नये "tapa, tīrtha, vrata, yāga, bhakti — these mārgas — don't break"

What it means

A causing-vs-breaking-vrata abhang. Five claims:

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. देऊनियां वेच धाडी वाराणसी — नेदावें चोरासि चंद्रबळ — spend, send to Vārāṇasī — don't give chandra-bala to the thief. Spend / send (your resources / efforts) to Vārāṇasī (= the holy-destination); don't give chandra-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.)

  5. 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

This abhang names the causation-ethics of vrata and other mārgas:

  1. Helping another's vrata = half-puṇya for you. Karavitām vrata ardhē puṇya lābhē. If you help another do their vrata (provide food, time, support, encouragement), half the puṇya is yours. Auspicious-causation.

  2. Breaking-vrata = both go to naraka. Both — the breaker and the broken — go to naraka. Don't break someone's vrata (by feeding them, distracting them, mocking them, scheduling competing-events); and don't allow yours to be broken.

  3. With a thief, no-one safeguards life. Cōrā-savē kōṇa jīve rākhē. The breaking-partner is a thief in this register. Don't expect protection / loyalty from someone who breaks your vrata.

  4. Giving your own = your-own ghāta. Don't give your resources / time / agreement to the breaking. That is self-destruction.

  5. Redirect to Vārāṇasī, not to the thief. Spend / send to the holy-destination; don't give the chandra-bala to the thief's deed. (Translation: use your auspicious-time and resources for the path, not for the destruction-of-the-path.)

  6. Five mārgas: tapa-tīrtha-vrata-yāga-bhakti — don't break. All five legitimate-paths — don't break, your own or others'. (Tukaram is not anti-mārgas; he respects all five.)

For today: help others' vratas/mārgas; don't break yours or theirs; recognize the breaking-partner as a thief; redirect resources to the holy-destination; honor the five-mārgas universally.

This abhang is important methodologically: it names the causation-ethics that goes beyond individual-observance. Your effect on others' practice matters as much as your own practice.

मराठी: ही ओवी vrata आणि इतर mārgas चं causation-ethics नाव सांगते:

  1. दुसऱ्याचं vrata enable करणं = तुम्हाला half-puṇya. करवितां व्रत अर्धे पुण्य लाभे. तुम्ही दुसऱ्याला त्यांच्या vrata साठी help करता (food, time, support, encouragement) — अर्धा puṇya तुमचा. Auspicious-causation.

  2. Vrata-breaking = दोघे naraka जातात. दोघे — breaker आणि broken — naraka. कोणाचं vrata break करू नका (feeding, distracting, mocking, competing-events scheduling); आणि तुमचं break होऊ देऊ नका.

  3. चोर-सोबत life-safeguard कोण? चोरासवें कोण जिवें राखे. Breaking-partner या register मध्ये thief. जो तुमचं vrata break करतो त्याच्याकडून protection / loyalty expect करू नका.

  4. Own देणं = self-ghāta. Breaking ला तुमचे resources / time / agreement देऊ नका. ते self-destruction.

  5. Vārāṇasī कडे redirect करा, चोराला नाही. Holy-destination ला spend / send करा; चोराच्या-deed ला chandra-bala देऊ नका. (तुमचा auspicious-time आणि resources path-साठी, path-च्या-destruction साठी नाही.)

  6. पाच मार्ग: तप-तीर्थ-व्रत-याग-भक्ति — break नका. सर्व पाच legitimate-paths — तुमचे किंवा इतरांचे break करू नका.

आज: इतरांच्या vratas/mārgas ला help करा; तुमचे किंवा त्यांचे break करू नका; breaking-partner ला thief म्हणून ओळखा; resources holy-destination ला redirect करा; पाच-mārgas universally honor करा.

Methodologically महत्त्वाचं: individual-observance पलीकडे जाणारं causation-ethics नाव सांगते. इतरांच्या practice वर तुमचा effect स्वतःच्या practice इतकाच matter करतो.

Where this applies

Bhakti Anti-ritual / Yoga-bhakti

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