संत साहित्य
Work in progress. Translations and commentary are AI-generated and may contain inaccuracies or hallucinations — please use your own judgement and check against the original sources.
संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 319 of 4582

Abhanga 319

This short abhang gives three rules and one diagnostic:

When speaking should fit dharma — and you have to recognize the open-the-eyes-well discipline
When the world spits something — don't eat it — and you accept this rule
When the outer-warrior is inner-coward — and you receive this diagnostic

The verse

बोलावें तें धर्मा मिळे । बरे डोळे उघडूनि ॥१॥ काशासाठीं खावें शेण । जेणें जन थुंकी तें ॥ध्रु.॥ दुजें ऐसें काय बळी । जें या जाळी अग्नीसि ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे शूर रणीं । गांढें मनीं बुरबुरी ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: Speak what fits dharma — open the ḍoḷē well. Why eat śeṇa — that the jana spit? What other so baḷī — that burns the agni itself? Tuka says: the śūra on the raṇa — (but) gāṇḍhā in mind — buraburī.

मराठी: बोलावें तें धर्मा मिळे — बरे डोळे उघडूनि. काशासाठीं खावें शेण — जेणें जन थुंकी तें. दुजें ऐसें काय बळी — जें या जाळी अग्नीसि. तुकाराम म्हणतां — शूर रणीं — गांढें मनीं बुरबुरी.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
बोलावें तें धर्मा मिळे "speak what fits dharma**"
बरे डोळे उघडूनि "open the ḍoḷē well"
काशासाठीं खावें शेण "why eat śeṇa (dung)"
जेणें जन थुंकी तें "that the jana spit"
दुजें ऐसें काय बळी "what other so baḷī**"
जें या जाळी अग्नीसि "that burns the agni itself"
शूर रणीं "the śūra on the raṇa**"
गांढें मनीं बुरबुरी "(but) gāṇḍhā in mind — buraburī**"

What it means

A short outer-warrior-inner-coward abhang. Three claims:

  1. बोलावें तें धर्मा मिळे — बरे डोळे उघडूनिspeak what fits dharma — open the eyes well. The speech-discipline. Speak only what fits dharma; open the eyes well (= be alert, see-clearly before speaking).

  2. काशासाठीं खावें शेण — जेणें जन थुंकी तेंwhy eat śeṇa — that the world spits? The self-respect-rule. Don't eat what the world has-spat. Śeṇa (dung) — that the jana spits (= reject as filth) — why would you eat it? (Reading: don't accept what the world has-already-rejected as filth; don't take pride in what others have-disowned-as-shameful.)

  3. दुजें ऐसें काय बळी — जें या जाळी अग्नीसिwhat other so baḷī — that burns the agni itself? The paradox-question. What is so strong that it burns even the agni (fire) itself? The implication: bhakti / dharma / hari-name — these burn even the destroying-fire. (= the Hari-name has the strength to consume even the destroyer.)

  4. तुका म्हणे शूर रणीं — गांढें मनीं बुरबुरीTuka says: śūra on the raṇa — gāṇḍhā in mind — buraburī. The closing-diagnostic. Outer-warrior, inner-weak. Brave on the battlefieldbut gāṇḍhā (ass / weakling) in the mindonly buraburī (mumbling-chatter). The external-bravery without internal-substance is buraburī (empty-noise).

[T]

For someone today

This short abhang gives three rules and one diagnostic:

  1. Speak what fits dharma — open the eyes well. Bolāve te dharmā miḷe — barē ḍoḷē ughaḍūnī. Speech-discipline: only what fits dharma; with eyes well-open. Don't speak before seeing-clearly; don't speak what doesn't fit dharma.

  2. Don't eat what the world has spit out. Kāśāsāṭīm khāve śeṇa — jaṇē jana thūnkī tē. Self-respect-rule: don't accept the śeṇa (filth) that the jana has thūnkī (rejected with contempt). (Practical: don't take pride in what others have disowned as shameful; don't eat the rejected-leftovers of an earlier time as if they were honor.)

  3. Bhakti / dharma is so strong it burns even agni. Reverse-claim: the deva-name has strength even greater than fire's destroying-power. (Compare 286's Hanuman vajra-body, brahmāṇḍa-engulfing tail.)

  4. Outer-warrior + inner-coward = buraburī. Śūra raṇī — gāṇḍhā manī — buraburī. The most-incisive diagnostic. Brave-outside, weak-inside produces buraburī (empty-mumble-chatter). The combination is dishonest; the sound is empty-noise.

For today: check your speech against dharma-fit + open-eyes-discipline; don't eat what the world has-spit-out (don't take pride in what is shamed); trust that bhakti-strength exceeds fire; check your outer-warrior-mode for inner-coward — that combination is buraburī.

This abhang is psychologically insightful: the outer-warrior + inner-coward combination is common and dishonest. The cure is alignment of inner-and-outerboth warrior or both honest-acknowledgment-of-fear.

मराठी: ही छोटी ओवी तीन rules आणि एक diagnostic देते:

  1. Dharma-fit बोला — डोळे उघडून. बोलावें तें धर्मा मिळे — बरे डोळे उघडूनि. Speech-discipline: फक्त dharma-fit; डोळे उघडे ठेवून. पाहण्या-आधी बोलू नका; dharma-fit नसलेलं बोलू नका.

  2. जग ने थुंकलेलं खाऊ नका. काशासाठीं खावें शेण — जेणें जन थुंकी तें. Self-respect-rule: जना ने तुच्छतेने नाकारलेलं śeṇa स्वीकारू नका. (इतरांनी shameful म्हणून disown केलेलं त्यावर proud होऊ नका.)

  3. Bhakti / dharma इतकं strong की agni पण जाळतं. Deva-name ची strength fire च्या destroying-power पेक्षा जास्त.

  4. Outer-warrior + inner-coward = buraburī. शूर रणीं — गांढें मनीं — बुरबुरी. Most-incisive diagnostic. बाहेरून brave, आतून weakburaburī (empty-mumble-chatter) produce करतं. Combination dishonest; sound empty-noise.

आज: तुमचं speech dharma-fit + open-eyes-discipline विरुद्ध check करा; जगाने थुंकलेलं खाऊ नका (जे शरमिंदा आहे त्यावर proud नका); bhakti-strength fire ओलांडते विश्वास ठेवा; outer-warrior-mode inner-coward साठी check करा — हे combination buraburī.

Psychologically insightful: outer-warrior + inner-coward combination common आणि dishonest. Cure inner-and-outer alignmentदोन्ही warrior किंवा दोन्ही honest-acknowledgment-of-fear.

Where this applies

Related verses