संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 320 of 4582

Abhanga 320

Be grateful for whatever kept you humble, because pride attached to status, learning, or greatness leads to real harm.

When you've been resenting your low-status — and the abhang says low-status saved you from dambha

When vidyā would have caused apāya — and you have to recognize this paradox

When thōrapaṇa produces naraka by abhimāna — and you receive the warning

The verse

बरा कुणबी केलों । नाहीं तरि दंभेंचि असतों मेलों ॥१॥ भलें केलें देवराया । नाचे तुका लागे पायां ॥ध्रु.॥ विद्या असती कांहीं । तरी पडतों अपायीं ॥२॥ सेवा चुकतों संताची । नागवण हे फुकाची ॥३॥ गर्व होता ताठा । जातों यमपंथें वाटा ॥४॥ तुका म्हणे थोरपणें । नरक होती अभिमानें ॥५॥

Literal translation

Good thing — kuṇabī was made — otherwise would have died in dambha. Bhale kele devarāya — Tuka dances, falls at the feet. If vidyā were there — would fall in apāya. Would miss sant-sevā — that fukā nāgavaṇa. If garva-tāṭhā were there — would go on yama-paths. Tuka says: with thōrapaṇa — naraka happens by abhimāna.

मराठी: बरा कुणबी केलों — नाहीं तरि दंभेंचि असतों मेलों. भलें केलें देवराया — नाचे तुका लागे पायां. विद्या असती कांहीं — तरी पडतों अपायीं. सेवा चुकतों संताची — नागवण हे फुकाची. गर्व होता ताठा — जातों यमपंथें वाटा. तुकाराम म्हणतां — थोरपणें — नरक होती अभिमानें.

Word-by-word gloss

Marathi	Meaning
बरा कुणबी केलों	"good thing —kuṇabī(farmer) was made (= I was made)"
नाहीं तरि दंभेंचि असतों मेलों	"otherwise — would have died indambha"
भलें केलें देवराया	"deva-rāya did well!"
नाचे तुका लागे पायां	"Tuka dances — falls at the feet"
विद्या असती कांहीं तरी पडतों अपायीं	"ifvidyāwere there — (I) would fall inapāya"
सेवा चुकतों संताची नागवण हे फुकाची	"would misssant-sevā— thatfukā nāgavaṇa(free-stripping)"
गर्व होता ताठा जातों यमपंथें वाटा	"ifgarva-tāṭhāwere there — (I) would go onyama-paths"
थोरपणें नरक होती अभिमानें	"withthōrapaṇa— naraka happens byabhimāna"

What it means

A famous autobiographical-grateful-poverty abhang. Tukaram thanks the deva for making him a kuṇabī (farmer) rather than something higher-status. Five claims:

बरा कुणबी केलों — नाहीं तरि दंभेंचि असतों मेलों — good thing kuṇabī was made — else would have died in dambha. The autobiographical-thanks. Kuṇabī — farmer / cultivator — is the low-status everyday-householder. Tukaram thanks the deva for this status — if I had been higher-status, I would have died in dambha (pretense). The low-status saved me from the dambha-trap.
भलें केलें देवराया — नाचे तुका लागे पायां — deva-rāya did well! — Tuka dances, falls at feet. The grateful-celebration. The deva-king did well (in making me kuṇabī). Tuka dances and falls at the feet — celebratory-prostration.
विद्या असती कांहीं — तरी पडतों अपायीं — if vidyā were there — would fall in apāya. The vidyā-as-trap claim. If I had vidyā (learning), I would have fallen in apāya (harm). Vidyā is dangerous when accompanied by pride. (Compare 254's jñāna-with-bhūta-matsara is theft; 293's jñāna-with-garva-tāṭhā drowns.)
सेवा चुकतों संताची — नागवण हे फुकाची — would miss sant-sevā — that free-stripping. Vidyā-pride would have missed sant-sevā. Fukā nāgavaṇa — free-stripping (= total ruin happening for free, without paid). The vidyā-pride is the free-ruin.
गर्व होता ताठा — जातों यमपंथें वाटा — garva-tāṭhā was there — would go on yama-paths. Pride-stiffness would have taken me on the yama-paths. (Compare 293's garva-tāṭhā drowns even with jñāna.)
तुका म्हणे थोरपणें — नरक होती अभिमानें — with thōrapaṇa — naraka happens by abhimāna. The closing-rule. Thōrapaṇa (greatness) combined with abhimāna (pride) → naraka. The greatness itself isn't the problem; abhimāna-with-greatness is the problem. (Compare 244's abhimāna-renunciation is julūma.)

[T]

For someone today

This is one of Tukaram's most personal, autobiographical abhangs. He thanks God for making him a low-status farmer rather than someone grand, because that humble status saved him from the trap of pretense and vanity that a higher position might have bred. Learning and greatness are not the problem in themselves — it is pride attached to them that leads to ruin, sending a proud person down the path toward hell. Tukaram's response is not resentment or false humility but genuine gratitude: he dances and bows at God's feet for the very condition he might have resented, recognizing the hidden gift in what looked like a disadvantage.

मराठी: ही ओवी तुकारामांच्या सर्वात वैयक्तिक, आत्मचरित्रात्मक अभंगांपैकी एक आहे. देवाने आपल्याला मोठेपणा न देता साधा शेतकरी (कुणबी) केले, यासाठी तुकाराम देवाचे आभार मानतात, कारण या साधेपणानेच त्यांना मोठेपणासोबत येणाऱ्या दंभाच्या सापळ्यापासून वाचवले. विद्या किंवा मोठेपणा हे स्वतः वाईट नाहीत, पण त्यांच्यासोबत येणारा अहंकार मात्र नाशाकडे, नरकाकडे घेऊन जातो. म्हणून तुकाराम खेद किंवा खोटी नम्रता दाखवत नाहीत, तर मनापासून कृतज्ञता व्यक्त करतात — जे दुर्दैव वाटू शकले असते त्यातच त्यांना खरी कृपा दिसते, आणि आनंदाने देवाच्या पायी नाचतात.

Where this applies

Low-status as saving-condition. Apparent-disadvantage may be gift.
Vidyāwithabhimāna = trap. Better no-vidyā than vidyā-with-pride.
Garva-tāṭhāsends toyama-paths. Pride-rigidity destination.
Thōrapaṇa-with-abhimāna = naraka. Greatness fine; abhimāna-attached not.
Grateful-celebration of what was given. Bhakta's mode.