संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 430 of 4582

Abhanga 430

English: Don't make rātra by closing eyes — kāḷa sits calculating.

When don't close eyes — kāḷa is calculating — and you have to recognize this register
When ahead lies childhood-illness-decay; what time for bhajana? — and you accept this fact
When the only dāna asked is — say Rāma — and you receive this petition

The verse

डोळे झाकुनि रात्र करूं नका । काळ करीत बैसला लेखा गा ॥१॥ सांडावा उगिया उपाधी । लक्ष लावुनि राहा गोविंदीं गा ॥ध्रु.॥ पुढें बालत्व पीडा रोग क्षय । काय भजनासि उरलें तें पाहें गा ॥२॥ न चळे बळ पडेल मग फासा । पुढें हुशार थोर आहे वोळसा गा ॥३॥ तन मन ध्यान लावुनियां नीट । जर असेल करणें गोड शेवट गा ॥४॥ दान इतुलें द्या मज दीना । म्हणे तुकयाबंधु राम म्हणा गा ॥५॥

Literal translation

English: Don't make rātra by closing eyes — kāḷa sits calculating. Abandon useless upādhi — fix lakṣya on Govinda. Ahead — bālatva, pīḍā, rōga, kṣaya — what remains for bhajana? Strength fails — phāsā will fall — ahead, great vōḷasā. Tana-mana-dhyāna straight — if a sweet śēvaṭa is to be made. Give me, the dīna, this much dāna — Tuka's brother says: say Rāma.

मराठी: डोळे झाकुनि रात्र करूं नका — काळ करीत बैसला लेखा. सांडावा उगिया उपाधी — लक्ष लावुनि राहा गोविंदीं. पुढें बालत्व पीडा रोग क्षय — काय भजनासि उरलें तें पाहें. न चळे बळ पडेल मग फासा — पुढें हुशार थोर आहे वोळसा. तन मन ध्यान लावुनियां नीट — जर असेल करणें गोड शेवट. तुकयाबंधु म्हणतां — दान इतुलें द्या मज दीना — राम म्हणा गा.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
डोळे झाकुनि रात्र करूं नका "don't make rātra by closing eyes"
काळ करीत बैसला लेखा "kāḷa — sitting calculating"
सांडावा उगिया उपाधी "abandon useless upādhi"
लक्ष लावुनि राहा गोविंदीं "fix lakṣya on Govinda"
पुढें बालत्व पीडा रोग क्षय "ahead — bālatva, pīḍā, rōga, kṣaya"
काय भजनासि उरलें तें पाहें "what remains for bhajana?"
न चळे बळ पडेल मग फासा "strength fails — phāsā will fall"
पुढें हुशार थोर आहे वोळसा "ahead — great vōḷasā"
तन मन ध्यान लावुनियां नीट "tana-mana-dhyāna straight"
जर असेल करणें गोड शेवट "if a sweet śēvaṭa is to be made"
दान इतुलें द्या मज दीना "give dāna — to me, the dīna"
म्हणे तुकयाबंधु राम म्हणा गा "Tuka's brother — says: say Rāma"

What it means

A don't-close-eyes-kāḷa-counts abhang. Tukya-bamdhu mudra (Kānhōbā). Six claims:

  1. डोळे झाकुनि रात्र करूं नका — काळ करीत बैसला लेखा — don't close eyes and make rātra — kāḷa sits calculating. The opening-warning: don't close your eyes (= sleep / pretend) and make it rātra (night); kāḷa (death / time) is sitting calculating the count. Time-keeper-watches; don't sleep through.

  2. सांडावा उगिया उपाधी — लक्ष लावुनि राहा गोविंदीं — abandon useless upādhi — fix lakṣya on Govinda. The direct-instruction: abandon useless upādhi (superimposed-burdens / false-attributions); fix your lakṣya (gaze / attention) on Govinda**.

  3. पुढें बालत्व पीडा रोग क्षय — काय भजनासि उरलें तें पाहें — ahead — bālatva, pīḍā, rōga, kṣaya — what remains for bhajana? The life-stages-warning: ahead lie bālatva (re-childhood / dependence in old-age), pīḍā (suffering), rōga (illness), kṣaya (decay); see what time will remain for bhajana? Don't postpone bhajana to old-age.

  4. न चळे बळ पडेल मग फासा — पुढें हुशार थोर आहे वोळसा — strength fails — phāsā will fall — ahead great vōḷasā. The future-warning: strength fails; the phāsā (trap) will fall; ahead lies a great vōḷasā (mass-snare). Don't be naive about what's-ahead.

  5. तन मन ध्यान लावुनियां नीट — जर असेल करणें गोड शेवट — tana-mana-dhyāna straight — if a sweet śēvaṭa is to be made. The complete-investment-claim: apply tana-mana-dhyāna (body-mind-meditation) straightly; if a sweet śēvaṭa (end) is to be made. Sweet-end requires complete-now-investment.

  6. तुकयाबंधु म्हणे दान इतुलें द्या मज दीना — राम म्हणा गा — Tukyā-bamdhu says: give this much dāna to me the dīna — say Rāma. The closing-petition: Tukya's brother says: give just-this-much dāna to me, the dīna (poor); (the only thing I ask) — say Rāma. Minimum-petition: just say Rāma.

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the don't-close-eyes-kāḷa-counts-say-Rāma register:

  1. Don't sleep through; kāḷa* counts. Ḍoḷē jhākunī rātra karūm nakā — kāḷa karīta baisalā lekhā. Don't pretend the future is far; time keeps a ledger. Wake up*.

  2. Abandon useless upādhi; gaze on Govinda*. Sāmḍāvā ugiyā upādhī — lakṣya lāvuni rāhā Govindīm. Drop the false-burdens; fix the gaze*.

  3. Ahead lies bālatva, pīḍā, rōga, kṣaya; what time for bhajana*? Bālatva, pīḍā, rōga, kṣaya — kāya bhajanāsi uralē? Don't postpone bhajana to old-age; the body's-decline takes the bhajana-window*.

  4. Strength fails; the phāsā falls; great vōḷasā* lies ahead. Phāsā paḍēla — vōḷasā. Be honest about what lies ahead — strength-failure, traps, snares. Honest-realism*.

  5. Apply tana-mana-dhyāna* straight for a sweet end. Tana-mana-dhyāna lāvuniyām nīṭa — gōḍa śēvaṭa. Complete-investment now is the only path to a sweet end*.

  6. Just say Rāma*. Rāma mhaṇā gā. The minimum-and-maximum dāna asked is — say Rāma. Don't make it complicated*.

For today: don't sleep through; kāḷa counts; drop upādhi; gaze on Govinda; ahead lies bālatva, pīḍā, rōga, kṣaya — don't postpone bhajana; strength-failure-and-snares ahead; invest tana-mana-dhyāna now; just say Rāma**.

This abhang is one of Kānhōbā's-most-direct wake-up-call abhangs: future-warning + minimum-petition. The Rāma-mhaṇā closing is the simplest possible bhakti-instruction.

मराठी: ही ओवी don't-close-eyes-kāḷa-counts-say-Rāma register नाव सांगते:

  1. झोपू नका; kāḷa* मोजतो. डोळे झाकुनि रात्र करूं नका — काळ करीत बैसला लेखा. Future दूर असेल असं pretend करू नका; Time ledger ठेवतो. जागे व्हा*.

  2. Useless upādhi सोडा; Govinda* कडे gaze. सांडावा उगिया उपाधी — लक्ष लावुनि राहा गोविंदीं. False-burdens drop करा; Gaze fix करा*.

  3. पुढे bālatva, pīḍā, rōga, kṣaya; bhajana* साठी time? बालत्व पीडा रोग क्षय — काय भजनासि उरलें? Bhajana ला म्हातारपणावर postpone नका; Body-decline bhajana-window घेतं*.

  4. Strength fails; phāsā पडेल; great vōḷasā* पुढे. फासा पडेल — वोळसा. पुढे काय आहे honestly ओळखा — strength-failure, traps, snares. Honest-realism*.

  5. Tana-mana-dhyāna straight लावा सुंदर end साठी. तन मन ध्यान लावुनियां नीट — गोड शेवट. आता complete-investment च sweet end ला मार्ग*.

  6. फक्त Rāma* म्हणा. राम म्हणा गा. Minimum-and-maximum dāna मागितलेलं — Rāma म्हणा. Complicated करू नका*.

आज: झोपू नका; kāḷa मोजतो; Upādhi drop, Govinda कडे gaze; पुढे bālatva, pīḍā, rōga, kṣaya — bhajana postpone नका; Strength-failure-and-snares पुढे; Tana-mana-dhyāna आता invest; फक्त Rāma म्हणा.

Kānhōbā च्या most-direct wake-up-call abhangs पैकी एक: Future-warning + minimum-petition. Rāma-mhaṇā closing simplest bhakti-instruction.

Where this applies

Mortality / Vairāgya Bhakti

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