Abhanga 439
Real joy is earned through hardship and devotion to what truly matters, so let go of ownership claims, refuse to be merely passive, and let the world's shaming judgments die without taking root in you.
The verse
ते करिती तिची विटंबना । अवघ्या प्रसद्धि जना । एक न मारितां शाहाणा । तो जाणा सुख न पवे ॥१॥ हें चौघांच्या मुखें । मना आणावें सुखें । अवघीं चुकती दुःखें । खोटें बोला नरनारी ॥ध्रु.॥ म्हणोन न म्हणा माझें कांहीं । निजीं निजा सुखें ठायीं । यत्न होईल तई । चोराठायीं विश्वास ॥२॥ पांचांनीं दिधली हातीं । म्हणोनि न मनावी निश्चिती । परपुरुषीं होय रती । सुखगती ते पावे ॥३॥ येथें नांव काई । सांगसी तें ठायीं । मरो रांडेचें ॥४॥
Literal translation
They make her viṭambana — to all prasiddha jana — without one beating, the wise — that one knows — sukha won't come. From four mouths — bring sukha to mana — all duḥkhas end — speak khōṭa, nara-nārī. Therefore don't say māzhē — sleep at your own sukha-place — when prayatna comes — at cōrā-ṭhāyī trust. Given at the hand of pāñcā — therefore don't be niścintī — at para-puruṣa — rati — sukha-gati she gets. Here — name — what? — what you say — at the place — marō rāṇḍēcē.
मराठी: ते करिती तिची विटंबना — अवघ्या प्रसद्धि जना — एक न मारितां शाहाणा — तो जाणा सुख न पवे. हें चौघांच्या मुखें — मना आणावें सुखें — अवघीं चुकती दुःखें — खोटें बोला नरनारी. म्हणोन न म्हणा माझें कांहीं — निजीं निजा सुखें ठायीं — यत्न होईल तई — चोराठायीं विश्वास. पांचांनीं दिधली हातीं — म्हणोनि न मनावी निश्चिती — परपुरुषीं होय रती — सुखगती ते पावे. येथें नांव काई — सांगसी तें ठायीं — मरो रांडेचें.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ते करिती तिची विटंबना | "they make her viṭambana" |
| अवघ्या प्रसद्धि जना | "to all prasiddha jana" |
| एक न मारितां शाहाणा | "without one beating — the wise" |
| तो जाणा सुख न पवे | "that one knows — sukha won't come" |
| हें चौघांच्या मुखें मना आणावें सुखें | "from four mouths — bring sukha to mana" |
| अवघीं चुकती दुःखें | "all duḥkhas end" |
| खोटें बोला नरनारी | "speak khōṭa — nara-nārī" |
| म्हणोन न म्हणा माझें कांहीं | "therefore don't say māzhē" |
| निजीं निजा सुखें ठायीं | "sleep your own sukha-place" |
| यत्न होईल तई | "when prayatna comes" |
| चोराठायीं विश्वास | "trust at cōrā-ṭhāyī" |
| पांचांनीं दिधली हातीं | "given at the hand of pāñcā" |
| म्हणोनि न मनावी निश्चिती | "therefore don't be niścintī" |
| परपुरुषीं होय रती | "at para-puruṣa — rati" |
| सुखगती ते पावे | "sukha-gati she gets" |
| येथें नांव काई | "here — name — what?" |
| सांगसी तें ठायीं | "what you say at the place" |
| मरो रांडेचें | "die — that rāṇḍēcē" |
What it means
A sharp ironic anti-paratantra-bhakti-warning abhang. The closing curse marō rāṇḍēcē — "die that low-woman" — is not literal-misogyny but Tukaram's harshest-mode rhetoric used as gravity-marker against a particular spiritual error. (Compare 0303 vyabhicāriṇī-mātā gravity-marker.) Five claims:
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ते करिती तिची विटंबना — अवघ्या प्रसद्धि जना — एक न मारितां शाहाणा — तो जाणा सुख न पवे — they make her viṭambana — to prasiddha jana — without one beating, the wise — sukha won't come. The opening-image: they (the world) mock her; the wise know that without one stroke (= without going through the trial),sukhadoesn't come. Trial-precedes-sukha rule.
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हें चौघांच्या मुखें — मना आणावें सुखें — अवघीं चुकती दुःखें — खोटें बोला नरनारी — from four mouths — bring sukha to mana — all duḥkhas end — speak khōṭa, nara-nārī. The false-speech-as-protection claim: what comes from four mouths (others' speech), bring it to mind assukha; all duḥkhas end; speakkhōṭa(false), men and women. Don't take the others' speech literally; let it slide; speak strategic-falsehood when needed.
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म्हणोन न म्हणा माझें कांहीं — निजीं निजा सुखें ठायीं — यत्न होईल तई — चोराठायीं विश्वास — don't say māzhē — sleep at your own sukha-place — when prayatna comes — at cōrā-ṭhāyī trust. The anti-mine-claim: don't saymāzhē(mine) about anything; sleep at your own sukha-place; whenprayatnacomes (= when an action is to be done),cōrā-ṭhāyī viśvāsa(trust at the thief-place — i.e. trust the thief / ironic counsel). Don't claim possession; trust where trust seems impossible.
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पांचांनीं दिधली हातीं — म्हणोनि न मनावी निश्चिती — परपुरुषीं होय रती — सुखगती ते पावे — given at the hand of pāñcā — don't be niścintī — at para-puruṣa, rati — sukha-gati she gets. The given-by-five claim: given at the hand of thepāñcā(five elders / panchayat); therefore don't beniścintī(carefree); (but) — atpara-puruṣa(the Other / the Lord) —rati(delight) —sukha-gatishe attains. (Note: para-puruṣa in mystical-bhakti = the Lord-as-the-other-Husband; the "adultery" image is allegorical for bhakti-with-the-Lord-beyond-one's-husband-of-samsāra. Compare 0383's khasama ahamkāra-dādulā.)
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येथें नांव काई — सांगसी तें ठायीं — मरो रांडेचें — here name — what? — what you say at the place — die that rāṇḍēcē (low-woman). The closing-curse: here, what name (matters)? — what you say at the place (= the appearances) — die thatrāṇḍēcē(low-woman). The curse-as-gravity-marker: let the appearance-of-low-womandie = let the world's-shaming-name be killed. The bhakta passes-through the world's-shaming-curse to reach the para-puruṣa.
[T]
For someone today
This is Tukaram at his boldest, using an old poetic image of a woman's love for a lord beyond her worldly husband to describe the soul's devotion to God. The world mocks her openly for it, but Tuka says the wise know that no real depth of joy comes without going through hardship first. Let others' harsh talk pass through your mind without sticking, and don't be afraid to shrug it off rather than let it wound you. Stop clinging to things as mine, and rest content in your own place instead. When the moment for real effort comes, you may have to trust even where trust feels impossible. And just because your life was arranged by others doesn't mean you should stay carefree and passive about it, real delight and the path to real joy come only through devotion to what truly matters. Whatever shaming name the world gives you for choosing that path, let it die right there.
मराठी: ही ओवी तुकारामांच्या सर्वात धाडसी रचनांपैकी एक आहे, जिथे संसारातील नवऱ्यापलीकडे असलेल्या परमेश्वरावरील प्रेमाची जुनी काव्य-प्रतिमा वापरून आत्म्याच्या भक्तीचे वर्णन केले आहे. जग तिची उघड निंदा करते, पण तुका म्हणतात की शहाणे लोक जाणतात, एक फटका सोसल्याशिवाय खरे सुख मिळत नाही. इतरांचे कठोर बोलणे मनात न रुतू देता जाऊ द्या, आणि ते बोलणे झुगारून द्यायला घाबरू नका. कशावरही माझे म्हणणे सोडून द्या आणि आपल्याच ठिकाणी सुखाने राहा. जेव्हा खरा प्रयत्न करायची वेळ येते, तेव्हा कधी कधी विश्वास ठेवणे अशक्य वाटेल तिथेही विश्वास ठेवावा लागतो. आणि तुमचे आयुष्य दुसऱ्यांनी ठरवले म्हणून तुम्ही निश्चिंत आणि निष्क्रिय राहावे असे नाही, खरा आनंद आणि खऱ्या सुखाचा मार्ग फक्त खऱ्या भक्तीतूनच मिळतो. या वाटेसाठी जग जे लांछन देईल, ते तिथेच मरू द्या.
Where this applies
- When you're judged or mocked for a spiritual or personal path that others don't understand.
- When you feel like real contentment only comes after going through real difficulty first.
- When you're tempted to absorb and replay every harsh word people say about you.
- When you feel pressured to stay passive about a life others arranged for you instead of pursuing what truly matters.