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 480 of 4582

Abhanga 480

English: Kathā's sāmugrī — deha till avasāna.

When the body is the equipment for kathā until the end — and you have to recognize this register
When limbs must not break before kīrtana-time — and you accept this petition
When let life be reduced but kīrtana-love stay — and you receive this trade

The verse

कथेची सामुग्री । देह अवसानावरी ॥१॥ नको जाऊं देऊं भंगा । गात्रें माझीं पांडुरंगा ॥ध्रु.॥ आयुष्य करीं उणें । परी मज आवडो कीर्तन ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे हाणी । या वेगळी मना नाणीं ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: Kathā's sāmugrīdeha till avasāna. Don't let go to bhanga — my gātrēsPāṇḍuranga. Reduce āyuṣya — but let kīrtana be loved. Tuka says: hāṇi — beyond this, don't bring to mind.

मराठी: कथेची सामुग्री देह अवसानावरी. नको जाऊं देऊं भंगा गात्रें माझीं पांडुरंगा. आयुष्य करीं उणें परी मज आवडो कीर्तन. तुकाराम म्हणतां — हाणी या वेगळी मना नाणीं.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
कथेची सामुग्री देह अवसानावरी "kathā's sāmugrīdeha till avasāna"
नको जाऊं देऊं भंगा गात्रें माझीं पांडुरंगा "don't let go to bhanga — my gātrēsPāṇḍuranga"
आयुष्य करीं उणें परी मज आवडो कीर्तन "reduce āyuṣya — but let kīrtana be loved"
हाणी या वेगळी मना नाणीं "hāṇi — beyond this — don't bring to mind"

What it means

A short body-as-kīrtana-equipment-prayer abhang. Three claims:

  1. कथेची सामुग्री — देह अवसानावरीkathā's sāmugrī — deha till avasāna. The opening-claim: the body is the kathā's sāmugrī (equipment / instrument)till the avasāna (final-rest / death). Body-as-kathā-instrument.

  2. नको जाऊं देऊं भंगा — गात्रें माझीं पांडुरंगाdon't let go to bhanga — my gātrēs — Pāṇḍuranga. The body-petition: don't let (my limbs) go to bhanga (broken-state); my gātrēs (limbs / body-parts), Pāṇḍuranga. Petition for body-integrity for kīrtana.

  3. आयुष्य करीं उणें — परी मज आवडो कीर्तनreduce āyuṣya — but let kīrtana be loved. The trade-claim: reduce my āyuṣya (life-span); but let kīrtana be loved by me. Better-shorter-but-kīrtana-loving than longer-but-bhakti-less.

  4. तुका म्हणे हाणी — या वेगळी मना नाणींTuka says: hāṇi — beyond this, don't bring to mind. The closing-claim: Tuka says: there is hāṇi (loss) — beyond this (life-reduction), I don't bring to my mind any other-loss. Only-this-trade-matters.

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the body-as-kathā-equipment-petition register:

  1. Body is kathā-equipment till avasāna*. Kathā-cī sāmugrī dēha avasānāvarī. Don't think of body as separate from bhakti-work; the body is the equipment for kathā (sacred-narration / kīrtana). Use it well till the end*.

  2. Petition the deva to keep limbs from bhanga*. Gātrēs nakō bhanga. Pray for body-integrity for the sake of kīrtana; not for bodily-comfort but for kīrtana-capacity*.

  3. Reduce āyuṣya but let kīrtana* be loved. Āyuṣya uṇē — kīrtana āvaḍō. The trade is honored: better a shorter-life with kīrtana-love than a longer-life without. Don't pray for length; pray for bhakti-capacity.

  4. Beyond this, don't bring losses to mind. Hāṇi yā vēgaḷī manā nāṇīm. No other loss matters; the only-loss to fear is kīrtana-loss. Single-pointed loss-frame*.

For today: recognize body-as-kīrtana-instrument; petition for body-integrity for bhakti's-sake; trade life-length for bhakti-quality; the only-loss to fear is kīrtana-loss*.

This abhang is Tukaram's-most-direct kīrtana-petition abhangthe body's-purpose is kathā; reduce-life-but-keep-kīrtana-love is the trade.

मराठी: ही ओवी body-as-kathā-equipment-petition register नाव सांगते:

  1. Body kathā-equipment avasāna* पर्यंत. कथेची सामुग्री देह अवसानावरी. Body ला bhakti-work पासून separate समजू नका; Body kathā (sacred-narration / kīrtana) चं equipment. शेवटपर्यंत well वापरा*.

  2. Limbs bhanga* होऊ नये साठी देवाला petition करा. गात्रें नको भंग. Body-integrity साठी pray करा kīrtana साठी; Bodily-comfort नाही पण kīrtana-capacity*.

  3. Āyuṣya कमी करा पण kīrtana love राहू द्या. आयुष्य उणें — कीर्तन आवडो. Trade honored: Kīrtana-love सोबत shorter-life longer-life-without पेक्षा better. Length साठी pray नका; bhakti-capacity साठी pray करा*.

  4. या पलीकडे, losses ला mind मध्ये आणू नका. हाणी या वेगळी मना नाणीं. दुसरं कोणतंच loss matter नाही; फक्त kīrtana-loss घाबरायचं. Single-pointed loss-frame.

आज: Body-as-kīrtana-instrument ओळखा; Bhakti च्या-sake साठी body-integrity petition करा; Bhakti-quality साठी life-length trade करा; फक्त kīrtana-loss घाबरायचं.

Tukaram च्या most-direct kīrtana-petition abhangBody चा-purpose kathā; reduce-life-but-keep-kīrtana-love trade.

Where this applies

Related verses