Abhanga 488
Devote your words and attention to caring for one another, and judge companionship by courage and a clean heart, never by caste or birth.
The verse
तया साटीं वेचूं वाणी । अइकों कानीं वारता ॥१॥ क्षेम माझे हरिजन । समाधान पुसतां त्यां ॥ध्रु.॥ परत्रींचे जे सांगाती । त्यांची याती न विचारीं ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे धैर्यवंतें । निर्मळचित्तें सरवीं तीं ॥३॥
Literal translation
For their sake — spend the vāṇī — listen to vārtā. Kṣema — my Hari-jana — samādhāna asking from them. For parātra's sāngātī — don't consider their yāti. Tuka says: dhairya-vanta, nirmala-citta — they are saravīm.
मराठी: तया साटीं वेचूं वाणी — अइकों कानीं वारता. क्षेम माझे हरिजन — समाधान पुसतां त्यां. परत्रींचे जे सांगाती — त्यांची याती न विचारीं. तुकाराम म्हणतां — धैर्यवंतें निर्मळचित्तें — सरवीं तीं.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| तया साटीं वेचूं वाणी | "for their sake — spend the vāṇī" |
| अइकों कानीं वारता | "listen with ear to vārtā" |
| क्षेम माझे हरिजन | "kṣema — my Hari-jana" |
| समाधान पुसतां त्यां | "samādhāna — asking from them" |
| परत्रींचे जे सांगाती | "for parātra's sāngātī" |
| त्यांची याती न विचारीं | "don't consider their yāti" |
| धैर्यवंतें निर्मळचित्तें | "dhairya-vanta, nirmala-citta" |
| सरवीं तीं | "they are saravīm (true)" |
What it means
A short ask-after-Hari-jana-don't-consider-yāti abhang. Three claims:
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तया साटीं वेचूं वाणी — अइकों कानीं वारता — for their sake spend vāṇī, listen to vārtā. The opening-rule: spend the speech for their (Hari-jana's) sake; listen with the ear to news (about them). Speech-and-ear devoted to bhakta-tribe.
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क्षेम माझे हरिजन — समाधान पुसतां त्यां — kṣema, my Hari-jana — samādhāna asking from them. The kṣema-asking claim: myHari-jana'skṣema(well-being) andsamādhāna(peace of mind) — I ask from them. Mutual-asking-after-well-being.
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परत्रींचे जे सांगाती — त्यांची याती न विचारीं — for parātra's sāngātī — don't consider yāti. The anti-yāti-claim: for theparātra(other-world / next-life)'ssāngātī(traveling-companions), don't consider theiryāti(caste). Companions-on-the-other-world-journey are caste-blind. (Compare 0337 yāti-kuḷa apramāṇa, guṇa is the cause; same anti-caste register.)
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तुका म्हणे धैर्यवंतें — निर्मळचित्तें — सरवीं तीं — Tuka says: dhairya-vanta, nirmala-citta — they are saravīm. The closing-mark: Tuka says: those ofdhairya-vanta(courage-bearing) and nirmala-citta (clean-mind)— they are thesaravīm(true ones / superior). True-mark = courage + clean-mind.
[T]
For someone today
Tukaram says to spend your speech and your listening on the people devoted to God, caring for news of them rather than wasting words on idle talk. He wants a real, mutual exchange of care, asking after each other's well-being and peace of mind. Most strikingly, he says that when it comes to companionship on the journey toward the world beyond, caste does not matter at all, only the person's heart. He closes by saying that the truest people are marked by courage and a clean, honest mind, not by birth or status.
मराठी: तुकाराम म्हणतात की तुमचे बोलणे आणि ऐकणे देवाच्या भक्तांसाठी खर्च करा, निरर्थक गप्पांवर वेळ न घालवता त्यांच्याबद्दलच्या बातम्यांची काळजी घ्या. त्यांना एकमेकांच्या क्षेमाची आणि समाधानाची खरीखुरी, परस्पर विचारपूस हवी आहे. सर्वात लक्षणीय म्हणजे ते सांगतात की परलोकाच्या प्रवासातील सोबत्यांची निवड करताना जात अजिबात महत्त्वाची नसते, फक्त त्या माणसाचे मन महत्त्वाचे असते. शेवटी ते सांगतात की खरी माणसे धैर्य आणि निर्मळ, प्रामाणिक मनाने ओळखली जातात, जन्माने किंवा दर्जाने नव्हे.
Where this applies
- Devote speech-and-ear to Hari-jana. Bhakta-fellowship.
- Mutual kṣema-asking. Form of fellowship.
- No yāti for parātra-sāngātī. Anti-caste journey-companions.
- Dhairya-vanta-nirmala-cittaaresaravīm. True-mark.