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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 538 of 4582

Abhanga 538

This abhang names the adhikāra-mārga-don't-burn-boat register:

When the mārga is shown by adhikāra and known by walking — and you have to recognize this register
When the boat must not be burned after the bhakta crosses — and you accept this responsibility
When the vaidya himself has the disease but does no good — and you receive this image of failed-mediation

The verse

अधिकार तैसा दावियेले मार्ग । चालतां हें मग कळों येतें ॥१॥ जाळूं नये नाव पावलेनि पार । मागील आधार बहुतांचा ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे रोग वैदाचे अंगीं । नाहीं करी जगीं उपकार ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: Adhikāra — accordingly — mārga shown — walking — kaḷōm-yētē. Don't burn — nāva — after pāra — āḍhāra — of many behind. Tuka says: rōga — vaidya's body — no — upakāra — in world.

मराठी: अधिकार तैसा दावियेले मार्ग — चालतां हें मग कळों येतें. जाळूं नये नाव पावलेनि पार — मागील आधार बहुतांचा. तुकाराम म्हणतां — रोग वैदाचे अंगीं — नाहीं करी जगीं उपकार.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
अधिकार तैसा दावियेले मार्ग "adhikāra — accordingly — mārga shown"
चालतां हें मग कळों येतें "by walking — kaḷōm-yētē"
जाळूं नये नाव पावलेनि पार "don't burn — nāva — after pāra"
मागील आधार बहुतांचा "support — of many behind"
रोग वैदाचे अंगीं "rōga — vaidya's body"
नाहीं करी जगीं उपकार "no — upakāra — in world"

What it means

A adhikāra-mārga-don't-burn-boat-vaidya-with-rōga abhang. Tradition-as-bridge-for-others register. Three claims:

  1. अधिकार तैसा दावियेले मार्ग — चालतां हें मग कळों येतें — adhikāra accordingly — mārga shown — walking — kaḷōm-yētē. The opening-claim: according to adhikāra (capacity, qualification, fitness) — the mārga (path) is dāviyēlē (shown); by walking (cālatām) — that comes-to-be-known (kaḷōm yētē). Path-shown-according-to-capacity-and-known-only-by-walking. Don't expect-to-know-without-walking.

  2. जाळूं नये नाव पावलेनि पार — मागील आधार बहुतांचा — don't burn the nāva after pāra — āḍhāra of many behind. The don't-burn-the-boat-claim: don't burn (jāḷūm nayē) the nāva (boat) after pāvalēnī (having-reached) the pāra (other-shore); (it is) the āḍhāra (support) of many māgīla (behind). Tradition-as-boat-for-the-many-behind. (One of Tukaram's most-cited responsibility-claims: don't destroy-the-tradition after-you-have-crossed; others need it.)

  3. तुका म्हणे रोग वैदाचे अंगीं — नाहीं करी जगीं उपकार — Tuka says: rōga in vaidya's body — no upakāra in world. The closing-failed-mediator-image: Tuka says: the rōga (disease) is in the vaidya's (doctor's) own body; yet he does no upakāra (good-doing, beneficence) in the jaga (world). Failed-vaidya-image: a doctor with the disease he should cure does no good for the world. The bhakta-mediator-must-do-good-not-just-have-the-knowledge.

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the adhikāra-mārga-don't-burn-boat register:

  1. Path is shown by adhikāra*; known by walking. Adhikāra mārga — cālatām kaḷōm. Don't expect the path to be the same for everyone; it is shown according to capacity; and known only by walking, not by reading. Walk-to-know*.

  2. Don't burn the nāva* after crossing; others need it. Jāḷūm nayē nāva pāvalēnī pāra — māgīla āḍhāra. The tradition-the-bhakta-used-to-cross is the support-of-many-behind; don't destroy-it. Tradition-as-bridge-for-others. Responsibility-of-the-crossed*.

  3. Vaidya with the disease does no good for the world. Rōga vaidācē angīm — jagīm upakāra nāhīm. A doctor who has the disease he should cure but doesn't act on it does no good. The bhakta-mediator must transmit not just possess. Mediation-requires-action*.

For today: recognize that the path is shown according to adhikāra and known only by walking; don't destroy the tradition after-you-cross — others need it; don't be a vaidya-with-the-disease who does no good in the world.

This abhang is Tukaram's responsibility-of-the-crossed register — one of his most-cited claims about tradition-and-transmission. Compare 0517 give-me-a-śiṣya; same forward-looking register but here the focus is on the boat-as-tradition-not-just-the-disciple. The vaidya-rōga image is a self-implicating-warning: don't be a knowledge-haver who is also a non-doer.

मराठी: ही ओवी adhikāra-mārga-don't-burn-boat register नाव सांगते:

  1. Path adhikāra* नुसार दाखवला; चालल्याने कळतो. अधिकार मार्ग — चालतां कळों. सर्वांसाठी path same expect नका; capacity नुसार दाखवला; आणि चालल्याने कळतो, वाचल्याने नाही. Walk-to-know*.

  2. Crossing नंतर nāva* burn नका; इतरांना लागते. जाळूं नये नाव पावलेनि पार — मागील आधार. Bhakta ने crossing साठी वापरलेली tradition अनेकांची support-behind; destroy नका. Tradition-as-bridge-for-others. Crossed-च्या-responsibility*.

  3. Vaidya च्या-स्वतःच्या-रोग world-ला-no-upakāra. रोग वैदाचे अंगीं — जगीं उपकार नाही. Doctor ज्याला disease आहे cure करायची आणि त्यावर act करत नाही — no good. Bhakta-mediator transmit करायचा फक्त possess नाही. Mediation-requires-action*.

आज: Path adhikāra नुसार दाखवला आणि चालल्याने-च-कळतो ओळखा; Crossing नंतर tradition destroy नका — इतरांना लागते; Vaidya-with-disease who does no good व्हायचं नाही.

Tukaram च-responsibility-of-the-crossed-register — Tradition-and-transmission बद्दल most-cited claims पैकी एक. 0517 give-me-a-śiṣya compare; तीच forward-looking register पण इथे boat-as-tradition-not-just-disciple focus. Vaidya-rōga image self-implicating-warning: knowledge-haver-but-non-doer नका.

Where this applies

Bhakti

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