संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 546 of 4582

Abhanga 546

English: No sukha — don't need māna — jana won't leave — what to do?

When the bhakta refuses honor and praise, finds them burning — and you have to recognize this register
When fine sweets become poison-equal — and you accept this revaluation
When the bhakta begs to be pulled out of the fire of fame — and you receive this petition

The verse

नाहीं सुख मज न लगे हा मान । न राहे हें जन काय करूं ॥१॥ देहउपचारें पोळतसे अंग । विषतुल्य चांग मिष्टान्न तें ॥ध्रु.॥ नाइकवे स्तुति वाणितां थोरीव । होतो माझा जीव कासावीस ॥२॥ तुज पावें ऐसी सांग कांहीं कळा । नको मृगजळा गोवूं मज ॥३॥ तुका म्हणे आतां करीं माझें हित । काढावें जळत आगींतूनि ॥४॥

Literal translation

English: No sukha — don't need māna — jana won't leave — what to do? Deha-upacāra — burn the body — viṣa-tulya — fine miṣṭānna. Can't bear stuti — thōrīva-speech — jīva — kāsāvīsa. Tell — kaḷā — to reach You — don't entangle in mṛga-jaḷa. Tuka says: do my hita — pull jaḷata out of agni.

मराठी: नाहीं सुख मज न लगे हा मान — न राहे हें जन काय करूं?. देहउपचारें पोळतसे अंग — विषतुल्य चांग मिष्टान्न तें. नाइकवे स्तुति वाणितां थोरीव — होतो माझा जीव कासावीस. तुज पावें ऐसी सांग कांहीं कळा — नको मृगजळा गोवूं मज. तुकाराम म्हणतां — आतां करीं माझें हित — काढावें जळत आगींतूनि.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
नाहीं सुख मज न लगे हा मान "no sukha — don't need māna"
न राहे हें जन काय करूं "jana won't leave — what to do?"
देहउपचारें पोळतसे अंग "deha-upacāra — burn the body"
विषतुल्य चांग मिष्टान्न तें "viṣa-tulya — fine miṣṭānna"
नाइकवे स्तुति वाणितां थोरीव "can't bear stuti — speech-of-thōrīva"
होतो माझा जीव कासावीस "jīva — kāsāvīsa"
तुज पावें ऐसी सांग कांहीं कळा "tell — kaḷā — to reach You"
नको मृगजळा गोवूं मज "don't entangle in mṛga-jaḷa"
आतां करीं माझें हित "do my hita"
काढावें जळत आगींतूनि "pull — jaḷata — out of agni"

What it means

A famous protest-against-fame-burning-pull-me-out abhang. The saint-suffering-from-fame register. As Tukaram's reputation-grew, he was increasingly the object of public-honor; this abhang protests-the-fame as burning-fire. Five claims:

  1. नाहीं सुख मज न लगे हा मान — न राहे हें जन काय करूं — no sukha — don't need māna — jana won't leave — what to do? The opening-protest: no sukha for me; I don't need this māna (honor, respect); but the jana (people) won't rāhē (stop, leave-off); what to do? Honor-burns-but-people-won't-stop.

  2. देहउपचारें पोळतसे अंग — विषतुल्य चांग मिष्टान्न तें — deha-upacāra burn the body — viṣa-tulya — fine miṣṭānna. The body-honors-as-poison-claim: deha-upacāra (body-attentions, body-honors = the formal-pūjā-style-honors people offer to a saint) — poḷatasē anga (burn the body); viṣa-tulya (poison-equal) — cānga miṣṭānna (fine sweets). Body-honors-burn; sweets-equal-poison. Re-valuation-of-honors-as-suffering*.

  3. नाइकवे स्तुति वाणितां थोरीव — होतो माझा जीव कासावीस — can't bear stuti — thōrīva-speech — jīva kāsāvīsa. The can't-bear-praise-claim: I can't aikavē (bear-to-hear) stuti (praise); vāṇitām (extolling, praising-out) the thōrīva (greatness); the jīva becomes kāsāvīsa (anguished, in agony). Praise-causes-jīva-anguish.

  4. तुज पावें ऐसी सांग कांहीं कळा — नको मृगजळा गोवूं मज — tell — kaḷā — to reach You — don't entangle in mṛga-jaḷa. The kaḷā-and-mṛga-jaḷa-claim: tell some kaḷā (skill, device, art) by which I reach You; don't gōvūm (entangle) me in mṛga-jaḷa (mirage = the illusory-water-in-the-desert). Don't-entangle-me-in-the-mirage-of-fame.

  5. तुका म्हणे आतां करीं माझें हित — काढावें जळत आगींतूनि — Tuka says: do my hita — pull jaḷata out of agni. The closing-pull-me-out-claim: Tuka says: now do my hita (good); kāḍhāvē (pull, draw-out) me — jaḷata (burning) — out of the agni (fire). Pull-me-burning-out-of-the-fire-of-fame. Honest-burning-petition*.

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the protest-against-fame-burning-pull-me-out register:

  1. No sukha; don't need māna; jana* won't stop. Sukha nāhīm — māna na lagē — jana na rāhē. The honor-and-fame-people-won't-stop offering bring no sukha. Recognize-the-honor-as-burden*.

  2. Body-honors burn; fine sweets are poison-equal. Deha-upacāra poḷatasē — miṣṭānna viṣa-tulya. The formal-saintly-honors burn-the-body; even-the-finest-sweets are poison-equal. Re-valuation: what people see as honor-and-luxury is suffering-and-poison.

  3. Can't bear stuti; jīva becomes kāsāvīsa*. Stuti — kāsāvīsa. Praise-causes-jīva-anguish. Don't-praise-the-saint*.

  4. Tell me a kaḷā to reach You; don't entangle in mṛga-jaḷa*. Kaḷā tuja pāvē — mṛga-jaḷa nakō. Petition for the way-out-of-fame-into-the-deva; the fame-illusion is mṛga-jaḷa. Don't-let-fame-be-the-mirage*.

  5. Pull me, burning, out of the agni*. Kāḍhāvē jaḷata āgītūnī. The petition: pull-me-out-of-the-fire-of-fame. Honest-burning-petition*.

For today: recognize that honor-and-fame can be a burning-fire, not a sukha; body-honors can burn, fine-sweets can be poison; praise-causes-jīva-anguish for the saint; fame is mṛga-jaḷa — illusory-water; the petition: pull-me-out-of-the-fire.

This abhang is Tukaram's protest-against-fame register — biographical-reference: as his reputation grew, the public-honor became a burden. Compare 0518 jātō Vārāṇasī; same withdrawal-from-public register but here with the precise burning-fire image. The kāḍhāvē-jaḷata-āgītūnī image is striking and self-implicating.

मराठी: ही ओवी protest-against-fame-burning-pull-me-out register नाव सांगते:

  1. No sukha; māna नको; jana* थांबत नाही. सुख नाही — मान न लगे — जन न राहे. Honor-and-fame-people-थांबत-नाहीत offer करायला no sukha. Honor-as-burden ओळखा*.

  2. Body-honors burn; fine sweets poison-equal. देह-उपचार पोळतसे — मिष्टान्न विषतुल्य. Formal-saintly-honors body-burn करतात; finest-sweets सुद्धा poison-equal. Re-valuation: लोकांना honor-and-luxury वाटतं ते suffering-and-poison.

  3. Stuti bear-नाही; jīva kāsāvīsa. स्तुति — कासावीस. Praise-causes-jīva-anguish. Saint-praise नका*.

  4. Tell a kaḷā to reach You; mṛga-jaḷa* मध्ये entangle नका. कळा तुज पावें — मृगजळा नको. Petition for fame-च्या-बाहेर-देव-कडे च way-out; Fame-illusion mṛga-jaḷa. Fame-mirage नका होऊ देऊ*.

  5. Burning, agni* मधून पुलवा. काढावें जळत आगींतूनि. Petition: fame-च्या-fire-मधून-pull-out. Honest-burning-petition*.

आज: Honor-and-fame burning-fire असू शकतं, sukha नाही ओळखा; Body-honors burn, fine-sweets poison; Saint-साठी praise jīva anguish; Fame mṛga-jaḷa — illusory-water; Petition: fire-मधून-pull-out.

Tukaram च-protest-against-fame-register — Biographical-reference: reputation grew म्हणून public-honor burden झाली. 0518 jātō Vārāṇasī compare; तीच withdrawal-from-public register पण इथे precise burning-fire image. Kāḍhāvē-jaḷata-āgītūnī image striking and self-implicating.

Where this applies

Bhakti pull-me-burning-out-of-fire

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