संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 547 of 4582

Abhanga 547

English: No food — no samtāna — but Nārāyaṇa kṛpā.

When the bhakta is willing to lose food and progeny if Nārāyaṇa's kṛpā remains — and you have to recognize this register
When the body suffers but Nārāyaṇa stays in citta — and you accept this transvaluation
When only Gopāḷa-remembrance is the true hita — and you receive this priority

The verse

न मिळो खावया न वाढो संतान । परि हा नारायण कृपा करो ॥१॥ ऐसी माझी वाचा मज उपदेशी । आणीक लोकांसी हें चि सांगे ॥ध्रु.॥ विटंबो शरीर होत कां विपित्त । परि राहो चित्तीं नारायण ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे नासिवंत हें सकळ । आठवे गोपाळ तें चि हित ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: No food — no samtāna — but Nārāyaṇa kṛpā. My vāca — upadeśa-s me — tells same to others. Viṭamba body — vipita — but Nārāyaṇa in citta. Tuka says: all nāśivanta — Gopāḷa āṭhava — only hita.

मराठी: न मिळो खावया न वाढो संतान — परि हा नारायण कृपा करो. ऐसी माझी वाचा मज उपदेशी — आणीक लोकांसी हें चि सांगे. विटंबो शरीर होत कां विपित्त — परि राहो चित्तीं नारायण. तुकाराम म्हणतां — नासिवंत हें सकळ — आठवे गोपाळ तें चि हित.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
न मिळो खावया न वाढो संतान "no food — no samtāna growth"
परि हा नारायण कृपा करो "but Nārāyaṇa — kṛpā"
ऐसी माझी वाचा मज उपदेशी "my vāca — upadeśa-s me"
आणीक लोकांसी हें चि सांगे "tells same to others"
विटंबो शरीर होत कां विपित्त "viṭamba — body — vipita"
परि राहो चित्तीं नारायण "but Nārāyaṇa — in citta"
नासिवंत हें सकळ "all — nāśivanta"
आठवे गोपाळ तें चि हित "āṭhava — Gopāḷa — only hita"

What it means

A let-everything-fail-but-Nārāyaṇa-stay abhang. Strong-priority register. Four claims:

  1. न मिळो खावया न वाढो संतान — परि हा नारायण कृपा करो — no food — no samtāna — but Nārāyaṇa kṛpā. The opening-let-fail-claim: let no food be found (na miḷō khāvayā); let no samtāna (lineage, progeny) grow; but let Nārāyaṇa show kṛpā. Even-survival-and-lineage-second-to-Nārāyaṇa-kṛpā.

  2. ऐसी माझी वाचा मज उपदेशी — आणीक लोकांसी हें चि सांगे — my vāca upadeśa-s me — tells same to others. The vāca-as-teacher-claim: my own vāca (speech) — upadeśa-s (instructs) me; and tells the same to others. Self-and-other-share-the-same-teaching. The bhakta's-speech is at-once self-instruction-and-public-teaching.

  3. विटंबो शरीर होत कां विपित्त — परि राहो चित्तीं नारायण — viṭamba body — vipita — but Nārāyaṇa in citta. The body-suffer-but-Nārāyaṇa-stay-claim: let the body be viṭambita (mocked, ridiculed); let vipita (calamity) come; but let Nārāyaṇa stay in the citta. Body-and-calamity-are-secondary-to-Nārāyaṇa-in-citta.

  4. तुका म्हणे नासिवंत हें सकळ — आठवे गोपाळ तें चि हित — Tuka says: all nāśivanta — Gopāḷa āṭhava — only hita. The closing-priority-claim: Tuka says: all this (food, progeny, body, fortune) is nāśivanta (perishable, destructible); the āṭhava (remembrance) of Gopāḷa; that alone is hita (good, beneficial). Only-Gopāḷa-remembrance-is-good.

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the let-everything-fail-but-Nārāyaṇa-stay register:

  1. Let food and progeny fail — but Nārāyaṇa-kṛpā*. Khāvayā nā miḷō — samtāna nā vāḍhō — Nārāyaṇa kṛpā. Even survival and lineage are secondary. Don't-trade-Nārāyaṇa-kṛpā-for-anything*.

  2. Your vāca* teaches you and others. Vāca upadeśa-s — others same. The bhakta's-own-speech is the teacher; what teaches you also teaches others. Speech-as-mutual-teacher*.

  3. Body-mocked, calamity-come — but Nārāyaṇa in citta*. Viṭamba — vipita — Nārāyaṇa citta. Body-and-calamity-secondary-to-the-deva-in-mind. Don't-let-body-or-calamity-displace-Nārāyaṇa*.

  4. All this perishes; only Gopāḷa-āṭhava is hita*. Sakaḷa nāśivanta — Gopāḷa āṭhava — hita. The criterion: what perishes is not hita; only the deva-remembrance is. Let-perishables-perish-keep-the-remembrance*.

For today: recognize that food, progeny, body, fortune are all secondary; let them fail if needed; only Nārāyaṇa-kṛpā and Gopāḷa-remembrance are hita; the bhakta's-speech is at-once self-instruction-and-public-teaching.

This abhang is Tukaram's let-perishables-perish-keep-Nārāyaṇa register — strong-priority claim. Compare 0539 world-back-turned; same priority but here from the willingness-to-let-things-fail angle. The vāca-upadeśa-mā-others-same claim is striking: the bhakta's-own-speech is the teacher of self-and-public.

मराठी: ही ओवी let-everything-fail-but-Nārāyaṇa-stay register नाव सांगते:

  1. Food आणि progeny fail होऊ द्या — पण Nārāyaṇa-kṛpā*. खावायला नाही — संतान नाही — पण नारायण कृपा. Survival आणि lineage सुद्धा secondary. Nārāyaṇa-kṛpā कशासाठीही trade नका*.

  2. तुमची vāca* तुम्हाला आणि इतरांना शिकवते. Vāca upadeśa-s — others same. Bhakta-स्वतःची-speech teacher; जे तुम्हाला शिकवतं ते इतरांना सुद्धा. Speech-as-mutual-teacher*.

  3. Body-mocked, calamity-come — पण Nārāyaṇa citta* त. विटंब — विपित्त — नारायण चित्त. Body-and-calamity-secondary mind-च्या-देवाला. Body-or-calamity ने Nārāyaṇa displace नका*.

  4. हे सर्व नाशिवंत; फक्त Gopāḷa-āṭhava hita*. सर्व नाशिवंत — गोपाळ आठव — हित. Criterion: नाश-होणारं hita नाही; फक्त देव-remembrance. नाशिवंत-नाश-होऊ-द्या-remembrance-ठेवा*.

आज: Food, progeny, body, fortune सर्व secondary ओळखा; लागल्यास fail होऊ द्या; फक्त Nārāyaṇa-kṛpā आणि Gopāḷa-remembrance hita; Bhakta-speech at-once self-instruction-आणि-public-teaching.

Tukaram च-let-perishables-perish-keep-Nārāyaṇa-register — Strong-priority claim. 0539 world-back-turned compare; तीच priority पण इथे willingness-to-let-things-fail angle ने. Vāca-upadeśa-mā-others-same claim striking: bhakta-स्वतःची-speech self-and-public-teacher.

Where this applies

Bhakti

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