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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 548 of 4582

Abhanga 548

English: Piṇḍa-pōṣaṇē — adhama-jñāna — vilāsa-miṣṭānna.

When body-feeding is named as low-knowledge — and you have to recognize this register
When the saints sawed-their-bodies and went to vana-vāsa — and you accept this counter-witness
When Janaka ruled with one foot in fire — and you receive this image

The verse

पिंड पोसावे हें अधमाचें ज्ञान । विलास मिष्टान्न करूनियां ॥१॥ शरीर रक्षावें हा धर्म बोलती । काय असे हातीं तयाचिया ॥ध्रु.॥ क्षणभंगुर हें जाय न कळतां । ग्रास गिळि सत्ता नाहीं हातीं ॥२॥ कर्वतिलीं देहें कापियेलें मांस । गेले वनवासा शुकादिक ॥३॥ तुका म्हणे राज्य करितां जनक । अग्नीमाजी एक पाय जळे ॥४॥

Literal translation

English: Piṇḍa-pōṣaṇēadhama-jñānavilāsa-miṣṭānna. Body-protect — dharma called — what in hand? Kṣaṇa-bhangura — goes — not knowing — grāsa — no sattā in hand. Bodies karvatilīm — flesh cut — Śuka and others — vana-vāsa. Tuka says: ruling — Janaka — one foot in agni burned.

मराठी: पिंड पोसावे हें अधमाचें ज्ञान — विलास मिष्टान्न करूनियां. शरीर रक्षावें हा धर्म बोलती — काय असे हातीं तयाचिया?. क्षणभंगुर हें जाय न कळतां — ग्रास गिळि सत्ता नाहीं हातीं. कर्वतिलीं देहें कापियेलें मांस — गेले वनवासा शुकादिक. तुकाराम म्हणतां — राज्य करितां जनक — अग्नीमाजी एक पाय जळे.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
पिंड पोसावे हें अधमाचें ज्ञान "piṇḍa-pōṣaṇēadhama-jñāna"
विलास मिष्टान्न करूनियां "vilāsa-miṣṭānna"
शरीर रक्षावें हा धर्म बोलती "body-protect — call dharma"
काय असे हातीं तयाचिया "what — in his hand?"
क्षणभंगुर हें जाय न कळतां "kṣaṇa-bhangura — goes — not knowing"
ग्रास गिळि सत्ता नाहीं हातीं "grāsasattā not in hand"
कर्वतिलीं देहें कापियेलें मांस "bodies karvatilīm — flesh cut"
गेले वनवासा शुकादिक "Śuka and others — vana-vāsa"
राज्य करितां जनक "ruling — Janaka"
अग्नीमाजी एक पाय जळे "one foot in agni burned"

What it means

A body-protection-is-adhama-jñāna abhang. Counter-witness register: the saints did the opposite. Five claims:

  1. पिंड पोसावे हें अधमाचें ज्ञान — विलास मिष्टान्न करूनियांpiṇḍa-pōṣaṇē — adhama-jñāna — vilāsa-miṣṭānna. The opening-charge: piṇḍa-pōṣaṇē (feeding-the-body) is adhama-jñāna (low-knowledge, base-wisdom); with vilāsa (luxury) and miṣṭānna (sweets). Body-feeding-with-luxury-is-low-knowledge.

  2. शरीर रक्षावें हा धर्म बोलती — काय असे हातीं तयाचियाbody-protect — dharma called — what in hand? The what's-in-his-hand-charge: they say body-protection is dharma; but what is in his hand? (= what control does he have over the body?) Body-protection-isn't-in-our-hands.

  3. क्षणभंगुर हें जाय न कळतां — ग्रास गिळि सत्ता नाहीं हातींkṣaṇa-bhangura — goes — not knowing — grāsa — no sattā in hand. The no-sattā-claim: this kṣaṇa-bhangura (moment-fragile) [body] — goes — without our knowing; even swallowing a grāsa (mouthful) — no sattā (power, control) in hand. We-don't-even-control-the-mouthful-we-swallow*.

  4. कर्वतिलीं देहें कापियेलें मांस — गेले वनवासा शुकादिकbodies karvatilīm — flesh cut — Śuka and others — vana-vāsa. The counter-witness-claim: bodies were karvatilīm (sawed); flesh was kāpīyēlēm (cut); Śuka and others — went to vana-vāsa (forest-dwelling). The saints did the opposite of body-protection: they let bodies be sawed, went to forest-dwelling. (References: the legend of bodies being sawed in martyrdom; Śuka* the great-renunciate-son-of-Vyāsa who went to the forest.)

  5. तुका म्हणे राज्य करितां जनक — अग्नीमाजी एक पाय जळेTuka says: ruling — Janaka — one foot in agni burned. The closing-Janaka-image: Tuka says: while ruling; Janakaone foot in agni burned. Janaka-ruled-with-one-foot-in-fire. (The Janaka-image: even-while-ruling-the-kingdom (the perfect-householder-king), Janaka's one-foot-was-in-the-fire — that is, his body-and-life were always-already-let-go-in-fire. The jīvanmukta-as-householder-king.)

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the body-protection-is-adhama-jñāna register:

  1. Body-feeding with luxury is adhama-jñāna*. Piṇḍa-pōṣaṇē — adhama-jñāna. Treating body-care as the highest knowledge is low-knowledge. Don't-make-body-feeding-the-rule*.

  2. Even swallowing a grāsa — no sattā*. Grāsa giḷi — sattā nāhīm hātīm. We don't even-control-the-mouthful-we-swallow; body-protection-claim-is-illusory-control. Recognize-the-no-control*.

  3. The saints did the opposite: bodies sawed, vana-vāsa*. Karvatilīm — kāpīyēlēm — Śuka — vana-vāsa. Counter-witness: the saints let bodies be sawed, went to forest. Don't-treat-body-protection-as-saint-rule*.

  4. Janaka ruled with one foot in agni*. Janaka — agnī-mājhī ēka pāya jaḷē. Even the perfect-householder-king ruled with one-foot-in-the-fire (= the body always-already-burning, jīvanmukta-householder). Even-the-king's-bhakti was through-the-fire-of-let-go*.

For today: don't make body-feeding the supreme knowledge; recognize that even the mouthful is not in our hands; the saints did the opposite of body-protection; even Janaka ruled with one-foot-in-the-fire.

This abhang is Tukaram's body-protection-counter-witness registerthe saints' actions are the counter-evidence to body-protection-as-dharma. Compare 0540 dharma-as-shade; same dharma-discussion but here the body-protection is questioned as adhama-jñāna. The Janaka-foot-in-fire is one of Tukaram's most-distilled images of jīvanmukta-householder.

मराठी: ही ओवी body-protection-is-adhama-jñāna register नाव सांगते:

  1. Vilāsa-miṣṭānna ने body-feeding adhama-jñāna. पिंड-पोषणे — अधम-ज्ञान. Body-care सर्वोच्च-knowledge म्हणून treat करणं low-knowledge. Body-feeding rule नका*.

  2. Grāsa गिळला तरी — sattā नाही. ग्रास गिळी — सत्ता नाही. आपण-गिळलेला-grāsa सुद्धा-control-करत-नाही; body-protection-claim illusory-control. No control ओळखा*.

  3. Saints विरुद्ध केलं: bodies sawed, vana-vāsa*. कर्वतिलीं — कापियेलें — शुक — वनवास. Counter-witness: saints bodies sawed, forest गेले. Body-protection saint-rule म्हणून treat नका*.

  4. Janaka एक पाय agni मध्ये राज्य. Janaka — agni एक पाय जळे. Perfect-householder-king सुद्धा एक-foot-fire मध्ये राज्य (= body आधीच-जळतं, jīvanmukta-householder). King च-bhakti-सुद्धा-let-go-fire मधून*.

आज: Body-feeding सर्वोच्च-knowledge करू नका; Mouthful सुद्धा हातात नाही ओळखा; Saints body-protection च्या उलट केलं; Janaka एक-foot-fire मध्ये राज्य.

Tukaram च-body-protection-counter-witness-registerSaints च्या actions body-protection-as-dharma च्या counter-evidence. 0540 dharma-as-shade compare; तीच dharma-discussion पण इथे body-protection adhama-jñāna म्हणून प्रश्न. Janaka-foot-in-fire Tukaram च्या most-distilled jīvanmukta-householder images पैकी एक.

Where this applies

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