संत साहित्य
Work in progress. Translations and commentary are AI-generated and may contain inaccuracies or hallucinations — please use your own judgement and check against the original sources.
संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 565 of 4582

Abhanga 565

English: Without You — vāṇī — others' thōrī — jihvā — Hari — jhaḍō.

When the bhakta vows organ-by-organ-with-self-curse — and you have to recognize this register
When each organ has its specific curse if it betrays the vow — and you accept this discipline
When what use of living if I forget You for one kṣaṇa — and you receive this final-statement

The verse

तुजविण वाणीं आणिकांची थोरी । तरी माझी हरी जिव्हा झडो ॥१॥ तुजविण चित्ता आवडे आणीक । तरी हा मस्तक भंगो माझा ॥ध्रु.॥ नेत्रीं आणिकांसि पाहीन आवडी । जातु ते चि घडी चांडाळ हे ॥२॥ कथामृतपान न करिती श्रवण । काय प्रयोजन मग यांचें ॥३॥ तुका म्हणे काय वांचून कारण । तुज एक क्षण विसंबतां ॥४॥

Literal translation

English: Without You — vāṇī — others' thōrījihvāHarijhaḍō. Without You — cittaāvaḍē — other — mastakabhanga. Nētraāvaḍīghaṭicāṇḍāḷa. Śravaṇakathā-amṛta — don't drink — what use? Tuka says: what use — vāmcūna — one kṣaṇavisamba You?

मराठी: तुजविण वाणीं आणिकांची थोरी — तरी माझी हरी जिव्हा झडो. तुजविण चित्ता आवडे आणीक — तरी हा मस्तक भंगो माझा. नेत्रीं आणिकांसि पाहीन आवडी — जातु ते चि घडी चांडाळ हे. कथामृतपान न करिती श्रवण — काय प्रयोजन मग यांचें?. तुकाराम म्हणतां — काय वांचून कारण — तुज एक क्षण विसंबतां?

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
तुजविण वाणीं आणिकांची थोरी "without You — vāṇī — others' thōrī"
तरी माझी हरी जिव्हा झडो "jihvāHarijhaḍō"
तुजविण चित्ता आवडे आणीक "without You — cittaāvaḍē — other"
तरी हा मस्तक भंगो माझा "mastakabhanga"
नेत्रीं आणिकांसि पाहीन आवडी "nētra — see other — āvaḍī"
जातु ते चि घडी चांडाळ हे "ghaṭicāṇḍāḷa"
कथामृतपान न करिती श्रवण "kathā-amṛtaśravaṇa — don't drink"
काय प्रयोजन मग यांचें "what use — theirs?"
काय वांचून कारण "what use — living?"
तुज एक क्षण विसंबतां "one kṣaṇavisamba You"

What it means

A famous vow-each-organ-or-curse-itself abhang. Strongest organ-vow register, with self-curse for each organ. Five claims:

  1. तुजविण वाणीं आणिकांची थोरी — तरी माझी हरी जिव्हा झडोvāṇī others' thōrī — jihvā Hari jhaḍō. The tongue-curse-vow: if without You I praise (vāṇī) the thōrī (greatness) of others; let my jihvā (tongue), Hari, jhaḍō (fall off, drop off). Tongue-falls-off-if-it-praises-other.

  2. तुजविण चित्ता आवडे आणीक — तरी हा मस्तक भंगो माझाcitta — āvaḍē other — mastaka bhanga. The head-curse-vow: if without You the citta likes another; let this mastaka (head) bhanga (break) for me. Head-breaks-if-citta-likes-other.

  3. नेत्रीं आणिकांसि पाहीन आवडी — जातु ते चि घडी चांडाळ हेnētra — see other — āvaḍī — ghaṭi cāṇḍāḷa. The eye-curse-vow: with nētra (eyes) — if I see (pāhīna) others with āvaḍī; that ghaṭi (moment) — cāṇḍāḷa (vile, untouchable) be. Moment-of-eye-betrayal-is-cāṇḍāḷa.

  4. कथामृतपान न करिती श्रवण — काय प्रयोजन मग यांचेंśravaṇa — kathā-amṛta — don't drink — what use? The ear-test-vow: if śravaṇa (ears) don't drink the kathā-amṛta (nectar of the deva-narrative); what use is theirs? Ears-uselessness-if-not-drinking-kathā-amṛta.

  5. तुका म्हणे काय वांचून कारण — तुज एक क्षण विसंबतांTuka says: what use vāmcūna — one kṣaṇa visamba? The closing-life-itself-questioned-claim: Tuka says: what use of vāmcūna (living, surviving); if for one kṣaṇa — I visamba (forget, am-distracted-from) You? Even-living-is-useless-if-I-forget-You-for-one-moment.

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the vow-each-organ-or-curse-itself register:

  1. Tongue falls off if it praises other. Jihvā jhaḍō. Tongue-curse-vow: praise-only-the-deva.

  2. Head breaks if citta* likes other. Mastaka bhanga. Head-curse-vow: citta-affection-only-to-deva*.

  3. Moment-of-eye-betrayal is cāṇḍāḷa*. Ghaṭi cāṇḍāḷa. Eye-curse-vow: see-the-deva-only*.

  4. Ears uselessness if not drinking kathā-amṛta*. Śravaṇa kathā-amṛta. Ear-test-vow: hear-only-the-deva-narrative*.

  5. What use of living if I forget You for one kṣaṇa*? Vāmcūna kāraṇa — kṣaṇa visamba. Life-itself is useless if forgetting-the-deva-for-one-moment. Final-vow*.

For today: the bhakti-discipline is precise: each organ has its specific vow with self-curse if it betrays; living-itself is useless if the deva is forgotten for one moment.

This abhang is Tukaram's organ-by-organ-vow-with-self-curse registerthe strongest formulation. Compare 0549 throat-cut-don't-speak-other; same organ-by-organ register but here with explicit-self-curses-and-life-itself-questioned. The vāmcūna-kāraṇa-kṣaṇa-visamba claim is one of Tukaram's most-cited bhakti-priority statements.

मराठी: ही ओवी vow-each-organ-or-curse-itself register नाव सांगते:

  1. Other-praise केलं तर tongue पडो. जिह्वा झडो. Tongue-curse-vow: फक्त-देव-praise.

  2. Citta other-like केलं तर head break. मस्तक भंग. Head-curse-vow: citta-affection-फक्त-देव*.

  3. Eye-betrayal-moment cāṇḍāḷa*. घडी चांडाळ. Eye-curse-vow: फक्त-देव-बघा*.

  4. Kathā-amṛta drink नाही केलं तर ears useless. श्रवण कथा-अमृत. Ear-test-vow: फक्त-देव-narrative-ऐका*.

  5. एक kṣaṇa* You forget झालं तर वाचून काय? वांचून कारण — क्षण विसंबता. Life-itself useless if देव-one-moment-forget. Final-vow*.

आज: Bhakti-discipline precise: प्रत्येक organ ची specific vow self-curse सोबत if betray; Life-itself useless if देव-one-moment-forget.

Tukaram च-organ-by-organ-vow-with-self-curse-registerStrongest formulation. 0549 throat-cut-don't-speak-other compare; तीच organ-by-organ register पण इथे explicit-self-curses-and-life-itself-questioned. Vāmcūna-kāraṇa-kṣaṇa-visamba claim Tukaram च्या most-cited bhakti-priority statements पैकी एक.

Where this applies

Related verses