संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 655 of 4582

Abhanga 655

While your body is capable and death still feels distant, act now through pilgrimage, sincere devotion, honest use of wealth, and good company, because at death only your actions go with you, not your power or possessions.

When while still capable do tīrtha-yātrā — and you have to recognize this register
When while time stands afar sing Hari-guṇa — and you accept this admonition
When don't be bound in viṣaya-sanga; stay in sant-sanga — and you receive this final discipline

The verse

जंव हें सकळ सद्धी आहे । हात चालावया पाये । तंव तूं आपुलें स्वहित पाहें । तीर्थयात्रे जायें चुकों नको ॥१॥ जंव काळ असे दुरी ठेला । तंव तूं हरिगुण गायें आइक वहिला । मनीं भाव धरूनि भला । न वंचें त्याला चुकों नको ॥२॥ जोडोनि धन न घलीं माती । ब्रम्हवृंदें पूजन इति । सत्य आचरण दया भूतीं । करीं सांगाती चुकों नको ॥३॥ दशा यौवन बाणली अंगीं । पांगिला नव्हें विषयसंगीं । काम क्रोध लोभ मोह त्यागीं । राहें संतसंगीं चुकों नको ॥४॥ मग तेथें न चले कांहीं । सत्ता संपदा राहेल ठायींच्या ठायीं । पुढें संचित जाईल ग्वाही । तुका म्हणे ते ही यमआज्ञा ॥५॥

Literal translation

While everything-capable is — hands, walking feet — then you, look to your own welfare — tīrtha-yātrā don't-miss. While time stands afar — sing Hari's-qualities, listen-attentively — holding good bhāva in the mind — don't cheat it, don't-miss. Earn dhana — don't throw-as-mud — Brahma-vṛnda pūjanasatya-ācaraṇa, dayā on beings — make-companion, don't-miss. Daśā-yauvana set-in-body — don't get-bound in viṣaya-sanga — renounce kāma-krōdha-lōbha-mōha — stay in sant-sanga, don't-miss. Then there nothing-works — sattā-sampadā stays in own-places — samcita goes-ahead-as-witness — Tuka says: that-too is yama-ājñā.

मराठी: सकळ-सिद्धी आहे — हात-पाय आहेत — तेव्हा स्वहित पाहा — तीर्थयात्रा-न-चुकवा. काळ दूर आहे — हरिगुण गा, ऐका, मनीं भाव धरा — न-चुकवा. धन जोडा माती करूं नका — ब्रह्मवृंद-पूजन — सत्य-आचरण, दया-भूतीं — सांगाती करा — न-चुकवा. दशा-यौवन-अंगीं — विषय-संगी पांगू नका — काम-क्रोध-लोभ-मोह त्यागा — संत-संगीं रहा — न-चुकवा. नंतर तेथें कांहीं चालत नाही — सत्ता-संपदा ठायींच्या ठायीं — संचित पुढें ग्वाही — Tuka म्हणे: ती च यम-आज्ञा.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
जंव हें सकळ सद्धी आहे "jamvasakaḷa siddhi (everything-capable) is"
हात चालावया पाये "hands — walking — feet"
तंव तूं आपुलें स्वहित पाहें "tavasva-hita (own-welfare) look"
तीर्थयात्रे जायें चुकों नको "tīrtha-yātrā go — cukōm nakō (don't miss)"
जंव काळ असे दुरी ठेला "jamva kāḷa (while time) — far-stands"
तंव तूं हरिगुण गायें आइक वहिला "hari-guṇa sing — listen-attentively"
मनीं भाव धरूनि भला "manī good bhāva — hold"
जोडोनि धन न घलीं माती "earn dhana — don't-throw-as-mud"
ब्रम्हवृंदें पूजन इति "Brahma-vṛndapūjana"
सत्य आचरण दया भूतीं "satya-ācaraṇadayā-bhūtīm"
करीं सांगाती चुकों नको "make-sāngātī — don't-miss"
दशा यौवन बाणली अंगीं "daśā-yauvana — set-in-body"
पांगिला नव्हें विषयसंगीं "don't-be-bound in viṣaya-sanga"
काम क्रोध लोभ मोह त्यागीं "kāma-krōdha-lōbha-mōha renounce"
राहें संतसंगीं चुकों नको "stay in sant-sanga — don't-miss"
मग तेथें न चले कांहीं "then there nothing-works"
सत्ता संपदा राहेल ठायींच्या ठायीं "sattā-sampadā stays in own-places"
पुढें संचित जाईल ग्वाही "ahead samcita — goes-as-witness"
तुका म्हणे ते ही यमआज्ञा "Tuka says: that-too — yama-ājñā"

What it means

A jamva-can-do-tīrtha-yātrā-Hari-guṇa-dāna-vairāgya-yamadaṇḍa abhang. While-still-capable-admonition register. Five claims, each ending cukōm nakō (don't-miss):

  1. जंव सकळ-सिद्धी — हात-पाय — स्वहित पाहा — तीर्थयात्रा न-चुकवाwhile sakaḷa-siddhi — hands-feet — see sva-hita — don't-miss tīrtha-yātrā. The opening-time-window-claim: while everything-capable is — hands work, feet walk; then-you, look-to-your-own-welfare; don't-miss going ontīrtha-yātrā(pilgrimage). Body-functioning-window-for-pilgrimage.

  2. जंव काळ दूरी — हरिगुण गा — मनीं भाव — न-चुकवाwhile time stands afar — sing Hari-guṇa — bhāva in mind — don't-miss. The time-window-for-singing-claim: whilekāḷa(time, death) stands-afar; singHari-guṇa, listen-attentively;holding good bhāva in mind, don't-cheat-it;don't-miss.Time-window-for-Hari-guṇa-singing.

  3. धन — माती न-करा — Brahma-vṛnda पूजन — सत्य-आचरण — दया-भूतीं — सांगाती — न-चुकवाdhana — don't-make-mud — Brahma-vṛnda pūjana — satya-ācaraṇa — dayā-bhūtīm — sāngātī — don't-miss. The use-of-wealth-claim: earndhanaand don't-throw-it-as-mud (= don't-waste-it); Brahma-vṛnda-pūjana (feeding and worshipping the Brahmin-circle); satya-ācaraṇa (truth-conduct), dayā on bhūtēm (mercy on beings); make these yoursāngātī(companions); don't-miss. Wealth-channeled-into-dāna-and-dharma.

  4. दशा-यौवन — विषय-संगी पांगू नका — काम-क्रोध-लोभ-मोह त्यागा — संत-संगीं रहा — न-चुकवाdaśā-yauvana — don't pāngū in viṣaya-sanga — renounce kāma-krōdha-lōbha-mōha — stay in sant-sanga — don't-miss. The youth-vairāgya-claim: daśā-yauvana (the state of youth) set-in-body;don't-get-bound (pāngilā navhē) in viṣaya-sanga (sense-attachment);renounce the four — kāma-krōdha-lōbha-mōha; stay insant-sanga; don't-miss. Youth-vairāgya-and-sant-sanga-discipline.

  5. नंतर तेथें न-चालत — सत्ता-संपदा ठायींच्या ठायीं — संचित पुढें ग्वाही — Tuka म्हणे: यम-आज्ञाthen-nothing-works — sattā-sampadā stays in own-places — samcita goes-as-witness — Tuka says: yama-ājñā. The closing-yama-ājñā-warning: then (when death comes) therenothing-works; sattā-sampadā (power-and-wealth) stay in their own-places (don't-go-with-you);the samcita goes-ahead as the gvāhī (witness);Tuka says: that-too is yama-ājñā (Yama's-order).At-death-power-wealth-stay-only-samcita-goes-as-Yama-witness.

[T]

For someone today

Tukaram gives a plain checklist for making good use of the time you have while you still have it. While your body is still strong and your hands and feet still work, go on pilgrimage and don't put it off; while death still feels far away, sing God's praises with real feeling instead of going through the motions. Earn money, but don't waste it, put some of it toward charity, honesty, and kindness toward others. While you're young and full of energy, don't let yourself get absorbed in chasing pleasure, keep company with good, spiritually minded people instead. When death finally comes, none of your power or wealth goes with you, only what you've actually done follows as a witness, and that, Tukaram says, is simply death's own order.

मराठी: तुकाराम इथे वेळ असतानाच तिचा सदुपयोग कसा करावा, याची साधी सूची देतात. शरीर अजून धडधाकट आहे, हातपाय चालत आहेत तोवर तीर्थयात्रा टाळू नका; मृत्यू अजून दूर आहे तोवर औपचारिकपणे नव्हे तर मनापासून हरिगुण गा. धन कमवा, पण ते वाया घालवू नका, त्यातला काही भाग दान, सत्य आणि इतरांवरील दयेसाठी वापरा. तारुण्याची उर्जा असतानाच विषयसुखांच्या मागे लागू नका, त्याऐवजी संतांच्या संगतीत रहा. शेवटी मृत्यू आला की सत्ता आणि संपत्ती इथेच राहतात, फक्त आपण केलेली कर्मेच साक्षीदार होऊन पुढे जातात, आणि हाच, तुकाराम म्हणतात, यमाचा नियम आहे.

Where this applies

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