Abhanga 661
Keep to a few honest disciplines, don't covet what isn't yours, stay peaceful and kind, avoid bad company, and place your hope only in God, who will carry the full weight of your wellbeing.
The verse
इतुलें करीं भलत्या परी । परद्रव्य परनारी । सांडुनि अभिलाष अंतरीं । वर्तें वेव्हारीं सुखरूप ॥१॥ न करीं दंभाचा सायास । शांती राहें बहुवस । जिव्हे सेवीं सुगंधरस । न करीं आळस रामनामीं ॥२॥ जनमित्र होई सकळांचा । अशुभ न बोलावी वाचा । संग न धरावा दुर्जनाचा । करीं संतांचा सायास ॥३॥ करिसी देवाविण आस । अवघी होईल निरास । तृष्णा वाढविसी बहुवस । कधीं सुखास न पवसी ॥४॥ धरूनि विश्वास करीं धीर । करितां देव हा चि निर्धार । तयाचा वाहे योगक्षेमभार । नाहीं अंतर तुका म्हणे ॥५॥
Literal translation
Do this-much in any way — para-dravya, para-nārī — renouncing abhilāṣa in the heart — live happily in vēvhāra. Don't take pains for dambha — let śānti abide much — let the tongue serve sugandha-rasa — no āḷasa in Rāma-nāma. Be everyone's jana-mitra — don't speak aśubha with the vācā — don't hold durjana-sanga — do the sāyāsa for santas. If you do āśā without deva, all will become nirāsa — tṛṣṇā increases much — never reach sukha. Holding viśvāsa, keep dhīra — deva alone is the nirdhāra — He carries yoga-kṣēma-bhāra — no antara — Tuka says.
मराठी: इतुलें करीं भलत्या परी — para-dravya, para-nārī — अभिलाष अंतरीं सांडुनि — vēvhāra-त सुखरूप वर्ते. दंभाचा-सायास न-करा — śānti राहो बहुवस — जिव्हा सुगंध-रस सेवो — Rāma-nāma-त आळस न-करा. सकळांचा जना-मित्र हो — अशुभ-वाचा न-बोल — durjana-sanga न-धर — santas-सायास कर. देवाविण आशा केलीं तर सर्व निरास — तृष्णा बहुवस वाढते — सुखाला कधीं न पावसि. विश्वास धरून धीर — देव-च निर्धार — yoga-kṣema-bhāra तो वाहतो — अंतर नाही — Tuka म्हणे.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| इतुलें करीं भलत्या परी | "this-much do — in any way" |
| परद्रव्य परनारी | "para-dravya — para-nārī" |
| सांडुनि अभिलाष अंतरीं | "renouncing abhilāṣa in antara" |
| वर्तें वेव्हारीं सुखरूप | "live in vēvhāra — happily" |
| न करीं दंभाचा सायास | "don't take sāyāsa for dambha" |
| शांती राहें बहुवस | "śānti — abide much" |
| जिव्हे सेवीं सुगंधरस | "let jihvā — serve sugandha-rasa" |
| न करीं आळस रामनामीं | "no āḷasa in Rāma-nāma" |
| जनमित्र होई सकळांचा | "be jana-mitra of all" |
| अशुभ न बोलावी वाचा | "don't speak aśubha with vācā" |
| संग न धरावा दुर्जनाचा | "don't hold durjana-sanga" |
| करीं संतांचा सायास | "do santas-sāyāsa" |
| करिसी देवाविण आस | "do āśā without deva" |
| अवघी होईल निरास | "all will be nirāsa" |
| तृष्णा वाढविसी बहुवस | "tṛṣṇā increases much" |
| धरूनि विश्वास करीं धीर | "holding viśvāsa — keep dhīra" |
| देव हा चि निर्धार | "deva — the nirdhāra" |
| योगक्षेमभार | "yoga-kṣēma-bhāra" |
| नाहीं अंतर तुका म्हणे | "no antara — Tuka says" |
What it means
A itulē-karī-no-paradravya-no-paranārī-no-dambha-no-durjana-sanga-deva-yoga-kṣēma-bhāra abhang. Minimum-discipline-and-yoga-kṣema-assurance register. Five claims:
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इतुलें करीं — para-dravya, para-nārī — अभिलाष-त्याग — vēvhāra-त सुखरूप — itulē karī — para-dravya, para-nārī — abhilāṣa-tyāga — vēvhāra sukha-rūpa. The opening-minimum-discipline-claim: do this-much, in any way (= at the very minimum); (have no)abhilāṣa(longing-desire) forpara-dravya(other's-wealth) andpara-nārī(other-woman) — renounce-this in the heart; (then) live invēvhāra(worldly-dealings)sukha-rūpa(happily, in the form of sukha). No-paradravya-no-paranārī-then-vēvhāra-can-be-happy. (This is the foundational two-no's of Vārkarī householder-life: don't covet wealth-or-women not-yours.)
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दंभ-सायास न-करा — śānti बहुवस — सुगंध-रस — Rāma-nāma आळस न-करा — no dambha-sāyāsa — śānti much — sugandha-rasa — no āḷasa in Rāma-nāma. The speech-and-discipline-claim: don't take pains fordambha(display, hypocrisy); letśāntiabidebahuvasa(much, abundantly); let thejihvā(tongue) servesugandha-rasa(fragrant-rasa = sweet, fragrant speech / Hari-rasa); noāḷasa(idleness) inRāma-nāma. No-display-śānti-Hari-rasa-no-idleness-in-Rāma-nāma.
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जना-मित्र — अशुभ-वाणी न-करा — durjana-sanga न-धर — santas-सायास — jana-mitra of all — no aśubha vācā — no durjana-sanga — santas-sāyāsa. The social-discipline-claim: bejana-mitra(everyone's friend) of all; don't speakaśubha(inauspicious / harmful) with thevācā; don't holddurjana-sanga(bad-company); do thesāyāsa(effort, exertion) forsantas(saints). Jana-mitra-no-aśubha-vāṇī-no-durjana-sanga-santa-sāyāsa.
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देवाविण आशा — सर्व निरास — तृष्णा वाढते — सुख न पाव — āśā without deva — all nirāsa — tṛṣṇā grows — no sukha. The only-deva-deserves-āśā-claim: if you doāśā(hope, expectation) withoutdeva (= placed elsewhere);all will become nirāsa (disappointment);you increase tṛṣṇā (thirst, craving) much;never reach sukha. Hope-only-on-deva-not-elsewhere.
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विश्वास — धीर — देव-निर्धार — yoga-kṣema-bhāra — अंतर नाही — viśvāsa — dhīra — deva nirdhāra — yoga-kṣēma-bhāra — no antara. The closing-yoga-kṣēma-assurance: holdingviśvāsa(faith), keepdhīra(patience); deva alone is thenirdhāra(determination, certainty); He carriesyoga-kṣēma-bhāra(the load of yoga-kṣēma — the maintaining-of-what-you-have-and-getting-of-what-you-need; cf. Bhagavad-gītā 9.22yōga-kṣēmam vahāmy aham); there is noantara(distance / shortfall); Tuka says. Deva-carries-yoga-kṣēma-bhāra-no-shortfall.
[T]
For someone today
Tukaram lays out a bare minimum for living well: don't covet what belongs to others, whether money or a person, and you can live happily even amid ordinary worldly dealings. Keep the mind at peace instead of performing piety for show, and let your tongue stay busy with sweet speech and the name of Rama rather than falling idle. Be a friend to everyone, never speak unkindly, stay away from bad company, and put real effort into the company of good people. He warns that placing your hope anywhere except God only feeds craving and ends in disappointment, but if you hold onto faith and trust, God himself will carry the full weight of your wellbeing, holding nothing back.
मराठी: तुकाराम जगण्यासाठी अगदी किमान शिस्त सांगतात. दुसऱ्याचे धन किंवा दुसऱ्याची व्यक्ती याविषयी मनात लोभ ठेवू नका, म्हणजे रोजच्या व्यवहारातही तुम्ही सुखाने राहू शकाल. दिखाव्यासाठी धडपड करण्याऐवजी मन शांत ठेवा, आणि जीभ आळस न करता गोड बोलण्यात आणि रामनामात गुंतलेली असू द्या. सर्वांचे मित्र व्हा, वाईट बोलू नका, दुर्जनांची संगत धरू नका, आणि खऱ्या चांगल्या माणसांसाठी मनापासून झटा. ते सावध करतात की देवाशिवाय कोठेही आशा ठेवली तर फक्त तृष्णा वाढते आणि शेवटी निराशाच पदरी पडते, पण विश्वास आणि धीर धरला तर देवच तुमच्या योगक्षेमाचा संपूर्ण भार आपल्या खांद्यावर घेतो, त्यात काहीच कमी पडू देत नाही.
Where this applies
- No para-dravya, no para-nārī. Minimum.
- Sugandha-rasa—Rāma-nāma. Speech-discipline.
- Jana-mitra— nodurjana-sanga. Social-discipline.
- Onlydevadeservesāśā. Hope-discipline.
- Yoga-kṣēma-bhāra. Assurance.