संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 688 of 4582

Abhanga 688

English: Māpa says: I measure — dhaṇī fills, leaves-empty.

When I am only the measure — the dhaṇī fills and empties — and you have to recognize this register
When the country runs by sikā; an empty thing has no value — and you accept this image
When the sūtra-string is in His hand; His is the greatness — and you receive this final image

The verse

माप म्हणे मी मवितें । भरी धणी ठेवी रितें ॥१॥ देवा अभिमान नको । माझेठायीं देऊं सकों ॥ध्रु.॥ देशी चाले सिका । रितें कोण लेखी रंका ॥२॥ हातीं सूत्रदोरी । तुका म्हणे त्याची थोरी ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: Māpa says: I measure — dhaṇī fills, leaves-empty. Deva, no abhimāna — don't put it in my-place. In dēśa, the sikā runs — an empty-thing — who values, the ranka? In (His) hand — sūtra-dōrī — Tuka says: His is the thōrī.

मराठी: माप म्हणे: मी मविते — धणी भरतो, रितें ठेवतो. देवा, abhimāna नको — माझ्या-ठायी देऊं सकूं नकोस. देशी सिका चाले — रितें कोण लेखी, रंक?. हातीं सूत्र-दोरी — Tuka म्हणे: त्याची थोरी.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
माप म्हणे मी मवितें "māpa — says — I measure"
भरी धणी ठेवी रितें "dhaṇī — fills — leaves-empty"
देवा अभिमान नको "deva — abhimāna — nakō"
माझेठायीं देऊं सकों "in my-place — don't put"
देशी चाले सिका "dēśī — sikā — runs"
रितें कोण लेखी रंका "empty — who values, ranka"
हातीं सूत्रदोरी "in (His) hand — sūtra-dōrī"
तुका म्हणे त्याची थोरी "Tuka — His — thōrī"

What it means

A māpa-mvitē-dhaṇī-fills-and-empties-sikā-runs-country-sūtra-dōrī-in-hand abhang. Měrchant-and-puppet metaphor register. Three claims:

  1. माप म्हणे मी मवितें — धणी-भरतो-रितें-ठेवतो — abhimāna नको — माझ्या-ठायी-देऊं-सकूं-नकोस. Měasure-doesn't-do-but-the-dhaṇī-does-claim. The māpa (measuring-vessel) says: I measure; (but really) the dhaṇī (owner / shopkeeper) fills it, the dhaṇī leaves it empty; deva, no abhimāna (claim-of-self-doing) — don't put it in my-place (don't let-me-think I'm-the-doer). The měasure is just the means; the dhaṇī fills-and-empties; the bhakta is just-the-měasure.

  2. देशी-सिका — रितें-कोण-लेखी-रंक. Sikā-runs-country-empty-not-valued-claim. In the dēśa (country), the sikā (royal-stamp / currency-stamp) runs (= what is stamped-by-the-king is currency); an empty-thing (without-the-stamp) — who values it? — the ranka (poor-person — even the poor doesn't value an unstamped-coin). Without-Your-stamp, the bhakta is unvalued; with-Your-stamp, the bhakta is currency. (The sikā image: a coin gets value from the king's-stamp, not from-the-metal; the bhakta gets value from-the-deva's-stamp.)

  3. हातीं सूत्र-दोरी — Tuka: त्याची थोरी. Sūtra-string-in-His-hand-claim. In (His) hand — the sūtra-dōrī (puppet-thread, the controlling-string); Tuka says: His is the thōrī (greatness). The string-is-in-His-hand; the greatness-is-His. (The puppet-image: I'm-the-puppet, He-holds-the-string; therefore the greatness-of-the-action is His, not mine.)

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the měasure-and-puppet-and-stamp register:

  1. I am only the měasure; the dhaṇī fills and empties; no abhimāna on me. Měasure-image.

  2. The country runs by sikā; an empty-thing isn't valued. Sikā-image.

  3. Sūtra-string in His hand; His is the greatness. Puppet-image.

For today: the bhakta is just the māpa; the dhaṇī fills and empties; no abhimāna should attach to the bhakta; the sikā (the deva's-stamp) makes the bhakta valuable, not the bhakta's-self; the sūtra-string is in His hand — every action is His, the greatness is His.

This abhang is Tukaram's měasure-and-puppet-and-stamp register — one of the most-precise no-abhimāna statements. Compare 0686 no-Tuka-here-svāmī-sikā-speaks; same self-dissolution-with-stamp but here organized through three concrete-images. The māpa-and-dhaṇī image: shopkeeper-fills-the-mēasure, the mēasure-doesn't-fill-itself.

मराठी: ही ओवी měasure-and-puppet-and-stamp register नाव सांगते:

  1. मी फक्त मापच; धणी भरतो-रितें-ठेवतो; मला abhimāna नको. Měasure-image.

  2. देशी-सिका-चाले; रितें-वर value नाही. Sikā-image.

  3. सूत्र-दोरी His-hand-त; His-greatness. Puppet-image.

आज: Bhakta फक्त māpa; Dhaṇī fills-and-empties; abhimāna bhakta-वर attach व्हायला नको; Sikā (deva-च-stamp) bhakta-ला valuable करते, bhakta-self-नाही; Sūtra-string His-hand-त — every-action His, greatness His*.

Tukaram च-měasure-and-puppet-and-stamp-register — Most-precise no-abhimāna statements पैकी एक. 0686 no-Tuka-here-svāmī-sikā-speaks compare; तीच self-dissolution-with-stamp पण इथे three-concrete-images-त-organized. Māpa-and-dhaṇī image — shopkeeper-fills-the-měasure, the-měasure-doesn't-fill-itself.

Where this applies

Bhakti

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