Abhanga 717
You don't need to have something impressive to offer — if nothing great comes your way, just carry what you have and give it when you're called on to serve. Think of a small trader with humble goods who can still sell everything simply because he trades under a great merchant's name; in the same way, your ordinary, imperfect self becomes acceptable when you offer it under God's name. People may doubt you or criticize your worth, but the authority standing behind you outweighs all of their judgment.
The verse
नये जरी कांहीं । तरी भलतें चि वाहीं ॥१॥ म्हणविल्या ढास । कोण न धरी वेठीस ॥ध्रु.॥ समर्थाच्या नांवें । भलतैसें विकावें ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे सत्ता । वरी असते बहुतां ॥३॥
Literal translation
If nothing comes — carry bhalatē-ci. When called-on — who doesn't take to vēṭhī? Under the samartha-nāmā — anything sells. Tuka says: sattā stands above many.
मराठी: कांहीं नये तरी — भलतें-च वाहीं. म्हणविल्या ढास — कोण वेठीस न-धरी?. समर्थाच्या-नांवें — भलतैसें विकावें. Tuka म्हणे: सत्ता — वरी असते बहुतां.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| नये जरी कांहीं | "if nothing comes" |
| तरी भलतें चि वाहीं | "carry — bhalatē-ci" |
| म्हणविल्या ढास | "called — ḍhāsa (cough / pull / direction)" |
| कोण न धरी वेठीस | "who — doesn't take — vēṭhī" |
| समर्थाच्या नांवें | "samartha-nāmā" |
| भलतैसें विकावें | "anything — vikāvē" |
| सत्ता वरी असते बहुतां | "sattā — above — many" |
What it means
A under-master's-name-anything-sells-sattā-stands-above-many abhang. Master's-name-as-warrant register. Three claims:
-
कांहीं न-ये — भलतें-च-वाही — म्हणविल्या-ढास — वेठीस-न-धरी कोण? Carry-whatever-when-called-on-claim. If nothing-(special) comes — then carry whatever-it-is (बहलतें-च); when called-on, who doesn't take tovēṭhī(forced-labour, corvée — the village-conscript-labour)?. Even-without-choice, take-up-the-load.
-
समर्थाच्या-नांवें — भलतैसें विकावें. Under-master's-name-anything-sells-claim. Under thesamartha's (strong-master's)nāmā — anything-whatever can bevikāvē(sold). Master's-name-makes-anything-saleable. (The mercantile image: a small-trader, even with poor-goods, sells under a great-merchant's-name; the bhakta, under Hari's-nāmā, finds his very-life saleable / acceptable.)
-
Tuka: सत्ता वरी असते बहुतां. Sattā-above-many-claim. Tuka says:sattā (authority, power) stands above many.The-master's-sattā-overrides-everyone. (Reading: even though many criticize or doubt the bhakta's worth, thesattā of the master's-name overrides them all.)
[T]
For someone today
You don't need to have something impressive to offer — if nothing great comes your way, just carry what you have and give it when you're called on to serve. Think of a small trader with humble goods who can still sell everything simply because he trades under a great merchant's name; in the same way, your ordinary, imperfect self becomes acceptable when you offer it under God's name. People may doubt you or criticize your worth, but the authority standing behind you outweighs all of their judgment.
मराठी: तुमच्याकडे काही खास किंवा मोठं द्यायला नसलं तरी हरकत नाही — जे काही आहे ते बोलावलं की उचलून द्या, तेवढं पुरेसं आहे. एखादा छोटा व्यापारी साध्यासुध्या मालासकट सुद्धा मोठ्या व्यापाऱ्याच्या नावाखाली सगळं विकू शकतो, तसंच तुमचं साधं, अपूर्ण असणंही देवाच्या नावाखाली अर्पण केलं की स्वीकारार्ह होतं. लोक तुमच्यावर शंका घेतील, टीका करतील, पण त्यामागे उभी असलेली सत्ता त्या सगळ्या टीकेपेक्षा मोठी असते.
Where this applies
- Carry whatever. Master's call.
- Master's name. Sells anything.
- Sattā above. Override.