संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 717 of 4582

Abhanga 717

English: If nothing comes — carry bhalatē-ci.

When under the master's name, anything sells — and you have to recognize this register

When called-on, who doesn't take to forced-labour — and you accept this image

When sattā stands above many — and you receive this final claim

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

English: 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 to vēṭhī (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 the samartha's (strong-master's) nāmā — anything-whatever can be vikāvē (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, the sattā* of the master's-name overrides them all.)

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the under-master's-name-anything-sells register:

Even if nothing-special comes, carry whatever; when called, take up the forced-labour. Carry-whatever.
Under the master's name, anything sells. Master-warrant.
His sattā stands above many. Sattā-above.

For today: the bhakta as small-trader has poor-goods of his own; but under the samartha-nāmā, anything-whatever sells; the master's-sattā stands-above all those who would judge.

This abhang is Tukaram's master's-name-as-warrant register — one of the most-mercantile bhakti-images. Compare 0688 māpa-and-dhaṇī (Tuka's mudra); same merchant-vocabulary but here organized through vēṭhī (forced-labour) — under master's name — sattā-overrides. The samarthāciyā-nāmā vikāvē (under master's-name anything-sells) is one of the most-encouraging Tukaram lines for the unworthy*.

मराठी: ही ओवी under-master's-name-anything-sells register नाव सांगते:

कांहीं न-ये तरी वाही; म्हणविल्या वेठीस घे. Carry-whatever.
Samartha-नांवें — भलतैसें विकावें. Master-warrant.
त्याची सत्ता बहुतांवरी. Sattā-above.

आज: Bhakta स्वतःच्या-poor-goods असलेला small-trader; पण samartha-nāmā खाली anything-whatever-sells; Master-च-sattā judge-करणाऱ्या-सर्वांच्या-वर.

Tukaram च-master's-name-as-warrant-register — Most-mercantile bhakti-images पैकी एक. 0688 māpa-and-dhaṇī (Tuka mudra) compare; तीच merchant-vocabulary पण इथे vēṭhī (forced-labour) — under master's name — sattā-overrides च्या मार्गाने. Samarthāciyā-nāmā vikāvē unworthy-साठी most-encouraging Tukaram lines पैकी एक.

Where this applies

Carry whatever.* Master's call.
Master's name.* Sells anything.
Sattā above.** Override.

Name Bhakti