Abhanga 718
English: Na saṇḍavē — anna — I can't sēvavē — vana.
The verse
न संडवे अन्न । मज न सेववे वन ॥१॥ म्हणउनी नारायणा । कींव भाकितों करुणा ॥ध्रु.॥ नाहीं अधिकार । कांहीं घोकाया अक्षर ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे थोडें । आयुष्य अवघें चि कोडें ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: Na saṇḍavē — anna — I can't sēvavē — vana. Therefore, Nārāyaṇa — kīmva-bhākitōm karuṇā. No adhikāra — to ghōkāyā (recite) — even akṣara. Tuka says: thōḍē — āyuṣya — entirely — kōḍa.
मराठी: अन्न संडवत नाही — मला वन सेवता येत नाही. म्हणून, Nārāyaṇa — कींव भाकितों करुणा. अधिकार नाही — अक्षर सुद्धा घोकायला. Tuka म्हणे: थोडं — आयुष्य — सर्व-च कोडं.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| न संडवे अन्न | "na saṇḍavē — anna" |
| मज न सेववे वन | "I — can't sēvavē — vana" |
| म्हणउनी नारायणा | "therefore — Nārāyaṇa" |
| कींव भाकितों करुणा | "kīmva-bhākitōm karuṇā" |
| नाहीं अधिकार | "no — adhikāra" |
| कांहीं घोकाया अक्षर | "ghōkāyā akṣara" |
| थोडें आयुष्य | "little — āyuṣya" |
| अवघें चि कोडें | "entirely — kōḍa" |
What it means
A can't-give-up-anna-can't-take-vana-no-adhikāra-to-recite-life-is-kōḍa abhang. Honest-old-bhakta-confession register. Three claims:
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अन्न-न-संडवे — वन-न-सेववे — कींव भाकितों करुणा. Can't-fast-can't-take-to-forest-claim. I can't saṇḍavē (give up) anna (food, eating); I can't sēvavē (take to / serve) the vana (forest, wilderness for asceticism); therefore, Nārāyaṇa, kīmva bhākitōm karuṇā (I beg compassion plaintively). Neither-fast-nor-forest-only-petition. (The bhakta confesses: I can't do the standard ascetic-program — eating-renunciation, forest-dwelling.)
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नाहीं अधिकार — अक्षर घोकायला. No-adhikāra-to-recite-claim. No adhikāra (right, qualification) — to ghōkāyā (recite, intone) even an akṣara (syllable, letter — Vedic-syllable, mantra). Even-recitation-is-beyond-my-adhikāra.
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Tuka: थोडं आयुष्य — अवघं कोडं. Life-is-little-and-riddle-claim. Tuka says: thōḍē (little) — āyuṣya (life) — entirely a kōḍa (riddle, mystery, enigma). Life-is-little-and-completely-a-riddle*.
[T]
For someone today
This abhang names the honest-old-bhakta-confession register:
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I can't fast; I can't take to the forest; so I beg compassion. Can't-fast-can't-forest.
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No adhikāra even to recite syllables. No-recitation-adhikāra.
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Life is little; entirely a riddle. Life-as-riddle.
For today: the honest bhakta admits — I can't do anna-tyāga, I can't do vana-vāsa, I don't have the adhikāra even to *recite the akṣara; all I can do is plaintively beg compassion; life is thōḍē (little) and entirely a kōḍa (riddle).
This abhang is Tukaram's honest-old-bhakta-confession-and-life-as-riddle register — one of the most-tender confession-abhangs. Compare 0697 sarva-bhāve-anadhikārī (Tuka's mudra); same anadhikāra-confession but here organized through specific can't-fast-can't-forest-can't-recite and the life-is-riddle closing. The āyuṣya-avaghē-ci-kōḍē (life is entirely a riddle) is a poignant Tukaram-line on the perplexity-of-a-life-not-fitting-the-ascetic-program.
मराठी: ही ओवी honest-old-bhakta-confession register नाव सांगते:
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अन्न-न-त्यागत येतं, वन-न-सेववतं; karuṇā भाकितो. Can't-fast-can't-forest.
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Akṣara-घोकायला अधिकार नाही. No-recitation-adhikāra.
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Āyuṣya थोडं; अवघं कोडं. Life-as-riddle.
आज: Honest bhakta admit करतो — anna-tyāga नाही करता येत, vana-vāsa नाही करता येत, akṣara recite करायला सुद्धा adhikāra नाही; फक्त karuṇā plaintively-beg-करता येते; Life thōḍē आणि अवघं kōḍa**.
Tukaram च-honest-old-bhakta-confession-and-life-as-riddle-register — Most-tender confession-abhangs पैकी एक. 0697 sarva-bhāve-anadhikārī (Tuka mudra) compare; तीच anadhikāra-confession पण इथे specific can't-fast-can't-forest-can't-recite आणि life-is-riddle closing च्या मार्गाने. Āyuṣya-avaghē-ci-kōḍē — life entirely a riddle — perplexity-of-a-life-not-fitting-ascetic-program वर poignant Tukaram-line.
Where this applies
- Can't fast.* Old-householder.
- Can't recite.* Limit.
- Life — kōḍa*. Riddle.