Abhanga 794
A life spent chasing small favors instead of turning toward the true master of everything leaves you unprepared when death finally comes.
The verse
बहुतें गेलीं वांयां । न भजतां पंढरीराया ॥१॥ करिती कामिकांची सेवा । लागोन मागोन खात्या देवा ॥ध्रु.॥ अवघियांचा धनी । त्यासी गेलीं विसरोनि ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे अंतीं । पडती यमाचिया हातीं ॥३॥
Literal translation
Many — gone — vāyām — not — bhajan — Pandharī-rāya. Kāmika — sēvā — clinging-asking — eat-of-deva. Avaghiyānca dhanī — Him — forgetting. Tuka says: at end — fall — Yama — hand.
मराठी: बहुतें गेलीं वांयां — न भजतां पंढरी-राया. करिती कामिकांची सेवा — लागोन-मागोन खात्या-देवा. अवघियांचा धनी — त्यासि गेलीं विसरोनि. Tuka म्हणे: अंतीं — पडती यमाचिया हातीं.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| बहुतें गेलीं वांयां | "many — gone — vāyām" |
| न भजतां पंढरीराया | "not — bhajan — Pandharī-rāya" |
| करिती कामिकांची सेवा | "kāmika — sēvā" |
| लागोन मागोन खात्या देवा | "clinging-asking — eat-of-deva" |
| अवघियांचा धनी | "avaghiyāncā dhanī" |
| त्यासी गेलीं विसरोनि | "Him — forgetting" |
| अंतीं पडती यमाचिया हातीं | "at end — fall — Yama — hand" |
What it means
A many-vain-not-bhajan-Pandharī-kāmika-deva-sēvā-master-of-all-forgotten-at-end-fall-into-Yama abhang. Don't-serve-kāmika-devas register. Three claims:
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बहुतें-वांयां — Pandharī-न-भजतां — कामिकांची-सेवा — लागोन-मागोन-खात्या-देवा. Many-vain-kāmika-deva-sēvā-claim. Many have gonevāyām(in vain); not bhajan-ing Pandharī-rāya; they dosēvāofkāmika(desire-granting / petty-deity, the deity-who-fulfills-petty-desires); clinging (lāgōn) and asking (māgōn), they-eat-of-the-deva. Petty-deity-sēvā-for-stomach-and-favors.
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अवघियांचा-धनी — विसरोनि-गेली. Master-of-all-forgotten-claim. Theavaghiyānca dhanī(the master-of-all — i.e., therealdeva, Pandharī-Pāṇḍuranga); they have-gone-forgetting (visarōnī) Him. Real-master-forgotten.
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Tuka: अंतीं — Yama-च्या-हातीं-पडती. Yama-at-end-claim. Tuka says: at the end — they fall intoYama's hand. End-Yama-fall.
[T]
For someone today
Tukaram warns that many people spend their whole lives chasing small favors from small gods, always asking for something, always clinging to whatever seems to feed them in the moment, while never turning toward Vitthal, the true master of everything. In that constant chase for quick wants, the one who actually holds their life gets forgotten entirely. Tuka's warning is stark: when death comes, that forgetting has a price, and a life spent on favors instead of real devotion leaves you unprepared when you finally have to face it. The lesson is to notice when your attention is scattered across small transactional wants and to bring it back to what actually matters.
मराठी: तुकाराम इशारा देतात की खूप लोक आपलं आयुष्य लहान लहान देवांकडून छोट्या छोट्या मागण्या मागण्यातच घालवतात, सतत काहीतरी मागत राहतात, क्षणिक फायद्यासाठी चिकटून राहतात, आणि खरा मालक असलेल्या पंढरीरायाकडे कधी वळतच नाहीत. या सततच्या क्षुल्लक मागण्यांच्या पाठलागात, ज्याच्याकडे खरं तर सगळं आयुष्य आहे तोच पूर्णपणे विसरला जातो. तुकारामांचा इशारा स्पष्ट आहे — मृत्यू येतो तेव्हा या विसरण्याची किंमत मोजावी लागते, आणि खऱ्या भक्तीऐवजी मागण्यांमध्ये घालवलेलं आयुष्य शेवटच्या क्षणी हतबल करतं. यातून हा धडा मिळतो की आपलं लक्ष क्षुल्लक, व्यवहारी मागण्यांमध्ये विखुरलं जात असेल तर ते परत खऱ्या गोष्टीकडे वळवावं.
Where this applies
- Many vain. No-Pandharī.
- Kāmika-sēvā. For-favors.
- Master forgotten. Loss.
- Yama at end. Consequence.