संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 817 of 4582

Abhanga 817

English: Maḍhē — covering — pēraṇī — kuṇabī — vāṇī — lava-lāhē.

When peasants cover the corpse and keep sowing — do your sva-hita quickly — and you have to recognize this register
When fistful yields more than full lap; no control over kāḷa — and you accept this image
When the wise acts in the mortal world — and you receive this final exhortation

The verse

मढें झांकुनियां करिती पेरणी । कुणबियाचे वाणी लवलाहें ॥१॥ तयापरी करीं स्वहित आपुलें । जयासी फावलें नरदेह ॥ध्रु.॥ ओटीच्या परिस मुठीचें तें वाढे । यापरि कैवाडें स्वहिताचें ॥२॥ नाहीं काळसत्ता आपुलिये हातीं । जाणते हे गुंती उगविती ॥३॥ तुका म्हणे पाहें आपुली सूचना । करितो शाहाणा मृत्युलोकीं ॥४॥

Literal translation

English: Maḍhē — covering — pēraṇīkuṇabīvāṇīlava-lāhē. In-like — do — sva-hita — for-whom — phāvalēnara-dēha. Ōṭī — than — muṭhīvāḍhēkaivāḍasva-hita. Kāḷa-sattā — not — hātajāṇatēguṇtī — unravel. Tuka says: see — own sūcanāśāhāṇāmṛtyu-lōka.

मराठी: मढें झांकुनियां करिती पेरणी — कुणबियाचे वाणी लव-लाहें. तया-परी करीं स्व-हित आपुलें — जयासी फावलें नर-देह. ओटीच्या परिस मुठीचें तें वाढे — या-परि कैवाडें स्व-हिताचें. नाहीं काळ-सत्ता आपुलिये हातीं — जाणते हे गुंती उगविती. Tuka म्हणे: पाहें आपुली सूचना — करितो शाहाणा मृत्यु-लोकीं.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
मढें झांकुनियां करिती पेरणी "maḍhē — covering — pēraṇī"
कुणबियाचे वाणी लवलाहें "kuṇabīvāṇīlava-lāhē"
तयापरी करीं स्वहित आपुलें "in-like — do — sva-hita"
जयासी फावलें नरदेह "for-whom — phāvalēnara-dēha"
ओटीच्या परिस मुठीचें तें वाढे "ōṭī — than — muṭhīvāḍhē"
यापरि कैवाडें स्वहिताचें "this-way — kaivāḍasva-hita"
नाहीं काळसत्ता आपुलिये हातीं "kāḷa-sattā — not — own hāta"
जाणते हे गुंती उगविती "jāṇatēguṇtī — unravel"
पाहें आपुली सूचना "see — own sūcanā"
करितो शाहाणा मृत्युलोकीं "śāhāṇā — does — mṛtyu-lōka"

What it means

A peasants-cover-corpse-keep-sowing-do-sva-hita-fistful-yields-more-no-control-kāḷa-wise-acts-mortal-world abhang. Peasant-image-and-do-sva-hita-now register. Five claims:

  1. मढें-झांकून-पेरणी — कुणबी-वाणी-lava-lāhē — तया-परी सव-हित — नर-देह. Peasant-keeps-sowing-claim. Covering the maḍhē (corpse — even the family-corpse can't stop the urgent-sowing-season), they continue pēraṇī (sowing); peasants in their fashion, lava-lāhē (quickly, with urgency); in like-manner, do your *sva-hita; for whom the nara-deha is available. Don't-stop-for-grief-do-sva-hita-with-nara-deha. (The peasant-image: even-when-someone-dies in the family, the peasant covers-the-corpse and keeps-sowing — because the season won't wait. So-too the bhakta should not let life's-distractions delay-the-sva-hita.)

  2. ओटी-परिस मुठी-वाढे — सव-हित-कैवाडे. Fistful-yields-more-claim. Than the ōṭī (full-lap of seed), the muṭhī (fistful, the carefully-thrown-handful) yields-more; like that, the kaivāḍa (rescue, well-being) of sva-hita. Carefully-thrown-yields-more-than-thoughtless-broadcast. (The image: a fistful sown-with-care yields-better-than a lap-full broadcast. So-too, the disciplined-sva-hita-effort yields-more than scattered-bhakti.)

  3. नाहीं-कāḷa-सत्ता-हातीं — जाणते-गुंती-उगविती. No-control-over-kāḷa-claim. Kāḷa-sattā (death's-power) is not in our hāta; the knowing-ones unravel the guṇtī (knot — the samsāric-knot). Death-not-controlled; wise-untie-knot-while-time*.

  4. Tuka: पाहें-आपुली-सूचना — शाहाणा-mṛtyu-लोकीं-करितो. Wise-acts-mortal-world-claim. Tuka says: see your own sūcanā (instruction, hint); the śāhāṇā (wise-one) acts in the mṛtyu-lōka. Wise-acts-now-in-mortal-world.

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the peasant-image-and-do-sva-hita-now register:

  1. Peasants cover the corpse and keep sowing; like that, do your sva-hita with the nara-deha quickly. Peasant-image.

  2. Fistful yields more than full lap; that's the rescue of sva-hita. Disciplined-effort.

  3. Kāḷa-sattā not in our hand; knowing-ones unravel the knot. No-time-control.

  4. See your own instruction; the wise acts in the mortal world. Wise-acts.

For today: like the peasant who covers-the-corpse and keeps-sowing-because-the-season-won't-wait, do-your-sva-hita quickly-with-the-nara-deha you have; the carefully-thrown-fistful yields-more than the broadcast-lapful; kāḷa-sattā is not in your hand — the knowing-ones unravel the guṇtī while time-remains; see your own instruction — the śāhāṇā (wise-one) acts in this mṛtyu-lōka**.

This abhang is Tukaram's peasant-image-and-do-sva-hita-now-with-nara-deha registerone of the most-direct work-now-while-you-can exhortations. Compare 0651 don't-waste-nara-deha-rebirth-warning (Tuka's mudra); same nara-deha-priority but here organized through the peasant-keeps-sowing-image and fistful-yields-more. The karitō śāhāṇā mṛtyu-lōkīm (the wise acts in the mortal-world) is the precise wise-acts-now claim*.

मराठी: ही ओवी peasant-image-and-do-sva-hita-now register नाव सांगते:

  1. मढें-झांकून-पेरणी; तया-परी सव-हित नर-देह-त. Peasant-image.

  2. Muṭhī-वाढे ओटीपेक्षा. Disciplined-effort.

  3. Kāḷa-सत्ता-हातीं-नाहीं; जाणते-गुंती-उगविती. No-time-control.

  4. शाहाणा mṛtyu-loka-त-acts. Wise-acts.

आज: Peasant-सारखं — corpse-झांकून-पेरणी-keep-करतो season-wait-न-करतो म्हणून, आपलं sva-hita quickly करा nara-deha-सोबत; Carefully-thrown-fistful broadcast-lapful-पेक्षा-यील्ड्स-more; Kāḷa-sattā तुमच्या-हातीं-नाही — knowing-ones guṇtī unravel-करतात while-time-remains; आपली-instruction पाहा — śāhāṇā (wise-one) ह्या mṛtyu-lōka-त acts-करतो*.

Tukaram च-peasant-image-and-do-sva-hita-now-with-nara-deha-registerMost-direct work-now-while-you-can exhortations पैकी एक. 0651 don't-waste-nara-deha-rebirth-warning (Tuka mudra) compare; तीच nara-deha-priority पण इथे peasant-keeps-sowing-image आणि fistful-yields-more च्या मार्गाने. Karitō śāhāṇā mṛtyu-lōkīm precise wise-acts-now claim.

Where this applies

Related verses