Abhanga 817
Do not let grief, distraction, or waiting delay your own good, because like a farmer who sows despite a death in the family, you must act now with focused effort while you still have time and this human body.
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
Maḍhē — covering — pēraṇī — kuṇabī — vāṇī — lava-lāhē. In-like — do — sva-hita — for-whom — phāvalē — nara-dēha. Ōṭī — than — muṭhī — vāḍhē — kaivāḍa — sva-hita. Kāḷa-sattā — not — hāta — jāṇatē — guṇtī — unravel. Tuka says: see — own sūcanā — śāhāṇā — mṛtyu-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 | "kuṇabī — vāṇī — lava-lāhē" |
| तयापरी करीं स्वहित आपुलें | "in-like — do — sva-hita" |
| जयासी फावलें नरदेह | "for-whom — phāvalē — nara-dēha" |
| ओटीच्या परिस मुठीचें तें वाढे | "ōṭī — than — muṭhī — vāḍhē" |
| यापरि कैवाडें स्वहिताचें | "this-way — kaivāḍa — sva-hita" |
| नाहीं काळसत्ता आपुलिये हातीं | "kāḷa-sattā — not — own hāta" |
| जाणते हे गुंती उगविती | "jāṇatē — guṇtī — 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:
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मढें-झांकून-पेरणी — कुणबी-वाणी-lava-lāhē — तया-परी सव-हित — नर-देह. Peasant-keeps-sowing-claim. Covering themaḍhē (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 thenara-dehais 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.)
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ओटी-परिस मुठी-वाढे — सव-हित-कैवाडे. Fistful-yields-more-claim. Than theōṭī(full-lap of seed), themuṭhī(fistful, the carefully-thrown-handful) yields-more; like that, thekaivāḍa(rescue, well-being) ofsva-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.)
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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 theguṇtī(knot — the samsāric-knot). Death-not-controlled; wise-untie-knot-while-time.
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Tuka: पाहें-आपुली-सूचना — शाहाणा-mṛtyu-लोकीं-करितो. Wise-acts-mortal-world-claim. Tuka says: see your ownsūcanā(instruction, hint); theśāhāṇā(wise-one) acts in themṛtyu-lōka. Wise-acts-now-in-mortal-world.
[T]
For someone today
Tukaram paints a vivid picture of farmers: even when there is a death in the family, they quickly cover the body and go right back to sowing, because the planting season will not wait for anyone's grief. He says you should treat your own good the same way, doing it quickly while you still have this human body, since nothing else will wait for you either. He adds that a fistful of seed thrown carefully yields more than a careless full lap thrown all at once, meaning focused, deliberate effort toward your own good beats scattered, thoughtless effort. Since none of us controls how much time we have, the wise untie their inner knots while there is still time, rather than waiting. Look at your own inner promptings, Tukaram says, because a truly wise person acts now, in this very world, instead of postponing.
मराठी: तुकाराम शेतकऱ्यांचं एक ठळक चित्र उभं करतात: घरात कुणाचा मृत्यू झाला तरी शेतकरी पटकन मढं झाकून पुन्हा पेरणीला लागतात, कारण पेरणीचा हंगाम कुणाच्याही दुःखासाठी थांबत नाही. तेच तत्त्व आपल्या स्वतःच्या भल्याबाबतही लागू करा, असं ते सांगतात — हा मनुष्यदेह मिळाला आहे तोवर पटकन आपलं हित साधून घ्या, कारण बाकी काहीही आपल्यासाठी थांबणार नाही. पुढे ते म्हणतात, ओटीभर बी एकदम फेकण्यापेक्षा मुठीभर बी जपून पेरलं तर जास्त पीक येतं — म्हणजेच विखुरलेल्या, बेपर्वा प्रयत्नांपेक्षा एकाग्र, ठरवून केलेला प्रयत्न आपल्या हिताला जास्त फळ देतो. आपल्या हातात किती वेळ आहे हे कुणालाच माहीत नसतं, म्हणून शहाणे लोक वेळ असतानाच आपल्या मनातल्या गुंतागुंती सोडवून घेतात, वाट न पाहता. आपल्या मनातल्या सूचनेकडे लक्ष द्या, असं तुकाराम म्हणतात, कारण खरा शहाणा माणूस हे जग सोडायची वाट न पाहता, इथेच, आताच कृती करतो.
Where this applies
- Peasant-image. Don't-stop.
- Fistful — better. Discipline.
- Wise-acts. Now.