संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 828 of 4582

Abhanga 828

English: Us — this — kavatuka — give-nīti — to-jagat — make-phajita — those-erring.

When we delight to give nīti to the world; to shame those who err — and you have to recognize this register
When no bondage from blame; no need from world's anger — and you accept this image
When no avidyā-labor here; Rāma-Kṛṣṇa-nāma are arrows — and you allow this image

The verse

आम्हां हें कवतुक जगा द्यावी नीत । करावे फजित चुकती ते ॥१॥ कासयाचा बाध एकाच्या निरोपें । काय व्हावें कोपें जगाचिया ॥ध्रु.॥ अविद्येचा येथें कोठें परिश्रम । रामकृष्णनाम ऐसे बाण ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे येथें खर्‍यांचा विकरा । न सरती येरा खोट्या परी ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: Us — this — kavatuka — give-nīti — to-jagat — make-phajita — those-erring. What-bādha — one's-nirōpa — what — needed — kōpajagāciyā. Avidyā — here — where — pariśramaRāma-Kṛṣṇa-nāmabāṇa. Tuka says: here — khaṛēvikarā — won't-pass — others — khōṭē — like.

मराठी: आम्हाला हें कवतुक — जगाला नीत द्यायची, चुकणाऱ्यांना फजित करायचं. एकाच्या निरोपें (निंदेने) काय बाध — जगाच्या कोपें काय व्हावं?. अविद्येचा परिश्रम इथे कुठे — Rāma-Kṛṣṇa-nāma हेच बाण. Tuka म्हणे: इथे खऱ्यांचा विकरा — खोट्या-परी इतर सरत-नाहीत.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
आम्हां हें कवतुक "we — this — kavatuka (delight)"
जगा द्यावी नीत "to-the-jagat — give — nīti"
करावे फजित चुकती ते "make-phajita — those-who-err"
कासयाचा बाध एकाच्या निरोपें "what-bādha — from-one-person's nirōpa"
काय व्हावें कोपें जगाचिया "what — needed — kōpajagāciyā"
अविद्येचा येथें कोठें परिश्रम "avidyā — here — where — pariśrama"
रामकृष्णनाम ऐसे बाण "Rāma-Kṛṣṇa-nāma — like — bāṇa (arrows)"
येथें खर्‍यांचा विकरा "here — khaṛēvikarā (trade)"
न सरती येरा खोट्या परी "won't-pass — others — khōṭē — like"

What it means

A delight-give-nīti-to-world-shame-erring-no-bondage-from-blame-no-need-from-anger-no-avidyā-labor-Rāma-Kṛṣṇa-nāma-arrows-trade-of-true-coins-false-don't-pass abhang. True-coin-vs-false-anti-pākhāṇḍa register. Four claims:

  1. आम्हां-कवतुक — जगा-नीत-द्यायची — चुकणाऱ्यांना-फजित-करायचं. Delight-to-give-nīti-shame-erring-claim. We have this kavatuka (delight, sport, the pleasure-of-this-game)to give nīti (right-rule, code) to the *jagat; to make-phajita (shameful, exposed-as-fools) those who chukatī (err). Our delight is to teach right-rule and shame the erring. (Tuka's bracing self-image: this isn't sour-criticism — it's a kavatuka, a sport.)

  2. एकाच्या-निरोपें-काय-बाध — जगाच्या-कोपें-काय-व्हावं. No-bondage-from-blame-no-need-from-anger-claim. What-bādha (bondage, harm) from one-person's nirōpa (rebuke-message, blame)? What needs to-happen from the jagat's kōpa (anger)? Blame-and-anger-of-the-world cause-no-bondage. (Tuka's stance: he is unbothered by being-blamed because the kavatuka isn't his — it's the Hari-nāma*'s.)

  3. अविद्येचा-परिश्रम-इथे-कुठे — Rāma-Kṛṣṇa-nāma-बाण. No-avidyā-labor-Rāma-Kṛṣṇa-nāma-are-arrows-claim. Where here is the pariśrama (toilsome-effort) of avidyā (ignorance — the spiritual-effort of philosophical-debate, ritual-purity, etc.)?Rāma-Kṛṣṇa-nāma, indeed, are like bāṇa (arrows) — already-ready-to-fly. No-philosophical-toil; the Name-itself is the arrow. (The avidyā-pariśrama is not needed here; the Name-as-arrow does the work.)

  4. Tuka: खऱ्यांचा-विकरा — खोट्या-परी-इतर-सरत-नाहीत. Trade-of-true-coins-claim. Tuka says: here is the vikarā (trade, sale, market) of the *khaṛē (true ones — the genuine-coins); the others, the khōṭē (false ones, counterfeits), na saratī (won't pass — won't be-accepted-as-currency). True-coins-trade-here-false-don't-pass. (Tuka's market-metaphor: in this vikarā* (the bhakti-marketplace), only-the-true-coins pass. The pākhāṇḍa-counterfeits won't go-through.)

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the true-coin-vs-false-anti-pākhāṇḍa register:

  1. We delight to give nīti to the world; to shame the erring. Delight-and-shame.

  2. No bondage from blame; no need from world's anger. Unbothered.

  3. No avidyā-labor here; Rāma-Kṛṣṇa-nāma are the arrows. Name-as-arrow.

  4. True coins trade here; false ones don't pass. True-coin-market.

For today: we have-this kavatuka — to give nīti to the world; to phajita (shame) the erring; no bondage from any-one's blame; no need-to-react-to the world's anger; no pariśrama of avidyā is required here — the Rāma-Kṛṣṇa-nāma are themselves *bāṇa; here in this market, the khaṛē (true coins) trade — the khōṭē (false ones) won't pass.

This abhang is Tukaram's true-coin-vs-false-and-Name-as-arrow registerone of the most-bracing anti-pākhāṇḍa statements. Compare 0826 madya-vs-madhu-equivocation-anti-pākhāṇḍa (Tuka's mudra); same anti-pākhāṇḍa-position but here organized around true-coin-vs-false and Name-as-arrow. The na saratī yērā khōṭyā parī (false ones don't pass) is the precise market-judgment-image*.

मराठी: ही ओवी true-coin-vs-false-anti-pākhāṇḍa register नाव सांगते:

  1. कवतुक-नीत-फजित. Delight-and-shame.

  2. निरोपें-कोपें-बाध-नाही. Unbothered.

  3. अविद्या-परिश्रम-नाही; Rāma-Kṛṣṇa-bāṇa. Name-as-arrow.

  4. खऱ्यांचा-विकरा; खोट्या-नाही-सरत. True-coin-market.

आज: आम्हाला हें kavatukajagat-ला nīti द्यायची; चुकणाऱ्यांना phajita करायचं; कोणाच्याही nirōpa-ने bādha नाही; jagat-च्या kōpa-नं काही नको होऊं; Avidyā-pariśrama इथे कुठे — Rāma-Kṛṣṇa-nāma हे-च bāṇa आहेत; ह्या-market-त khaṛē (true) coins trade — khōṭē (false) सरत-नाहीत*.

Tukaram च-true-coin-vs-false-and-Name-as-arrow-registerMost-bracing anti-pākhāṇḍa statements पैकी एक. 0826 madya-vs-madhu-equivocation-anti-pākhāṇḍa (Tuka mudra) compare; तीच anti-pākhāṇḍa-position पण इथे true-coin-vs-false आणि Name-as-arrow च्या मार्गाने. Na saratī yērā khōṭyā parī precise market-judgment-image.

Where this applies

Related verses