Abhanga 854
A life given to something low degrades you, while devotion to what is truly great lifts even those closest to it, so choose carefully whom you serve, and be honest about what your heart is really asking.
The verse
धिग जिणें त्याचा स्वामी हीन वर । मरण तें बर भलें मग ॥१॥ ऐका जी देवा ऐसी आहे नीत । काय तें उचित सांभाळावें ॥ध्रु.॥ देशोदेशीं धाक जयाच्या उत्तरें । तयाचें कुतरें परि भलें ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे हें कां सुचलें उत्तर । जाणोनि अंतर ओळखावें ॥३॥
Literal translation
Dhig — jiṇa — svāmī — hīna. Maraṇa — better. Listen — Dēva — nīti. Ucita — sāmbhāḷāvē. Dēśō-dēśīm — dhāka — uttara. Kutarē — bhalē. Tuka says: this — suclē — uttara — knowing — antara — ōḷakhāvē.
मराठी: धिक्कार त्या जिण्याला, ज्याचा स्वामी हीन — मरण तेंच बरे, मग. ऐका जी देवा — अशी नीत आहे — जे उचित ते सांभाळावे. देशो-देशीं ज्याच्या उत्तरें धाक (असेल) — त्याचं कुत्रंही भलं. Tuka म्हणे: हें कां सुचलं उत्तर? — जाणोनि अंतर ओळखावें.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| धिग जिणें त्याचा स्वामी हीन वर | "dhig — jiṇa — svāmī — hīna" |
| मरण तें बर भलें मग | "maraṇa — better — then" |
| ऐका जी देवा ऐसी आहे नीत | "listen — Dēva — nīti" |
| काय तें उचित सांभाळावें | "what — ucita — sāmbhāḷāvē" |
| देशोदेशीं धाक जयाच्या उत्तरें | "dēśō-dēśīm — dhāka — uttara" |
| तयाचें कुतरें परि भलें | "his — kutarē — bhalē" |
| हें कां सुचलें उत्तर | "this — why — suclē — uttara" |
| जाणोनि अंतर ओळखावें | "knowing — antara — ōḷakhāvē" |
What it means
A cursed-life-with-hīna-svāmī-better-death-listen-Dēva-care-for-fitting-feared-master's-dog-fine-why-this-occurred-recognize-the-inner abhang. Master-honor-and-inner-recognition register. Three claims:
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धिग-जिणें-स्वामी-हीन — मरण-बरें. Cursed-life-with-hīna-svāmī-claim. Cursed-be thejiṇawhosesvāmīishīna; better that there bemaraṇa, then.Cursed-life-with-low-master; better-death. (Direct claim about service-honor: a life whose master islow / inferior is itself cursed; better-to-die.)
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ऐका-देवा-नीत — उचित-सांभाळावें — देश-धाक-उत्तरें — कुत्रंही-भलं. Master-feared-everywhere-his-dog-is-fine-claim. Listen,Dēvā — such is the nīti (the rule of the world);what is ucita (fitting), should be cared-for; the one whoseuttara(utterance, answer) (carries)dhāka(dread, awe) in country-after-country —even his kutarē (dog) is bhalē (fine, of-honor).Master-of-rank: even his dog is honored. (Indirectly applied:weare Your dog,Dēvā— and-sinceYourutterance carriesdhākaindēśō-dēśīm, even-Your-dog-deserves to-bebhalē. The implicit petition: don't-leave-me-to-disgrace, since I-am-Your-dog.)
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Tuka: हें-कां-सुचलें-उत्तर — अंतर-ओळखावें. Why-this-occurred-recognize-the-inner-claim. Tuka says: why has thisuttarasuclē(occurred-to-me / arisen-spontaneously)? — knowing theantara (the inner-meaning), ōḷakhāvē (recognize, take-it-in).Why-has-this-occurred-to-me; recognize-the-inner. (Closing-self-reflection: theuttaracame-to-me-spontaneously; knowing-its-inner-meaning, take-it-in. The implicit-petition:Dēvā, take-it-in — recognize what I'm-saying-by-implication.)
[T]
For someone today
Tukaram says a life spent serving something small or unworthy is not worth living; you would be better off dead than devoted to a low master. But when you serve someone truly great, even their dog earns respect, because greatness spreads to everyone near it. Tuka realizes this thought did not come to him idly; it is a plea to God, since he belongs to God, God's greatness should keep him from disgrace too. The verse asks you to notice what your own heart is really saying beneath the words, and to read it honestly.
मराठी: तुकाराम म्हणतात की हलक्या किंवा अयोग्य स्वामीची सेवा करत जगण्यापेक्षा मरण बरे. पण जेव्हा तुम्ही खऱ्या अर्थाने थोर अशा कोणाची सेवा करता, तेव्हा त्याच्या कुत्र्यालाही मान मिळतो, कारण मोठेपणाची झळाळी सहवासातून पसरते. तुका जाणतात की हा विचार उगीच मनात आला नाही, ही देवाकडे केलेली विनवणी आहे: मी तुझाच आहे, म्हणून तुझ्या मोठेपणाने मलाही अपमानापासून वाचव. ही ओवी शेवटी सांगते की शब्दांच्या आत लपलेला खरा अर्थ ओळखा आणि आपल्या मनाशी प्रामाणिक रहा.
Where this applies
- Master-honor. Service-quality.
- Master-feared. Honor-by-association.
- Recognize-inner. Subtle-petition.