संत साहित्य
Work in progress. Translations and commentary are AI-generated and may contain inaccuracies or hallucinations — please use your own judgement and check against the original sources.
संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 854 of 4582

Abhanga 854

English: Dhig — jiṇa — svāmī — hīna.

When cursed be the life whose svāmī is hīna; better death — and you have to recognize this register
When listen, Dēva — such is the rule; care for the fitting — and you accept this image
When the one whose answer is feared everywhere — even his dog is fine — and you allow this image

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

English: 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:

  1. धिग-जिणें-स्वामी-हीन — मरण-बरें. Cursed-life-with-hīna-svāmī-claim. Cursed-be the jiṇa whose svāmī is hīna; better that there be maraṇa, then. Cursed-life-with-low-master; better-death. (Direct claim about service-honor: a life whose master is low / inferior* is itself cursed; better-to-die.)

  2. 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 whose uttara (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: we are Your dog, Dēvā — and-since Your utterance carries dhāka in dēśō-dēśīm, even-Your-dog-deserves to-be bhalē*. The implicit petition: don't-leave-me-to-disgrace, since I-am-Your-dog.)

  3. Tuka: हें-कां-सुचलें-उत्तर — अंतर-ओळखावें. Why-this-occurred-recognize-the-inner-claim. Tuka says: why has this uttara suclē (occurred-to-me / arisen-spontaneously)? — knowing the antara (the inner-meaning), *ōḷakhāvē (recognize, take-it-in). Why-has-this-occurred-to-me; recognize-the-inner. (Closing-self-reflection: the uttara came-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

This abhang names the master-honor-and-inner-recognition register:

  1. Cursed life with hīna svāmī; better death. Master-honor.

  2. Listen, Dēva; care for the fitting; even the feared-master's dog is fine. Master-feared.

  3. Why this answer occurred — knowing the inner, recognize. Recognize-inner.

For today: cursed-be the jiṇa whose svāmī is hīna — better maraṇa; (listen, Dēvā — this is the nīti) — care for the ucita; the one whose uttara (carries) dhāka in dēśō-dēśīm — even his kutarē is bhalē; why has this uttara suclē — knowing the antara, ōḷakhāvē*.

This abhang is Tukaram's master-honor-and-inner-recognition register — one of the most-precise we-are-Your-dog-so-don't-leave-us-disgraced statements. Compare 0851 six-question-cross-examination (Tuka's mudra); same bold-prayer-style but here organized around cursed-life-with-hīna-master and implicit-petition-to-recognize-inner. The jāṇōni antara ōḷakhāvē (knowing the inner, recognize) is the precise inner-recognition petition*.

मराठी: ही ओवी master-honor-and-inner-recognition register नाव सांगते:

  1. धिग-जिणं; स्वामी-हीन. Master-honor.

  2. देवा-नीत; उत्तरें-धाक; कुत्रंही-भलं. Master-feared.

  3. अंतर-ओळखावें. Recognize-inner.

आज: Dhig त्या jiṇa-ला, ज्याचा svāmī hīna — maraṇa बरें; ऐका, Dēvā — nīti अशी आहे; ucita सांभाळावें; देश-देशीं ज्याच्या uttara-नं dhāka — त्याचं kutarē-ही bhalē; Tuka म्हणे: हें uttara कां सुचलं — antara जाणोनि ōḷakhāvē*.

Tukaram च-master-honor-and-inner-recognition-register — Most-precise we-are-Your-dog-so-don't-leave-us-disgraced statements पैकी एक. 0851 six-question-cross-examination (Tuka mudra) compare; तीच bold-prayer-style पण इथे cursed-life-with-hīna-master आणि implicit-petition च्या मार्गाने. Jāṇōni antara ōḷakhāvē precise inner-recognition petition.

Where this applies

Mortality / Vairāgya Bhakti

Related verses