संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 877 of 4582

Abhanga 877

You can do your work with full skill and care, like a laborer or a potter's clay, while remembering that the real authority and the source of whatever shines through you belongs to Nārāyaṇa, not to you.

When the genuine old-deposit has been pulled out by the Samartha — and you have to recognize this register

When the laborer handles the measure but the authority is His — and you accept this image

When the potter makes the pots and they're sent to the kitchen — and you allow this image

The verse

खरें नानवट निक्षेपीचें जुनें । काढिलें ठेवणें समर्थाचें ॥१॥ मजुराच्या हातें मापाचा उकल । मी तों येथें फोल सत्ता त्याची ॥ध्रु.॥ कुलाळाच्या हातें घटाच्या उत्पत्ति । पाठवी त्या जाती पाकस्थळा ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे जीवन तें नारायणीं । प्रभा जाते कीर्णीं प्रकाशाची ॥३॥

Literal translation

Kharēm-nānavaṭa-nikṣēpa-junē — kāḍhilē — ṭhēvaṇa — samartha. Majurā — māpa — ukala — phōla — sattā — His. Kulāḷa — ghaṭa — utpatti — sends — pāka-sthaḷa. Tuka says: jīvana — Nārāyaṇa — prabhā — kīrṇa — prakāśa.

मराठी: खरें नानवट (खरी ठेव) — निक्षेपीचें जुनें — समर्थानं ठेवणें काढिलें. मजुराच्या हातें मापाचा उकल — मी येथें फोल, सत्ता त्याची. कुलाळाच्या हातें घटाच्या उत्पत्ति — पाठवी त्या जाती पाक-स्थळा. Tuka म्हणे: जीवन Nārāyaṇī — प्रभा कीर्णीं (किरणांत) जाते प्रकाशाची.

Word-by-word gloss

Marathi	Meaning
खरें नानवट निक्षेपीचें जुनें	"kharēm — nānavaṭa — nikṣēpa — old"
काढिलें ठेवणें समर्थाचें	"pulled-out — ṭhēvaṇa — samartha"
मजुराच्या हातें मापाचा उकल	"majurā — hand — māpa — ukala"
मी तों येथें फोल सत्ता त्याची	"I — phōla — sattā — His"
कुलाळाच्या हातें घटाच्या उत्पत्ति	"kulāḷa — ghaṭa — utpatti"
पाठवी त्या जाती पाकस्थळा	"sends — jātī — pāka-sthaḷa"
जीवन तें नारायणीं	"jīvana — Nārāyaṇa"
प्रभा जाते कीर्णीं प्रकाशाची	"prabhā — kīrṇa — prakāśa"

What it means

A genuine-old-deposit-pulled-out-by-Samartha-laborer-handles-measure-authority-His-potter-makes-pots-sent-to-kitchen-life-in-Nārāyaṇa-radiance-in-rays abhang. Laborer-and-potter-image register. Three claims:

खरें-नानवट-जुनें — समर्थानं-ठेवणें-काढिलें — मजुराच्या-हातें-माप — सत्ता-त्याची. Samartha-pulled-out-old-deposit-laborer-handles-measure-claim. The genuinenānavaṭa(deposit-of-coins, the trust-deposit, the savings) — the oldnikṣēpa; thesamarthahas pulled-out theṭhēvaṇa; in themajurā's hand, themāpa-ukala(unloading-of-measure); I am aphōla; thesattāis His. Master-pulled-out-treasure; laborer-handles-but-authority-is-Master's. (The bhakta-as-laborer-not-master image.)
कुलाळाच्या-हातें-घट — पाक-स्थळा-पाठवी. Potter-makes-pots-sent-to-kitchen-claim. In thekulāḷa(potter)'s hand, theghaṭa(pot)'sutpatti; (He) sends them to thejātī(proper-place) — thepāka-sthaḷa (cook-place, kitchen).Potter-makes-pots; pots-sent-to-kitchen. (The pots have adestination(the kitchen) — they were madefor use. The bhakta is apot — made by the divine-potter for use.)
Tuka: जीवन-Nārāyaṇी — प्रभा-कीर्णीं-प्रकाशाची. Life-in-Nārāyaṇa-radiance-in-rays-claim. Tuka says: the jīvana is in Nārāyaṇa; theprabhāgoes-out inkīrṇa(rays) ofprakāśa. Life-rooted-in-Nārāyaṇa; radiance-emanates-in-rays. (The prabhā-jātē-kīrṇī image: the radiance originates in the source and goes-out in rays — like sunlight.)

[T]

For someone today

Tukaram pictures himself as a laborer opening up an old storehouse at his master's order, handling the measuring but owning none of the authority, since the real power belongs to the master alone. He also pictures himself as a clay pot, shaped by a potter's hands and then sent off to the kitchen for its actual use, not existing for its own sake but for the purpose the maker intended. Life itself, he says, is rooted in Nārāyaṇa, and whatever light or ability shines out of a person is simply a ray sent out from that one source. The lesson is about doing your work fully and skillfully while letting go of the illusion that you are the one truly in charge of the outcome.

मराठी: तुकाराम स्वतःला अशा मजुरासारखे पाहतात जो मालकाच्या आज्ञेने जुना खजिना उघडतो, मापाचे काम स्वतःच्या हातांनी करतो, पण खरा अधिकार मात्र मालकाकडेच असतो. ते स्वतःला मडक्यासारखेही पाहतात, जे कुंभाराच्या हातांनी घडते आणि नंतर स्वयंपाकघरात आपल्या खऱ्या उपयोगासाठी पाठवले जाते, स्वतःसाठी नव्हे तर घडवणाऱ्याच्या हेतूसाठी अस्तित्वात असते. जीवन स्वतः नारायणात रुजलेले आहे, असे ते म्हणतात, आणि माणसातून जे काही तेज किंवा कौशल्य प्रकट होते ते त्याच एका स्रोतातून बाहेर पडणारी किरणे आहेत. आपले काम पूर्ण कौशल्याने करत राहावे, पण निकालाचा खरा मालक आपणच आहोत हा भ्रम मात्र सोडून द्यावा, हाच या ओवीचा गाभा आहे.

Where this applies

Master-and-laborer. Authority.
Pots-for-use. Made-for-purpose.
Radiance-in-rays. Source-emanation.

Bhakti