संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 896 of 4582

Abhanga 896

English: Samsāra — māthā-bhāra — para na ṭhēvī.

When samsāra-load on the head; don't keep anything else aside — and you have to recognize this register
When bhakti's nature is to give up sarva-sva — and you accept this image
When mendicant doing business is donkey's mash — and you allow this image

The verse

संसाराचा माथां भार । कांहीं पर न ठेवीं ॥१॥ भक्तीची ते जाती ऐसी । सर्वस्वासी मुकावें ॥ध्रु.॥ भिक्षाणी वेवसाव । काला करितो गाढव ॥२॥ करुनि वस्ती बाजारीं । म्हणवी कासया निस्पृही ॥३॥ प्रसादा आडुनि कवी । केलें तुप पाणी तेवीं ॥४॥ तुका म्हणे होंई सुर । किंवा निसुर मजुर ॥५॥

Literal translation

English: Samsāra — māthā-bhāra — para na ṭhēvī. Bhakti — jāti — sarva-sva — mukāvē. Bhikṣaṇī — vēvasāva — kāḷā — gāḍhava. Vastī — bājāra — nispṛhī — why. Prasāda — āḍuni — kavi — tūpa-pāṇī. Tuka says: sura — nisura majura.

मराठी: संसाराचा माथ्यावर भार — दुसरं कांहीं पर न ठेवीं. भक्तीची जाति ऐसी — सर्वस्वाला मुकावें. भिक्षाणी वेव-साव (व्यापार) करतो — तो काला (मिसळ) गाढव करतो. बाजारीं वस्ती करूनि — कासया निस्पृही म्हणवीतो?. प्रसादा आडूनि कवी — तसें केले तूप पाणी (तूपाला पाणी-केलं). Tuka म्हणे: सुर हो — किंवा निसुर (पूर्ण) मजुर.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
संसाराचा माथां भार "samsāra — māthā-bhāra"
कांहीं पर न ठेवीं "para na ṭhēvī"
भक्तीची ते जाती ऐसी "bhakti — jāti"
सर्वस्वासी मुकावें "sarva-sva — mukāvē"
भिक्षाणी वेवसाव "bhikṣaṇī — vēvasāva"
काला करितो गाढव "kāḷā — gāḍhava"
करुनि वस्ती बाजारीं "vastī — bājāra"
म्हणवी कासया निस्पृही "nispṛhī"
प्रसादा आडुनि कवी "prasāda — āḍuni — kavi"
केलें तुप पाणी तेवीं "tūpa — pāṇī — diluted"
होंई सुर "sura"
किंवा निसुर मजुर "nisura majura"

What it means

A samsāra-load-on-head-don't-keep-other-bhakti-is-give-up-sarva-sva-mendicant-doing-business-donkey's-mash-living-in-market-claiming-desire-less-poet-behind-prasāda-diluting-ghee-to-water-be-warrior-or-out-and-out-laborer abhang. Be-warrior-or-laborer-no-half-measure register. Five claims:

  1. संसार-माथ्यावर — दुसरं-नका — भक्ति-जाति-सर्वस्व-मुकावें. Bhakti-give-up-everything-claim. The samsāra's bhāra on the māthā; don't keep anything else aside-from-it (i.e., put it on God's-head, don't keep-side-by-side another-secret-bhāra of your-own); bhakti's jāti is such — one must mukāvē *sarva-sva. Bhakti's-caste-is-give-up-everything.

  2. भिक्षाणी-वेव-साव — काला-गाढव. Mendicant-doing-business-claim. A bhikṣaṇī doing vēvasāva; that's a kāḷā made by a gāḍhava. Mendicant-doing-business-is-donkey's-mash. (Sharp-image: kāḷā (the lord-Kṛṣṇa's kāḷā — the mixed-rice-and-curds offered to Kṛṣṇa) made-by-a-donkey is worse than nothing — the bhikṣaṇī doing commerce is the same kind of unholy-mash.)

  3. बाजारीं-वस्ती — निस्पृही-कासया. Living-in-market-but-desireless-claim. Taking residence in the bājāra — why call (himself) nispṛhī? Resident-of-market-can't-be-desireless*.

  4. प्रसादा-आडूनि-कवी — तूप-पाणी. Poet-behind-prasāda-diluting-claim. A kavi behind (using as a shield / hiding-behind) a prasāda; like making tūpa (ghee — the precious-clarified-butter) into pāṇī (water — diluting it). Poet-using-prasāda-as-shield-is-diluting-ghee-with-water. (Strong-image: kavi-using-prasāda (= the poet who claims his work is sacred-prasāda but uses it as cover-for-ego) dilutes the prasāda (ghee → water).)

  5. Tuka: सुर-हो — निसुर-मजुर. Be-warrior-or-out-and-out-laborer-claim. Tuka says: be a sura (warrior / hero — wholehearted-engagement); or a nisura majura (an out-and-out / wholehearted laborer). No-half-measure: warrior-or-laborer. (Closing-ultimatum: commit-fully (warrior) or labor-honestly (laborer) — but no half-mendicant-half-merchant* mash.)

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the be-warrior-or-laborer-no-half-measure register:

  1. Samsāra-load on head; don't keep anything else; bhakti gives up sarva-sva. Give-up-everything.

  2. Mendicant-doing-business is donkey's mash; living-in-market but desire-less is false. Half-measure-mash.

  3. Poet-behind-prasāda is diluting ghee to water. Diluted-prasāda.

  4. Be a warrior — or an out-and-out laborer. Warrior-or-laborer.

For today: the samsāra-bhāra on the māthā; don't keep anything *para; bhakti's jāti — sarva-sva mukāvē; a bhikṣaṇī doing vēvasāva is donkey's-kāḷā; living in bājāra — why nispṛhī?; a kavi using prasāda as cover dilutes tūpa to *pāṇī; be a sura — or a nisura majura**.

This abhang is Tukaram's be-warrior-or-laborer-no-half-measure register — one of the most-precise commit-fully-or-don't-pretend statements. Compare 0860 bhōrapyā-self-confession (Tuka's mudra); same anti-half-measure but here organized as be-warrior-or-laborer. The hōmī sura — kimvā nisura majura (be a warrior — or an out-and-out laborer) is the precise ultimatum*.

मराठी: ही ओवी be-warrior-or-laborer-no-half-measure register नाव सांगते:

  1. संसार-माथ्यावर; भक्ति-सर्वस्व. Give-up-everything.

  2. भिक्षाणी-व्यापार-गाढव-काला; बाजारीं-निस्पृही. Half-measure-mash.

  3. प्रसादा-आडून-कवी; तूप-पाणी. Diluted-prasāda.

  4. सुर-किंवा-निसुर-मजुर. Warrior-or-laborer.

आज: Samsāra-māthā-bhāra; para नका ठेवीं; Bhakti-jāti — sarva-sva mukāvē; Bhikṣaṇī-vēvasāva — gāḍhava-kāḷā; Bājāra-त vastī, nispṛhī कां म्हणवी?; Prasāda-आडूनि-kavi — tūpa-pāṇī; Sura हो — किंवा nisura majura.

Tukaram च-be-warrior-or-laborer-no-half-measure-register — Most-precise commit-fully-or-don't-pretend statements पैकी एक. 0860 bhōrapyā-self-confession (Tuka mudra) compare; तीच anti-half-measure पण इथे be-warrior-or-laborer च्या मार्गाने. Hōmī sura — kimvā nisura majura precise ultimatum.

Where this applies

Bhakti half-measure-rejected

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