Abhanga 896
Real devotion or honest work demands full commitment, not a diluted mix of sacred claims and self-interest.
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
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:
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संसार-माथ्यावर — दुसरं-नका — भक्ति-जाति-सर्वस्व-मुकावें. Bhakti-give-up-everything-claim. Thesamsāra'sbhāraon themāthā; 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.
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भिक्षाणी-वेव-साव — काला-गाढव. Mendicant-doing-business-claim. Abhikṣaṇīdoingvēvasāva; that's akāḷāmade by agāḍhava. 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.)
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बाजारीं-वस्ती — निस्पृही-कासया. Living-in-market-but-desireless-claim. Taking residence in thebājāra— why call (himself)nispṛhī?Resident-of-market-can't-be-desireless.
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प्रसादा-आडूनि-कवी — तूप-पाणी. Poet-behind-prasāda-diluting-claim. Akavibehind (using as a shield / hiding-behind) aprasāda; like makingtūpa(ghee — the precious-clarified-butter) intopāṇī(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).)
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Tuka: सुर-हो — निसुर-मजुर. Be-warrior-or-out-and-out-laborer-claim. Tuka says: be asura(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) orlabor-honestly(laborer) — but nohalf-mendicant-half-merchant mash.)
[T]
For someone today
Tukaram says carry the weight of worldly life fully, but do not quietly keep a second private burden hidden alongside it, because real devotion asks you to give up everything, not just part of it. A beggar who turns begging into a business is like a donkey mixing something sacred into a mess, and someone who lives comfortably in the marketplace has no right to call himself free of desire. A poet or teacher who hides behind sacred offerings while chasing praise is diluting something precious, like turning rich ghee into plain water. Tukaram's challenge is blunt: throw yourself in fully as a devoted warrior, or be an honest, wholehearted laborer, but stop pretending to be both while committing to neither.
मराठी: तुकाराम म्हणतात, संसाराचा भार पूर्णपणे उचल, पण त्याच्यासोबत आणखी एक लपलेला स्वतःचा भार गुपचूप बाळगू नकोस, कारण खरी भक्ती संपूर्ण समर्पण मागते, अर्धवट नाही. जो भिक्षा मागून व्यापार करतो, तो गाढवाने केलेल्या मिसळीसारखा असतो, आणि जो बाजारात आरामात राहतो त्याला स्वतःला निस्पृह म्हणण्याचा अधिकार नाही. जो कवी किंवा उपदेशक प्रसादाच्या आडून प्रसिद्धीच्या मागे धावतो, तो तुपासारख्या मौल्यवान गोष्टीला पाण्यासारखे पातळ करतो. तुकारामांचे आव्हान स्पष्ट आहे — एकतर पूर्ण समर्पित योद्धा हो, नाहीतर प्रामाणिक, पूर्ण मेहनती मजूर हो, पण दोन्हींचे नाटक करत अर्धवट राहू नकोस.
Where this applies
- Give-up-everything. Bhakti's-caste.
- Donkey's-mash. Half-measure.
- Diluted-prasāda. Hidden-ego.
- Warrior-or-laborer. Ultimatum.