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 898 of 4582

Abhanga 898

This abhang names the kalī-yuga-lament register:

When what saints said in the past now coming into anubhava — and you have to recognize this register
When people becoming ācāra-bhraṣṭa in kaḷī; puṇya depleted, pāpa strong — and you accept this image
When no-one keeps varṇa-dharma viṭāḷa; chaotic mash in one place — and you allow this image

The verse

मागें संतीं होतें जें जें सांगितलें । तें येऊं लागलें अनुभवा ॥१॥ आचारभ्रष्ट होती लोक कळी । पुण्य क्षीण बळी जालें पाप ॥ध्रु.॥ वर्णधर्म कोण न धरी विटाळ । घालिती गोंधळ एके ठायीं ॥२॥ वेदाचे पाठक सेवितील मद्य । न देखती भेद विषयीं भांड ॥३॥ तुका म्हणे किती करावे फजित । ते चि छंद नित्य बहु होती ॥४॥

Literal translation

English: Santī — said — anubhava — now-coming. Ācāra-bhraṣṭakaḷī. Puṇyakṣīṇa; pāpabaḷī. Varṇa-dharmaviṭāḷa — none-kept. Gōndhaḷa — one — ṭhāyī. Vēdapāṭhakamadya. Bhēdabhāṇḍaviṣaya. Tuka says: phajitanitya — many.

मराठी: मागें संतीं जें-जें सांगितलें होतें — तें अनुभवा येऊं लागलें. लोक कळीं आचार-भ्रष्ट होती — पुण्य क्षीण, पाप बळी जालें. वर्ण-धर्माचा विटाळ कोणी धरीत नाहीं — एके ठायीं गोंधळ घालितात. वेदाचे पाठक मद्य सेवितील — भेद देखत नाहींत — विषयीं भांड (झगडतात). Tuka म्हणे: किती फजित करावे — ते-च छंद नित्य बहु होती.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
मागें संतीं होतें जें जें सांगितलें "past — santī — said"
तें येऊं लागलें अनुभवा "anubhava — now-coming"
आचारभ्रष्ट होती लोक कळी "ācāra-bhraṣṭakaḷī"
पुण्य क्षीण बळी जालें पाप "puṇyakṣīṇapāpabaḷī"
वर्णधर्म कोण न धरी विटाळ "varṇa-dharmaviṭāḷa"
घालिती गोंधळ एके ठायीं "gōndhaḷa — one — ṭhāyī"
वेदाचे पाठक सेवितील मद्य "vēdapāṭhakamadya"
न देखती भेद विषयीं भांड "bhēdaviṣayabhāṇḍa"
किती करावे फजित "how-much — phajita"
ते चि छंद नित्य बहु होती "chandanitya — many"

What it means

A what-saints-said-now-coming-true-people-corrupt-in-kaḷī-puṇya-depleted-pāpa-strong-no-varṇa-dharma-distinctions-mash-Veda-reciters-drink-alcohol-no-distinction-squabblers-in-viṣayas-how-much-to-shame-faults-daily-many abhang. Kalī-yuga-lament register. Four claims:

  1. संतीं-सांगितलें-अनुभवा — आचार-भ्रष्ट-कळीं — पुण्य-क्षीण-पाप-बळी. Saints'-prophecy-coming-true-claim. What the santas had said is now yēūm into anubhava; people ācāra-bhraṣṭa in kaḷī; puṇya depleted, pāpa grown-strong*.

  2. वर्ण-धर्म-विटाळ-कोणी-धरीत-नाहीं — गोंधळ-एके-ठायीं. No-distinctions-mash-claim. No-one keeps varṇa-dharma's viṭāḷa; gōndhaḷa in one *ṭhāyī. All-categories-mashed-together. (This is a brāhmaṇical-traditional-warning echoed by Tukaram — concerning the breakdown-of-formal-distinctions in kaḷī-yuga; not necessarily endorsing-caste-hierarchy in modern terms but reporting what saints predicted.)

  3. वेदाचे-पाठक-मद्य — भेद-न-देखती — विषयीं-भांड. Veda-reciters-drink-alcohol-claim. The vēda's pāṭhakas drink madya; no bhēda seen; bhāṇḍa in viṣayas. Even-the-learned-corrupt; squabbling-over-objects.

  4. Tuka: फजित-किती-करावे — छंद-नित्य-बहु. Too-many-faults-to-shame-claim. Tuka says: how much should one make-shameful?; those chanda are nitya and bahu. Too-many-daily-faults-to-shame-them-all. (Lament: the corrective-shaming-mode (cf. 0895) cannot keep-up with the daily-multiplication of faults.)

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the kalī-yuga-lament register:

  1. Saints' prophecy now coming true; ācāra-bhraṣṭa, puṇya depleted, pāpa strong. Prophecy-true.

  2. No varṇa-dharma viṭāḷa; chaotic mash in one place. No-distinctions.

  3. Veda-reciters drink alcohol; no bhēda; squabbling in viṣayas. Learned-corrupt.

  4. How much to shame? — the faults are daily and many. Too-many.

For today: the santas' prophecy yēūm into *anubhava; ācāra-bhraṣṭa in kaḷī; puṇya kṣīṇa, pāpa baḷī; no varṇa-dharma viṭāḷa kept; gōndhaḷa in one place; the Veda-pāṭhakas drink madya; no bhēda; bhāṇḍa in viṣayas; how much to phajita? — the chanda are nitya bahu**.

This abhang is Tukaram's kalī-yuga-lament-and-too-many-faults-to-shame registerone of the most-stark prophecy-coming-true statements. Compare 0826 anti-pākhāṇḍa-distinguishing-judgment-by-rain-jurisprudence (Tuka's mudra); same anti-pākhāṇḍa-position but here organized as historical-cultural-lament. The tē ci chanda nitya bahu hōtī (those faults are daily and many) is the precise too-many-to-keep-up claim*.

मराठी: ही ओवी kalī-yuga-lament register नाव सांगते:

  1. संत-सांगितलं-अनुभवा-आलं; आचार-भ्रष्ट. Prophecy-true.

  2. वर्ण-विटाळ-नाहीं; गोंधळ. No-distinctions.

  3. पाठक-मद्य; विषयीं-भांड. Learned-corrupt.

  4. फजित-किती; छंद-नित्य-बहु. Too-many.

आज: Santī सांगितलं — anubhava-त येऊं लागलं; Lōka ācāra-bhraṣṭa kaḷī-त; puṇya kṣīṇa, pāpa baḷī; Varṇa-dharma viṭāḷa कोणी ना धरी; *gōndhaḷa; Vēda-pāṭhaka madya सेवितील; bhēda नाहीं; viṣayī bhāṇḍa; फजित किती करावे; chanda nitya bahu*.

Tukaram च-kalī-yuga-lament-and-too-many-faults-to-shame-registerMost-stark prophecy-coming-true statements पैकी एक. 0826 anti-pākhāṇḍa-distinguishing-judgment-by-rain-jurisprudence (Tuka mudra) compare; तीच anti-pākhāṇḍa-position पण इथे historical-cultural-lament च्या मार्गाने. Tē ci chanda nitya bahu hōtī precise too-many-to-keep-up claim.

Where this applies

Related verses