Abhanga 905
Everyone knows suffering is coming, yet people avoid the reflection and remembrance that would prepare them, and only in the midst of suffering does the truth finally become clear, too late to act on.
The verse
दुःखाचे डोंगर लागती सोसावे । ऐसें तंव ठावें सकळांसीं ॥१॥ कांहीं न करिती विचार हिताचा । न करिती वाचा नामघोष ॥ध्रु.॥ भोग कळों येतो मागिल ते जन्म । उत्तम मध्यम कनिष्ठ ते ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे येथें झांकितील डोळे । भोग देतेवेळे येइल कळों ॥३॥
Literal translation
Duḥkha-ḍōngara — sōsāvē — ṭhāvē — sakaḷa. Vicāra-hita — none — nāma-ghōṣa — none. Bhōga — janma — uttama-madhyama-kaniṣṭha. Tuka says: jhānkitīla ḍōḷē — vēḷē — kaḷōm.
मराठी: दुःखाचे डोंगर सोसावे लागती — सकळांसीं ऐसें ठावें. कांहीं हिताचा विचार करीत नाहींत — वाचेनं नाम-घोष करीत नाहींत. भोग मागील जन्म कळों येतो — उत्तम-मध्यम-कनिष्ठ ते. Tuka म्हणे: येथें डोळे झांकितील — भोग देत्या-वेळें कळों येईल.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| दुःखाचे डोंगर लागती सोसावे | "duḥkha — ḍōngara — sōsāvē" |
| ऐसें तंव ठावें सकळांसीं | "ṭhāvē — sakaḷa" |
| कांहीं न करिती विचार हिताचा | "vicāra — hita" |
| न करिती वाचा नामघोष | "vācā — nāma-ghōṣa" |
| भोग कळों येतो मागिल ते जन्म | "bhōga — kaḷōm — janma" |
| उत्तम मध्यम कनिष्ठ ते | "uttama-madhyama-kaniṣṭha" |
| येथें झांकितील डोळे | "jhānkitīla — ḍōḷē" |
| भोग देतेवेळे येइल कळों | "bhōga — vēḷē — kaḷōm" |
What it means
A mountains-of-duḥkha-must-be-borne-all-aware-no-thought-of-self-good-no-nāma-ghōṣa-bhoga-reveals-past-janmas-here-eyes-shut-known-at-suffering-time abhang. Eyes-shut-now-known-at-suffering-time register. Three claims:
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दुःख-डोंगर-सोसावे — सकळांना-ठावें — हित-विचार-नाहीं — नाम-घोष-नाहीं. Aware-but-do-nothing-claim. Mountains ofduḥkhamust be borne; all are aware; yet (they) do novicāraofhita; don't makenāma-ghōṣawithvācā. Aware-of-future-suffering-yet-do-nothing.
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भोग-मागील-जन्म-कळतो — उत्तम-मध्यम-कनिष्ठ. Bhoga-reveals-past-janmas-claim. Bhoga reveals the past janmas;uttama, madhyama, kaniṣṭha. Suffering-now-shows-past-grade.
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Tuka: डोळे-झांकती — भोग-वेळी-कळेल. Eyes-shut-known-at-suffering-time-claim. Tuka says: here they shut theirḍōḷē; at-the-time-of-bhōga, it will yēīla kaḷōm. Eyes-shut-now-suffering-will-open-them.
[T]
For someone today
Everyone already knows that mountains of suffering are coming; that much is common knowledge to all. And yet, knowing this, people still do not stop to think about what is actually good for them, and they do not spend their voice chanting the Name. Tukaram observes that when suffering comes, it reveals the quality of your past life, whether it was lived well, in the middle, or poorly. Right now people keep their eyes shut to this truth, but he warns that when suffering actually arrives, they will finally see clearly, and by then it is too late to prepare. The point is to act on what you already know before the reckoning forces you to.
मराठी: दुःखाचे डोंगर पेलावे लागणार आहेत हे सर्वांनाच आधीपासून माहीत असते. तरीही हे माहीत असूनही माणसे आपल्या खऱ्या हिताचा विचार करत नाहीत आणि आपल्या वाणीने नामाचा घोष करत नाहीत. तुकाराम महाराज सांगतात की भोग भोगताना मागील जन्माची प्रत कळून येते, तो जन्म उत्तम होता, मध्यम होता की कनिष्ठ होता. आत्ता माणसे या सत्याकडे डोळे झाकून बसतात, पण भोगाची वेळ आली की मात्र सगळे स्पष्ट कळून येईल, तोपर्यंत तयारी करायला वेळ निघून गेलेला असेल. आधीच कळलेल्या गोष्टीवर कृती करणे, हिशोब मागायची वेळ येण्याआधीच करणे, हाच यातला बोध आहे.
Where this applies
- When you already know a hard consequence is coming but keep putting off the inner work that would prepare you for it
- When you notice how much of your current struggle traces back to choices you made and ignored long ago
- When you catch yourself avoiding prayer or reflection because facing your own life honestly feels uncomfortable
- When you tell yourself you will deal with your habits later, once things calm down, and later never comes