संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 906 of 4582

Abhanga 906

You already have every faculty you need to seek your own good, so treat the need to act as urgent as a house on fire instead of waiting.

When you are fortunate; you have hands-feet, mouth, ears, eyes — and you have to recognize this register
When how many are blind, deaf, mute, lame — and you accept this image
When house on fire, awake; he who doesn't run won't survive — and you allow this image

The verse

सदैव तुम्हां अवघें आहे । हातपाय चालाया ॥१॥ मुखीं वाणी कानीं कीर्ति । डोळे मूर्ती देखाया ॥ध्रु.॥ अंध बहिर ठकलीं किती । मुकीं होती पांगुळें ॥२॥ घरास आगि लावुनि जागा । न पळे तो गा वांचे ना ॥३॥ तुका म्हणे जागा हिता । कांहीं आतां आपुल्या ॥४॥

Literal translation

Sadaivaavaghēhāta-pāya. Mukha-vāṇī; kāna-kīrti; ḍōḷē-mūrti. Andha-bahiramukīm-pānguḷē. Gharāsa āgijāgāpaḷēvāñcē. Tuka says: jāgāhitaāpulyā.

मराठी: सदैव तुम्हां अवघें आहे — हात-पाय चालाया. मुखीं वाणी, कानीं कीर्ति — डोळे मूर्ती देखाया. अंध-बहिर ठकलीं किती — मुकीं, पांगुळें होतीं. घरास आगि लावुनि — जागा! — न पळे तो गा, वांचे ना. Tuka म्हणे: जागा (तुझ्या) हिता — कांहीं आतां, आपुल्या.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
सदैव तुम्हां अवघें आहे "sadaivaavaghē"
हातपाय चालाया "hāta-pāyacālāyā"
मुखीं वाणी कानीं कीर्ति "mukhavāṇī; kānakīrti"
डोळे मूर्ती देखाया "ḍōḷēmūrti"
अंध बहिर ठकलीं किती "andha-bahira — how-many"
मुकीं होती पांगुळें "mukīmpānguḷē"
घरास आगि लावुनि जागा "gharāsa āgijāgā"
न पळे तो गा वांचे ना "paḷēvāñcē"
जागा हिता कांहीं आतां आपुल्या "jāgāhitaāpulyā"

What it means

A fortunate-have-hands-feet-mouth-ears-eyes-many-blind-deaf-mute-lame-house-on-fire-awake-don't-run-perish-awake-to-self-good-now abhang. Sadaiva-you-are-and-house-on-fire-awake register. Four claims:

  1. सदैव-अवघें — हात-पाय — मुखीं-वाणी — कानीं-कीर्ति — डोळे-मूर्ति. Sadaiva-fortunate-claim. Sadaiva (fortunate) you are;avaghē(everything) you havehāta-pāya to walk; vāṇī in mukha, kīrti in kāna, ḍōḷē for the mūrti to see.Five-faculties-listed-as-fortune.

  2. अंध-बहिर-ठकलीं — मुकीं-पांगुळें. Many-disabled-claim. How many areandha-bahira, ṭhakalīm?; mukīm-pānguḷē exist.Many-without-faculties; you-have-them. (The contrast:don't-take-your-faculties-for-granted; many-have-none.)

  3. घरास-आगि-जागा — न-पळे-वांचे-ना. House-on-fire-don't-run-perish-claim. Set fire to thegharāsa, jāgā (awake);he who doesn't paḷē won't vāñcē. Samsāra-house-on-fire; if-you-don't-run-you-perish. (Vivid-image — the house-of-samsāra is on fire; if you don't run-out, you perish.)

  4. Tuka: जागा-हिता — कांहीं-आपुल्या-आतां. Awake-to-self-good-claim. Tuka says:jāgāto (your)hita; something now, of-your-own. Awake-to-your-own-good-now. (Closing-urgent-call: while you have-faculties (sadaiva), and the house-is-on-fire — awake to your own hita, now.)

[T]

For someone today

Tukaram starts by naming your good fortune plainly: you have hands and feet to walk with, a mouth to speak with, ears to hear praise of the divine, and eyes to behold the sacred image. Then he reminds you how many people go through life blind, deaf, mute, or lame, lacking what you take for granted every day. With all these working faculties, he says, you are like someone whose house has caught fire, if you do not run, you will not survive. The urgency is the point: you already have everything you need to act for your own good, so stop waiting and wake up to it now, while you still can.

मराठी: तुकाराम महाराज सुरुवातीलाच तुमचे भाग्य स्पष्ट शब्दांत सांगतात, तुम्हाला चालायला हातपाय आहेत, बोलायला मुख आहे, परमेश्वराची कीर्ति ऐकायला कान आहेत आणि मूर्ती पाहायला डोळे आहेत. मग ते आठवण करून देतात की किती लोक आंधळे, बहिरे, मुके किंवा पांगळे असतात, ज्यांच्याकडे तुम्ही रोज गृहीत धरता ते काहीच नसते. एवढ्या सगळ्या क्षमता असूनही, ते म्हणतात, तुम्ही जणू ज्याच्या घराला आग लागली आहे अशा माणसासारखे आहात, जर तुम्ही धावला नाहीत तर वाचणार नाही. यातली निकड हाच मुद्दा आहे, तुमच्याकडे स्वतःच्या हितासाठी आवश्यक ते सगळे आधीच आहे, त्यामुळे वाट न पाहता आत्ताच जागे व्हा, अजून वेळ असतानाच.

Where this applies

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