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 916 of 4582

Abhanga 916

The old sages deliberately stayed away from public attention even when power came to them, and Tuka prays to be kept just as far from the crowd's notice.

When the past ṛṣis distanced themselves from this jana — and you have to recognize this register
When aṣṭa-siddhis served them but they didn't touch jana-buddhi — and you accept this image
When they ate kanda-mūla, dwelt in jungle-deserts — and you allow this image

The verse

तरि कां नेणते होते मागें ॠषी । तींहीं या जनासी दुराविलें ॥१॥ वोळगती जया अष्टमासिद्धि । ते या जनबुद्धी नातळती ॥२॥ कंदमूळें पाला धातूच्या पोषणा । खातील वास राणां तरी केला ॥३॥ लावुनियां नेत्र उगे चि बैसले । न बोलत ठेले मौन्यमुद्रे ॥४॥ तुका म्हणे ऐसें करीं माझ्या चित्ता । दुरावीं अनंता जन दुरी ॥५॥

Literal translation

Ṛṣi — past — durāvilē — jana. Aṣṭa-siddhi — vōḷagatī — jana-buddhi — nātaḷatī. Kanda-mūla-pāla — dhātū-pōṣaṇa — rāṇa. Nētra — ugē — sat — mauni-mudrā. Tuka says: citta — durāvīm — Ananta — jana.

मराठी: तरि कां नेणते होते मागें ॠषी? — तींहीं ह्या जनासी दुराविलें. वोळगती ज्यांना अष्ट-सिद्धि — ते ह्या जन-बुद्धीला नातळती. कंद-मूळें-पाला धातूच्या पोषणा — खातील — वास राणांत-तरी केला. नेत्र लावुनियां उगे-च बैसले — न बोलत ठेले मौनी-मुद्रें. Tuka म्हणे: ऐसें कर माझ्या चित्ता — दुरावीं, अनंता, जन दुरी.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
तरि कां नेणते होते मागें ॠषी "ṛṣi — past — knew"
तींहीं या जनासी दुराविलें "durāvilē — jana"
वोळगती जया अष्टमासिद्धि "aṣṭa-siddhi — vōḷagatī"
ते या जनबुद्धी नातळती "jana-buddhi — nātaḷatī"
कंदमूळें पाला धातूच्या पोषणा "kanda-mūla-pāla — dhātū-pōṣaṇa"
खातील वास राणां तरी केला "vāsa — rāṇa"
लावुनियां नेत्र उगे चि बैसले "nētra — ugē — sat"
न बोलत ठेले मौन्यमुद्रे "mauni-mudrā"
ऐसें करीं माझ्या चित्ता "this — citta"
दुरावीं अनंता जन दुरी "durāvīm — Ananta — jana"

What it means

A past-ṛṣis-distanced-from-jana-aṣṭa-siddhi-served-them-but-they-didn't-touch-jana-buddhi-ate-kanda-mūla-dwelt-in-jungle-deserts-fixed-eyes-sat-still-mauni-mudrā-do-this-to-my-citta-distance-jana-far-O-Ananta abhang. Distance-jana-far-from-my-citta register. Five claims:

  1. मागें-ॠषी-नेणते-नव्हे — जनासी-दुराविलें. Past-ṛṣis-distanced-from-jana-claim. Why weren't the pastṛṣis ignorant? (= they certainly knew);they distanced themselves from this jana. Past-sages-deliberately-withdrew.

  2. अष्ट-सिद्धि-वोळगती — जन-बुद्धी-नातळती. Siddhi-served-but-didn't-touch-jana-claim. Those whom theaṣṭa-siddhis serve; they don'tnātaḷatīthejana-buddhi. Even-with-siddhi-power-they-stayed-clear-of-jana-mind.

  3. कंद-मूळ-पाला-पोषणा — राणांत-वास. Forest-fare-and-jungle-dwelling-claim. Kanda-mūla, pāla for dhātū-pōṣaṇa; vāsa in rāṇa (jungles, deserts).Plain-fare-and-wilderness.

  4. नेत्र-लावूनि-उगे — मौनी-मुद्रें-न-बोलत. Eyes-fixed-mauni-mudrā-claim. Withnētrafixed, satugē; not speaking, inmauni-mudrā.

  5. Tuka: चित्त-ऐसें-कर — Anantā-दुरावीं-जन. Distance-jana-from-my-citta-claim. Tuka says: do this to mycitta;distance, O Ananta, the jana far.Make-me-like-the-ṛṣis-distance-the-public-from-me. (Profound-petition: don'tgive-me-public-fame;take-it-away. Make me like-the-past-ṛṣis: solitary, silent, wilderness-dwelling.)

[T]

For someone today

Tukaram remembers that the sages of the past were not naive, they deliberately kept their distance from crowds. Even when supernatural powers came looking to serve them, they refused to let public attention touch their minds. They lived on simple roots and leaves in the wilderness, sat with eyes fixed and lips sealed in silence, and never sought a following. Tuka now prays for the same thing for himself, asking God to push people's attention away from him rather than draw it closer. This is a reminder that avoiding fame and staying unnoticed can be a wise, deliberate choice rather than a failure.

मराठी: तुकाराम आठवतात की पूर्वीचे ऋषी अजाण नव्हते, त्यांनी जाणूनबुजून लोकांपासून अंतर राखले. अष्टसिद्धी त्यांची सेवा करायला येत असतानाही त्यांनी लोकांचे लक्ष आपल्या मनाला स्पर्श करू दिले नाही. ते रानावनात कंदमुळे व पाला खाऊन राहत, डोळे स्थिर ठेवून मौन धारण करत आणि कधीही अनुयायी शोधत नसत. तुका आता स्वतःसाठीही तेच मागतात, देवाला विनवतात की लोकांचे लक्ष माझ्याकडे न आणता दूर ठेवावे. यातून हा धडा मिळतो की प्रसिद्धी टाळणे आणि दुर्लक्षित राहणे ही अपयश नसून एक जाणीवपूर्वक शहाणपणाची निवड असू शकते.

Where this applies

Bhakti

Related verses