Abhanga 921
When you lack strength, asking for mercy is enough, because a saint's patient endurance is a deeper heroism than any victory won by force.
The verse
एकाएकीं हातोफळी । ठाया बळी पावले ते ॥१॥ आम्ही देवा शक्तिहीनें । भाकुं तेणें करुणा ॥ध्रु.॥ पावटणी केला काळ । जया बळ होतें तें ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे वीर्यावीर । संतधीर समुद्र ॥३॥
Literal translation
Hātō-phaḷī — ṭhāya — baḷī. Śakti-hīnē — bhākum — karuṇā. Kāḷa — pāvaṭaṇī — baḷa. Tuka says: vīryā-vīra — santa-dhīra — samudra.
मराठी: एका-एकीं हातो-फळीनं — ठाया बळी पावले ते. आम्ही, देवा, शक्ति-हीन — तेणें करुणा भाकुं. पावटणी (पायरी) काळ केला — ज्या-ज्यांना बळ होतें ते. Tuka म्हणे: वीर्या-वीर — संत-धीर समुद्र.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| एकाएकीं हातोफळी | "ekā-ekīm — hātō-phaḷī" |
| ठाया बळी पावले ते | "ṭhāya — baḷī" |
| आम्ही देवा शक्तिहीनें | "śakti-hīnē" |
| भाकुं तेणें करुणा | "bhākum — karuṇā" |
| पावटणी केला काळ | "pāvaṭaṇī — kāḷa" |
| जया बळ होतें तें | "baḷa" |
| वीर्यावीर | "vīryā-vīra" |
| संतधीर समुद्र | "santa-dhīra — samudra" |
What it means
A suddenly-by-hand-strikes-some-reached-the-place-by-force-we-are-śakti-hīna-Dēva-so-we-speak-karuṇā-kāḷa-stepped-on-by-those-with-baḷa-saint-dhīra-an-ocean-of-vīrya abhang. Two-paths-force-or-karuṇā register. Three claims:
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हातो-फळी-ठायीं-पावले — शक्ति-हीन-करुणा-भाकूं — पावटणी-काळ-बळ-त्यांना. Force-or-karuṇā-claim. Suddenly, byhātō-phaḷī, some reached theṭhāyabybaḷa; we,Dēvā, areśakti-hīna— therefore webhākum karuṇā; kāḷa was made a pāvaṭaṇī by those whose baḷa was (so).Some-by-force; we-by-karuṇā. (Two-paths:strong-yogiswhostep-over-kāḷaby their ownbaḷa;weak-bhaktaswho reach bykaruṇā (the cry-for-mercy).)
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Tuka: वीर्या-वीर — संत-धीर-समुद्र. Saint-dhīra-an-ocean-claim. Tuka says:vīryā-vīra; thesanta-dhīrais asamudra. Saint-patience-is-an-ocean. (The vīryā-vīra (heroic-among-heroes) is the santa-dhīra — and santa-dhīra is an ocean. The saint's patience is the real heroism — wider than any baḷa-victory.)
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For someone today
Some people seem to get where they're going by sheer force, strong enough to turn time and death into nothing more than a stepping stone under their feet. Most of us are not that strong, and Tukaram says that is fine: when you lack strength, you simply ask for mercy instead of pretending to a power you don't have. The deepest heroism is not the strong one's victory anyway; it is a saint's quiet endurance, which Tukaram compares to an ocean, patient and vast, holding more than any single feat of force ever could.
मराठी: काही माणसं स्वतःच्या ताकदीवर पुढे जातात, इतकी बलवान की काळालाही ते नुसती पायरी बनवून टाकतात. आपल्यापैकी बहुतेकांकडे इतकी ताकद नसते, आणि तुकाराम म्हणतात हे ठीक आहे, ताकद नसेल तर खोटी शक्ती दाखवण्याऐवजी नुसती करुणेची याचना करावी. आणि खरं शौर्य बलवानाच्या विजयात नसतंच, ते संताच्या शांत सहनशीलतेत असतं, जिची तुकाराम समुद्राशी तुलना करतात, कोणत्याही एका पराक्रमापेक्षा ती खूप अधिक खोल आणि विशाल आहे.
Where this applies
- Force-path. Yogis.
- Karuṇā-path. Weak-bhakta.
- Saint-ocean. Patience.