संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 942 of 4582

Abhanga 942

Tukaram explains why he speaks at all: not for any personal gain, but because he cannot bear to watch people drowning in their own suffering without saying something. The urge to speak comes from a wrench of compassion in his heart, not from any desire to be heard or admired. He warns that if people ignore this now, they will understand it later, when the consequences of their choices actually arrive and there is no denying what he tried to tell them. This is what real concern looks like, speaking up not to benefit yourself but because you cannot stay silent while someone heads toward harm.

When I speak only for helping; no need for myself — and you have to recognize this register
When can't bear to see drowning; kaḷavaḷā makes me speak — and you accept this image
When my eyes will see; at suffering time it will be known — and you receive this final closing

The verse

उपकारासाटीं बोलों हे उपाय । येणेंविण काय आम्हां चाड ॥१॥ बुडतां हे जन न देखवे डोळां । येतो कळवळा म्हणउनि ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे माझे देखतिल डोळे । भोग देते वेळे येईल कळों ॥३॥

Literal translation

Upakāra — upāya — cāḍa — none. Buḍatām — jana — ḍōḷā — kaḷavaḷā. Tuka says: ḍōḷē — bhoga — vēḷē — kaḷōm.

मराठी: उपकारा-साटीं हे उपाय बोलों — येणें-विण काय आम्हां चाड?. जन हे बुडतां — डोळां न देखवे — कळवळा येतो म्हणउनि (बोलतों). Tuka म्हणे: माझे डोळे देखतिल — भोग देत्या-वेळे कळों येईल.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
उपकारासाटीं बोलों हे उपाय "upakāra — upāya"
येणेंविण काय आम्हां चाड "cāḍa"
बुडतां हे जन न देखवे डोळां "buḍatām — jana — ḍōḷā"
येतो कळवळा म्हणउनि "kaḷavaḷā"
माझे देखतिल डोळे भोग देते वेळे "ḍōḷē — bhoga"

What it means

A I-speak-only-for-helping-others-no-need-for-myself-can't-bear-to-see-drowning-anguished-compassion-makes-me-speak-eyes-will-see-at-suffering-time-it-will-be-known abhang. Kaḷavaḷā-makes-me-speak register. Three claims:

  1. उपकारा-साटीं — येणें-विण-चाड-नाहीं. Speak-only-for-helping-claim. I speak theseupāyaonly forupakāra; nocāḍaotherwise. No-self-interest-in-speaking.

  2. जन-बुडतां-न-देखवे — कळवळा-म्हणउनि. Anguished-compassion-claim. I cannot seejanadrowning; kaḷavaḷā — therefore I speak.Compelled-by-compassion.

  3. Tuka: डोळे-देखतिल — भोग-वेळे-कळेल. Eyes-will-see-at-suffering-time-claim. My eyes will see; atbhoga-dētē-vēḷē, it will be known. I-warned-but-suffering-will-prove-it.

[T]

For someone today

Tukaram explains why he speaks at all: not for any personal gain, but because he cannot bear to watch people drowning in their own suffering without saying something. The urge to speak comes from a wrench of compassion in his heart, not from any desire to be heard or admired. He warns that if people ignore this now, they will understand it later, when the consequences of their choices actually arrive and there is no denying what he tried to tell them. This is what real concern looks like, speaking up not to benefit yourself but because you cannot stay silent while someone heads toward harm.

मराठी: तुकाराम सांगतात की ते का बोलतात, कोणत्याही स्वार्थासाठी नाही, तर लोक स्वतःच्याच दुःखात बुडताना पाहून त्यांना गप्प बसवत नाही म्हणून. बोलण्याची इच्छा मनातल्या कळवळ्यातून येते, कोणी ऐकावं किंवा वाहवा करावी या इच्छेतून नाही. ते इशारा देतात की आज लोकांनी हे दुर्लक्षित केलं तरी पुढे जेव्हा त्यांच्या निवडींचे परिणाम प्रत्यक्ष समोर येतील, तेव्हा त्यांना हे नक्की कळेल आणि नाकारता येणार नाही. खरी काळजी अशीच दिसते, स्वतःच्या फायद्यासाठी नाही तर कोणी संकटाकडे चालला आहे हे पाहून गप्प बसता येत नाही म्हणून बोलणे.

Where this applies

Bhakti

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