संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 959 of 4582

Abhanga 959

Real reassurance has to be earned through honest testing, not handed out as a bland, comforting lie to a doubting, clinging heart.

When if doubt dispelled it's tasty; for the bland, no respect or taste — and you have to recognize this register
When don't deceive me with the false; where shall I come-and-go? — and you accept this image
When if life goes, what trouble? surviving ahead, what purpose? — and you allow this image

The verse

संदेह निरसे तरि रुचिकर । फिक्यासी आदर चवी नाहीं ॥१॥ आतां नको मज खोट्यानें फटवूं । कोठें येऊं जाऊं वेळोवेळां ॥ध्रु.॥ गेला तरि काय जीवाचें सांकडें । वांचउनि पुढें काय काज ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे कसीं निवडा जी बरें । केलीं तैसीं पोरें आळीपायीं ॥३॥

Literal translation

Sandēha — rucikara. Phikā — ādara — cavī — none. Khōṭa — phaṭavūm — none. Vēḷō-vēḷām. Jīva-sānkaḍa — none. Kāja — none. Tuka says: kasīm — nivaḍā — pōrē — āḷī-pāyī.

मराठी: संदेह निरसे — तरि रुचिकर — फिक्यासि आदर, चवी नाहीं. आतां नको मज खोट्यानें फटवूं — कोठें येऊं-जाऊं वेळो-वेळां?. गेला तरि काय जीवाचें सांकडें — वांचउनि पुढें काय काज?. Tuka म्हणे: कसीं निवडा जी बरें — केलीं तैसीं पोरें आळी-पायीं.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
संदेह निरसे तरि रुचिकर "sandēha — rucikara"
फिक्यासी आदर चवी नाहीं "phikā — ādara — cavī"
आतां नको मज खोट्यानें फटवूं "khōṭa — phaṭavūm"
कोठें येऊं जाऊं वेळोवेळां "vēḷō-vēḷām"
गेला तरि काय जीवाचें सांकडें "jīva-sānkaḍa"
वांचउनि पुढें काय काज "surviving — kāja"
कसीं निवडा जी बरें "kasīm — nivaḍā"
केलीं तैसीं पोरें आळीपायीं "pōrē — āḷī-pāyī"

What it means

A if-doubt-dispelled-tasty-bland-no-taste-don't-deceive-me-with-false-where-come-and-go-if-life-goes-what-trouble-surviving-no-purpose-judge-by-test-children-by-obstinate-clinging abhang. Don't-deceive-me-judge-by-test register. Three claims:

  1. संदेह-निरसे-रुचिकर — फिक्या-आदर-चवी-नाहीं — खोट्या-फटवूं-नका — वेळो-वेळां. Don't-deceive-claim. Ifsandēhais dispelled,rucikara; for thephikā, noādara, nocavī; don't deceive me with khōṭa, where vēḷō-vēḷām?

  2. गेला-तरि-काय-सांकडें — वांचउनि-काज-नाहीं. No-purpose-claim. If (life) goes, nojīva-sānkaḍa; surviving ahead, nokāja.

  3. Tuka: कसीं-निवडा — पोरें-आळी-पायीं. Judge-by-test-claim. Tuka says: bykasīm,nivaḍā; (these) children have beenāḷī-pāyī(by-obstinate-clinging) made. Test-and-judge — these (we) are children-clinging-by-obstinacy. (Confessional-claim: like-children-who-cling-with-obstinate-tantrum, Tuka asks Hari to test-by-touchstone rather than dismiss.)

[T]

For someone today

Tukaram refuses to be soothed with false comfort. He says a doubt that is truly resolved tastes real, but something bland and hollow has no flavor at all, so do not try to trick him with pretty lies. He is tired of going back and forth, unsure, over and over. Whether he lives or dies matters less to him than being tested honestly, the way you test metal on a touchstone, and he compares himself to a stubborn child who clings and cries out not to be indulged, but to be taken seriously.

मराठी: तुकाराम खोट्या सांत्वनाला नकार देतात. ते म्हणतात, खरोखर संदेह दूर झाला तर त्याला खरी चव असते, पण फिकट आणि पोकळ गोष्टीला काहीच चव नसते, म्हणून गोड खोट्या शब्दांनी फसवू नका. वारंवार संभ्रमात इकडे-तिकडे होण्याचा त्यांना कंटाळा आला आहे. जगणे किंवा मरणे यापेक्षा त्यांना प्रामाणिकपणे कसोटीवर तपासले जावे असे वाटते, जसे धातू पारखेवर तपासतात, आणि ते स्वतःला हट्टी मुलासारखे म्हणतात जो लाड करून घेण्यासाठी नाही तर खरोखर लक्ष दिले जावे म्हणून हट्ट धरतो.

Where this applies

Bhakti

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