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 994 of 4582

Abhanga 994

This abhang names the Kēśīrāja-takes-care register:

When where Deva did this thōrapaṇa come upon me — better had I been poor — and you have to recognize this register
When the sādhana is service of samtas — best — and by love I'll sing the nāma — and you accept this image
When no one asks wherever I am — but chitta's samādhāna is in this sukha — and you allow this image

The verse

कोठें देवा आलें अंगा थोरपण । बरें होतें दीन होतों तरीं ॥१॥ साधन ते सेवा संतांची उत्तम । आवडीनें नाम गाईन तें ॥ध्रु.॥ न पुसतें कोणी कोठें ही असतां । समाधान चित्ताचिया सुखें ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे जन अव्हेरितें मज । तरी केशीराज सांभाळिता ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: Where — Deva — angathōrapaṇa — better — dīna. Sādhanasamta-sēvāuttamaāvaḍīnāma. No one asks — wherever — samādhānachitta-sukha. Tuka says: janaavhēritēKēśīrājasāmbhāḷitā.

मराठी: कोठें देवा — अंगा थोरपण आलें — बरें होतें दीन होतों तरीं. साधन — संताची सेवा — उत्तम — आवडीनें नाम गाईन तें. न पुसतें कोणी — कोठें ही असतां — चित्ताचिया सुखें — समाधान. Tuka म्हणे: जन अव्हेरितें मज — तरी केशीराज सांभाळिता.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
कोठें देवा आलें अंगा थोरपण "where — Deva — angathōrapaṇa"
बरें होतें दीन होतों तरीं "better — dīna"
साधन ते सेवा संतांची उत्तम "sādhanasamta-sēvāuttama"
आवडीनें नाम गाईन तें "āvaḍīnāma"
न पुसतें कोणी कोठें ही असतां "no one asks — wherever"
समाधान चित्ताचिया सुखें "samādhānachitta-sukha"
जन अव्हेरितें मज "janaavhēritē"
तरी केशीराज सांभाळिता "Kēśīrājasāmbhāḷitā"

What it means

A where-Deva-did-this-greatness-come-upon-me-better-had-I-been-poor-samta-service-best-sādhana-by-love-I'll-sing-the-name-no-one-asks-wherever-I-am-but-chitta's-samādhāna-people-reject-but-Kēśīrāja-takes-care abhang. Kēśīrāja-takes-care register. Four claims:

  1. कोठें-Deva — थोरपण-अंगा — बरें-दीन-होतों. Rather-be-poor-than-have-this-thōrapaṇa-claim. Where, O Deva, did this thōrapaṇa (greatness, eminence) come upon (my) *anga?; (it) would have been better if (I) had been dīna (poor, humble) instead. (The complaint is against having a great-name — Tuka would have preferred obscurity.)

  2. साधन-संत-सेवा-उत्तम — आवडी-नाम-गाईन. Samta-service-best-sādhana-claim. The sādhana is the service of samtas — the uttama (highest); by āvaḍī (love) I will sing the *nāma.

  3. न-पुसतें-कोठें-ही — चित्त-सुख-समाधान. No-one-asks-but-chitta's-samādhāna-claim. No one asks (about me) wherever (I) am; (yet) the samādhāna (contentment) of the chitta is in (this) *sukha. (The lack-of-being-asked-about — being-anonymous — is itself the sukha.)

  4. Tuka: जन-अव्हेरितें — Kēśīrāja-सांभाळिता. Kēśīrāja-takes-care-claim. Tuka says: even if jana avhēritē (rejects, snubs) me; yet Kēśīrāja (Lord-of-Kēśin = Krishna) sāmbhāḷitā* (takes care, looks after).

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the Kēśīrāja-takes-care register:

  1. Where Deva did this thōrapaṇa come upon me; better had I been poor. Rather-be-poor.

  2. Sādhana is samta-service, best; by love I'll sing the nāma. Samta-service-name.

  3. No one asks wherever I am; chitta's samādhāna is in this sukha. Anonymous-samādhāna.

  4. Even if people reject me, Kēśīrāja takes care. Kēśīrāja-takes-care.

For today: thōrapaṇa came on anga, would have been better dīna; sādhana is samta-sēvā, uttama, āvaḍī-by nāma-singing; no one asks, samādhāna in chitta-sukha; jana avhēritē, but Kēśīrāja sāmbhāḷitā*.

This abhang is Tukaram's Kēśīrāja-takes-care registerone of the most-precise rather-be-poor-than-eminent statements. The Kēśīrāja sāmbhāḷitā (Kēśīrāja takes care) is the precise care-claim.

मराठी: ही ओवी Kēśīrāja-takes-care register नाव सांगते:

  1. थोरपण-अंगा — दीन-बरें. Rather-be-poor.

  2. संत-सेवा — आवडी-नाम. Samta-service-name.

  3. न-पुसतें — चित्त-समाधान. Anonymous-samādhāna.

  4. जन-अव्हेरितें — Kēśīrāja-सांभाळिता. Kēśīrāja-takes-care.

आज: Thōrapaṇa अंगा आलें — dīna बरें होतों; Sādhana — samta-sēvā uttama; Āvaḍī नें nāma गाईन; कोणी न-पुसतें — चित्त-सुखें-समाधान; Jana avhēritē, Kēśīrāja sāmbhāḷitā*.

Tukaram च-Kēśīrāja-takes-care-registerMost-precise rather-be-poor-than-eminent statements पैकी एक. Kēśīrāja sāmbhāḷitā precise care-claim.

Where this applies

Related verses