संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1006 of 4582

Abhanga 1006

Having given everything of yourself and having nothing left to repay, the only honest move is to ask God to claim what is already his.

When I pawned body-speech-mind, took your debt for gathering — and you have to recognize this register
When everything came inside, fell into the belly, pushing-aside I became anxiety-free — and you accept this image
When nothing now to give — prior accounting known to you — and you allow this image

The verse

कायावाचामन ठेविलें गाहाण । घेतलें तुझें रिण जोडीलागीं ॥१॥ अवघें आलें आंत पोटा पडिलें थीतें । सारूनि निश्चिंत जालों देवा ॥ध्रु.॥ द्यावयासी आतां नाहीं तोळा मासा । आधील मवेशा तुज ठावी ॥२॥ तुझ्या रिणें गेले बहुत बांधोन । जाले मजहून थोरथोर ॥३॥ तुका म्हणे तुझे खतीं जें गुंतलें । करूनि आपुलें घेईं देवा ॥४॥

Literal translation

Kāyā-vācā-managāhāṇariṇajoḍī. All — inside — pōṭathītēniścinta — Dēva. To-give — none — tōḷāmāsāmavēśāṭhāvī. Riṇa — many — bound — thōra-thōra — greater. Tuka says: khatagumtalēāpulē — take, Dēva.

मराठी: काया-वाचा-मन ठेविलें गाहाण — तुझें रिण घेतलें जोडी-लागीं. अवघें आंत आलें — पोटा थीतें पडिलें — सारूनि निश्चिंत जालों, Dēvā. द्यावयासी आतां तोळा-मासा नाहीं — आधील मवेशा तुज ठावी. तुझ्या रिणें बहुत गेले बांधोन — माझ्याहून थोर-थोर जाले. Tuka म्हणे: तुझे खतीं जें गुंतलें — करूनि आपुलें घेईं, Dēvā.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
कायावाचामन ठेविलें गाहाण "kāyā-vācā-managāhāṇa"
घेतलें तुझें रिण जोडीलागीं "riṇajoḍī"
अवघें आलें आंत पोटा पडिलें थीतें "all — inside — pōṭathītē"
सारूनि निश्चिंत जालों देवा "pushing — niścinta — Dēva"
द्यावयासी आतां नाहीं तोळा मासा "to-give — tōḷāmāsā"
आधील मवेशा तुज ठावी "mavēśāṭhāvī"
तुझ्या रिणें गेले बहुत बांधोन "riṇa — many — bound"
जाले मजहून थोरथोर "thōra-thōra — greater"
तुझे खतीं जें गुंतलें "khatagumtalē"
करूनि आपुलें घेईं देवा "āpulē — take"

What it means

A I-pawned-kāyā-vācā-mana-took-your-debt-for-gathering-everything-came-inside-fell-into-belly-pushing-aside-anxiety-free-nothing-now-to-give-prior-accounting-known-to-you-many-bound-by-your-debt-became-greater-than-me-what-is-tangled-in-your-account-book-make-it-yours-take-it-back abhang. Take-back-what's-yours register. Tuka's surrender-by-bankruptcy. Five claims, all framed in the bhakti-as-debt-and-pawn register:

  1. काया-वाचा-मन-गाहाण — रिण-जोडी-लागीं. Pawned-body-speech-mind-claim. Kāyā-vācā-mana I have placed as gāhāṇa (pawn-collateral);I took your riṇa (debt, loan) for joḍī (gathering, accumulation — saving-up-of-merit / livelihood).

  2. अवघें-आंत-पोटा-थीतें — सारूनि-निश्चिंत. Everything-came-inside-anxiety-free-claim. Everything came inside, fell into thepōṭa(belly) —thītē (already-piled-up);pushing-aside, I became niścinta (without-anxiety), O Dēva. (The debt's proceeds came in fully; I pushed-aside (further worry) and became free of anxiety.)

  3. तोळा-मासा-नाहीं — मवेशा-ठावी. Nothing-to-give-prior-accounting-known-claim. Now (I) have nothing to givenot atōḷā or māsā (units of weight);the prior mavēśā (weighing-scale, accounting / measuring-stand) is ṭhāvī (known) to you. (You know the running tally of my debt; I cannot pay.)

  4. रिणें-बांधोन — मज-हून-थोर. Many-became-greater-by-your-debt-claim. By yourriṇa, many have gone bound;(they) became thōra-thōra (greater-and-greater), greater than me. (Many before me have lived on this same debt; they became great. So can I.)

  5. Tuka: खतीं-गुंतलें — आपुलें-घेईं. What's-tangled-in-your-account-book-take-it-back-claim. Tuka says: what isgumtalē (entangled, bound, written-down) in your khata (account-book, ledger);making it āpulē (your-own), take (it), O Dēva. (Whatever debt remains in your ledger —make it yours, take it back. The classic Tuka-bankruptcy:I cannot pay; you collect by absorbing what you've already lent into yourself.)

[T]

For someone today

Tukaram describes his devotion using the image of a debt: he pawned his body, speech, and mind, and took on God's loan in order to gather everything that mattered. Now that everything has come to him and settled fully in his heart, he has set aside worry and become free of anxiety. But he has nothing left to repay — not even the smallest amount — and God already knows exactly what is owed. Many before him took on this same debt and grew far greater than he ever will. So Tuka simply asks God to take back what is already His, since whatever remains tangled in the ledger belongs to Him anyway.

मराठी: तुकाराम आपल्या भक्तीचे वर्णन कर्जाच्या रूपकातून करतात: त्यांनी आपली काया, वाचा आणि मन गहाण ठेवले आणि सर्वस्व मिळवण्यासाठी देवाचे कर्ज घेतले. आता सर्व काही त्यांच्या हृदयात येऊन स्थिरावले आहे, त्यांनी काळजी बाजूला सारून निश्चिंत झाले आहेत. पण त्यांच्याकडे परतफेड करण्यासाठी काहीही उरलेले नाही - अगदी लहानशी रक्कमही नाही - आणि देवाला नक्की किती देणे आहे हे आधीच माहीत आहे. त्यांच्याआधी अनेकांनी हेच कर्ज घेतले आणि ते त्यांच्यापेक्षा कितीतरी मोठे झाले. म्हणून तुका फक्त देवाला विनवतात की जे आधीच त्याचे आहे ते त्याने परत घ्यावे, कारण हिशोबात जे काही अडकलेले आहे ते मुळातच त्याचेच आहे.

Where this applies

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