संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1019 of 4582

Abhanga 1019

A person untouched by the world, full of compassion, and free of gossip lives like God among people, but without grasping this inner truth, busy effort brings only weariness.

When sarvasva-tyāga is always pure — like fire untouched by impurity — and you have to recognize this register
When truth-speaker does the whole world — untouched like lotus in water — and you accept this image
When helpfulness and compassion — ātma-state dwells in his body — and you allow this image

The verse

सर्वस्वाचा त्याग तो सदा सोंवळा । न लिंपे विटाळा अग्नि जैसा ॥१॥ सत्यवादी करी संसार सकळ । अलिप्त कमळ जळीं जैसें ॥ध्रु.॥ घडे ज्या उपकार भूतांची दया । आत्मस्थिती तया अंगीं वसे ॥२॥ नो बोले गुणदोष नाइके जो कानीं । वर्तोनि तो जनीं जनार्दन ॥३॥ तुका म्हणे वर्म जाणितल्याविण । पावे करितां सीण सांडीमांडी ॥४॥

Literal translation

Sarvasva-tyāga — sōvaḷā — viṭāḷa — agni. Satya-vādī — samsāra-sakaḷa — alipta — kamaḷa — jaḷa. Upakāra — bhūta-dayā — ātma-sthitī. No guṇa-dōṣa — speak-hear — janī Janārdana. Tuka says: varma — without-knowing — sīṇa — sāṇḍī-māṇḍī.

मराठी: सर्वस्वाचा त्याग तो सदा सोंवळा — अग्नि जैसा विटाळा न लिंपे. सत्य-वादी सकळ संसार करी — जळीं कमळ जैसें अलिप्त. ज्या उपकार-भूतांची दया घडे — त्या अंगीं आत्म-स्थिति वसे. जो कानीं गुण-दोष नो बोले, नाइके — तो जनीं Janārdana वर्तोनि. Tuka म्हणे: वर्म जाणितल्या-विण — सांडी-मांडी करितां सीण पावे.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
सर्वस्वाचा त्याग तो सदा सोंवळा "sarvasva-tyāga — sōvaḷā"
न लिंपे विटाळा अग्नि जैसा "viṭāḷa — agni"
सत्यवादी करी संसार सकळ "satya-vādī — samsāra-sakaḷa"
अलिप्त कमळ जळीं जैसें "alipta — kamaḷa — jaḷa"
घडे ज्या उपकार भूतांची दया "upakāra — bhūta-dayā"
आत्मस्थिती तया अंगीं वसे "ātma-sthitī"
नो बोले गुणदोष नाइके जो कानीं "no guṇa-dōṣa — speak-hear"
वर्तोनि तो जनीं जनार्दन "janī Janārdana"
तुका म्हणे वर्म जाणितल्याविण "varma — without-knowing"
पावे करितां सीण सांडीमांडी "sīṇa — sāṇḍī-māṇḍī"

What it means

A sarvasva-tyāga-always-pure-like-fire-truth-speaker-does-whole-world-untouched-like-lotus-in-water-helpfulness-and-compassion-house-the-ātma-state-doesn't-speak-or-hear-virtues-and-faults-moves-as-Janārdana-without-knowing-the-secret-give-and-take-brings-weariness abhang. Without-varma-give-and-take-weariness register. Five claims (each a saint-portrait simile):

  1. सर्वस्व-त्याग-सोंवळा — अग्नि-विटाळ-न-लिंपे. Renunciation-pure-like-fire-claim. Sarvasva-tyāga (renunciation-of-everything) is sadā sōvaḷā (always-pure);(it) doesn't get limpē (smeared) by viṭāḷa (impurity), like theagni(fire). (Fire burns clean — even what falls in is purified.)

  2. सत्य-वादी-संसार — कमळ-जळ-अलिप्त. Truth-speaker-untouched-like-lotus-claim. Thesatya-vādīdoes the entiresamsāra;(but) alipta (untouched), like the kamaḷa in jaḷa.

  3. उपकार-दया — आत्म-स्थिति-अंगीं. Helpfulness-houses-ātma-state-claim. In whomupakāraandbhūtāñcī dayā (compassion for beings) occur;the ātma-sthitī dwells in his anga.

  4. नो-बोले-गुण-दोष — जनीं-जनार्दन. Moves-as-Janārdana-claim. Who doesn'tbōlēguṇa-dōṣa, doesn'taikē(hear) in (his)kānī;that one moves in janī (people) as Janārdana (the Lord-of-People).

  5. Tuka: वर्म-न-जाणितां — सांडी-मांडी-सीण. Without-varma-give-and-take-weariness-claim. Tuka says: without knowing thevarma (secret-key, the inner-mark);doing sāṇḍī-māṇḍī (give-and-take, do-and-undo, the bustle of arranging) brings sīṇa.

[T]

For someone today

A truly free person can live fully in the world without being stained by it, like fire that stays pure no matter what falls into it, or a lotus that floats on water without ever getting wet. You can recognize such a person by how they act: they help others, feel compassion for every living being, and never gossip about anyone's virtues or faults. Living that way, they move through ordinary life as though God himself were walking among people. But Tukaram warns that without grasping this inner secret, all your busy effort and rearranging of life will only leave you exhausted.

मराठी: खरा मुक्त माणूस जगात राहूनही जगाकडून विटाळत नाही — जसा अग्नी कशानेही अपवित्र होत नाही, किंवा कमळ पाण्यात राहूनही ओले होत नाही. असा माणूस दुसऱ्यांवर उपकार करतो, प्रत्येक जीवाबद्दल दया बाळगतो, आणि कुणाच्याही गुण-दोषांची चर्चा करत नाही. असे जगताना तो जणू लोकांमध्ये साक्षात परमेश्वरासारखाच वावरतो. पण तुकाराम म्हणतात, हे खरे वर्म समजल्याशिवाय नुसती धावपळ आणि खटपट केवळ शीण आणते.

Where this applies

Bhakti

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