संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1021 of 4582

Abhanga 1021

Helping others is merit and hurting them is sin, truth is the real path and dishonesty is bondage, and since what helps or harms you is plainly visible, act accordingly.

When merit is helping, sin is hurting — no other equal pair — and you have to recognize this register
When truth itself is dharma, untruth is karma — no other secret — and you accept this image
When way up is name on mouth, way down is turning face away — and you allow this image

The verse

पुण्य परउपकार पाप ते परपीडा । आणीक नाहीं जोडा दुजा यासी ॥१॥ सत्य तो चि धर्म असत्य तें कर्म । आणीक हे वर्म नाहीं दुजें ॥ध्रु.॥ गति ते चि मुखीं नामाचें स्मरण । अधोगति जाण विन्मुखते ॥२॥ संतांचा संग तो चि स्वर्गवास । नर्क तो उदास अनर्गळा ॥३॥ तुका म्हणे उघडें आहे हित घात । जयाचें उचित करा तैसें ॥४॥

Literal translation

Puṇya — para-upakāra — pāpa — para-pīḍā — no other jōḍā. Satya-dharma — asatya-karma — no other varma. Gati — mukha-nāma-smaraṇa — adhō-gati — vinmukhatā. Samta-sanga — svarga-vāsa — narka — udāsa-anargaḷā. Tuka says: ughaḍē — hita-ghāta — ucita — do.

मराठी: पुण्य पर-उपकार — पाप तें पर-पीडा — यासि दुजा जोडा नाहीं. सत्य तो-च धर्म — असत्य तें कर्म — आणीक हे वर्म दुजें नाहीं. गति ते-च मुखीं नामाचें स्मरण — अधो-गति विन्मुखते जाण. संतांचा संग तो-च स्वर्ग-वास — नर्क तो उदास-अनर्गळा. Tuka म्हणे: हित-घात उघडें आहे — जयाचें उचित तैसें करा.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
पुण्य परउपकार पाप ते परपीडा "puṇya — para-upakāra — pāpa — para-pīḍā"
आणीक नाहीं जोडा दुजा यासी "no other jōḍā"
सत्य तो चि धर्म असत्य तें कर्म "satya-dharma — asatya-karma"
आणीक हे वर्म नाहीं दुजें "no other varma"
गति ते चि मुखीं नामाचें स्मरण "gati — mukha-nāma-smaraṇa"
अधोगति जाण विन्मुखते "adhō-gati — vinmukhatā"
संतांचा संग तो चि स्वर्गवास "samta-sanga — svarga-vāsa"
नर्क तो उदास अनर्गळा "narka — udāsa-anargaḷā"
उघडें आहे हित घात "ughaḍē — hita-ghāta"
जयाचें उचित करा तैसें "ucita — do"

What it means

A merit-is-helping-others-sin-is-hurting-others-no-other-equal-pair-truth-itself-is-dharma-untruth-is-karma-no-other-secret-the-way-up-is-name-on-mouth-the-way-down-is-turning-face-away-saint-company-is-heaven-detached-unrestrained-is-hell-good-and-harm-openly-visible-do-what's-fitting abhang. Do-what's-fitting register. Tukaram's gnomic ethics — five aphoristic equations. Five claims:

  1. पुण्य-पर-उपकार — पाप-पर-पीडा. Merit-and-sin-claim. Puṇya is para-upakāra (helping-others),pāpaispara-pīḍā (hurting-others);there is no other jōḍā (equal pair, equivalent) to this. (The shortest definition of merit and sin in the Gatha.)

  2. सत्य-धर्म — असत्य-कर्म. Truth-dharma-claim. Satya itself is dharma, asatya is karma (here = bondage-causing-action);there is no other varma than this.

  3. गति-नाम-स्मरण — अधोगति-विन्मुख. Way-up-and-down-claim. Gati is the smaraṇa of nāma in the mukha;adhō-gati, know, is vinmukhatā (turning-the-face-away from Hari).

  4. संत-संग-स्वर्ग — नर्क-उदास. Saint-company-heaven-claim. Samta-sanga itself is svarga-vāsa;narkais theudāsa(indifferent)anargaḷā(unrestrained). (The detached-unrestrained one — neither in samta-sanga nor under any check — is narka itself.)

  5. Tuka: उघडें-हित-घात — उचित-करा. Do-what's-fitting-claim. Tuka says: hita and ghāta are ughaḍē (openly-visible);do whatever is ucita (fitting) to whom.

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For someone today

This abhang names the do-what's-fitting register:

  1. Merit is helping; sin is hurting — no other pair. Helping-and-hurting.

  2. Truth is dharma; untruth is karma — no other secret. Truth-and-untruth.

  3. Way up is name on mouth; way down is turning face away. Way-up-down.

  4. Saint-company is heaven; detached-unrestrained is hell. Samta-narka.

  5. Good and harm openly visible — do what's fitting. Open-do-fitting.

For today: puṇya para-upakāra, pāpa para-pīḍā, no other jōḍā; satya-dharma, asatya-karma, no other varma; gati mukha-nāma-smaraṇa, adhō-gati vinmukhatā; samta-sanga svarga-vāsa, udāsa-anargaḷā narka; ughaḍē hita-ghāta, ucita karā tāsē.

This abhang is Tukaram'sdo-what's-fittingregister — one of the most-precise gnomic-ethics statements. Theughaḍē āhē hita ghāta jayācē ucita karā taisē(good-and-harm are openly visible — do what's fitting) is the precise gnomic-claim.

मराठी: ही ओवी do-what's-fitting register नाव सांगते:

  1. पुण्य-पाप. Helping-and-hurting.

  2. सत्य-असत्य. Truth-and-untruth.

  3. गति-अधोगति. Way-up-down.

  4. संत-नर्क. Samta-narka.

  5. उघडें; उचित. Open-do-fitting.

आज: Puṇya para-upakāra, pāpa para-pīḍā; Satya-dharma, asatya-karma; Gati mukha-nāma-smaraṇa, adhō-gati vinmukhatā; Samta-sanga svarga-vāsa, udāsa-anargaḷā narka; Ughaḍē hita-ghāta, ucita karā tāsē.

Tukaram च-do-what's-fitting-register — Most-precise gnomic-ethics statements पैकी एक. Ughaḍē āhē hita ghāta jayācē ucita karā taisē precise gnomic-claim.

Where this applies

Sant-sang / Sant-pūjā Nāma (the Name) Bhakti

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