संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1021 of 4582

Abhanga 1021

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

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

English: 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), pāpa is para-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; narka is the udāsa (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's do-what's-fitting register — one of the most-precise gnomic-ethics statements. The ughaḍē 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 Name Bhakti

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