Abhanga 1048
Tukaram tells of thieves who leave their own home to steal from others, and in chasing what isn't theirs, they end up losing what was truly their own. There's no real gain in it: they get caught, stripped of everything, and pay a brutal price. He calls this the way of a foolish, thoughtless mind, one so unwise that its only real reward is failure itself, never any lasting benefit. Tuka's closing point is simple and sharp: a person who doesn't understand the real secret of right living ends up with consequences catching up to them anyway, whether they meant harm or not.
The verse
चोर टेंकाचे निघाले चोरी । आपलें तैसें पारखे घरीं ॥१॥ नाहीं नफा नागवे आपण । गमाविले कान हात पाय ॥ध्रु.॥ बुद्धिहीन नये कांहीं चि कारणा । तयासवें जाणा तें चि सुख ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे नाहीं ठाउकें वर्म । तयासी कर्म वोडवलें ॥३॥
Literal translation
Cōra — ṭēnka — cōrī — āpalē — pārakhē — gharī. Naphā — nāgavē — kāna-hāta-pāya. Buddhi-hīna — with-him — sukha. Tuka says: varma — karma — vōḍavalē.
मराठी: चोर टेंकाचे चोरीस निघाले — आपलें तैसें घरीं पारखें. नाहीं नफा — आपण नागवे — कान-हात-पाय गमाविले. बुद्धि-हीन कांहीं-च कारणा न ये — त्या-सवें जाणा तें-च सुख. Tuka म्हणे: वर्म ठाउकें नाहीं — त्यासि कर्म वोडवलें.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| चोर टेंकाचे निघाले चोरी | "cōra — ṭēnka — cōrī" |
| आपलें तैसें पारखे घरीं | "āpalē — pārakhē — gharī" |
| नाहीं नफा नागवे आपण | "naphā — nāgavē" |
| गमाविले कान हात पाय | "kāna-hāta-pāya" |
| बुद्धिहीन नये कांहीं चि कारणा | "buddhi-hīna" |
| तयासवें जाणा तें चि सुख | "with-him — sukha" |
| नाहीं ठाउकें वर्म | "varma" |
| तयासी कर्म वोडवलें | "karma — vōḍavalē" |
What it means
A the-thieves-left-their-corner-for-theft-what-was-their-own-became-alien-at-home-no-profit-got-stripped-themselves-lost-ears-hands-feet-the-mindless-doesn't-accomplish-anything-with-him-know-that-is-the-only-pleasure-doesn't-know-the-secret-karma-has-come-upon-him abhang. Karma-came-upon-doesn't-know-varma register. Four claims (parable of self-defeating-thieves):
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चोर-टेंक-निघाले-चोरी — आपलें-पारखें-घरीं. Thieves-self-defeating-claim. Thecōrasleft theṭēnka (corner / lair) for cōrī (theft); (their)āpalē (own things) became pārakhē (alien) at gharī. (Going out to steal from others, they lost their own.)
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नफा-नाहीं — कान-हात-पाय-गमाविले. No-profit-stripped-claim. Nonaphā (profit) — got nāgavē (stripped naked) themselves;lost kāna, hāta, pāya (ears, hands, feet — the punishments for thieves).
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बुद्धि-हीन-न-कारण — सुख-तेंच. Mindless-doesn't-accomplish-claim. Thebuddhi-hīnadoesn't accomplish anything; with him, know that's the (only)sukha (i.e. the only satisfaction with him is this — that he doesn't accomplish).
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Tuka: वर्म-न-ठाव — कर्म-वोडवलें. Karma-came-upon-claim. Tuka says: doesn't know thevarma (secret-key); karma has vōḍavalē (come-upon, fallen-on) him.
[T]
For someone today
Tukaram tells of thieves who leave their own home to steal from others, and in chasing what isn't theirs, they end up losing what was truly their own. There's no real gain in it: they get caught, stripped of everything, and pay a brutal price. He calls this the way of a foolish, thoughtless mind, one so unwise that its only real reward is failure itself, never any lasting benefit. Tuka's closing point is simple and sharp: a person who doesn't understand the real secret of right living ends up with consequences catching up to them anyway, whether they meant harm or not.
मराठी: तुकाराम अशा चोरांची गोष्ट सांगतात जे दुसऱ्यांचे चोरण्यासाठी स्वतःचे घर सोडून जातात, आणि जे आपले नाही ते मिळवण्याच्या नादात स्वतःचेच खरे असलेले गमावून बसतात. यात खरा फायदा काहीच नसतो, ते पकडले जातात, सर्वस्व गमावतात आणि त्याची मोठी किंमत चुकवतात. तुकाराम याला बुद्धिहीन, विचारशून्य मनाचा मार्ग म्हणतात, इतका अविवेकी की त्याला मिळणारे एकमेव फळ म्हणजे अपयशच, कधीच कायमचा फायदा नाही. तुका शेवटी स्पष्टपणे सांगतात की जो माणूस योग्य जगण्याचे खरे रहस्य समजून घेत नाही, त्याला त्याचे परिणाम कोणत्याही परिस्थितीत भोगावेच लागतात.
Where this applies
- Self-defeating. Pārakhē-gharī.
- Punished. Nāgavē.
- Mindless. Buddhi-hīna.
- Karma-came. Vōḍavalē.