संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1060 of 4582

Abhanga 1060

A true servant protects those in his care, values loyalty over wealth, and above all guards his master's honor so it is never diminished.

When warrior keeps people and clan; cuts root of alien-evil — and you have to recognize this register
When one warrior, leader of warriors; bhāva entirely in master's task — and you accept this image
When grass-like body, gold becomes stone; no separate master — and you allow this image

The verse

पाईंक तो प्रजा राखोनियां कुळ । पारखिया मूळ छेदी दुष्टा ॥१॥ तो एक पाईंक पाइकां नाईंक । भाव सकळीक स्वामिकाजीं ॥ध्रु.॥ तृणवत तनु सोनें ज्या पाषाण । पाइका त्या भिन्न नाहीं स्वामी ॥२॥ विश्वासावांचूनि पाइकासी मोल । नाहीं मिथ्या बोल बोलिलिया ॥३॥ तुका म्हणे नये स्वामी उणेपण । पाइका जतन करी त्यासी ॥४॥

Literal translation

Pāīka — prajā-kuḷa — pārakhiyā mūḷa — chēdī duṣṭa. Pāikām nāyaka — svāmi-kājī. Trṇa-vata tanu — sōnē-pāṣāṇa — bhinna — no. Viśvāsa — mōla — mithyā bōla. Tuka says: ūṇē-paṇa — pāika-jatana.

मराठी: पाईक तो — प्रजा-कुळ राखोनियां — पारखिया दुष्टा मूळ छेदी. तो एक पाईक — पाइकांचा नाईक — भाव सकळीक स्वामि-काजीं. तृण-वत तनु — सोनें त्या-स पाषाण — त्या पाईका भिन्न स्वामी नाहीं. विश्वासा-वांचूनि — पाइकासि मोल नाहीं — मिथ्या बोल बोलिलिया. Tuka म्हणे: स्वामी उणेपण न ये — त्या-स पाईक जतन करी.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
पाईंक तो प्रजा राखोनियां कुळ "pāīka — prajā-kuḷa"
पारखिया मूळ छेदी दुष्टा "pārakhiyā mūḷa — chēdī duṣṭa"
तो एक पाईंक पाइकां नाईंक "pāikām nāyaka"
भाव सकळीक स्वामिकाजीं "svāmi-kājī"
तृणवत तनु सोनें ज्या पाषाण "trṇa-vata tanu — sōnē-pāṣāṇa"
पाइका त्या भिन्न नाहीं स्वामी "bhinna — no"
विश्वासावांचूनि पाइकासी मोल "viśvāsa — mōla"
नाहीं मिथ्या बोल बोलिलिया "mithyā bōla"
नये स्वामी उणेपण "ūṇē-paṇa"
पाइका जतन करी त्यासी "pāika-jatana"

What it means

A the-warrior-who-keeps-the-people-and-the-clan-cuts-the-root-of-the-alien-the-evil-one-he-is-the-one-warrior-the-leader-of-warriors-his-faith-entirely-in-the-master's-task-grass-like-his-body-gold-becomes-stone-for-him-for-that-warrior-no-separate-master-without-trust-the-warrior-has-no-value-false-words-spoken-are-empty-doesn't-let-the-master-come-into-lessening-keeps-the-warrior's-care-with-him abhang. Svāmī-doesn't-come-into-lessening register. Five claims:

  1. प्रजा-कुळ-राखोन — पारखि-मूळ-छेद-दुष्ट. Keeps-people-cuts-evil-root-claim. Thepāīkawho keeps theprajāand thekuḷa;cuts the mūḷa (root) of pārakhiyā (the alien), the duṣṭa.

  2. पाईकां-नाईक — भाव-स्वामि-काज. Faith-in-master's-task-claim. He is the onepāīka,pāikām nāyaka;bhāvasakaḷīka in svāmi-kājī.

  3. तृण-वत-तनु — सोनें-पाषाण — भिन्न-स्वामी-नाहीं. Grass-body-stone-gold-no-separate-master-claim. Trṇa-vata (grass-like) the tanu, sōnē (gold) (becomes) pāṣāṇa (stone) for him; for thatpāīka, nobhinna (separate) svāmī.

  4. विश्वास-विण-मोल-नाहीं — मिथ्या-बोल. Without-trust-no-value-claim. Withoutviśvāsa, the pāīka has no mōla;false bōla spoken is empty.

  5. Tuka: स्वामी-उणेपण-नये — पाईक-जतन. Doesn't-let-master-into-lessening-claim. Tuka says: doesn't letsvāmīcome intoūṇē-paṇa (lessening, deficiency); keeps thepāika-jatana(warrior's care) with him. (Such a warrior never lets the master come into a position of lessening — protects the master's honor.)

[T]

For someone today

Tukaram describes what a true guard or servant looks like: someone who protects the people in his care and cuts down whatever threatens them, and whose whole heart is set on his master's work. To a servant like this, gold and stone are the same thing, because nothing outweighs loyalty to the one he serves. Without trust, service has no worth at all, and empty promises mean nothing. Above all, a devoted servant guards his master's honor so carefully that the master is never made to look small because of him.

मराठी: तुकाराम खरा सेवक किंवा रक्षक कसा असतो हे सांगतात: जो आपल्या माणसांचे रक्षण करतो आणि त्यांना धोका पोहोचवणाऱ्या कोणालाही रोखतो, आणि ज्याचे संपूर्ण मन आपल्या स्वामीच्या कामातच गुंतलेले असते. अशा सेवकाला सोने आणि दगड सारखेच वाटतात, कारण स्वामीशी असलेल्या निष्ठेपुढे काहीच मोठे नसते. विश्वासाशिवाय सेवेला काहीच किंमत नाही, आणि पोकळ बोलणे व्यर्थ असते. सर्वात महत्त्वाचे म्हणजे, खरा सेवक आपल्या स्वामीचा मानसन्मान इतक्या काळजीने राखतो की त्याच्यामुळे स्वामी कधीही उणा दिसत नाही.

Where this applies

Bhakti

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