Abhanga 1063

Not everyone in a group is equally devoted; empty boasting carries no real worth, and in the end a person's true character, not their claims, is what determines their value.

The verse

Literal translation

What it means

A how-is-the-high-low-line-of-warriors-who-is-cowardly-and-who-is-strong-is-selected-out-one-is-entirely-engaged-in-the-master's-task-another-is-cunning-bound-by-greed-without-occasion-bringing-mock-courage-that-warrior-carries-the-name-in-vain-in-the-count-many-high-and-low-among-them-heroes-are-rare-and-few-the-master-knows-their-honor-looking-at-the-warrior-he-sets-the-value abhang. Svāmī-sets-mōla-by-pāīka register. Five claims (the warrior-line-up parable):

1. उंच-निंच-वोळी — गांढे-बळी-निवड. High-low-line-claim. How is theumca-nimcavōḷī(line, file) ofpāika?;who is gāṇḍhē (cowardly), who baḷī (strong), nivaḍilē.

2. स्वामि-काज-तत्पर — कुचर-आशा-बद्ध. Engaged-vs-cunning-claim. Insvāmi-kājī, one is sarvasvē-tatpara;another is kucara (cunning), āśā-baddha (bound-by-greed).

3. प्रसंग-विण-आयुर्-भाव — नांव-वांयां. Mock-courage-claim. Withoutprasanga (occasion), bringing āyur-bhāva (mock-courage, age-strut); thatpāīkacarries thenāvavāyām (in vain). (The one whobrags without occasion — his name is empty.)

4. गणती-उंच-निंच — शूर-विरळ. Heroes-are-rare-claim. In thegaṇatī, many umca-nimca;among them śūra are viraḷā-thōḍē (rare, few).

5. Tuka: स्वामी-मान — पाईक-मोल. Svāmī-sets-mōla-claim. Tuka says: svāmī knows their māna;looking at the pāīka, he sets the mōla (value).

[T]

For someone today

Tukaram says that not everyone standing in the same line is really the same. Among a group of servants, one gives himself completely to the work while another is just cunning, chasing his own gain. Someone who talks big and struts about his courage when there's no real test happening is only carrying an empty name. Out of a whole crowd, genuinely brave and true people are rare. In the end, the master sees through appearances and judges each person's real worth by watching who they actually are.

मराठी: तुकाराम म्हणतात की एकाच रांगेत उभे असलेले सगळेच सारखे नसतात. सेवकांच्या समूहात एक जण संपूर्ण मनाने कामाला वाहून घेतो, तर दुसरा फक्त धूर्तपणे स्वतःच्या फायद्यामागे धावतो. जो कोणी खरी परीक्षा नसतानाच मोठमोठ्या गप्पा मारतो आणि आपल्या शौर्याचा टेंभा मिरवतो, तो फक्त पोकळ नाव मिरवत असतो. एवढ्या मोठ्या गर्दीत खरे शूर आणि प्रामाणिक लोक फार थोडे असतात. शेवटी, स्वामी दिखाव्याच्या पलीकडे पाहतो आणि प्रत्येकाचे खरे मोल त्याच्या खऱ्या वागण्यावरून ठरवतो.

Where this applies

• Selected-out. Vōḷī.
• Engaged-cunning. Tatpara.
• Mock-courage. Āyur-bhāva.
• Heroes-rare. Viraḷā.
• Master-sets-value. Mōla.

Related verses

• Abhanga 2448 — The easiest path to God is repeating divine names with love at home, right where you are,
• Abhanga 2467 — What looks like your whole world, like a fig to the insect living inside it, is only a tin
• Abhanga 2494 — Living in devotion turns an ordinary day into a festival and removes the fear of birth and
• Abhanga 4481 — Tukaram promises that sincerely calling on the Lord's name, knowingly or unknowingly, with