Abhanga 1064

Your standing is set by real effort and devotion, not by title, and facing life's hardest moments, especially death, with fearlessness rather than fear is what gives a life its true worth.

The verse

Literal translation

What it means

A all-are-warriors-of-one-master-as-the-strength-so-the-value-for-each-one-has-place-at-the-master's-feet-on-a-high-place-others-different-near-and-far-low-grade-effort-low-other-place-high-faith-high-position-by-being-a-warrior-good-everywhere-the-good-has-one-place-the-cowardly-another-death-is-for-all-of-this-by-fear-disgrace-by-fearlessness-value abhang. By-bhēṇē-avakaḷā-by-abhayē-mōla register. Five claims:

1. एक-स्वामी-सकळ-पाईक — बळ-मोल. As-bala-so-mōla-claim. All arepāīkasof onesvāmī; as thebaḷa(strength), so themōla(value) for each.

2. स्वामि-पद-उंच-स्थळ — निराळ-जवळ-दूर. Various-places-claim. Insvāmi-pada, one has ṭhāva at umca-sthaḷī (high-place); othersnirāḷī, javaḷī durī (near-and-far).

3. हीन-कमाई-हीन-ठाव — उंच-भाव-पद. Effort-determines-rank-claim. Hīna kamāī — hīna another ṭhāva;umcabhāva— allumca pada.

4. पाईक-पणें-सर्वत्र-सरता — चांग-गांढ्या. Good-and-cowardly-different-places-claim. Bypāika-paṇa, sarva-tra-saratā (good-everywhere); thecānga (good) is one place, the gāṇḍhyā (cowardly) has another.

5. Tuka: मरण-सकळांस — भेणें-अवकळा — अभयें-मोल. Death-for-all-claim. Tuka says: maraṇa is for all this;by bhēṇē (fear) — avakaḷā (disgrace), by abhayē (fearlessness) — mōla. (Death comes for everyone — but death-with-fear is disgrace, death-with-fearlessness is value.)

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For someone today

Tukaram says everyone serves the same master, but each person's standing is measured by their actual strength and effort, not by the title they hold. Someone who puts in weak, half-hearted effort ends up in a low place, while someone with real devotion and faith rises to a high one, some end up near, some far. Good people and cowardly people simply don't land in the same place. And death comes for everyone alike, but how you meet it makes the difference: facing it in fear is disgrace, facing it without fear is what gives your life real worth.

मराठी: तुकाराम म्हणतात की सगळे एकाच स्वामीची सेवा करतात, पण प्रत्येकाचा दर्जा त्याच्या पदावरून नाही तर त्याच्या खऱ्या बळावरून आणि प्रयत्नांवरून ठरतो. जो कमकुवत, अर्धवट प्रयत्न करतो तो खालच्या स्थानी राहतो, तर जो खऱ्या भावाने आणि श्रद्धेने वागतो तो उंच स्थानी पोहोचतो, कोणी जवळ असतो तर कोणी दूर. चांगली माणसे आणि भित्री माणसे कधीच एकाच ठिकाणी पोहोचत नाहीत. आणि मृत्यू सगळ्यांनाच येतो, पण तो कसा स्वीकारला यातच फरक असतो: भीतीने त्याला सामोरे जाणे म्हणजे अवकळा, आणि निर्भयपणे सामोरे जाणे म्हणजेच खरे मोल.

Where this applies

• As-bala-so-mōla. Baḷa.
• Various-places. Nirāḷī.
• Effort-determines-rank. Kamāī.
• Different-places. Cānga-gāṇḍhyā.
• Bhēṇē-or-abhayē. Maraṇa.

Related verses

• Abhanga 2448 — The easiest path to God is repeating divine names with love at home, right where you are,
• Abhanga 2464 — For today: Pāṇḍuranga is sukha-rūpa ; no wandering, no shaving, no sādhana-pressure ; Chan
• Abhanga 2477 — Like a child too absorbed in play to notice how tired he is, let go and trust the parent c
• Abhanga 2481 — Pandharpur surpasses even the greatest pilgrimage cities because people there set aside pr