संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1085 of 4582

Abhanga 1085

Tukaram's blanket has been stolen, and he realizes that because he is poor, nobody takes his complaint seriously; he has no money or influence to make people listen. Instead of staying quiet in shame, he calls out to the town's merchants and elders and asks them to help search for it. Crucially, he insists on raising the alarm right now, while the marketplace is still crowded with people who can hear him and help, not later once everyone has gone home. The lesson is about not letting powerlessness silence you, and about timing your appeal for the moment when people are actually present to respond.

When blanket taken; to whom tell; poverty no attention — and you have to recognize this register
When no power or money near me — and you accept this image
When mahājana listen, make search — and you allow this image

The verse

घोंगडें नेलें सांगों मी कोणा । दुबळें माझें नाणीत मना ॥१॥ पुढें तें मज न मिळे आतां । जवळी सत्ता दाम नाहीं ॥ध्रु.॥ सेटे महाजन ऐका कोणी । घोंगडियाची करा शोधणी ॥२॥ घोंगडियाचा करा बोभाट । तुका म्हणे जंव भरला हाट ॥३॥

Literal translation

Sāngōm — dubaḷē — manā. Won't get — puḍhē — sattā dāma. Sēṭē mahājana — śōdhaṇī. Tuka says: bōbhāṭa — hāṭa.

मराठी: घोंगडें नेलें — सांगों मी कोणा? — माझें दुबळें मना नाणीत. पुढें तें मज न-मिळे आतां — जवळी सत्ता-दाम नाहीं. सेटे, महाजन, ऐका कोणी — घोंगडियाची शोधणी करा. Tuka म्हणे: घोंगडियाचा बोभाट करा — जंव हाट भरला.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
घोंगडें नेलें सांगों मी कोणा "sāngōm"
दुबळें माझें नाणीत मना "dubaḷē — manā"
पुढें तें मज न मिळे आतां "won't get puḍhē"
जवळी सत्ता दाम नाहीं "sattā dāma"
सेटे महाजन ऐका कोणी "sēṭē mahājana"
घोंगडियाची करा शोधणी "śōdhaṇī"
घोंगडियाचा करा बोभाट "bōbhāṭa"
जंव भरला हाट "hāṭa"

What it means

Ghōngaḍyācē abhanga 11. The market-place public-cry. Four claims:

  1. नेलें-सांगों-कोणा — दुबळ-न-नाणे. Poverty-no-attention-claim. Ghōngaḍa taken — to whom shall I sāngōm?;dubaḷēdoesn't bringmanā (mind / attention). (My poverty doesn't draw attention.)

  2. पुढें-न-मिळे — सत्ता-दाम-नाहीं. No-power-or-money-claim. I won't get itpuḍhē;near me, no sattā, no dāma (means).

  3. सेटे-महाजन — शोधणी. Make-search-claim. Sēṭē, mahājana, listen, anyone;make śōdhaṇī (search-investigation) of the ghōngaḍī. (Calling on the village-merchant-elders (śēṭ-mahājan) for help.)

  4. Tuka: बोभाट — हाट-भरला. Make-cry-while-hāṭa-full-claim. Tuka says: makebōbhāṭa (loud-cry, public-clamor) of the ghōngaḍī;while hāṭa (market) is full. (Cry outnow — while the market is full of buyers and witnesses.)

[T]

For someone today

Tukaram's blanket has been stolen, and he realizes that because he is poor, nobody takes his complaint seriously; he has no money or influence to make people listen. Instead of staying quiet in shame, he calls out to the town's merchants and elders and asks them to help search for it. Crucially, he insists on raising the alarm right now, while the marketplace is still crowded with people who can hear him and help, not later once everyone has gone home. The lesson is about not letting powerlessness silence you, and about timing your appeal for the moment when people are actually present to respond.

मराठी: तुकारामांची घोंगडी चोरीला गेली आहे, आणि त्यांना जाणवतं की आपण गरीब असल्यामुळे कोणी आपली तक्रार गांभीर्याने घेणार नाही; ऐकवण्याइतकी सत्ता किंवा पैसा आपल्याजवळ नाही. तरीही लाजून गप्प न बसता ते गावातल्या शेटजी-महाजनांना हाक मारून घोंगडी शोधण्यासाठी मदत मागतात. आणि सगळ्यात महत्त्वाचं म्हणजे, ते आत्ताच, बाजार अजून माणसांनी भरलेला असतानाच, मोठ्याने ओरडून सांगायचं ठरवतात - लोक निघून गेल्यावर नाही. यातून शिकायचं हेच की असहायपणामुळे गप्प बसू नये, आणि मदत मागायची वेळ अशी निवडावी जेव्हा लोक खरोखर ऐकायला हजर असतील.

Where this applies

Bhakti

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