संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1123 of 4582

Abhanga 1123

This short abhang makes a direct claim about influence. If you become godly, Tukaram says, you make others godly too, and there is no doubt about that. If you become wicked, you make others wicked too, just as surely. Whatever a person truly holds within themselves, like an image fixed in a mirror, becomes settled and certain in them, and it is that inner reality, not their words, that spreads outward to everyone around them. What you cultivate inside yourself never stays private, it becomes the pattern that others start to reflect back.

When if you become Dēva, you make others Dēva — and you have to recognize this register
When if you become duṣṭa, you make others duṣṭa — and you accept this image
When what is reflected in the mirror, becomes fixed with certainty — and you receive this final claim

The verse

देव होसी तरी आणिकांतें करिसी । संदेह येविशीं करणें न लगे ॥१॥ दुष्ट होसी तरी अणिकांतें करिसी । संदेह येविशीं करणें न लगे ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे जें दर्पणीं बिंबलें । तें तया बाणलें निश्चयेसीं ॥३॥

Literal translation

Dēva — make others — no samdēha. Duṣṭa — make others. Tuka says: darpaṇī bimbalē — bāṇalē niścaya.

मराठी: Dēva होसि तरी आणिकांतें करिसि — येविशीं संदेह करणें न-लगे. दुष्ट होसि तरी आणिकांतें करिसि — येविशीं संदेह करणें न-लगे. Tuka म्हणे: दर्पणीं जें बिंबलें — तें त्या बाणलें निश्चयेसीं.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
देव होसी तरी आणिकांतें करिसी "Dēva — make others"
संदेह येविशीं करणें न लगे "no samdēha"
दुष्ट होसी तरी अणिकांतें करिसी "duṣṭa — make others"
जें दर्पणीं बिंबलें "darpaṇī bimbalē"
तें तया बाणलें निश्चयेसीं "bāṇalē niścaya"

What it means

You-become-what-you-reflect. Three claims:

  1. Dēva-होसि — आणिकांतें-करिसि. Become-Dēva-make-others-claim.

  2. दुष्ट-होसि — आणिकांतें-करिसि. Become-duṣṭa-make-others-claim.

  3. Tuka: दर्पण-बिंब — बाणलें-निश्चय. Mirror-bimba-fixed-with-certainty-claim. (What you contemplate / hold-in-the-mirror-of-your-mind, you become — and that bāṇalē niścaya for you.)

[T]

For someone today

This short abhang makes a direct claim about influence. If you become godly, Tukaram says, you make others godly too, and there is no doubt about that. If you become wicked, you make others wicked too, just as surely. Whatever a person truly holds within themselves, like an image fixed in a mirror, becomes settled and certain in them, and it is that inner reality, not their words, that spreads outward to everyone around them. What you cultivate inside yourself never stays private, it becomes the pattern that others start to reflect back.

मराठी: हा छोटासा अभंग प्रभावाबद्दल थेट सांगतो. तू देव झालास तर तू इतरांनाही देव बनवशील, तुकाराम म्हणतात, यात शंका बाळगण्याचे कारण नाही. तू दुष्ट झालास तर तू इतरांनाही दुष्ट बनवशील, तेवढेच निश्चितपणे. माणसाच्या मनात जे खरोखर ठसलेले असते, जसे आरशात एखादे प्रतिबिंब स्थिर होते, तेच त्याच्यामध्ये निश्चयाने रुजते, आणि तेच त्याचे खरे रूप, शब्द नव्हे, आजूबाजूच्या माणसांपर्यंत पसरते. आपण आतून जे जोपासतो ते कधीच खाजगी राहत नाही, तेच इतरांमध्ये उमटू लागते.

Where this applies

Bhakti

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