संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1204 of 4582

Abhanga 1204

For today: the only karma in your hand is kriyamāṇa (this moment's action); compound the seeds — and don't let the samcita-word become an excuse for inaction.

When you are confused about samcita / prārabdha / kriyamāṇa, or when you use the samcita-word as a snare (excuse) — and you have to recognize this register

The verse

दिला करुणाकरें । मनुष्यदेह सत्संग ॥१॥ येथें न घलीं न घलीं आड । संचितसा शब्द नाड । उठाउठीं गोड । बीजें बीज वाढवा ॥ध्रु.॥ केलें ते क्रियमाण । जालें तें संचित म्हण । प्रारब्ध जाण । उरवरित उरले तें ॥२॥ चित्त खोटें चालीवरि । रोग भोगाचे अंतरीं । रसने अनावरी । तुका म्हणे ढुंग वाहे ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: The Karuṇākara has given — the manuṣya-deha and sat-sanga. Don't put a block here; the samcita-word is a snare. Sweetly day-by-day, grow seeds from seeds. What is being done — call that kriyamāṇa; what's been done — that's samcita; know prārabdha as the leftover-of-leftover. Citta is false in its walk; disease/bhoga inside; the tongue (rasanā) uncontrolled — Tuka says, the rear-end leaks.

मराठी: करुणाकरानें दिला — मनुष्यदेह आणि सत्संग. इथें आड घालूं नका — "संचित" हा शब्द एक नाड (फास/खुंट) आहे. उठाउठीं गोडीनें — बीजांतून बीज वाढवा. केलें तें क्रियमाण; झालें तें संचित म्हण; उरवरित उरलें तें प्रारब्ध जाण. चित्त चालीवर खोटें — आंत रोग-भोग — रसना (जिभ) अनावर — Tukā म्हणे — ढुंग वाहे (कर्म-गळतें).

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
दिला करुणाकरें "(it was) given by the Karuṇākara (Compassionate One)"
मनुष्यदेह सत्संग "the manuṣya-deha (human body) and sat-sanga (saint-company)"
येथें न घलीं आड "do not (na ghalīm) put a block here"
संचितसा शब्द नाड "the samcita-word is a nāḍa (snare/excuse)"
उठाउठीं गोड "(do) sweetly day-by-day (uṭhā-uṭhīm = on getting up, every day)"
बीजें बीज वाढवा "from seeds, grow seeds (i.e., compound the bhakti)"
केलें ते क्रियमाण "what is being done — that is kriyamāṇa"
जालें तें संचित म्हण "what has been done — call that samcita"
प्रारब्ध जाण उरवरित उरले तें "know prārabdha as the leftover-of-leftover (the part now playing out)"
चित्त खोटें चालीवरि "the citta is false (khōṭēm) in its conduct (cālī)"
रोग भोगाचे अंतरीं "disease/bhoga inside"
रसने अनावरी "the rasanā (tongue) is uncontrolled (anāvarī)"
तुका म्हणे ढुंग वाहे "Tuka says — the ḍhunga (rear-end) flows (i.e., karma leaks out the back)"

What it means

Karma-doctrine in lucid abhang form. Tuka's three-fold scheme of karma is the standard śāstric one but stated with rare crispness: - Kriyamāṇa = what is being done now (the only thing in your hand) - Samcita = the storehouse of all past actions - Prārabdha = the slice of samcita currently fruiting (the uravarita-uralē: leftover of leftover)

Two warnings: (1) the samcita-word is a nāḍa — using "I have no samcita" as an excuse is a snare (cf. abhang 1198). (2) The ḍhunga vāhē image is intentionally crude: when citta is crooked, body diseased, tongue uncontrolled, kriyamāṇa leaks out as fresh negative samcita — it goes out the back, polluting the future. The way through is bījēm-bīja-vāḍhavā — sweet daily compounding of bhakti seeds.

[T]

For someone today

For today: the only karma in your hand is kriyamāṇa (this moment's action); compound the seeds — and don't let the samcita-word become an excuse for inaction.

Where this applies

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