Abhanga 1346
Tukaram says when the meal is ready and the path is cleared, it is madness to go begging elsewhere, so sit down in the right place and use your words there.
The verse
आइत्याची राशी । आली पाकसिद्धीपाशीं ॥१॥ आतां सांडोनि भोजन । भिके जावें वेडेपणें ॥ध्रु.॥ उसंतिली वाट । मागें परतावें फुकट ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे वाणी । वेचों बैसोन ठाकणीं ॥३॥
Literal translation
The ready-made heap has come to pāka-siddhī. Now abandoning the bhōjana — going for bhikā would be vēḍa-paṇa. The path is usantilī — turning back is phukaṭa. Tuka says: let us spend the vāṇī sitting at the ṭhākaṇī.
मराठी: आइत्याची (तयार) राशी — पाक-सिद्धी-पाशीं (शिजलेली, जेवायला तयार) आली. आतां — भोजन सांडून — भिकेला जाणें — वेडेपणाच. वाट उसंतिली (साफ झाली) — मागें परतावें — फुकटच. Tukā म्हणे — वाणी — ठाकणीं (योग्य ठायीं) — बैसून — वेचूं.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| आइत्याची राशी | "the āyatya (ready-made) — rāśī (heap)" |
| आली पाकसिद्धीपाशीं | "has come (ālī) — to pāka-siddhī (cooked-and-ready)" |
| आतां सांडोनि भोजन | "now — abandoning (sāṇḍōnī) — bhōjana" |
| भिके जावें वेडेपणें | "going to bhikā (begging) — would be vēḍa-paṇa (madness)" |
| उसंतिली वाट | "the path — is usantilī (cleared / scoured)" |
| मागें परतावें फुकट | "turning back (māgē paratāvē) — is phukaṭa (for-nothing)" |
| तुका म्हणे वाणी | "Tuka says — vāṇī" |
| वेचों बैसोन ठाकणीं | "let's spend (vēcōm) — sitting (baisōna) — at the ṭhākaṇī (proper place)" |
What it means
Ready-meal-at-hand abhang. The image: ā'ityācī rāśī — ālī pāka-siddhī-pāśīm — the ready-made heap (= the harvested grain, the prepared food) has come to pāka-siddhī (thecooked-and-readystate). The bhakti-feast is ready and on the plate.
The folly-warning: ātām sāṇḍōnī bhōjana — bhikē jāvē vēḍē-paṇē — now, abandoning the (ready) bhōjana — going to bhikā (begging) — would be vēḍa-paṇa (madness). With the meal ready, going-out-begging is foolish. (= With Hari at hand, seeking other deities is folly.)
The corollary: usantilī vāṭa — māgē paratāvē phukaṭa — the path isusantilī(= scoured-clean, made-easy) — turning back isphukaṭa(for nothing). The path has been cleared for you; reversing now wastes everything.
The closing — Tukā mhaṇē vāṇī — vēcōm baisōna ṭhākaṇīm — Tuka says — let usspend the vāṇī— sitting at theṭhākaṇī(proper place). Vēcōm vāṇī — spend (use up) the vāṇī (the speech / the song). Ṭhākaṇī — the right place (= the kīrtana-mat, the satsang-circle, the bhāva-station). Sitting at the ṭhākaṇī, spending the vāṇī.
[T]
For someone today
For today: the meal is cooked-and-ready; don't go begging now; the path is cleared; spend your vāṇī sitting at the proper place.
Where this applies
- When you already have what you need but keep restlessly searching for something better elsewhere
- When you are tempted to abandon a good, steady practice for something flashier or unfamiliar
- When you have made real progress on a path and feel the urge to turn back and start over
- When you cannot sit still in the company that is actually good for you and keep wandering off instead