Abhanga 1348
For today: life is brief — hold this; saints' words are soft-juicy-sweet; let them settle in the ear and pari-pāka in the mind; the gain is rōkaḍī.
The verse
जीवित्व तें किती । हें चि धरितां बरें चित्तीं ॥१॥ संत सुमनें उत्तरें । मृदु रसाळ मधुरें ॥ध्रु.॥ विसांवतां कानीं । परिपाक घडे मनीं ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे जोडी । हाय जतन रोकडी ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: How much (is) jīvitva? — hold this very in the citta. Saints' sumana and uttaras — soft, juicy, sweet. Settling in the ear — paripāka happens in the manas. Tuka says: the gain — yes — jatana — on-the-spot.
मराठी: जीवित्व तें किती — हें चित्तीं बरें-च धरून ठेव. संतांचीं सुमनें-उत्तरें — मृदु, रसाळ, मधुरें. कानीं विसांवतां — मनीं परिपाक घडतो. Tukā म्हणे — जोडी — हाय (खरें-च) — जतन — रोकडी (नकद-च).
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| जीवित्व तें किती | "(of) jīvitva (life) — how much?" |
| हें चि धरितां बरें चित्तीं | "this very — hold (dharitām) — in citta — well" |
| संत सुमनें उत्तरें | "saints' sumana (kind-flowers) and uttaras (replies)" |
| मृदु रसाळ मधुरें | "soft (mṛdu), juicy (rasāḷa), sweet (madhurē)" |
| विसांवतां कानीं | "settling (visāmvatām) in the kāna" |
| परिपाक घडे मनीं | "paripāka (full-cooking) — happens (ghaḍē) — in the manas" |
| तुका म्हणे जोडी | "Tuka says — jōḍī (gain)" |
| हाय जतन रोकडी | "yes — jatana — rōkaḍī (cash / on-the-spot)" |
What it means
Saint-words-mature-in-mind abhang. The opening: jīvitva tēm kitī — hē chi dharitām barēm cittīm — how much of jīvitva (life) is there? — hold this (small-life-fact) well in the citta. The first move: remember the brevity.
The dhruva: samta sumanē uttarē — mṛdu rasāḷa madhurē — saints' sumanas (good-flowers, sweet-thoughts) and uttaras (replies / wise-sayings) — soft, juicy, sweet. Three qualities: mṛdu (gentle to the touch), rasāḷa (juicy / containing rasa), madhurē (sweet to the tongue).
The technique: visāmvatām kānīm — paripāka ghaḍē manīm — (when these are) settling in the ear — paripāka (full-cooking / maturation) happens in the manas. Visāmvatām — letting the words rest in the ear (not just hearing-and-forgetting); then in the manas, paripāka — full ripening, like fruit on the tree.
The closing: Tukā mhaṇē jōḍī — hāya jatana rōkaḍī — Tuka says — the gain — yes — jatana — rōkaḍī (cash, on-the-spot). Rōkaḍī is the merchant-Marathi for cash payment, immediate settlement. The bhakti-gain comes cash on the spot — not as a future-promised reward but as immediate-settled-presence.
[T]
For someone today
For today: life is brief — hold this; saints' words are soft-juicy-sweet; let them settle in the ear and pari-pāka in the mind; the gain is rōkaḍī.
Where this applies
- Brief-life-hold-this.* Jīvitva-kitī-dharitām-cittīm.
- Saints'-flowers-and-replies-soft-juicy-sweet.* Sumanē-uttarē-mṛdu-rasāḷa-madhurē.
- Settle-in-ear-mature-in-mind.* Visāmvatām-kānīm-paripāka-manīm.
- Cash-on-the-spot-gain.* Jatana-rōkaḍī.