Abhanga 1351
For today: just enough work for the belly; Rāma is the essential; hold Pāṇḍuranga in citta; race against prārabdha by out-serving Deva; spend all your bal and buddhi.
The verse
पोटापुरतें काम । परि अगत्य तो राम ॥१॥ कारण तें हें चि करीं । चित्तीं पांडुरंग धरीं ॥ध्रु.॥ प्रारब्धी हेवा । जोडी देवाची ते सेवा ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे बळ । बुद्धी वेचूनि सकळ ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: Just-enough-belly-work — but Rāma is the agatya. Make this very (the) cause — hold Pāṇḍuranga in citta. (Make) Deva's sevā (your) rivalry with prārabdha. Tuka says: strength — buddhi — spend all.
मराठी: पोटापुरतें काम — पण अगत्य तो राम-च. हाच-च कारण कर — चित्तीं पांडुरंग धर. प्रारब्धासारखें हेवा — जोडी देवाची-च — तीच सेवा. Tukā म्हणे — बळ — बुद्धी — सकळ-च — वेचून दे.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| पोटापुरतें काम | "(only) pōṭāpuratē (just-enough-for-belly) — kāma (work)" |
| परि अगत्य तो राम | "but — agatya (essential / required) — is Rāma" |
| कारण तें हें चि करीं | "make this very thing the kāraṇa (cause)" |
| चित्तीं पांडुरंग धरीं | "in citta — hold (dharīm) Pāṇḍuranga" |
| प्रारब्धी हेवा | "with prārabdha — hēvā (rivalry / contest)" |
| जोडी देवाची ते सेवा | "(make) jōḍī (gain / pursuit) — that of Deva's sevā" |
| बळ बुद्धी वेचूनि सकळ | "strength — buddhi — spend (vēcūnī) — all" |
What it means
Just-enough-belly-Rāma-is-essential abhang. The opening clear-line: pōṭāpuratē kāma — pari agatya tō Rāma — just-enough-for-the-belly work — but the agatya (the essential / required-thing) is Rāma. The householder formula: don't shun work entirely, but limit it to the belly's need; the essential business is Rāma.
The corollary: kāraṇa tē hē chi karīm — cittīm Pāṇḍuranga dharīm — make this very (= holding Pāṇḍuranga in citta) the only kāraṇa (cause). The cause-of-everything-you-do should be Pāṇḍuranga-in-citta.
Prārabdhī hēvā — jōḍī Devācī tē sēvā — (make) the rivalry-with-prārabdha — Deva's sevā (the only) jōḍī (gain / pursuit). Compete with prārabdha (= the playing-out of past karma) only by out-serving Deva. Hēvā (rivalry / competition) is the natural human drive; channel it to the Deva-sevā-vs-prārabdha race.
The closing — baḷa, buddhī, vēcūnī sakaḷa — spend all your strength and buddhi. Don't hold back — give everything to this contest.
[T]
For someone today
For today: just enough work for the belly; Rāma is the essential; hold Pāṇḍuranga in citta; race against prārabdha by out-serving Deva; spend all your bal and buddhi.
Where this applies
- Belly-work-only.* Pōṭāpuratē-kāma.
- Rāma-is-essential.* Agatya-tō-Rāma.
- Hold-Pāṇḍuranga-in-citta.* Cittīm-Pāṇḍuranga-dharīm.
- Race-prārabdha-with-Deva-sevā.* Prārabdhī-hēvā-Devācī-sēvā.
- Spend-all-strength.* Baḷa-buddhī-vēcūnī-sakaḷa.