संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1373 of 4582

Abhanga 1373

English: Abandoning ghurē — why do you appear piteous?

When you'd offer Hari something — he's hungry for tuḷasī-leaf, water, cintana — that's all; going for bhēṭī, just clasp the feet without speaking

The verse

ऐसे सांडुनियां घुरे । किविलवाणी दिसां कां रे । कामें उर भरे । हातीं नुरे मृत्तिका ॥१॥ उदार हा जगदानी । पांडुरंग अभिमानी । तुळसीदळ पाणी । चिंतनाचा भुकेला ॥ध्रु.॥ न लगे पुसावी चाकरी । कोणी वकील ये घरीं । त्याचा तो चाकरी । पारपत्य सकळ ॥२॥ नाहीं आडकाटी । तुका म्हणे जातां भेटी । न बोलतां मिठी । उगी च पायीं घालावी ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: Abandoning ghurē — why do you appear piteous? Works fill the chest — in the hand, no mṛttikā remains. He is generous, jagad-ānī, Pāṇḍuranga, abhimāni — hungry for tuḷasī-leaf, water, cintana. No need to ask about cākarī. Tuka says: going for bhēṭī — without speaking — just clasp the feet.

मराठी: ऐसें — घुरे (मूठभर मानभाव) सांडून — किविलवाणी कां दिसतोस रे? कामांनीं उर भरें — हातीं — मृत्तिका (माती / मूठभर हि) न उरे. उदार — जगद-दानी — पांडुरंग — अभिमानी — तुळसी-दळ-पाणी-चिंतनाचा-च भुकेला. चाकरी (दास-स्थिति) पुसायला लागत नाहीं. Tukā म्हणे — जातां भेटी — न बोलतां — मिठी — उगी-च — पायीं घालावी.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
ऐसे सांडुनियां घुरे "abandoning ghurē (= cluster / handful / pretensions)"
किविलवाणी दिसां कां रे "why do you appear kivilavāṇī (piteous)?"
कामें उर भरे "by kāma (works / desires) — the ura (chest) is filled"
हातीं नुरे मृत्तिका "in the hand — no mṛttikā (clay / earth) remains"
उदार हा जगदानी पांडुरंग अभिमानी "udāra (generous) — jagad-ānī (giver of the world) — Pāṇḍuranga — abhimāni (one who abhimāna-takes / takes responsibility-and-pride-for)"
तुळसीदळ पाणी चिंतनाचा भुकेला "tuḷasī-leaf — water — cintana — (he is) hungry (for these)"
न लगे पुसावी चाकरी "no need to ask about cākarī (service / servant-status)"
न बोलतां मिठी उगी च पायीं घालावी "without speaking — miṭhī (clasp) — just put on the feet"

What it means

Hari-hungry-for-tuḷasī-leaf abhang. The opening rebuke: aisē sāṇḍuniyām ghurē — kivilavāṇī disām kām rē?abandoning the ghurē (= cluster / pretensions / a handful of something) — why do you appear kivilavāṇī (piteous, pleading)? Why look pitiful when even-a-handful you could-have-held-out?

The diagnosis: kāmē ura bharē — hātīm na urē mṛttikāby kāma (works / desires), the chest is filled — in the hand, no mṛttikā (clay / earth) remains. The chest is full of works-and-desires; the hand has not even mud to offer. Ura-bharē-hātīm-uṇē (chest-full-hand-empty) is the diagnosis.

The remedy: udāra hā jagad-ānī — Pāṇḍuranga abhimānī — tuḷasī-daḷa pāṇī — cintanācā bhukēlāgenerous, jagad-ānī (giver of the world) Pāṇḍuranga — abhimāni (the one who takes-responsibility-with-pride for the bhakta) — is hungry for tuḷasī-leaf, water, cintana*. Three minimal items: a single tuḷasī-leaf, a sip of water, a moment of cintana. (Compare 1256 bhāvē tuḷasī-daḷa pāṇī jōḍā hāta — mhaṇāvā patita vēḷō-vēḷām.)

The closing: jātām bhēṭī — na bōlatām miṭhī — ugī chi pāyīm ghālāvīgoing for bhēṭī — without speaking — just put the miṭhī (clasp) — silently — on the feet. Don't speak. Don't formulate a request. Just clasp the feet silently.

[T]

For someone today

For today: don't look piteous; chest-full-of-works leaves the hand empty; Pāṇḍuranga is hungry for just tuḷasī-leaf, water, cintana; going for bhēṭī, clasp the feet silently.

Where this applies

Related verses