संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1395 of 4582

Abhanga 1395

For today: whomever the saints love is the time of times — the powerful's child is powerful; the saint cures wrongs by upacāra, not punishment; the kalpa-taru-shade lacks no dayā.

When the saints' love rests on you — you become the time of times; like the powerful one's child you are powerful

The verse

संतां आवडे तो काळाचा ही काळ । समर्थाचें बाळ जेवीं समर्थ ॥१॥ परिसतां तेथें नाहीं एकविणें । मोहें न पवे सीण ऐसें राखे ॥ध्रु.॥ केले अन्याय ते सांडवी उपचारें । न देखें दुसरें नासा मूळ ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे मुख्य कल्पतरुछाया । काय नाहीं दया तये ठायीं ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: Whomever the saints love — kāḷācā kāḷa — like the samartha's bāḷa is samartha. (When) parisatām — there is nothing uncovered — mōhā doesn't reach sīṇa — such (a saint) keeps. The anyāya done — (he) makes (one) give up by upacāra — sees no other — root-destruction. Tuka says: chief — kalpa-taru-chāyā — what is not there of dayā at that place?

मराठी: संतां — आवडे — तो — काळाचा-ही — काळ; — समर्थाचें — बाळ — जेवीं — समर्थ. परिसतां — तेथें — नाहीं — एकविणें; — मोहें — न पवे — सीण — ऐसें — राखे. केले — अन्याय — ते — सांडवी — उपचारें; — न देखें — दुसरें — नासा — मूळ. Tukā म्हणे — मुख्य — कल्प-तरु-छाया; — काय — नाहीं — दया — तये — ठायीं?

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
संतां आवडे तो काळाचा ही काळ "whomever the saints love — kāḷācā kāḷa (= time of times)"
समर्थाचें बाळ जेवीं समर्थ "like the samartha's bāḷa — is samartha (= the powerful one's child is powerful)"
परिसतां तेथें नाहीं एकविणें "parisatām (touched / paris-stone-touched) — there is no ēkaviṇē (= 'one-without' — i.e., nothing-uncovered / none-left-out)"
मोहें न पवे सीण ऐसें राखे "mōhā doesn't reach (pavē) — sīṇaaisē (such (a saint)) — rākhē (keeps / preserves)"
केले अन्याय ते सांडवी उपचारें "the anyāya (wrongs) done — (he) sāṇḍavī (makes one give up) — by upacāra (treatment / care)"
न देखें दुसरें नासा मूळ "(does) not see — dusarē (another) — nāśa-mūḷa (root-destruction)"
मुख्य कल्पतरुछाया "chief — kalpa-taru-chāyā (shade of the wish-tree)"
काय नाहीं दया तये ठायीं "what is not (kāya nāhīm) — (by way of) dayā — at that ṭhāya (place)?"

What it means

Saints'-beloved-becomes-time-of-times abhang. The opening claim is striking: samtām āvaḍē tō kāḷācā hī kāḷa — samarthācē bāḷa jēvīm samarthawhomever the saints love — that one becomes kāḷācā kāḷa (= the time of times / death of death / one-greater-than-time); like the samartha's child is samartha (= the powerful-one's child is powerful). The saints' āvaḍī (love) confers kāḷa-kāḷa-status — the beloved-of-saints has power over time (and over death).

The reasoning is genealogical: samarthācē bāḷa jēvīm samarthathe powerful's child is powerful. The saints are samartha (= masters of all); whoever is taken-as-their-child inherits that samarthatā.

The middle: kēlē anyāya tē sāṇḍavī upacārē — na dēkhē dusarē nāsa mūḷa(the saint) makes one sāṇḍavī (= give up) the anyāya (wrongs / injustices) — by upacāra (treatment / care); doesn't see anothernāśa-mūḷa (root-destruction). The saint cures the wrongs — by upacāra (gentle treatment), not by punishment. Doesn't see another — there is no other-being to attack; just the nāśa-mūḷa (= the root-of-destruction) is removed.

The closing: mukhya kalpa-taru-chāyā — kāya nāhīm dayā tayē ṭhāyīm?the chief — kalpa-taru-chāyā (= shade of the wish-fulfilling tree) — what is not there — of dayā (compassion) — at that place? The saint is the kalpataru-shade; under such a shade, dayā lacks nothing.

[T]

For someone today

For today: whomever the saints love is the time of times — the powerful's child is powerful; the saint cures wrongs by upacāra, not punishment; the kalpa-taru-shade lacks no dayā.

Where this applies

Related verses