Abhanga 1396
For today: saints' rebuke marks life amangaḷa but strips the worst; without Hari-the-bhartāra, kuḷa-rūpa-samsāra are vain; keep the root, fruit doesn't lack; concentrate effort at one place — with the lamp in hand, all is well.
The verse
संतांच्या धीकारें अमंगळ जिणें । विश्वशत्रु तेणें सांडी परि ॥१॥ कुळ आणि रूप वांयां संवसार । गेला भरतार मोकलितां ॥ध्रु.॥ मूळ राखे तया फळा काय उणें । चतुर लक्षणें राखों जाणे ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे सायास तो एके ठायीं । दीप हातीं तई अवघें बरें ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: By the saints' dhikāra, life is amangaḷa — the viśva-śatru abandons by that, perhaps. Kuḷa and rūpa — samsāra is vāyām — when the bhartāra is released, gone. He who keeps the mūḷa — what uṇē for the phaḷa? — catura by lakṣaṇa knows to keep. Tuka says: sāyāsa at one place — when the dīpa is in hand, all is barē.
मराठी: संतांच्या — धीकारें — अमंगळ — जिणें; — विश्व-शत्रु — तेणें — सांडी — परी. कुळ आणि रूप — वांयां — संवसार; — गेला — भरतार — मोकलितां. मूळ — राखे — तया — फळा — काय उणें? — चतुर — लक्षणें — राखों — जाणे. Tukā म्हणे — सायास — तो — एके — ठायीं; — दीप — हातीं — तई — अवघें — बरें.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| संतांच्या धीकारें अमंगळ जिणें | "by the saints' dhikāra (rebuke / contempt) — life (jiṇē) — amangaḷa (inauspicious)" |
| विश्वशत्रु तेणें सांडी परि | "the viśva-śatru (world's enemy) — by that — abandons (sāṇḍī) — parī (perhaps / maybe)" |
| कुळ आणि रूप वांयां संवसार | "kuḷa (lineage) and rūpa (form) — samsāra is vāyām (in vain)" |
| गेला भरतार मोकलितां | "the bhartāra (husband) — released (mōkalitām) — gone (gēlā)" |
| मूळ राखे तया फळा काय उणें | "(he) who keeps the mūḷa (root) — what uṇē (lacks) — for the phaḷa (fruit)?" |
| चतुर लक्षणें राखों जाणे | "catura (the clever / discerning) — lakṣaṇē (by marks) — rākhōm jāṇē (knows to keep)" |
| सायास तो एके ठायीं | "sāyāsa (effort) — at ēkē (one) place" |
| दीप हातीं तई अवघें बरें | "the dīpa (lamp) — in (the) hand — avaghē (all) is barē (well)" |
What it means
Saints'-rebuke-and-keeping-the-root abhang. The opening warning: samtāncyā dhikārē amangaḷa jiṇē — by the saints' dhikāra (rebuke / contempt) — life becomes amangaḷa (inauspicious). To be rebuked-by-saints makes one's life amangaḷa-marked. The flip-side: viśva-śatru tēṇē sāṇḍī parī — the viśva-śatru (world's enemy) — by that — abandons (one) — perhaps. When saints rebuke you, the viśva-śatru (= the un-redeemable world-enemy character) also leaves — perhaps. (Two-edged: rebuke is bad, but it can also strip the worst aspects.)
The vivid bridal-image: kuḷa āṇi rūpa vāyām samsāra — gēlā bhartāra mōkalitām — kuḷa (lineage) and rūpa (form) — samsāra is vāyām — when the bhartāra (husband) is mōkalita (released / dismissed) — gone. Once the bhartāra (= Hari, the husband-of-the-bhakta-bride) has been released / let-go, kuḷa-rūpa-samsāra all become vāyām (= pointless). Compare 1306 sājē alankāra — tarī bhōgitām bhratāra — jewelry suits only when husband is present.
The botanical-principle: mūḷa rākhē tayā phaḷā kāya uṇē — catura lakṣaṇē rākhōm jāṇē — (he) who keeps the mūḷa (root) — what does the phaḷa (fruit) lack? — the catura (= clever / discerning) — knows to keep by lakṣaṇa (= mark / sign). Keep the root; the fruit takes care of itself. The catura doesn't try to engineer the fruit — he keeps the mūḷa and watches by lakṣaṇa (signs / indicators).
The closing principle: sāyāsa tō ēkē ṭhāyīm — dīpa hātīm tā'ī avaghē barēm — the sāyāsa (effort) — at one place — when the dīpa (lamp) is in hand — all is well. Concentrate effort at one place — once the lamp (= the dīpa* of bhakti) is in hand, all is well.
[T]
For someone today
For today: saints' rebuke marks life amangaḷa but strips the worst; without Hari-the-bhartāra, kuḷa-rūpa-samsāra are vain; keep the root, fruit doesn't lack; concentrate effort at one place — with the lamp in hand, all is well.
Where this applies
- Saints'-rebuke-marks-but-strips.* Samtāncyā-dhikārē-amangaḷa.
- Without-husband-samsāra-vain.* Kuḷa-rūpa-vāyām-bhartāra.
- Keep-the-root-fruit-doesn't-lack.* Mūḷa-rākhē-phaḷā-uṇē-na.
- Effort-at-one-place-lamp-in-hand.* Sāyāsa-ēkē-ṭhāyīm-dīpa-hātīm.