Abhanga 1396
A saint's rebuke can strip away your worst traits, worldly things feel empty without real devotion behind them, and focused effort on one steady practice brings everything else into place.
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
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 becomesamangaḷa(inauspicious). To be rebuked-by-saints makes one's life amangaḷa-marked. The flip-side: viśva-śatru tēṇē sāṇḍī parī — theviśva-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 isvāyām— when thebhartāra(husband) ismōkalita(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 themūḷa(root) — what does thephaḷa(fruit) lack? — thecatura(= clever / discerning) — knows to keep bylakṣaṇa(= 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 — thesāyāsa(effort) — atoneplace — when thedīpa(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
- When someone you respect criticizes you and it stings, but it ends up helping you let go of a bad habit.
- When your job title, appearance, or possessions feel hollow because the relationship or purpose behind them is gone.
- When you keep chasing results instead of trusting that steady daily practice will produce them.
- When you are spreading your energy across too many things and need to pick one and stay with it.