संत साहित्य
Work in progress. Translations and commentary are AI-generated and may contain inaccuracies or hallucinations — please use your own judgement and check against the original sources.
संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1408 of 4582

Abhanga 1408

For today: I had craving for what wasn't even there — let the gathering-fold fall; what was to be seen has been seen — now well in the witness-state; gain itself revealed loss — let both stay aloof; why this pasārā in the world?

When the witness-state has dawned — I had craving for what wasn't; now in sākṣitva, gain and loss stay aloof; why this pasārā?

The verse

नव्हतियाचा सोस होता । झडो आतां पदर ॥१॥ देखणें तें देखियेलें । आतां भलें साक्षित्वें ॥ध्रु.॥ लाभें कळों आली हानि । राहों दोन्हीं निराळीं ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे एकाएकीं । हा कां लोकीं पसारा ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: There was sōsa for the navhatiyā — let the padara fall away now. What was to be seen has been seen — now (we are) well in sākṣitva. By lābha, hāni became known — let both stay nirāḷē. Tuka says: all-at-once — why this pasārā in the lōka?

मराठी: नव्हतियाचा — सोस — होता; — झडो — आतां — पदर. देखणें — तें — देखियेलें; — आतां — भलें — साक्षित्वें. लाभें — कळों — आली — हानि; — राहों — दोन्हीं — निराळीं. Tukā म्हणे — एकाएकीं; — हा — कां — लोकीं — पसारा?

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
नव्हतियाचा सोस होता "of (that which) navhatiyā (= what wasn't / non-existent) — there was sōsa (= obsessive desire / addiction)"
झडो आतां पदर "let fall away (jhaḍō) — now — the padara (= corner of cloak / fold)"
देखणें तें देखियेलें "what (was) to be seen — has been seen"
आतां भलें साक्षित्वें "now — well (bhalēm) — in sākṣitva (= witness-state)"
लाभें कळों आली हानि "by lābha (gain) — hāni (loss) — became known (kaḷōm ālī)"
राहों दोन्हीं निराळीं "let stay (rāhōm) — both (dōnnhīm) — nirāḷē (= separate / aloof)"
तुका म्हणे एकाएकीं "Tuka says — all-at-once (ēkā-ēkīm)"
हा कां लोकीं पसारा "this — why (kām) — in the lōkapasārā (= sprawling stuff / spread-out clutter)?"

What it means

Craving-for-the-non-existent abhang. The opening retrospective: navhatiyācā sōsa hōtā — jhaḍō ātām padarathere was sōsa (= addiction-like-craving) for the navhatiyā (= what wasn't / non-existent); — let the padara (= corner of cloak / the anchaḷ fold) — jhaḍō (= fall away) now. The bhakta's clear-eyed look back: I was craving what didn't even exist. The padara — the cloth-fold the gṛhastha uses to gather and hold thingslet it fall. (One of the most distilled vairāgya-clarities — the craved-thing was non-existent; the gathering-fold can drop.)

The arrival: dēkhaṇēm tēm dēkhiyēlēm — ātām bhalēm sākṣitvēmwhat was to be seen has been seen; — now (we are) well — in sākṣitva (witness-state). The to-be-seen has been seen; the bhakta now stands bhalēm sākṣitvēmwell in the witness-mode. (Compare 1399's niścaḷa-dṛṣṭā — same witness-stance.)

The discrimination: lābhēm kaḷōm ālī hāni — rāhōm dōnnhīm nirāḷīmby lābha (gain) — hāni (loss) — became known; — let both stay nirāḷē (= separate / aloof). Profound observation: gain itself revealed loss — once you had something, you noticed the not-having it would be a loss. Now: let both stay nirāḷē — neither courting gain nor fearing loss.

The closing: ēkā-ēkīm — hā kām lōkīm pasārāall-at-once — why this pasārā (= sprawling-clutter) in the lōka? The whole world's pasārā now appears as unnecessaryall-at-once the bhakta sees it that way. (Compare 1399's Tukā lōkīm nirāḷā — Tuka aloof in the lōka.)

[T]

For someone today

For today: I had craving for what wasn't even there — let the gathering-fold fall; what was to be seen has been seen — now well in the witness-state; gain itself revealed loss — let both stay aloof; why this pasārā in the world?

Where this applies

Related verses