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 1414 of 4582

Abhanga 1414

For today: Hari, you are the resolver — your business is among people; who would walk into this ligāḍa voluntarily? — solve your own kōḍī; I did the work I was told and kept the dharma; let what's yours be on your own head.

When you've done your part and Hari's must do his — you are the resolver — solve your own riddles; let what's yours be on your own head

The verse

मिटवण्याचे धनी । तुम्ही वेवसाय जनीं ॥१॥ कोण पडे ये लिगाडीं । केली तैसीं उगवा कोडीं ॥ध्रु.॥ केलें सांगितलें काम । दिले पाळूनियां धर्म ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे आतां । असो तुमचें तुमचे माथां ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: You are the dhanī of the miṭavaṇī — your vēvasāya is among the jana. Who would fall into this ligāḍa? — solve the kōḍī as you made (them). The work I was told (to do) — is done; the dharma — kept-up faithfully. Tuka says: now — let what's yours be on your own māthā.

मराठी: मिटवण्याचे — धनी; — तुम्ही — वेवसाय — जनीं. कोण — पडे — ये — लिगाडीं? — केली — तैसीं — उगवा — कोडीं. केलें — सांगितलें — काम; — दिले — पाळूनियां — धर्म. Tukā म्हणे — आतां; — असो — तुमचें — तुमचे — माथां.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
मिटवण्याचे धनी "of miṭavaṇī (= resolution / closing-up / settling) — dhanī (= owner / master)"
तुम्ही वेवसाय जनीं "you (politely) — vēvasāya (= business / dealing) — among the jana (people)"
कोण पडे ये लिगाडीं "who (kōṇa) — would fall (paḍē) — into this — ligāḍa (= entanglement / sticky-mess)?"
केली तैसीं उगवा कोडीं "as (it was) made (kēlī) — solve (ugavā) — the kōḍī (= knots / riddles)"
केलें सांगितलें काम "(the) work — that (was) told — done"
दिले पाळूनियां धर्म "dharma — given — kept-up faithfully (pāḷūniyām)"
तुका म्हणे आतां "Tuka says — now (ātām)"
असो तुमचें तुमचे माथां "let it be (asō) — what's yours (tumacēm) — on your own (tumacē) — māthā (= head)"

What it means

Throw-it-back-on-Hari's-head abhang. Companion to 1413's dharaṇēkarī-stance. The opening: miṭavaṇyācē dhanī — tumhī vēvasāya janīmof the miṭavaṇī (= resolution / closing-up / settling-of-affairs) — you are the dhanī (= owner / master); — your vēvasāya (business) — is among the jana (people). Hari's vēvasāya — his line-of-business — is settling people's-affairs ; he's the miṭavaṇī's owner.

The challenge: kōṇa paḍē yē ligāḍīm — kēlī taisīm ugavā kōḍīmwho would (voluntarily) fall (paḍē) into this ligāḍa (= entanglement / sticky-mess)? — as you have made (kēlī) — solve (ugavā) the kōḍī (= knots / riddles). Ligāḍa is the sticky-trap-mess of samsāra. No one walked-into this voluntarily; you made the knotsyou untie them. (Compare 1305's vānkaḍē tikaḍē — crooked-cross — Hari's responsibility for the snare-state.)

The bhakta's-credit: kēlēm sāngitalēm kāma — dilē pāḷūniyām dharmathe kāma (work) that was told (sāngitalēm) — has been done; — dharmakept-up faithfully. Tuka asserts his contractual-fulfillment: the work you assigned, I did; the dharma you gave, I kept*.

The closing-move: Tukā mhaṇē ātām — asō tumacēm tumacē māthāmTuka says — now — let what's yours (tumacēm) — be on your own (tumacē) head (māthā). Tuka throws-back the unsettled-portion onto Hari's head. Whatever remains to be settled is yours; it's on your head, not mine. (This is the Hari-tāḍ closing-move (cf. Pattern P2 in notes/observations.md) — Tuka decisively off-loads the residual responsibility back onto Hari.)

[T]

For someone today

For today: Hari, you are the resolver — your business is among people; who would walk into this ligāḍa voluntarily? — solve your own kōḍī; I did the work I was told and kept the dharma; let what's yours be on your own head.

Where this applies

Related verses