संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1422 of 4582

Abhanga 1422

For today: bear blows, save the essence — then true acceptance at true price; let the body undergo bhōga to break the samcita; where status comes, take disgrace; what you honor, you become — so honor only Hari.

When status tempts and disgrace can save — bear blows, save the essence; in mahatva's place, enjoy disgrace; what you honor, you become

The verse

साहोनियां टोले उरवावें सार । मग अंगीकार खर्‍या मोलें ॥१॥ भोगाचे सांभाळीं द्यावें किळवर । संचित चि थार मोडूनियां ॥ध्रु.॥ महत्वाचे ठायीं भोगावी अप्रतिष्ठा । विटवावें नष्टां पंचभूतां ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे मग कैंचा संवसार । जयाचा आदर तें चि व्हावें ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: Bearing the ṭōlē — let sāra be left over — then angīkāra at kharyā mōla. In bhōga's sāmbhāḷa — let the kiḷavara be given — samcita alone is the thāra — having broken (it). Where mahatva is — let apratiṣṭhā be enjoyed — let the naṣṭa pañca-bhūta be disgusted-with. Tuka says: then what samsāra? — what one holds in ādara — that very thing one becomes.

मराठी: साहोनियां — टोले — उरवावें — सार; — मग — अंगीकार — खर्‍या — मोलें. भोगाचे — सांभाळीं — द्यावें — किळवर; — संचित — चि — थार — मोडूनियां. महत्वाचे — ठायीं — भोगावी — अप्रतिष्ठा; — विटवावें — नष्टां — पंच-भूतां. Tukā म्हणे — मग — कैंचा — संवसार? — जयाचा — आदर — तें — चि — व्हावें.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
साहोनियां टोले उरवावें सार "bearing (sāhōniyām) — ṭōlē (blows) — let sāra (essence) — be left-over (uravāvēm)"
मग अंगीकार खर्‍या मोलें "then — angīkāra (acceptance / endorsement) — at kharyā mōla (= true price)"
भोगाचे सांभाळीं द्यावें किळवर "in bhōga's keeping (sāmbhāḷa) — let be given (dyāvēm) — the kiḷavara (= body / corpse)"
संचित चि थार मोडूनियां "samcita alone (chi) — thāra (= station / reservoir) — having broken (mōḍūniyām)"
महत्वाचे ठायीं भोगावी अप्रतिष्ठा "where (ṭhāyīm) — mahatva (= status) is — apratiṣṭhā (= dishonor) — must be enjoyed (bhōgāvī)"
विटवावें नष्टां पंचभूतां "let be viṭa (= disgusted-with / saturated) (viṭavāvēm) — the naṣṭa (worthless / spoiled) — pañca-bhūta (five-elements)"
तुका म्हणे मग कैंचा संवसार "Tuka says — then — what kind of (kaimcā) — samsāra?"
जयाचा आदर तें चि व्हावें "what one (jayācā) — ādara (= regard / honor) — that very (tē chi) — must (one) become (vhāvē)"

What it means

Bear-blows-save-essence-what-you-honor-you-become abhang. The opening: sāhōniyām ṭōlē — uravāvēm sāra — maga angīkāra kharyā mōlēmbearing the ṭōlē (blows) — let the sāra (essence) — be left-over; — then — the angīkāra (= acceptance / endorsement) — comes at the true price. The principle: take blows; save the essence; only after the blows have been borne does true-price angīkāra (= Hari's true acceptance) come. (Compare 1330's vairāgya-prakāra autobiography — Tuka took blows for years before Hari's acceptance.)

The body-strategy: bhōgācē sāmbhāḷīm dyāvēm kiḷavara — samcita chi thāra mōḍūniyāmlet the kiḷavara (= body / corpse) — be given to bhōga's keeping; — samcita alone is the thāra (= reservoir) — having broken (it down). Hand-over the body to the bhōga-process; samcita is the only thārabreak it down by experiencing it through. (= classic prārabdha-exhaustion through bhōga.)

The middle injunction: mahatvācē ṭhāyīm — bhōgāvī apratiṣṭhā — viṭavāvēm naṣṭām pañca-bhūtāmwhere (there is) — mahatva (= status); — apratiṣṭhā (dishonor / disgrace) — must be enjoyed (bhōgāvī); — let the naṣṭa (worthless) pañca-bhūta — be made viṭa (= satiated / disgusted). Where status comes, take disgrace; let the worthless five-elements (= the body) get tired-and-disgusted. (= deliberate-self-disgrace as a vairāgya-strategy; cf. P-mark in pattern-list.)

The closing principle: Tukā mhaṇē maga kaimcā samvasāra — jayācā ādara tē chi vhāvēTuka says — then — what (kind of) samsāra? — what one holds in ādara (regard) — that very (tē chi) — must (one) become (vhāvē). The deep formula: what you ādara (honor / hold-dear), you become. So: don't ādara mahatva and the pañca-bhūta; ādara only Hariyou'll become Hari-natured. (Compare 1393's ēkā-paṇē-ēkācē-angīm-lāgē-ranga — color in the one's body sticks; here what-you-honor-you-become*.)

[T]

For someone today

For today: bear blows, save the essence — then true acceptance at true price; let the body undergo bhōga to break the samcita; where status comes, take disgrace; what you honor, you become — so honor only Hari.

Where this applies

Related verses