Abhanga 1447
For today: those who needed adhikāra went in vain; hear this simple vital-secret — cintana needs no toil; death's shadow is upon us, all other means run out; let everyone's mind rest here.
The verse
कोठें नाहीं अधिकार । गेले नर वांयां ते ॥१॥ ऐका हें सोपें वर्म । न लगे श्रम चिंतना ॥ध्रु.॥ मृत्याचिये अंगीं छाये । उपाये चि खुंटतां ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे अवघे जन । येथें मन असों द्या ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: Where there's no adhikāra — those naras went vāyām. Hear this sōpēm varma — śrama is not needed for cintana. In mṛtyu's anga, one is in chāyā — when upāyas khuṇṭatām. Tuka says: all jana — here — let the mana be.
मराठी: कोठें — नाहीं — अधिकार; — गेले — नर — वांयां — ते. ऐका — हें — सोपें — वर्म; — न — लगे — श्रम — चिंतना. मृत्याचिये — अंगीं — छाये; — उपाये — चि — खुंटतां. Tukā म्हणे — अवघे — जन; — येथें — मन — असों — द्या.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| कोठें नाहीं अधिकार | "where (kōṭhēm) — there is no — adhikāra (= eligibility / authority / qualification)" |
| गेले नर वांयां ते | "those naras (men) — went — vāyām (in vain)" |
| ऐका हें सोपें वर्म | "hear (aikā) — this — sōpēm (simple) — varma (= vital-secret)" |
| न लगे श्रम चिंतना | "śrama (toil) — is not needed (na lagē) — for cintana" |
| मृत्याचिये अंगीं छाये | "in mṛtyu (death)'s — anga (= body / domain) — (one is) in chāyā (= shadow)" |
| उपाये चि खुंटतां | "when upāyas (means) alone (chi) — khuṇṭatām (= get peg-stuck / used up)" |
| तुका म्हणे अवघे जन | "Tuka says — all (avaghē) — jana (people)" |
| येथें मन असों द्या | "here — mana — let it be (asōm dyā)" |
What it means
Simple-vital-secret-mind-be-here abhang. The opening: kōṭhēm nāhīm adhikāra — gēlē nara vāyām tē — where there's no adhikāra — those naras — went in vain. The adhikāra-criterion: for paths-requiring-eligibility (= mantra-dīkṣā paths, varṇa-restricted-paths, śāstra-mastery-paths), many men went in vain. (= those whose adhikāra-restricted-paths failed them.)
The simple alternative: aikā hēm sōpēm varma — na lagē śrama cintanā — hear (aikā) — this — sōpēm varma (= simple vital-secret); — śrama — is not needed — for cintana. Cintana doesn't require śrama (= no exhausting effort). (= the anti-mantra-yajña-tapasyā-strain — bhakti-cintana is easeful. Compare 1444's cintanāsī-na-lagē-vēḷa — cintana doesn't need a special-time; the doublet: no-time-needed + no-toil-needed.)
The death-protection: mṛtyāciyē angīm chāyē — upāyē chi khuṇṭatām — in mṛtyu's — anga (= body / territory) — (one is) in chāyā (= shadow); — when (other) upāyas alone — get khuṇṭatām (= peg-stuck / used-up). Death is upon us as a shadow; all other upāyas eventually get khuṇṭatām (= reach their dead-end). (Compare 1438's kāsa-kaivāḍa-kiḷa-kāḷa — warrior-stance against death; same theme.)
The closing universal-instruction: avaghē jana — yēthēm mana asōm dyā — all jana (people) — here — let the mana — be. Universal address: let everyone's mind rest here (= in this sōpēm varma of nāma-cintana). (Compare 1444's upadēśī avaghyā lōkām sakaḷām — Tuka instructs everyone; same universal-pedagogy.)
[T]
For someone today
For today: those who needed adhikāra went in vain; hear this simple vital-secret — cintana needs no toil; death's shadow is upon us, all other means run out; let everyone's mind rest here.
Where this applies
- Without-eligibility-went-in-vain.* Adhikāra-na-vāyām.
- Simple-vital-secret-no-toil-for-cintana.* Sōpēm-varma-śrama-na.
- Death-shadow-when-means-exhausted.* Mṛtyu-chāyā-upāya-khuṇṭatām.
- All-let-mind-be-here.* Avaghē-jana-yēthēm-mana.