Abhanga 1473
For today: both the kathā-merchant and the money-payer go to hell; make Brahma full, remember Rāma unbroken; don't fall into the sweet-speech-trap, that goes to Yama's city; make the cosmic-egg short — shame on the life that spreads its hand begging.
The verse
कथा करोनियां मोल ज्यापें घेती । ते ही दोघे जाती नरकामध्यें ॥१॥ ब्रम्ह पूर्ण करा ब्रम्ह पूर्ण करा । अखंड स्मरा रामराम ॥ध्रु.॥ मधुरवाणीच्या नका पडों भरी । जाल यमपुरी भोगावया ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे करीं ब्रम्हांड ठेंगणें । हात पसरी जिणें धिग त्याचें ॥३॥
Literal translation
Those who do kathā and take mōla — both go to naraka. Make Brahma pūrṇa, make Brahma pūrṇa — akhaṇḍa smara Rāma-Rāma. Don't fall into the bharī of madhura-vāṇī — you'll go to yama-purī to bhōgāvayā. Tuka says: make Brahmāṇḍa ṭhēngaṇa — shame on the life of him who spreads hand.
मराठी: कथा — करोनियां — मोल — ज्यापें — घेती; — ते — ही — दोघे — जाती — नरकामध्यें. ब्रम्ह — पूर्ण — करा — ब्रम्ह — पूर्ण — करा; — अखंड — स्मरा — राम-राम. मधुर-वाणीच्या — नका — पडों — भरी; — जाल — यम-पुरी — भोगावया. Tukā म्हणे — करीं — ब्रम्हांड — ठेंगणें; — हात — पसरी — जिणें — धिग — त्याचें.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| कथा करोनियां मोल ज्यापें घेती | "kathā — making — mōla (price) — from whom — they take" |
| ते ही दोघे जाती नरकामध्यें | "those — both (dōghē) — go (jātī) — into naraka" |
| ब्रम्ह पूर्ण करा ब्रम्ह पूर्ण करा | "make Brahma — pūrṇa (full) — twice repeated" |
| अखंड स्मरा रामराम | "akhaṇḍa (unbroken) — remember (smarā) — Rāma-Rāma" |
| मधुरवाणीच्या नका पडों भरी | "of madhura-vāṇī (sweet-speech) — don't (nakō) — fall (paḍōm) — bharī (= heap / domain)" |
| जाल यमपुरी भोगावया | "(you) will go (jāla) — yama-purī — bhōgāvayā (= to experience as fate)" |
| तुका म्हणे करीं ब्रम्हांड ठेंगणें | "Tuka says — make (karīm) — Brahmāṇḍa (cosmic-egg) — ṭhēngaṇē (= short / made-small)" |
| हात पसरी जिणें धिग त्याचें | "(one who) spreads hand (= begs) — jiṇē (life) — dhig tyācē (shame on him)" |
What it means
Anti-paid-kathā continuation abhang. Direct continuation of 1465 (paired adjacent abhangs at 1465, 1473 — same theme, same intensity). The opening: kathā karōniyām mōla jyāpēm ghētī — tē hī dōghē jātī narakā-madhyē — those whomake kathā— and from whommōla(price) istaken—both— gointo naraka. Same as 1465 — both performer and patron condemned.
The corrective: Brahma pūrṇa karā Brahma pūrṇa karā — akhaṇḍa smarā Rāma-Rāma — makeBrahma—pūrṇa(full) (twice for emphasis); —unbroken— remember —Rāma-Rāma. Make Brahma full inwardly — by unbroken Rāma-Rāma-smaraṇa. (= the correct kathā-mode is internal, unbroken, prayerful; not commercial-public-performance.)
The warning: madhura-vāṇīcyā nakō paḍōm bharī — jāla yama-purī bhōgāvayā — don't fall — into thebharī(heap / domain) — ofmadhura-vāṇī(sweet-speech); — you'll go toyama-purī—bhōgāvayā(to experience as fate). Sweet-speaking (= polished, ornate kathā-style aimed at crowd-pleasing) is itself a trap; falling for it sends one to Yama's city. (Compare 1463's bhūṣaṇāñcī cāḍa — relish for ornaments; same target.)
The closing-image: karīm Brahmāṇḍa ṭhēngaṇē — hāta pasarī jiṇē dhig tyācē — makeBrahmāṇḍa(= the cosmic-egg) —short / compressed(ṭhēngaṇē); — (one who)spreads hand(begs) —life—shame on him. Make the cosmic-egg fit your fist; — but spreading-hand (= begging) — shame on that life. The bhakta's bold-self-confidence: I have brought the brahmāṇḍa under control by Hari-power; how shameful, then, to beg from anyone. (Compare 1405's bhikṣā-pātra-Nārāyaṇa-upēkṣījē — Hari disregards the begging-bowl; same anti-mendicancy register.)
[T]
For someone today
For today: both the kathā-merchant and the money-payer go to hell; make Brahma full, remember Rāma unbroken; don't fall into the sweet-speech-trap, that goes to Yama's city; make the cosmic-egg short — shame on the life that spreads its hand begging.
Where this applies
- When you're tempted to charge money for spiritual teaching or turn devotion into a paid performance
- When you notice a speaker's words are more polished than sincere and you feel yourself getting swept up by charm rather than substance
- When you catch yourself performing devotion for an audience instead of quietly practicing it within
- When you feel the urge to beg others for approval, money, or attention instead of trusting your own inner fullness