Abhanga 1486
For today: only the one with puṇya-rāśī in his bundle knows the contrivance for Hari; helping the weak make Vārāṇasī gets half-merit either way; breaking sleep at kathā for bhōjana has unbounded sukha; even loans for yajña are protected; act with the vital-secret known — don't pile one over another.
The verse
देवासाटीं जाणा तयासी च आटी । असेल ज्या गांठीं पुण्यराशी ॥१॥ निर्बळा पाठवी बळें वाराणसी । मेला आला त्यासी अर्ध पुण्य ॥ध्रु.॥ कथें निद्राभंग करावा भोजनीं । तया सुखा धणी पार नाहीं ॥२॥ यागीं रीण घ्यावें द्यावें सुख लाहीं । बुडतां चिंता नाहीं उभयतां ॥३॥ तुका म्हणे वर्म जाणोनि करावें । एक न घलावें एकावरी ॥४॥
Literal translation
English: For Devā's sake, know — to that one alone, the āṭī — to whom in gānṭha there is puṇya-rāśī. Sends the nirbaḷa to Vārāṇasī by baḷa — mēlā or ālā, ardha-puṇya. In kathā, nidrā-bhanga should be done at bhōjana — to that sukha there is no dhaṇī-pāra. In yāga, take ṛṇa, give it, sukha receives — drowning, no cintā for both. Tuka says: varma jāṇōnī karāvē — ēka should not be put over ēkā.
मराठी: देवासाटीं — जाणा — तयासी — च — आटी; — असेल — ज्या — गांठीं — पुण्य-राशी. निर्बळा — पाठवी — बळें — वाराणसी; — मेला — आला — त्यासी — अर्ध — पुण्य. कथें — निद्रा-भंग — करावा — भोजनीं; — तया — सुखा — धणी — पार — नाहीं. यागीं — रीण — घ्यावें — द्यावें — सुख — लाहीं; — बुडतां — चिंता — नाहीं — उभयतां. Tukā म्हणे — वर्म — जाणोनि — करावें; — एक — न — घलावें — एका-वरी.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| देवासाटीं जाणा तयासी च आटी | "for Deva's sake — know (jāṇā) — to that one alone (chi) — āṭī (= contrivance / scheme)" |
| असेल ज्या गांठीं पुण्यराशी | "(to) one in whose (jyā) gānṭha — there is puṇya-rāśī (heap of merit)" |
| निर्बळा पाठवी बळें वाराणसी | "nirbaḷa (the weak) — sends (pāṭhavī) — by baḷa (force) — to Vārāṇasī" |
| मेला आला त्यासी अर्ध पुण्य | "mēlā ālā (whether dies-or-returns) — to him — ardha-puṇya (half-merit)" |
| कथें निद्राभंग करावा भोजनीं | "in kathā — nidrā-bhanga (sleep-break) — should be made — at bhōjana (eating)" |
| तया सुखा धणी पार नाहीं | "to that sukha — dhaṇī-pāra (= satiety-end) — there is none" |
| यागीं रीण घ्यावें द्यावें सुख लाहीं | "in yāga — ṛṇa (loan) — should be taken; — given — sukha — receives (lāhī)" |
| बुडतां चिंता नाहीं उभयतां | "buḍatām (drowning) — cintā (worry) — there is none — for ubhayatām (both)" |
| तुका म्हणे वर्म जाणोनि करावें | "Tuka says — varma — knowing — should be done" |
| एक न घलावें एकावरी | "ēka (one) — should not be put (na ghalāvē) — over ēkā (another)" |
What it means
Merit-contrivance-and-no-stacking abhang. A cluster of practical-merit-formulas with a closing no-stacking warning. The opening: Devā-sāṭīm jāṇā tayāsī chi āṭī — asēla jyā gānṭhīm puṇya-rāśī — for Deva's sake — know — only that one — (knows) the āṭī (contrivance); — (the one) in whose gānṭha (= knot / bundle) — there is puṇya-rāśī (heap of merit). The Deva-aspirant-needs-puṇya-already-in-bundle — only such a one knows the contrivance. (= some prior-merit-capital is needed to contrive Hari-aimed-action.)
The Vārāṇasī-formula: nirbaḷā pāṭhavī baḷē Vārāṇasī — mēlā ālā tyāsī ardha puṇya — (one who) sends — the nirbaḷa (weak) — by force (= helping the unable) — to Vārāṇasī; — whether (the weak person) dies or returns alive — to him (the helper) — ardha-puṇya (half-merit). Helping the weak make a Vārāṇasī-pilgrimage gives the helper half-merit, regardless of the weak person's outcome. (Concrete vicarious-merit doctrine.)
The kathā-formula: kathē nidrā-bhanga karāvā bhōjanīm — tayā sukhā dhaṇī pāra nāhīm — during kathā — nidrā-bhanga (= breaking of someone's sleep) — should be done — at bhōjana (= eating); — to that sukha — there's no dhaṇī-pāra (= satiety-end). Wake up sleepers at the kathā so they can eat the bhōjana of nāma; the sukha of doing this has no satiety-end. (= even waking-up-the-sleeper at kathā-time is meritorious.)
The yajña-loan-formula: yāgīm rīṇa ghyāvēm dyāvēm sukha lāhī — buḍatām cintā nāhīm ubhayatām — in yāga — take loan (ṛṇa) — give it (use for yajña) — sukha receives (lāhī); — drowning (buḍatām — i.e., even if defaulting on the loan), no worry for both (lender and borrower). Even taking a loan to fund a yajña is meritorious; if the borrower defaults, both parties are protected. (Striking liberality-on-loans-for-yajña.)
The closing-counsel: varma jāṇōnī karāvē — ēka na ghalāvē ēkā varī — with knowledge of the vital-secret — should be done; — one should not be placed over another. Act with the secret-known; don't stack one (merit-act) over another (= don't pile up merit-acts mechanically; understand the varma* in each).
[T]
For someone today
For today: only the one with puṇya-rāśī in his bundle knows the contrivance for Hari; helping the weak make Vārāṇasī gets half-merit either way; breaking sleep at kathā for bhōjana has unbounded sukha; even loans for yajña are protected; act with the vital-secret known — don't pile one over another.
Where this applies
- Only-merit-laden-knows-contrivance.* Devā-sāṭīm-puṇya-rāśī-āṭī.
- Helping-weak-to-Vārāṇasī-half-merit.* Nirbaḷā-Vārāṇasī-ardha-puṇya.
- Break-sleep-at-kathā-bhojana-unbounded-sukha.* Kathē-nidrā-bhanga-bhōjanīm.
- Loans-for-yajña-no-worry.* Yāgīm-rīṇa-cintā-na.
- Know-secret-don't-stack-one-on-another.* Varma-jāṇōnī-ēka-ēkā-varī-na.