Abhanga 1489
For today: the desire-bound is the world's slave; the disengaged is worship-worthy; what's in your own hand — no blame on others; the knowing-one carries trouble at his back, the unknowing is at-ease at meal-time; fear bound in the knot, the thief shadows you.
The verse
आशाबद्ध तो जगाचा दास । पूज्य तो उदास सर्वजना ॥१॥ आहे तें अधीन आपुले हातीं । आणिकां ठेविती काय बोल ॥ध्रु.॥ जाणतिया पाठीं लागला उपाध । नेणता तो सद्धि भोजनासी ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे भय बांधलें गांठीं । चोर लागे पाठी दुम तया ॥३॥
Literal translation
Āśā-baddha is jaga-dāsa — pūjya is udāsa to sarva-jana. What is adhīna in own hand — no bōla to others. To the jāṇatā, upādha clings at his back — the nēṇatā is siddha at bhōjana. Tuka says: bhaya bound in gānṭha — cōra clings as duma at his back.
मराठी: आशा-बद्ध — तो — जगाचा — दास; — पूज्य — तो — उदास — सर्व-जना. आहे — तें — अधीन — आपुले — हातीं; — आणिकां — ठेविती — काय — बोल. जाणतिया — पाठीं — लागला — उपाध; — नेणता — तो — सद्धि — भोजनासी. Tukā म्हणे — भय — बांधलें — गांठीं; — चोर — लागे — पाठी — दुम — तया.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| आशाबद्ध तो जगाचा दास | "āśā-baddha — that one — is jaga's dāsa" |
| पूज्य तो उदास सर्वजना | "pūjya (worthy of worship) — that one — udāsa (= disengaged) — to all jana" |
| आहे तें अधीन आपुले हातीं | "what is — adhīna (under-control) — in (one's) own — hand" |
| आणिकां ठेविती काय बोल | "to others (āṇikām) — what bōla (blame) — would (one) keep (ṭhēvitī)?" |
| जाणतिया पाठीं लागला उपाध | "to the jāṇatā — at pāṭha (back) — clings (lāgalā) — upādha (= adjunct / trouble)" |
| नेणता तो सद्धि भोजनासी | "the nēṇatā — is siddha (= ready / accomplished) — at bhōjana" |
| तुका म्हणे भय बांधलें गांठीं | "Tuka says — bhaya — bound (bāndhalēm) — in (the) gānṭha (knot)" |
| चोर लागे पाठी दुम तया | "cōra (thief) — clings (lāgē) — at pāṭha — duma (= shadow) — to him" |
What it means
Desire-bound-is-slave-disengaged-is-worthy abhang. The opening contrast: āśā-baddha tō jagācā dāsa — pūjya tō udāsa sarva-janā — theāśā-baddha(desire-bound) — is thejaga's —dāsa(servant); — thepūjya(worthy-of-worship) — isudāsa(disengaged) — to alljana. He who is bound by desire is a slave of the world; he who is disengaged is the worship-worthy. (Striking-formulation: the very-condition for being-worship-worthy is udāsa-mode. Compare 1455's mukta-no-āśankā-baddha-lajjā-cintā — same theme, different terms.)
The personal-responsibility: āhē tēm adhīna āpulē hātīm — āṇikām ṭhēvitī kāya bōla — whatis—under-control—in your own hand; — whatblamewould you put on others? Self-responsibility-doctrine: if it's in your hand, no point blaming others. (= maturity: each person is responsible for their own response to circumstances.)
The paradox-of-knowledge: jāṇatiyā pāṭhīm lāgalā upādha — nēṇatā tō siddhi bhōjanāsī — to thejāṇatā(knowing-one) — at hisback— clingsupādhi(= adjunct / trouble); — thenēṇatā(unknowing) — issiddhi(= accomplished / ready) — atbhōjana(eating). Striking inversion: the knowing-one carries trouble (= the upādhi-of-self-awareness); the unknowing-one is at-ease at meal-time. (= jñāna-itself can be a burden; the simple-bhakta without complex-jñāna has fewer worries. Compare 1461's jāṇōnī-nēṇatā-Anantā-jīvāhūnī-āvaḍē — knowingly-unknowing is loved by Hari more than life.)
The closing-image: bhaya bāndhalēm gānṭhīm — cōra lāgē pāṭhī duma tayā — fear bound in (the) knot; —cōra(thief) — clings asduma(shadow) — at his back. The fear-in-the-gānṭha (= the bundled-fear in the waist-knot, where money was kept) — attracts the thief as shadow. (= fear creates the very threat it fears. The desire-bound is fear-bound; the thief-of-the-fearful's-treasure shadows him.)
[T]
For someone today
For today: the desire-bound is the world's slave; the disengaged is worship-worthy; what's in your own hand — no blame on others; the knowing-one carries trouble at his back, the unknowing is at-ease at meal-time; fear bound in the knot, the thief shadows you.
Where this applies
- When you keep chasing one desire after another and feel like life is controlling you instead of the other way around
- When you catch yourself blaming other people for something that was actually within your own control
- When too much overthinking or knowledge leaves you anxious while a simpler person nearby seems perfectly at peace
- When you clutch tightly to a fear or a worry and notice that clutching only seems to invite the very trouble you dreaded