Abhanga 1491
It costs nothing to turn toward what truly matters, yet people forget death and stay carelessly distracted instead of choosing the freedom that is right in front of them.
The verse
वाटे या जनाचें थोर बा आश्चर्य । न करिती विचार कां हिताचा ॥१॥ कोण दम ऐसा आहे यांचे पोटीं । येईल शेवटीं कोण कामा ॥ध्रु.॥ काय मानुनियां राहिले निश्चिंती । काय जाब देती यमदूतां ॥२॥ कां हीं विसरलीं मरण बापुडीं । काय यांसी गोडी लागलीसे ॥३॥ काय हातीं नाहीं करील तयासी । काय जालें यांसी काय जाणों ॥४॥ कां हीं नाठविती देवकीनंदना । सुटाया बंधनापासूनियां ॥५॥ काय मोल यासी लागे धन वित्त । कां हें यांचें चित्त घेत नाहीं ॥६॥ तुका म्हणे कां हीं भोगितील खाणी । कां त्या चक्रपाणी विसरलीं ॥७॥
Literal translation
It seems — of these jana — great āścarya — they don't make vicāra of hita. What dama is in their pōṭa? — at the end, who will come of use? What thinking, they stay in niścinti? — what jāba would they give to Yama-dūtā? Why have these poor things forgotten maraṇa? — what gōḍī clings to them? What's not in his hand he will do — what has happened to them, what do I know? Why don't these remember Devakī-nandana — to be released from bandhana? What mōla does this require — dhana-vitta? — why does their citta not take? Tuka says: why would these experience khāṇī? — why have they forgotten Cakra-pāṇī?
मराठी: वाटे — या — जनाचें — थोर — बा — आश्चर्य; — न — करिती — विचार — कां — हिताचा. कोण — दम — ऐसा — आहे — यांचे — पोटीं? — येईल — शेवटीं — कोण — कामा? काय — मानुनियां — राहिले — निश्चिंती? — काय — जाब — देती — यम-दूतां? कां — हीं — विसरलीं — मरण — बापुडीं? — काय — यांसी — गोडी — लागलीसे? काय — हातीं — नाहीं — करील — तयासी? — काय — जालें — यांसी — काय — जाणों? कां — हीं — नाठविती — देवकी-नंदना? — सुटाया — बंधना-पासूनियां? काय — मोल — यासी — लागे — धन — वित्त? — कां — हें — यांचें — चित्त — घेत — नाहीं? Tukā म्हणे — कां — हीं — भोगितील — खाणी? — कां — त्या — चक्र-पाणी — विसरलीं?
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| वाटे या जनाचें थोर बा आश्चर्य | "it seems (vāṭē) — of these jana — thōra (great) — āścarya (astonishment), bā (vocative)" |
| न करिती विचार कां हिताचा | "they don't make — vicāra — why — of hita (welfare)?" |
| कोण दम ऐसा आहे यांचे पोटीं | "what dama (= breath / strength) — like that — is — in their pōṭa?" |
| येईल शेवटीं कोण कामा | "at the end (śēvaṭīm) — who — will come of use (kāmā)?" |
| काय मानुनियां राहिले निश्चिंती | "what — counting — they have stayed in niścinti?" |
| काय जाब देती यमदूतां | "what jāba (answer) — would they give — to Yama-dūta?" |
| कां हीं विसरलीं मरण बापुडीं | "why — these — forgotten — maraṇa — bāpuḍīm (poor things)" |
| काय यांसी गोडी लागलीसे | "what gōḍī (sweetness) — is clinging (lāgalīsē) — to them?" |
| काय हातीं नाहीं करील तयासी | "what is not in (his) hand — that — he (Hari) — would do?" |
| काय जालें यांसी काय जाणों | "what has happened — to them — what do I know?" |
| कां हीं नाठविती देवकीनंदना | "why — these — don't remember — Devakī-nandana?" |
| सुटाया बंधनापासूनियां | "to be released — from bandhana" |
| काय मोल यासी लागे धन वित्त | "what mōla — does this — require — dhana-vitta (wealth)?" |
| कां हें यांचें चित्त घेत नाहीं | "why — does — their citta — not take?" |
| तुका म्हणे कां हीं भोगितील खाणी | "Tuka says — why — these — would experience — khāṇī (= rebirth-mines / wombs)?" |
| कां त्या चक्रपाणी विसरलीं | "why — that Cakra-pāṇī — have they forgotten?" |
What it means
Astonishment-at-people's-bhakti-neglect abhang. A 7-verse sustained-grief-and-astonishment lament. Each verse is a kā (why?) — Tuka bewildered by his fellow-humans' neglect of obvious-spiritual-welfare.
The seven whys catalogue:
(1) thōra āścarya — na karitī vicāra kām hitācā — great astonishment — they don't reflect on their welfare.
(2) kōṇa dama yāñcē pōṭīm — yē'īla śēvaṭīm kōṇa kāmā — whatdama(= breath / endurance) is in their bellies? — at the end, who will be of use? (= what makes them feel so-confident about lasting?)
(3) kāya mānūniyām rāhilē niścinti — jāba Yama-dūtām — what makes them stay carefree? — what answer for Yama-dūtas?
(4) kām hīm visaralīm maraṇa bāpuḍīm — kāya gōḍī lāgalīsē — why have these poor-things forgotten death? — what sweetness clings? (Striking bāpuḍīm — poor pitiful things; Tuka's compassion shows.)
(5) kāya hātīm nāhīm karīla tayāsī — kāya jālēm yāñsī — what's not in (Hari's) hand to do? — what has happened to them?
(6) kām hīm nāṭhavitī Devakī-nandanā — suṭāyā bandhanā — why don't they remember Devakī-nandana — to be released?
(7) kāya mōla — dhana-vitta — kām citta ghēta nāhīm — what price does this need? wealth-property? — why doesn't their citta take it? (= bhakti is free; even so, mind refuses.)
The closing: kām hīm bhōgītīla khāṇī — kām tyā Cakra-pāṇī visaralīm — why would these undergo thekhāṇī(= rebirth-mines / wombs)? — why have they forgotten thatCakra-pāṇī? The khāṇī-image: the wombs of rebirth are mines one is sentenced to dig in. (Compare 1435's lakṣa-cauryāñśīñcī sōḍavaṇa — same theme.)
[T]
For someone today
For today: great astonishment at people not considering their welfare; what strength is in their bellies? what answer would they give Yama? why have these poor-things forgotten death — what sweetness binds them? no money needed for bhakti — why doesn't their mind take it? why undergo rebirth-mines, forgetting Cakra-pāṇī?
Where this applies
- When you keep putting off the things that actually matter for your life because everything feels fine right now
- When you notice you're living as if you have unlimited time and forgetting that death comes to everyone
- When you assume that turning toward faith or self-reflection must be costly or difficult, when really it asks nothing of you
- When you feel stuck repeating the same exhausting patterns and wonder why you don't just choose the simpler, freer path