Abhanga 1505
For today: what shall I praise? — words don't suffice — I place my head at the saints' feet; like the paris that's abandoned its own greatness and can't refrain from touching iron, saints can't refrain from uplifting; for the world's welfare, they make their bodies toil; compassion-for-beings is their capital — they have no self-attachment in the body; their sukha is in others' sukha — amṛta flows from their mouth.
The verse
काय वाणूं आतां न पुरे हे वाणी । मस्तक चरणीं ठेवीतसें ॥१॥ थोरींव सांडिली आपुली परिसें । नेणे सिवों कैसें लोखंडासी ॥ध्रु.॥ जगाच्या कल्याणा संतांच्या विभूति । देह कष्टविती उपकारें ॥२॥ भूतांची दया हे भांडवल संतां । आपुली ममता नाहीं देहीं ॥३॥ तुका म्हणे सुख पराविया सुखें । अमृत हें मुखें जरवतसे ॥४॥
Literal translation
English: What shall I praise — now? — vāṇī does not suffice — mastaka I am placing at caraṇa. The paris has sāṇḍilī its own thōrīva — doesn't know how to refrain from lōkhaṇḍa. For jaga's kalyāṇa, saints' vibhūti — make dēha toil by upakāra. Bhūta-dayā is bhāṇḍavala of saints — their own mamatā isn't in dēha. Tuka says: sukha by parāvīya-sukha — this amṛta jaravatasē by mukha.
मराठी: काय — वाणूं — आतां — न — पुरे — हे — वाणी; — मस्तक — चरणीं — ठेवीतसें. थोरींव — सांडिली — आपुली — परिसें; — नेणे — सिवों — कैसें — लोखंडासी. जगाच्या — कल्याणा — संतांच्या — विभूति; — देह — कष्टविती — उपकारें. भूतांची — दया — हे — भांडवल — संतां; — आपुली — ममता — नाहीं — देहीं. Tukā म्हणे — सुख — पराविया — सुखें; — अमृत — हें — मुखें — जरवतसे.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| काय वाणूं आतां न पुरे हे वाणी | "what shall I praise (vāṇūm) — now? — vāṇī — does not suffice (na purē)" |
| मस्तक चरणीं ठेवीतसें | "mastaka (head) — at (the) caraṇa — I am placing" |
| थोरींव सांडिली आपुली परिसें | "thōrīva (greatness) — has been abandoned (sāṇḍilī) — its own — by the paris" |
| नेणे सिवों कैसें लोखंडासी | "doesn't know — how to refrain (sivōm kaisēm) — from iron (lōkhaṇḍa)" |
| जगाच्या कल्याणा संतांच्या विभूति | "for jaga's — kalyāṇa — saints' — vibhūti (manifestations)" |
| देह कष्टविती उपकारें | "dēha — they make toil (kaṣṭavitī) — by upakāra (favor)" |
| भूतांची दया हे भांडवल संतां | "of bhūtas — dayā — this — bhāṇḍavala (capital) — of saints" |
| आपुली ममता नाहीं देहीं | "their own — mamatā (attachment) — is not — in the body" |
| तुका म्हणे सुख पराविया सुखें | "Tuka says — sukha — by parāvīya (other's) — sukha" |
| अमृत हें मुखें जरवतसे | "this amṛta — by (the) mukha — jaravatasē (= drips down / flows)" |
What it means
Saints'-work-for-world's-welfare abhang. The opening: kāya vāṇūm ātām na purē hē vāṇī — mastaka caraṇīm ṭhēvītasēm — what shall I praise? — words don't suffice; — I am placing my head at (their) feet. Words inadequate — silent prostration the only response. (Compare 1468's Śrutī-ātuḍalēm-na-gītī-sāmpaḍalēm* — words couldn't grasp; here the prostration-response.)
The paris-image: thōrīmva sāṇḍilī āpulī parisēm — nēṇē sivōm kaisēm lōkhaṇḍāsī — the paris — has abandoned its own thōrīva (= greatness); — doesn't know how to refrain from touching — iron. The brilliant paris-self-abandonment image: the philosopher's-stone has given up its own greatness (which would be: standing on its own merit) and doesn't know how to refrain from touching iron (= cannot help but transmute it to gold). (= the saints, like the paris, can't help but uplift the unworthy; their greatness consists in self-forgetting service.)
The world-welfare service: jagācyā kalyāṇā samtāñcyā vibhūti — dēha kaṣṭavitī upakārē — for jaga's — kalyāṇa — saints' vibhūti (manifestations / glories); — they make the dēha — toil — by upakāra (favor). The saints' very greatness consists in making their bodies-toil for the world's welfare. (One of the most-quoted Tukaram lines.)
The capital-image: bhūtāñcī dayā hē bhāṇḍavala samtām — āpulī mamatā nāhīm dēhīm — of bhūtas — dayā — this bhāṇḍavala (= capital / stock-in-trade) — of samtas; — their own mamatā (= attachment) — is not — in (the) body. Bhūta-dayā is the saint's commercial-capital (= the saint trades-in-compassion); their own self-attachment isn't in the body. (Pairs with 1421's Viṭhṭhala-is-our-bhāṇḍavala; here compassion-to-beings is the bhāṇḍavala.)
The closing-doctrine: sukha parāviyā sukhēm — amṛta hēm mukhēm jaravatasē — (their) sukha — by other's sukha; — this amṛta — flows-down — by the mukha. Their pleasure is in others' pleasure; the amṛta drips from their mouth (= words). (Compare 1495's Hari-as-bhakta's-debtor; here the saint experiences other's joy as own joy. The amṛta-jaravatasē — saintly-words-as-flowing-nectar.)
[T]
For someone today
For today: what shall I praise? — words don't suffice — I place my head at the saints' feet; like the paris that's abandoned its own greatness and can't refrain from touching iron, saints can't refrain from uplifting; for the world's welfare, they make their bodies toil; compassion-for-beings is their capital — they have no self-attachment in the body; their sukha is in others' sukha — amṛta flows from their mouth.
Where this applies
- Words-don't-suffice-head-at-feet.* Vāṇī-na-purē-mastaka-caraṇīm.
- Paris-abandons-greatness-can't-refrain-from-iron.* Paris-thōrīva-sāṇḍilī-lōkhaṇḍa.
- Saints-toil-for-world's-welfare.* Jagācyā-kalyāṇā-samta-dēha-kaṣṭavitī.
- Compassion-to-beings-is-saints'-capital.* Bhūtāñcī-dayā-bhāṇḍavala-samta.
- Pleasure-by-others'-pleasure-nectar-flows.* Sukha-parāviyā-sukhēm-amṛta.