Abhanga 1505
True saints cannot help wearing out their own bodies for the world's good, because their wealth is compassion and their happiness is other people's happiness.
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
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 Ipraise? — words don't suffice; — I amplacing 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 — theparis— hasabandonedits ownthōrīva(= greatness); — doesn't know how torefrainfromtouching—iron. The brilliant paris-self-abandonment image: the philosopher's-stone hasgiven up its own greatness(which would be: standing on its own merit) anddoesn'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; theirgreatness consists in self-forgetting service.)
The world-welfare service: jagācyā kalyāṇā samtāñcyā vibhūti — dēha kaṣṭavitī upakārē — forjaga's —kalyāṇa— saints'vibhūti(manifestations / glories); — they make thedēha—toil— byupakāra(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 — ofbhūtas —dayā— thisbhāṇḍavala(= capital / stock-in-trade) — ofsamtas; — their ownmamatā(= 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— byother'ssukha; — thisamṛta—flows-down— by themukha. 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
- When you meet someone so generous that you feel words of thanks are simply not enough
- When you notice someone who cannot stop helping others even though nothing obligates them to
- When you are tempted to wear yourself out for a cause bigger than your own comfort
- When another person's joy makes you happier than anything you could gain for yourself