Abhanga 1514
A pure heart's goodness spreads on its own like fragrance, and honest effort produces a lasting good that never spoils.
The verse
नाहीं सुगंधाची लागती लावणी । लावावी ते मनीं शुद्ध होतां ॥१॥ वार्या हातीं माप चाले सज्जनाचें । कीर्ति मुख त्याचें नारायण ॥ध्रु.॥ प्रभा आणि रवि काय असे आन । उदयीं तंव जन सकळ साक्षी ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे बरा सत्याचा सायास । नवनीता नाश नाहीं पुन्हा ॥३॥
Literal translation
Sugandha's lāvaṇī isn't required — it applies itself when manī becomes śuddha. In vāyu's hand, sajjana's māpa walks — its kīrti, its mukha is Nārāyaṇa. Prabhā and ravi — what are they āna? — at udaya, all jana are sākṣī. Tuka says: barā is satyācā sāyāsa — nava-nīta has no nāśa again.
मराठी: नाहीं — सुगंधाची — लागती — लावणी; — लावावी — ते — मनीं — शुद्ध — होतां. वार्या — हातीं — माप — चाले — सज्जनाचें; — कीर्ति — मुख — त्याचें — नारायण. प्रभा — आणि — रवि — काय — असे — आन? — उदयीं — तंव — जन — सकळ — साक्षी. Tukā म्हणे — बरा — सत्याचा — सायास; — नवनीता — नाश — नाहीं — पुन्हा.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| नाहीं सुगंधाची लागती लावणी | "no — cultivation-effort (lāvaṇī) — is required (lāgatī) — for sugandha" |
| लावावी ते मनीं शुद्ध होतां | "lāvāvī (= it applies itself) — that — when the mana — becomes śuddha" |
| वार्या हातीं माप चाले सज्जनाचें | "in the vāyu's — hand — the māpa — walks — of the sajjana" |
| कीर्ति मुख त्याचें नारायण | "kīrti — mukha — its — Nārāyaṇa" |
| प्रभा आणि रवि काय असे आन | "prabhā (light) — and ravi (sun) — what — are āna (other / different)?" |
| उदयीं तंव जन सकळ साक्षी | "at udaya (rising) — tava (indeed) — all jana — witnesses" |
| तुका म्हणे बरा सत्याचा सायास | "Tuka says — good — is the sāyāsa — of satya" |
| नवनीता नाश नाहीं पुन्हा | "nava-nīta (fresh butter) — nāśa — there is none — again" |
What it means
Sajjana's-fame-walks-in-wind abhang. The opening: nāhīm sugandhācī lāgatī lāvaṇī — lāvāvī tē manīm śuddha hōtām — nolāvaṇī(= cultivation-effort) — is needed — forsugandha; — itapplies itself— when themana—becomes śuddha. Fragrance doesn't need cultivation — it just-naturally-arises when the mind becomes pure. (Beautiful: the sugandha-of-sajjana-virtue is self-arising, not manufactured.)
The wind-image: vāryā hātīm māpa cālē sajjanācēm — kīrti mukha tyācēm Nārāyaṇa — in thevāyu's hand — themāpa(= measure / capacity / scope) —walks— of thesajjana; — itskīrti— itsmukha— isNārāyaṇa. The wind itself walks the sajjana's-measure (= carries-the-fame); —Nārāyaṇa is the face of his fame. (= the sajjana's kīrti spreads of itself, on the wind; and Hari is the very face of that fame.)
The light-sun-image: prabhā āṇi ravi kāya asē āna — udayīm tava jana sakaḷa sākṣī — theprabhā(= radiance) andravi(= sun) —what — are they other?; — atudaya(rising) — alljana— arewitnesses. Light and sun are not separate; — at sunrise, everyone witnesses. (= the sajjana and his fame are like sun and its radiance — inseparable, and their rising is publicly-witnessed.)
The closing-image: barā satyācā sāyāsa — nava-nītā nāśa nāhīm punhā — good is thesāyāsaofsatya; —fresh-butter—nāśa— there's none —again. Good is the toil of truth; fresh-butter, once made, doesn't spoil again. (= truth-toil yields lasting-butter; the result doesn't decay. Compare 1474's gōḍa-kṣīra-sākarēcā-dhīra — sugar-strength theme; here truth-toil is butter that doesn't spoil.)
[T]
For someone today
For today: fragrance needs no cultivation — it applies itself when mind becomes pure; the wind itself walks the sajjana's measure — his fame's face is Hari; light and sun are not different — at rising, all people witness; truth's toil is good — fresh-butter doesn't spoil again.
Where this applies
- When you're tempted to self-promote or exaggerate your good deeds so others notice
- When you wonder whether quietly doing the right thing will ever be recognized
- When you see someone whose goodness and reputation seem to just naturally go together without effort
- When you're discouraged that living honestly feels slow or unrewarded compared to shortcuts