Abhanga 1557
For today: you watch others' cremations every day — why don't you become alert by that example?; cry out fearfully and shrieking to Deva, while Kāḷa-time hasn't come; you're carrying a bundle of deaths in your cloth-fold, life fills the measure to its top; the death-roads flow forcefully — once it comes to your body, you won't even be able to move.
The verse
एक पाहातसां एकांचीं दहनें । सावध त्या गुणें कां रे नव्हा ॥१॥ मारा हाक देवा भय अटाहासें । जंव काळाऐसें जालें नाहीं ॥ध्रु.॥ मरणांची तंव गांठोडी पदरीं । जिणें तो चि वरि माप भरी ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे धींग वाहाती मारग । अंगा आलें मग हालों नेदी ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: You watch others' dahanē — by that quality, why don't you become sāvadha? Strike a hāka to Deva, fearfully, with aṭṭāhāsa — until Kāḷa-aisēm jālēm nāhīm. Of deaths, gāṇṭhōḍī in padara — life itself fills māpa to its vari. Tuka says: dhīnga flow the roads — when it comes to anga, then doesn't let one hālōm.
मराठी: एक — पाहातसां — एकांचीं — दहनें; — सावध — त्या — गुणें — कां — रे — नव्हा? मारा — हाक — देवा — भय — अटाहासें; — जंव — काळा-ऐसें — जालें — नाहीं. मरणांची — तंव — गांठोडी — पदरीं; — जिणें — तो — चि — वरि — माप — भरी. Tukā म्हणे — धींग — वाहाती — मारग; — अंगा — आलें — मग — हालों — नेदी.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| एक पाहातसां एकांचीं दहनें | "one — you watch — another's — cremations" |
| सावध त्या गुणें कां रे नव्हा | "alert — by that quality — why — don't you become (navhā)" |
| मारा हाक देवा भय अटाहासें | "strike — a hāka (loud-cry) — to Deva — fearfully — with aṭṭāhāsa (= shrieking)" |
| जंव काळाऐसें जालें नाहीं | "until — like Kāḷa — has not happened (= death-time isn't here)" |
| मरणांची तंव गांठोडी पदरीं | "of deaths — bundle (gāṇṭhōḍī) — in (the) padara (cloth-fold)" |
| जिणें तो चि वरि माप भरी | "life — that very — fills — māpa — to vari (top)" |
| तुका म्हणे धींग वाहाती मारग | "Tuka says — dhīnga (forcefully) — flow — the roads" |
| अंगा आलें मग हालों नेदी | "to (the) anga — come — then — will not let (one) — move (hālōm nēdī)" |
What it means
Watch-others-cremations-become-alert abhang. A wake-up-call. The opening: ēka pāhātasām ēkāñcīm dahanēm — sāvadha tyā guṇē kām rē navhā — one — you watch — another's — cremations; — alert — by that quality — why don't you — become? You watch other people's cremations every day; why don't you become alert by that example? (Practical-pragmatic argument: use others' deaths as wake-up-call*.)
The cry-out-now: mārā hāka Devā bhaya aṭṭāhāsē — jamva kāḷā-aisēm jālēm nāhīm — strike a hāka (loud-cry) — to Deva — fearfully — with aṭṭāhāsa (shrieking); — until — Kāla-like — has not happened (= until you're not at the verge yourself). Cry out fearfully now, before death-time arrives. Aṭṭāhāsa — the terrible-shriek; hāka — the call. Cry-with-fear, with-shrieking.
The diagnosis: maraṇāñcī tamva gāṇṭhōḍī padarīm — jiṇē tō chi vari māpa bharī — of deaths — there is — a gāṇṭhōḍī (= small bundle) — in your padara (cloth-fold); — life — that very — fills — the māpa (measure) — to its vari (top). You're carrying a bundle-of-deaths in your cloth-fold; the very-life is filling the measure to its top. The gāṇṭhōḍī-image: deaths bundled-up-and-carried-with-you; the māpa-image: life-itself is filling-up-the-measure of (your) deaths.
The closing-image: dhīnga vāhātī mārga — angā ālēm maga hālōm nēdī — the roads — flow — dhīnga (= forcefully); — to (the) anga — has come; — then — won't let — (you) move. Dhīnga — forceful, disorderly; the death-roads flow violently; once it has come to the body, you can't even move. (= don't wait until paralysis sets in*.)
[T]
For someone today
For today: you watch others' cremations every day — why don't you become alert by that example?; cry out fearfully and shrieking to Deva, while Kāḷa-time hasn't come; you're carrying a bundle of deaths in your cloth-fold, life fills the measure to its top; the death-roads flow forcefully — once it comes to your body, you won't even be able to move.
Where this applies
- Watch-cremations-become-alert.* Ēka-pāhātasām-dahanē-sāvadha.
- Cry-out-fearfully-before-death-arrives.* Mārā-hāka-Devā-bhaya-aṭṭāhāsa.
- Death-bundle-in-cloth-fold-life-fills-measure.* Maraṇa-gāṇṭhōḍī-padarī-jiṇē-māpa.
- Death-roads-flow-forcefully-no-movement.* Dhīnga-vāhātī-mārga-angā-ālēm-hālōm-na.