Abhanga 1637
English: What samartha has done — by whom will it be broken?
The verse
समर्थाचें केलें । कोणां जाईंल मोडिलें ॥१॥ वांयां करावी ते उरे । खटपटें सोस पुरे ॥ध्रु.॥ ठेविला जो ठेवा । आपुलाला तैसा खावा ॥२॥ ज्याचें त्याचें हातीं । भुके तयाची फजिती ॥३॥ तुका म्हणे कोटी । बाळे जाले शूळ पोटी ॥४॥
Literal translation
English: What samartha has done — by whom will it be broken? Vain action only leaves leftover-fuss — enough of the enduring. The deposit placed — eat your own as it is. Whose is in whose hand — the hungry one's disgrace. Tuka says: crores of children became thorns in the belly.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| समर्थाचें केलें | "what the samartha — has done" |
| कोणां जाईंल मोडिलें | "by whom — will be broken?" |
| वांयां करावी ते उरे | "in vain — what is done — remains" |
| खटपटें सोस पुरे | "by fuss — enduring — enough" |
| ठेविला जो ठेवा | "the deposit — placed" |
| आपुलाला तैसा खावा | "one's own — as it is — eat" |
| ज्याचें त्याचें हातीं | "whose-is-whose — in hand" |
| भुके तयाची फजिती | "the hungry one's — disgrace" |
| तुका म्हणे कोटी | "Tuka says — crores" |
| बाळे जाले शूळ पोटी | "children — became — thorn — in belly" |
What it means
Anti-jealousy-of-others'-portion + accept-your-share abhang.
The opening: samarthācēm kēlēm — kōṇām jā'īla mōḍilēm — what the samartha has done — by whom will it be broken? Samartha = the powerful one (= Deva). What Deva has decreed — who can break it?
The vain-effort: vāyām karāvī tē urē — khaṭa-paṭēm sōsa purē — vain action only leaves leftover — enough of the bother. Khaṭa-paṭa = fuss, agitation; sōsa purē = enduring is enough. Useless-action only leaves residue-of-fuss; enough of bearing-the-fuss.
The eat-your-own: ṭhēvilā jō ṭhēvā — āpulālā taisā khāvā — the deposit placed — eat your own as it is. Ṭhēvā = the deposit, the assigned-portion. Eat your assigned-portion as-it-was-placed.
The hand-and-hunger: jyācēm tyācēm hātīm — bhukē tayācī phajitī — whose-is-whose-hand — the hungry one's disgrace. Whatever-is-whose-is-in-whose-hand (= each has his own share); the one who is hungry-while-others-eat suffers disgrace (= jealousy-while-others-have-their-portion is humiliating).
The closing-image: Tukā mhaṇē kōṭī — bāḷē jālē śūḷa pōṭī — Tuka says: crores of children became thorns in the belly. Striking-rural-image: crores of bāḷas (= children, but here also: small-creatures, fish-fry, reptiles) became thorns in the belly. The image suggests small-creatures-multiplying internally and turning into thorns — possibly referring to folk belief in worms/parasites — what could-have-been-progeny becomes-thorn-in-belly when one eats-not-one's-own; or, too many bāḷas (children, sons) — became internal-thorns-of-anxiety. (Cryptic-folk-image with multiple traditional-readings.)
The general-thrust: accept-your-decreed-share; don't fuss for others'; the powerful's-decree cannot be broken.
[T]
For someone today
For today: what the powerful one has decreed — by whom will it be broken?; vain effort only leaves the residue of fuss — enough of bearing-the-fuss; whatever deposit is placed for you — eat your own as it is; whose share is in whose hand — only the one who is hungry-while-others-have-their-portion suffers disgrace; Tuka says — even crores of children became thorns in the belly.
Where this applies
- Samartha-decreed-cannot-be-broken.* Samarthācēm-kēlēm-mōḍilēm-jā'īla-na.
- Vain-effort-leaves-fuss-residue.* Vāyām-khaṭa-paṭa-sōsa-purē.
- Eat-your-own-deposit-as-is.* Ṭhēvilā-ṭhēvā-āpulālā-taisā-khāvā.
- Hungry-one's-disgrace-when-others-have-their-share.* Bhukē-phajitī.
- Many-children-thorns-in-belly.* Kōṭī-bāḷē-śūḷa-pōṭī.