संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1656 of 4582

Abhanga 1656

For today: food has become not-wanted — hunger-and-thirst have gone; Govinda's longing has filled my soul — I will do service until I am sated; whatever else is left to do, let it stay — all the body-dharmas; the body has been taken, this is its fruit — and this time is blessed; I won't let it go even with pursuit — I'll set up the accounting of kṣema-and-doṣa; Tuka says — behind this, my very life is now staked.

When you'd describe radical-bhakti-renunciation — food-rejected; sēvā-till-sated; body-fruit-blessed; life-staked

The verse

नको ऐसें जालें अन्न । भूक तान ते गेली ॥१॥ गोविंदाची आवडी जीवा । करीन सेवा धणीवरी ॥ध्रु.॥ राहिलें तें राहो काम । सकळ धर्म देहीचे ॥२॥ देह घरिला त्याचें फळ । आणीक काळ धन्य हा ॥३॥ जाऊं नेदीं करितां सोस । क्षेमा दोष करवीन ॥४॥ तुका म्हणे या च पाठी । आता साटी जीवाची ॥५॥

Literal translation

English: Food has become not-wanted — hunger-thirst has gone. Govinda's longing in soul — will do sēvā till sated. What's left, let it stay — all dharma of the body. Body taken, its fruit — another time, this is blessed. Won't let it go in pursuit — will set up kṣemā-doṣa. Tuka says: behind this, now — life-stake.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
नको ऐसें जालें अन्न "not-wantedhas becomefood"
भूक तान ते गेली "hunger-thirstthat has gone"
गोविंदाची आवडी जीवा "Govinda's longingto soul"
करीन सेवा धणीवरी "will do sēvātill sated"
राहिलें तें राहो काम "what's leftlet it staywork"
सकळ धर्म देहीचे "all dharmaof body"
देह घरिला त्याचें फळ "body takenits fruit"
आणीक काळ धन्य हा "another timeblessedthis"
जाऊं नेदीं करितां सोस "won't letgomaking-pursuit"
क्षेमा दोष करवीन "kṣemā-doṣawill set up"
तुका म्हणे या च पाठी "Tuka says — behind this"
आता साटी जीवाची "nowlife-stake"

What it means

Food-rejected + life-staked-on-bhakti abhang. A radical-renunciatory pre-vaikuṇṭha declaration.

The food-rejection: nakō aisēm jālēm anna — bhūka tāna tē gēlīfood has become not-wanted — hunger-thirst has gone. The bodily-needs themselves have gone; food no longer interests.

The Govinda-sēvā: Govindācī āvaḍī jīvā — karīna sēvā dhaṇī-varīGovinda's longing in the soul — will do sēvā till sated (dhaṇī-varī = until-the-fill, until-satisfied). Will perform service until completely-sated.

The let-rest-stay: rāhilēm tē rāhō kāma — sakaḷa dharma dēhīcēwhat's left, let it stay — all body-dharmas. Whatever-remains-to-do, let it remain (= not pursuing other body-duties further).

The body-fruit: dēha gharilā tyācēm phaḷa — āṇīka kāḷa dhanya hābody taken — its fruit — this time blessed. The fruit of having-taken-this-body is now-being-realized; this very time is blessed.

The kṣemā-doṣa: jā'ūm nēdī karitām sōsa — kṣēmā dōṣa karavīnawon't let go in pursuit — will set up kṣemā-doṣa. Sōsa = bearing-effort, pursuit; kṣemā-doṣa = the kṣema-and-the-fault (= a bipolar accounting setupgood vs. fault; or alternatively: kṣemā-doṣa = will create a kṣema-and-call-it-a-doṣa = will own up to whatever fault is needed). Cryptic-folk-line: I will not let-it-go-in-effort; I will own-up-and-establish-the-accounting-of-kṣema-and-doṣa.

The closing: Tukā mhaṇē yā chi pāṭhī — ātām sāṭī jīvācīTuka says: behind this — now, life-stake. Sāṭī = the stake / the wager / the deposit. Behind this (cause), my very life is now staked.

This abhang reads as a pre-vaikuṇṭha-departure declaration: body-needs gone; will serve till sated; let body-dharmas remain; body's-fruit realized; life-staked behind it. The radical-renunciation is the threshold-of-ascension-state.

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For someone today

For today: food has become not-wanted — hunger-and-thirst have gone; Govinda's longing has filled my soul — I will do service until I am sated; whatever else is left to do, let it stay — all the body-dharmas; the body has been taken, this is its fruit — and this time is blessed; I won't let it go even with pursuit — I'll set up the accounting of kṣema-and-doṣa; Tuka says — behind this, my very life is now staked.

Where this applies

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