Abhanga 1732
The giver's abundance is limitless, so stop trying to measure or contain it with words, and just sit quietly near what you love.
The verse
मागतियाचे दोनि च कर । अमित भांडार दातियाचें ॥१॥ काय करूं आतां कासयांत भरूं । हा मज विचारु पडियेला ॥ध्रु.॥ एकें सांटवणें प्रेमें वोसंडलीं । जिव्हा हे भागली करितां माप ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे आतां आहे तेथें असो । अंखुनियां बैसों पायांपाशीं ॥३॥
Literal translation
The asker has only two hands — the giver has an unmeasured bhāṇḍāra. What to do now? — in what to fill? — this consideration has fallen on me. In one vessel, prema has overflowed — the tongue is tired measuring. Tuka says: now, let it be where it is — counting, let me sit near (your) feet.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| मागतियाचे दोनि च कर | "the asker's — only two — hands" |
| अमित भांडार दातियाचें | "unmeasured bhāṇḍāra — of the giver" |
| काय करूं आतां कासयांत भरूं | "what to do now — in what to fill" |
| हा मज विचारु पडियेला | "this consideration — has fallen on me" |
| एकें सांटवणें प्रेमें वोसंडलीं | "in one vessel — prema overflowed" |
| जिव्हा हे भागली करितां माप | "tongue — tired measuring" |
| तुका म्हणे आतां आहे तेथें असो | "Tuka says — now let it be where it is" |
| अंखुनियां बैसों पायांपाशीं | "counting — let me sit — near feet" |
What it means
Asker-two-hands-vs-giver-unmeasured-treasury abhang.
The opening: māgatiyācē dōni chi kara — amita bhāṇḍāra dātiyācē — the asker's only two hands — the giver's unmeasured bhāṇḍāra. The asymmetry: the asker has only-two-hands to receive; the giver has an unlimited-storehouse. The capacity-of-the-receiver, not the size-of-the-giver, is the limit.
The puzzle: kāya karūm ātām kāsayāmta bharūm — hā maja vicāru paḍiyēlā — what to do now — in what to fill? — this consideration has fallen on me. I don't know what-vessel to fill (with the overflowing prema).
The overflow: ēkē sāṇṭavaṇē prēmē vōsamḍalīm — jivhā hē bhāgalī karitām māpa — in one vessel, prema overflowed — tongue tired measuring. Sāṇṭavaṇa = the storage-vessel. Even one vessel overflowed; the tongue tired-out trying-to-measure.
The closing: Tukā mhaṇē ātām āhē tēthē asō — ankhuniyā baisōm pāyām-pāśīm — Tuka says: now, let it be where it is — counting, let me sit near (your) feet. Ankha = count, register. Stop trying to measure; sit near the feet, just-counting.
[T]
For someone today
For today: the asker has only two hands — the giver has an unmeasured treasury; what shall I do now? — in what shall I fill? — this consideration has fallen on me; in one vessel, prema has overflowed — the tongue is tired trying to measure; Tuka says — now let it be wherever it is — let me just sit near your feet, counting.
Where this applies
- When you feel like you're not receiving enough and realize the limit is your own capacity to hold, not the source's generosity
- When you try to put an overwhelming feeling of love or gratitude into words and find language simply isn't enough
- When you're constantly measuring and tallying a relationship instead of just being present in it
- When you're exhausted from trying to quantify something and need to just sit with it quietly instead