संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1732 of 4582

Abhanga 1732

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.

When you'd note Lord's-overflowing-treasury vs bhakta's-limited-capacity — two-hands-vs-unmeasured; vessel-overflows-prema; tongue-tired-measuring; sit-counting-at-feet

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

English: 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'sonly twohands"
अमित भांडार दातियाचें "unmeasured bhāṇḍāraof the giver"
काय करूं आतां कासयांत भरूं "what to do nowin what to fill"
हा मज विचारु पडियेला "this considerationhas fallen on me"
एकें सांटवणें प्रेमें वोसंडलीं "in one vesselprema overflowed"
जिव्हा हे भागली करितां माप "tonguetired measuring"
तुका म्हणे आतां आहे तेथें असो "Tuka says — now let it be where it is"
अंखुनियां बैसों पायांपाशीं "countinglet me sitnear feet"

What it means

Asker-two-hands-vs-giver-unmeasured-treasury abhang.

The opening: māgatiyācē dōni chi kara — amita bhāṇḍāra dātiyācēthe 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 paḍiyēlāwhat 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 māpain 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-pāśīmTuka 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

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