Abhanga 1893
Live off what you've already earned, stop serving on others' terms, and reclaim your own sovereignty instead of staying endlessly dependent.
The verse
संचितें चि खावें । पुढें कोणाचें न घ्यावें ॥१॥ आतां पुरे हे चाकरी । राहों बैसोनियां घरीं ॥ध्रु.॥ नाहीं काम हातीं । आराणूक दिसराती ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे सत्ता । पुरे पराधीन आतां ॥३॥
Literal translation
Eat from samcita — don't take from anyone ahead. Now enough of this service — let me sit at home. No work in hand — leisure day-and-night. Tuka says: the sovereignty — enough of being-dependent now.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| संचितें चि खावें | "eat from samcita" |
| पुढें कोणाचें न घ्यावें | "don't take from anyone — ahead" |
| आतां पुरे हे चाकरी | "now enough of this service (cākarī)" |
| राहों बैसोनियां घरीं | "let me sit at home" |
| नाहीं काम हातीं | "no work in hand" |
| आराणूक दिसराती | "leisure — day-and-night (ārāṇūka)" |
| तुका म्हणे सत्ता | "Tuka says — the sovereignty" |
| पुरे पराधीन आतां | "enough of being-dependent now (parādhīna)" |
What it means
Retire-home + enough-of-dependency abhang.
The opening: samcitē chi khāvē — puḍhē kōṇāce na ghyāvē — eat from samcita — don't take from anyone ahead. Samcita = the accumulated-store. Eat-from-the-stored-merit; don't-take-anything-from-anyone-going-forward. (= self-sufficient on past-merit; no-new-debts.)
The retire-line: ātām purē hē cākarī — rāhōm baisōniyām gharī — now enough of this service — let me sit at home. Cākarī = service / employment. Enough-of-this-employment; let-me-stay-home. (= retreat-from-public-life. In the Śivājī-aftermath context, this is direct-rejection-of-court-service.)
The no-work line: nāhīm kāma hātīm — ārāṇūka disa-rātī — no work in hand — leisure day-and-night. Ārāṇūka = leisure, ease, release-from-engagement. Pure-leisure, no-occupation, day-and-night.
The closing: Tukā mhaṇē sattā — purē parādhīna ātām — Tuka says: sovereignty — enough of being-dependent now. Parādhīna = dependent-on-others / under-others' control. Enough-of-being-under-others' control; declare-sovereignty.
This abhang's retire-home + sovereignty-from-others register fits-the-aftermath-of the-Śivājī-cluster: having-rejected royal-service, the bhakta-now-declares retirement-into-bhakti-life-at-home, on-his-own-samcita.
[T]
For someone today
For today: eat from samcita — don't take from anyone ahead; now enough of this service — let me sit at home; no work in hand — leisure day-and-night; Tuka says — sovereignty — enough of being-dependent now.
Where this applies
- When you're ready to stop chasing more and simply live off what you've already built
- When you decide it's time to step back from years of service or a demanding job and just be at home
- When you crave real, unhurried leisure instead of another task pulling at your hands
- When you're tired of being under someone else's control and want to reclaim your own say over your life