Abhanga 1929
For today: how much shall I lament — ahead, duḥkha grows by duḥkha; now — do what you know — who holds me in mind?; if puṇya were in the knot — why would these hardships come?; Tuka says — strength — my restlessness remains.
The verse
किती करूं शोक । पुढें वाढे दुःखें दुःख ॥१॥ आतां जाणसी तें करीं । माझें कोण मनीं धरी ॥ध्रु.॥ पुण्य होतें गांठी । तरि कां लागती हे आटी ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे बळ । माझी राहिली तळमळ ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: How much shall I lament — ahead, duḥkha grows by duḥkha. Now — do what you know — who holds me in mind? If puṇya were in the knot — why would these hardships come? Tuka says: strength — my restlessness remains.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| किती करूं शोक | "how much shall I lament" |
| पुढें वाढे दुःखें दुःख | "ahead — duḥkha grows by duḥkha" |
| आतां जाणसी तें करीं | "now — do what you know" |
| माझें कोण मनीं धरी | "who holds me in mind" |
| पुण्य होतें गांठी | "if puṇya were in the knot" |
| तरि कां लागती हे आटी | "why would these hardships come" |
| तुका म्हणे बळ | "Tuka says — strength" |
| माझी राहिली तळमळ | "my restlessness remains" |
What it means
Duḥkha-grows-by-duḥkha + no-puṇya-in-knot abhang. Letter-sent-with-saints cluster.
The opening: kitī karūm śōka — puḍhē vāḍhē duḥkhē duḥkha — how much shall I lament — ahead, duḥkha grows by duḥkha. Lamentation has-no-end; duḥkha-multiplies.
The petition: ātām jāṇasī tē karīm — mājhē kōṇa manī dharī — now — do what you know — who holds me in mind?. Do-what-you-think-best — who-else-holds-me-in-mind?.
The puṇya-line: puṇya hōtē gāṇṭhī — tari kām lāgatī hē āṭī — if puṇya were in the knot — why would these hardships come?. The puṇya-as-stored-merit-bank: if-I-had-stored-merit, hardships-wouldn't-strike.
The closing: Tukā mhaṇē baḷa — mājhī rāhilī taḷamaḷa — Tuka says: strength — my restlessness remains. Only-restlessness-remains as-strength (= no other resource left).
[T]
For someone today
For today: how much shall I lament — ahead, duḥkha grows by duḥkha; now — do what you know — who holds me in mind?; if puṇya were in the knot — why would these hardships come?; Tuka says — strength — my restlessness remains.
Where this applies
- Lamentation-endless-duḥkha-multiplies.* Karūm-śōka-duḥkha-vāḍhē.
- Do-what-you-know-no-one-else-holds-me.* Jāṇasī-karīm-manī-dharī.
- No-puṇya-in-knot-hardships-come.* Puṇya-gāṇṭhī-na-āṭī.
- Restlessness-only-strength.* Baḷa-taḷamaḷa.