Abhanga 2006
Life is brief and will not repeat itself, so tend to what truly matters now, while it is still in your hands.
The verse
आलें धरायच पेट । पुढें मागुतें न भेटे ॥१॥ होसी फजीती वरपडा । लक्ष चौर्यासीचे वेढां ॥ध्रु.॥ नाहीं कोणांचा सांगात । दुःख भोगितां आघात ॥२॥ एका पाउलाची वाट । कोणां सांगावा बोभाट ॥३॥ जुंतिजेसी घाणां । नाहीं मारित्या करुणा ॥४॥ तुका म्हणे हित पाहें । जोंवरि हें हातीं आहे ॥५॥
Literal translation
Came to seize the city — won't meet again. You become disgraced — 84-lakh-rebirth-siege. No one's company — suffering the blow's pain. One-step path — to whom shall I cry the clamor? Yoked to the oil-press — no compassion from the beater. Tuka says: watch the hita — while this (life) is in hand.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| आलें धरायच पेट | "came to seize the city" |
| पुढें मागुतें न भेटे | "won't meet again and again" |
| होसी फजीती वरपडा | "you become disgraced" |
| लक्ष चौर्यासीचे वेढां | "84-lakh-rebirth siege" |
| नाहीं कोणांचा सांगात | "no one's company" |
| दुःख भोगितां आघात | "suffering the blow's pain" |
| एका पाउलाची वाट | "one-step path" |
| कोणां सांगावा बोभाट | "to whom shall I cry the clamor" |
| जुंतिजेसी घाणां | "you'll be yoked to the oil-press" |
| नाहीं मारित्या करुणा | "no compassion from the beater" |
| तुका म्हणे हित पाहें | "Tuka says — watch the hita" |
| जोंवरि हें हातीं आहे | "while this (life) is in hand" |
What it means
Chained-to-oil-press-no-mercy-84-lakh-rebirths abhang. STARK MORTALITY-ADMONITION.
The opening — death-as-besieging-army: ālē dharāyacha pēṭa — puḍhē māgutē na bhēṭē — came to seize the city — won't meet again. Pēṭa = town, fortified-city. Death-comes like-an-army to-seize-the-city; this-meeting won't-recur.
The 84-lakh siege: hōsī phajītī varapaḍā — lakṣa chaurā-śīcē vēḍhā — you become disgraced — 84-lakh-rebirth-siege. Lakṣa chaurā-śī = 84 lakhs (8,400,000) — the traditional count of-rebirth-species. Disgrace + the-84-lakh-rebirth-siege awaits.
The solitude: nāhīm kōṇāmcā sāngāta — duḥkha bhōgitām āghāta — ēkā pā'ulāchī vāṭa — kōṇām sāngāvā bōbhāṭa — no one's company — suffering the blow's pain — one-step path — to whom shall I cry the clamor?. Death-path is-one-step-wide; no-companion; no-one-to-hear-the-clamor.
THE OIL-PRESS IMAGE: juntijēsī ghāṇām — nāhīm mārityā karuṇā — you'll be yoked to the oil-press — no compassion from the beater. Ghāṇā = the oil-press (where seeds/oilseeds are crushed by a bullock walking in circles). You-will-be-yoked-like-a-bullock to-the-oil-press of-samsāra; the beater (= karma/yamadūta) shows-no-compassion. One of Tukārām's most-vivid mortality-images.
The closing: Tukā mhaṇē hita pāhē — jōmvari hē hātīm āhē — Tuka says: watch the hita — while this (life) is in hand. Watch-your-good while-this-life-is-still-in-hand.
[T]
For someone today
For today: came to seize the city — won't meet again; you become disgraced — 84-lakh-rebirth-siege; no one's company — suffering the blow's pain; one-step path — to whom shall I cry?; yoked to the oil-press — no compassion from the beater; Tuka says — watch the hita — while this (life) is in hand.
Where this applies
- When you keep postponing something important because you assume there will always be more time
- When you feel trapped in a repetitive, joyless routine with no end in sight
- When you realize you are facing a hard truth or a hard moment completely alone
- When you need a jolt to act on what truly matters while you still have the chance