संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 2037 of 4582

Abhanga 2037

English: Those who don't like kathā get up and leave — they fall to Yama, well-fitted.

When you'd condemn kathā-avoiders + stones-in-water — nāvaḍē-kathā-uṭhōniyām-Yamā-phāvatī; gōnchiḍācyā-nyāyē-dēśa-tyāgē; navhē-bhalā-kōṇī-Yamā-kinkarā; pāṣāṇa-jaḷāmadhyē

The verse

नावडे ज्या कथा उठोनियां जाती । ते यमा फावती बरे वोजा ॥१॥ तो असे जवळी गोंचिडाच्या न्यायें । देशत्यागें ठायें तया दुरी ॥ध्रु.॥ नव्हे भला कोणी नावडे दुसरा । पाहुणा किंकरा यमा होय ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे तया करावें तें काईं । पाषाण कां नाहीं जळामध्यें ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: Those who don't like kathā get up and leave — they fall to Yama, well-fitted. Such-a-one is like the tick — by leaving-country keep him far. Not good to anyone — likes no other — guest-to-Yama-servant he becomes. Tuka says: what to do with such a one — aren't there stones in water?

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
नावडे ज्या कथा उठोनियां जाती "those who don't like kathā get up and leave"
ते यमा फावती बरे वोजा "they fall to Yama — well-fitted"
तो असे जवळी गोंचिडाच्या न्यायें "such-a-one is like the tick"
देशत्यागें ठायें तया दुरी "by leaving-country — keep him far"
नव्हे भला कोणी नावडे दुसरा "not good to anyone — likes no other"
पाहुणा किंकरा यमा होय "guest-to-Yama-servant he becomes"
तुका म्हणे तया करावें तें काईं "Tuka says — what to do with such a one"
पाषाण कां नाहीं जळामध्यें "aren't there stones in water"

What it means

Kathā-avoiders-fall-to-Yama + stones-in-water abhang.

The opening — Yama-fitting: nāvaḍē jyā kathā uṭhōniyām jātī — tē Yamā phāvatī barē vōjāthose who don't like kathā get up and leave — they fall to Yama, well-fitted. Whoever-doesn't-like-kathā and-leaves-mid-way — fits Yama-perfectly (= Yama claims him appropriately).

The tick-image recurs (from 2034): tō asē javaḷī gōnchiḍācyā nyāyē — dēśa-tyāgē ṭhāyē tayā durīsuch-a-one is like the tick — by leaving-country keep him far. Such-a-person is-like-the-tick (parasite); keep-him-far by-changing-country-if-necessary.

The Yama-guest: navhē bhalā kōṇī nāvaḍē dusarā — pāhuṇā kinkarā Yamā hōyanot good to anyone — likes no other — guest-to-Yama-servant he becomes. He's-no-good-to-anyone, likes-no-other; becomes a guest of Yama's-servants (= destined for-hell).

THE STONES-IN-WATER CLOSER: Tukā mhaṇē tayā karāvē tē kāīm — pāṣāṇa kām nāhīm jaḷāmadhyēTuka says: what to do with such a one — aren't there stones in water?. What-to-do-with-him? — there-are-already-stones-in-water (= sinking-failed-beings are common; he's-just-another)a striking dismissal.

[T]

For someone today

For today: those who don't like kathā get up and leave — fall to Yama, well-fitted; such-a-one is like the tick — keep him far; not good to anyone — likes no other — guest-to-Yama-servant; Tuka says — what to do with such a one — aren't there stones in water?

Where this applies

Related verses