Abhanga 2057
Bad company can ruin you without your even noticing, and worrying about public opinion can cost you the one good this rare human life was meant for.
The verse
पायरवे अन्न । मग करी क्षीदक्षीण ॥१॥ ऐसे होती घातपात । लाभे विण संगें थीत ॥ध्रु.॥ जन्माची जोडी । वाताहात एके घडी ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे शंका । हित आड या लौकिका ॥३॥
Literal translation
First food is given — then he becomes weak-and-haggling. Such are the blow-strikes — without gain — only by association — fixed-stable. Life's join (= birth-fortune) — blown-away in one moment. Tuka says: doubt — this lokika (worldly-opinion) blocks hita.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| पायरवे अन्न | "first food is given" |
| मग करी क्षीदक्षीण | "then he becomes weak-and-haggling" |
| ऐसे होती घातपात | "such are the blow-strikes" |
| लाभे विण संगें थीत | "without gain — only by association — fixed-stable" |
| जन्माची जोडी | "life's join (= birth-fortune)" |
| वाताहात एके घडी | "blown-away in one moment" |
| तुका म्हणे शंका | "Tuka says — doubt" |
| हित आड या लौकिका | "this lokika (worldly-opinion) blocks hita" |
What it means
Food-given-then-shrinks + lokika-doubt-blocks-hita abhang.
The opening: pāyaravē anna — maga karī kṣīda-kṣīṇa — first food is given — then he becomes weak-and-haggling. First-food-is-given, then-he-shrinks-and-haggles (= unappreciative; fed-then-still-complains).
The association-only: aisē hōtī ghāta-pāta — lābhē viṇa sangē thīta — such are the blow-strikes — without gain — only by association — fixed-stable. Such-foul-strikes happen; even-without-individual-gain, only-by-association (sanga) one stays-fixed-stable. (= guilt-by-association applies.)
The birth-blown-away: janmāchī jōḍī — vātā-hāta ēkē ghaḍī — life's join (= birth-fortune) — blown-away in one moment. Vātā-hāta = blown-away by-wind. The whole birth-fortune (rare-human-birth) can-be blown-away in-a-single-ghaḍī (moment).
The closing — lokika-doubt-blocks-hita: Tukā mhaṇē śankā — hita āḍa yā laukikā — Tuka says: doubt — this lokika (worldly-opinion) blocks hita. Worldly-opinion (laukika) and-its-doubts block-the-good (hita).
[T]
For someone today
For today: first food is given — then he becomes weak-and-haggling; such are the blow-strikes — without gain — only by association — fixed-stable; life's join (birth-fortune) — blown-away in one moment; Tuka says — doubt — this lokika (worldly-opinion) blocks hita.
Where this applies
- When you keep spending time with people who drag you down, telling yourself it doesn't really affect you
- When someone helps or feeds you and your first reaction is complaint rather than gratitude
- When you put off doing something good for your soul because you're worried what people will say
- When you realize you've been coasting through life as if you had unlimited time to get it right