संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 2080 of 4582

Abhanga 2080

For today: sow seed in the field — then they cart-on-load; seems to have gone in vain — the gain resides in its body; caring for the leaves — then in the season, grains come; Tuka says — to the channel — giving water brings fruit.

When you'd express sowing-seed-not-loss + tending-leaves-brings-grain + water-the-channel — bīja-pērē-sētīm-gāḍē-vāhātī; vāmyām-disē-lābha-angīm; pālyāchī-jatana-prāntīm-kaṇa; āḷā-udaka-lābhē-phaḷā

The verse

बीज पेरे सेतीं । मग गाडेवरी वाहाती ॥१॥ वांयां गेलें ऐसें दिसे । लाभ त्याचे अंगीं वसे ॥ध्रु.॥ पाल्याची जतन । तरि प्रांतीं येती कण ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे आळा । उदक देतां लाभे फळा ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: Sow seed in the field — then they cart-on-load. Seems to have gone in vain — the gain resides in its body. Caring for the leaves — then in the season, grains come. Tuka says: to the channel — giving water brings fruit.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
बीज पेरे सेतीं "sow seed in the field"
मग गाडेवरी वाहाती "then they cart-on-load"
वांयां गेलें ऐसें दिसे "seems to have gone in vain"
लाभ त्याचे अंगीं वसे "the gain resides in its body"
पाल्याची जतन "caring for the leaves"
तरि प्रांतीं येती कण "then in the season, grains come"
तुका म्हणे आळा "Tuka says — to the channel"
उदक देतां लाभे फळा "giving water brings fruit"

What it means

Sowing-seed-is-not-loss + water-the-āḷā-brings-fruit abhang. OPENS 3-abhang sowing-and-care cluster (2080-2082).

The opening — farming-and-cart: bīja pērē sētīm — maga gāḍē-varī vāhātīsow seed in the field — then they cart-on-load. First-sow-the-seed; then-(at harvest) they-cart-the-load. The farming-bhakti analogy.

The apparent-loss-real-gain: vāmyām gēlē aisē disē — lābha tyāchē angīm vasēseems to have gone in vain — the gain resides in its body. The seed-thrown-in-the-soil seems-lost; but-the-gain is-inside-the-seed-itself. Bhakti is-like-this: what-seems-given-up-is-actually-stored.

The leaf-care: pālyāchī jatana — tari prāntīm yētī kaṇacaring for the leaves — then in the season, grains come. Caring-for-the-leaves yields-grains in-due-season.

The āḷā-water: Tukā mhaṇē āḷā — udaka dētām lābhē phaḷāTuka says: to the channel — giving water brings fruit. Āḷā = irrigation-channel. Water-the-channel — the-fruit comes. Bhakti as continuous-care + structural-channel.

[T]

For someone today

For today: sow seed in the field — then they cart-on-load; seems to have gone in vain — the gain resides in its body; caring for the leaves — then in the season, grains come; Tuka says — to the channel — giving water brings fruit.

Where this applies

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