संत साहित्य
Work in progress. Translations and commentary are AI-generated and may contain inaccuracies or hallucinations — please use your own judgement and check against the original sources.
संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 2107 of 4582

Abhanga 2107

For today: for duḥkha-exchange, sukha is found there — the anātha's hunger and dainya go; the prince of the generous is in Paṇḍharī — with arms raised, he calls; the unknowing-one's sweetness — more than the knowing's — he embraces with love; taking śīṇa (fatigue), he gives prema in exchange — doesn't consider any loss of gain; Tuka says — let us be anātha-durbaḷa — Pāṇḍuranga cherishes us.

When you'd describe duḥkha-for-sukha-exchange + unknowing-sweeter-than-knowing — duḥkhāchiyē-sāṭīm-sukha-anāthāchī-bhūka-dainya-jāya; udārāchā-rāṇā-Paṇḍharīsa-bāhē-pālavitō; jāṇatiyāhūni-nēṇatyāchī-gōḍī-āḷingī-āvaḍī; śīṇa-prēma-sāṭī-na-tuṭī-lābhā; anātha-dubaḷīm-Pāṇḍuranga-pāḷī

The verse

दुःखाचिये साटीं तेथें मिळे सुख । अनाथाची भूक दैन्य जाय ॥१॥ उदाराचा राणा पंढरीस आहे । उभारोनि बाहे पालवितो ॥ध्रु.॥ जाणतियाहूनि नेणत्याची गोडी । आळिंगी आवडी करूनियां ॥२॥ शीण घेऊनियां प्रेम देतो साटी । न विचारी तुटी लाभा कांहीं ॥३॥ तुका म्हणे असों अनाथ दुबळीं । आम्हांसी तो पाळी पांडुरंग ॥४॥

Literal translation

English: For duḥkha-exchange, sukha is found there — the anātha's hunger and dainya go. The prince of the generous is in Paṇḍharī — with arms raised, he calls. The unknowing-one's sweetness — more than the knowing's — he embraces with love. Taking śīṇa (fatigue), he gives prema in exchange — doesn't consider any loss of gain. Tuka says: let us be anātha-durbaḷa — Pāṇḍuranga cherishes us.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
दुःखाचिये साटीं तेथें मिळे सुख "for duḥkha-exchange, sukha is found there"
अनाथाची भूक दैन्य जाय "the anātha's hunger and dainya go"
उदाराचा राणा पंढरीस आहे "the prince of the generous is in Paṇḍharī"
उभारोनि बाहे पालवितो "with arms raised, he calls"
जाणतियाहूनि नेणत्याची गोडी "the unknowing-one's sweetness — more than the knowing's"
आळिंगी आवडी करूनियां "he embraces with love"
शीण घेऊनियां प्रेम देतो साटी "taking śīṇa (fatigue), he gives prema in exchange"
न विचारी तुटी लाभा कांहीं "doesn't consider any loss of gain"
तुका म्हणे असों अनाथ दुबळीं "Tuka says — let us be anātha-durbaḷa"
आम्हांसी तो पाळी पांडुरंग "Pāṇḍuranga cherishes us"

What it means

Duḥkha-for-sukha-exchange + prince-of-generous-with-arms-raised + unknown-sweeter abhang.

The opening — duḥkha-sukha exchange: duḥkhāchiyē sāṭīm tēthē miḷē sukha — anāthāchī bhūka dainya jāyafor duḥkha-exchange, sukha is found there — the anātha's hunger and dainya go. Trade-your-duḥkha for-sukha at-Paṇḍharī; the anātha's hunger-and-dainya leave.

The prince-with-arms-raised: udārāchā rāṇā Paṇḍharīsa āhē — ubhārōni bāhē pālavitōthe prince of the generous is in Paṇḍharī — with arms raised, he calls. The prince-of-the-generous (Viṭhṭhal's standard-iconic-pose) is-in-Paṇḍharī; with-arms-raised, beckoning. Iconic Viṭhṭhal-image.

THE UNKNOWING-SWEETER LINE: jāṇatiyāhūni nēṇatyāchī gōḍī — āḷingī āvaḍī karūniyāmthe unknowing-one's sweetness — more than the knowing's — he embraces with love. The unknowing-bhakta's-sweetness exceeds-the-jñānī's-sweetness; he-embraces-with-love. A radical-statement on innocence-over-knowledge.

The śīṇa-prema-exchange: śīṇa ghē'ūniyām prēma dētō sāṭī — na vichārī tuṭī lābhā kāhīmtaking śīṇa (fatigue), he gives prema in exchange — doesn't consider any loss of gain. He-takes-our-fatigue, gives-prema; doesn't-calculate loss-or-gain.

The closing — let-us-be-anātha: Tukā mhaṇē asōm anātha dubaḷīm — āmhāmsī tō pāḷī Pāṇḍurangalet us be anātha-durbaḷa — Pāṇḍuranga cherishes us. Let-us-stay-anātha-and-durbaḷa; Pāṇḍuranga cherishes-us.

[T]

For someone today

For today: for duḥkha-exchange, sukha is found there — the anātha's hunger and dainya go; the prince of the generous is in Paṇḍharī — with arms raised, he calls; the unknowing-one's sweetness — more than the knowing's — he embraces with love; taking śīṇa (fatigue), he gives prema in exchange — doesn't consider any loss of gain; Tuka says — let us be anātha-durbaḷa — Pāṇḍuranga cherishes us.

Where this applies

Related verses