Abhanga 2122
Living without asking favors of others and owing no one anything gives you the freedom to serve God simply, regardless of who tries to harass or criticize you.
The verse
नव जातां घरा । आम्ही कोणाच्या दातारा ॥१॥ कां हे छळूं येती लोक । दाट बळें चि कंटक ॥ध्रु.॥ नाहीं आम्ही खात । कांहीं कोणाचें लागत ॥२॥ कळे तैसी सेवा । तुका म्हणे करूं देवा ॥३॥
Literal translation
We don't go to (others') house — to whose dātāra. Why do people come to harass — forcing-thorns en masse. We don't eat anything — we don't owe anyone. Tuka says: as we understand, sēvā — we'll do for Deva.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| नव जातां घरा | "we don't go to (others') house" |
| आम्ही कोणाच्या दातारा | "to whose dātāra" |
| कां हे छळूं येती लोक | "why do people come to harass" |
| दाट बळें चि कंटक | "forcing-thorns en masse" |
| नाहीं आम्ही खात | "we don't eat anything" |
| कांहीं कोणाचें लागत | "we don't owe anyone" |
| कळे तैसी सेवा | "as we understand, sēvā" |
| तुका म्हणे करूं देवा | "Tuka says — we'll do for Deva" |
What it means
We-don't-go-to-others-why-harass-us + sēvā-as-we-understand abhang.
The opening — independence: nava jātām gharā — āmhī kōṇāchyā dātārā — we don't go to (others') house — to whose dātāra. We-don't-go to-anyone-else's-door for-favor; whose-generosity-need-we.
The harass-question: kām hē chaḷūm yētī lōka — dāṭa baḷē chi kaṇṭaka — why do people come to harass — forcing-thorns en masse. Why-do-people-come to-harass us — like a-dense-thicket-of-thorns?.
The no-debts: nāhīm āmhī khāta — kāhīm kōṇāchē lāgata — we don't eat anything — we don't owe anyone. We-don't-eat-others'-food; we-don't-owe.
The closing — sēvā-as-we-understand: kaḷē taisī sēvā — Tukā mhaṇē karūm Dēvā — as we understand, sēvā — we'll do for Deva. Sēvā-as-we-understand for-Deva.
[T]
For someone today
For today: we don't go to (others') house — to whose dātāra; why do people come to harass — forcing-thorns en masse; we don't eat anything — we don't owe anyone; Tuka says — as we understand, sēvā — we'll do for Deva.
Where this applies
- When people criticize or harass you even though you haven't asked anything of them.
- When you want to remind yourself that living simply and owing no one keeps you free.
- When you feel pressure to explain or justify your choices to people who have no real claim on you.
- When you want to focus on your own honest service rather than pleasing critics.