Abhanga 2133
For today: wealth found in the durbaḷa's hands — he can't preserve it; such is my plight, Nārāyaṇa — yoga-kṣema is your concern now; can't eat, wear, flaunt above — king punishes, public anger; Tuka says — then only restlessness remains — what is seen burns to be seen.
The verse
दुर्बळाचे हातीं सांपडलें धन । करितां जतन नये त्यासी ॥१॥ तैसी परी मज झाली नारायणा । योगक्षेम जाणां तुम्ही आतां ॥ध्रु.॥ खातां लेतां नये मिरवितां वरि । राजा दंड करी जनराग ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे मग तळमळ उरे । देखिलें तें झुरे पाहावया ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: Wealth found in the durbaḷa's hands — he can't preserve it. Such is my plight, Nārāyaṇa — yoga-kṣema is your (concern) now. Can't eat, wear, flaunt above — king punishes, public anger. Tuka says: then only restlessness remains — what is seen burns to be seen (again).
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| दुर्बळाचे हातीं सांपडलें धन | "wealth found in the durbaḷa's hands" |
| करितां जतन नये त्यासी | "he can't preserve it" |
| तैसी परी मज झाली नारायणा | "such is my plight, Nārāyaṇa" |
| योगक्षेम जाणां तुम्ही आतां | "yoga-kṣema is your (concern) now" |
| खातां लेतां नये मिरवितां वरि | "can't eat, wear, flaunt above" |
| राजा दंड करी जनराग | "king punishes, public anger" |
| तुका म्हणे मग तळमळ उरे | "Tuka says — then only restlessness remains" |
| देखिलें तें झुरे पाहावया | "what is seen burns to be seen (again)" |
What it means
Durbaḷa-with-wealth-can't-preserve + yoga-kṣema-is-yours-now abhang.
The opening — durbaḷa-image: durbaḷāchē hātīm sāmpaḍalē dhana — karitām jatana nayē tyāsī — wealth found in the durbaḷa's hands — he can't preserve it. A weak-man finding-wealth — can't keep-it-safe. Tukārām's vivid biographical-feeling: the bhakta-with-Lord's-darśana doesn't-know-how-to-hold-it.
The yoga-kṣema-transfer: taisī parī maja jhālī Nārāyaṇā — yōga-kṣēma jāṇām tumhī ātām — such is my plight, Nārāyaṇa — yoga-kṣema is your (concern) now. Yoga-kṣema = acquiring-and-keeping (the Gītā's term). Yoga-kṣema is-now-yours, Nārāyaṇa. (= echoes Gītā 9.22.)
The triple-impossibility: khātām lētām nayē miravitām vari — rājā daṇḍa karī jana-rāga — can't eat, wear, flaunt above — king punishes, public anger. Can't-eat (the wealth), can't-wear-it, can't-flaunt-it; the king-punishes (taxes/confiscates), people-rage-jealous.
The closing — restless-seeing: Tukā mhaṇē maga taḷamaḷa urē — dēkhilē tē jhurē pāhāvayā — then only restlessness remains — what is seen burns to be seen (again). Only-restlessness; what's-once-seen burns-to-be-seen-again.
[T]
For someone today
For today: wealth found in the durbaḷa's hands — he can't preserve it; such is my plight, Nārāyaṇa — yoga-kṣema is your concern now; can't eat, wear, flaunt above — king punishes, public anger; Tuka says — then only restlessness remains — what is seen burns to be seen.
Where this applies
- Durbaḷa-with-wealth-can't-preserve.* Durbaḷāchē-hātīm-dhana-jatana-na.
- My-plight-yoga-kṣema-is-yours.* Mājhī-jhālī-Nārāyaṇā-yōga-kṣēma.
- Can't-eat-wear-flaunt-king-punishes.* Khātām-lētām-miravitām-na-rājā-daṇḍa.
- Restlessness-what-seen-burns-to-see.* Taḷamaḷa-dēkhilē-jhurē.