संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 2165 of 4582

Abhanga 2165

For today: I have no patience — you don't accept me; such strange thing fell — karma stronger than Lord; don't know how to walk path — no shouts heard; don't know how to spend with jīva — Tukā — Lord held me as udāsa.

When you'd complain karma-stronger-than-Lord + Lord-held-me-as-udāsa — dhīra-angīkāra; viṣama-baḷī-Dēvāhūni-karma; chālōm-nēṇē-vāṭa-bōbhāṭa; vēchōm-nēṇē-jīvē-udāsa

The verse

मज नाहीं धीर । तुम्ही न करा अंगीकार ॥१॥ ऐसें पडिलें विषम । बळी देवाहूनि कर्म ॥ध्रु.॥ चालों नेणें वाट । केल्या न पवा बोभाट ॥२॥ वेचों नेणे जीवें । तुका उदास धरिला देवें ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: I have no patience — you don't accept me. Such a strange thing fell — karma is stronger than Lord. Don't know how to walk the path — even after doing, you don't hear shouts. Don't know how to spend with jīva — Tukā — the Lord held [me] as udāsa.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
मज नाहीं धीर "I have no patience"
तुम्ही न करा अंगीकार "you don't accept me"
ऐसें पडिलें विषम "such a strange thing fell"
बळी देवाहूनि कर्म "karma is stronger than Lord"
चालों नेणें वाट "don't know how to walk the path"
केल्या न पवा बोभाट "even after doing — you don't hear shouts"
वेचों नेणे जीवें "don't know how to spend with jīva"
तुका उदास धरिला देवें "Tukā — the Lord held [me] as udāsa"

What it means

Karma-stronger-than-Lord + Lord-held-me-as-udāsa abhang.

The opening — the impatient-bhakta: maja nāhīm dhīra — tumhī na karā angīkāraI have no patience — you don't accept me. I have-no-patience; you-don't-accept-me. (= the gap between my impatience and your slow-acceptance is the problem.)

The provocative claim: aisē paḍilē viṣama — baḷī Dēvāhūni karmasuch-a-strange-thing fell — karma is stronger than Lord. Viṣama = strange, uneven, adverse. A-strange-state-of-affairs has-arisen: karma seems-stronger-than-Lord. (= the bhakta's-experience is that karma-prevails over divine-grace.) A bold heterodox-sounding cry.

The path-not-walked: chālōm nēṇē vāṭa — kēlyā na pavā bōbhāṭadon't know how to walk the path — even after doing, you don't hear shouts. I don't-know-how-to-walk-the-path; even when-I-do-shout, you-don't-hear.

The closing — Lord-held-me-as-udāsa: vēchōm nēṇē jīvē — Tukā udāsa dharilā Dēvēdon't know how to spend with jīva — Tukā — the Lord held [me] as udāsa. Udāsa = indifferent, disengaged, withdrawn. I don't-know how to-spend the jīva (cf. 2164's vēchāvē jīvē); Tukā was-held by-the-Lord as-udāsa (= indifferent, neglected).

Note: this completes a thematic-pair with 2164: where 2164 said pūjā happens when-jīva-is-spent, 2165 confesses I don't-know-how-to-spend-the-jīva — so the Lord holds-me-at-arm's-length.

[T]

For someone today

For today: I have no patience — you don't accept me; such strange thing fell — karma stronger than Lord; don't know how to walk path — no shouts heard; don't know how to spend with jīva — Tukā — Lord held me as udāsa.

Where this applies

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