संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 2176 of 4582

Abhanga 2176

For today: holding desire — it flees afar — festivities follow udāsa; stop the mind — I'm telling secret-sign; all secret in restraint — indulgence brings toil; Tuka says — carry the seed — fruit comes there.

When you'd teach desire-flees-when-held + carry-seed-fruit-follows — ichchhā-durī-paḷē-pāṭhī-sōhaḷē-udāsā; asaṭa-mana-khuṇa-sāngatōm; āvisāpāsī-varma-sōsa-śrama; bīja-nyāvē-phaḷānē

The verse

धरितां इच्छा दुरी पळे । पाठी सोहळे उदासा ॥१॥ म्हणऊनि असट मन । नका खुण सांगतों ॥ध्रु.॥ आविसापासी अवघें वर्म । सोस श्रम पाववी ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे बीज न्यावें । तेथें यावें फळानें ॥३॥ ॥४॥

Literal translation

English: Holding desire — it flees afar — festivities follow the udāsa. Therefore — stop the mind — I'm telling you the secret-sign. All the secret is in restraint (āvisa) — indulgence brings toil. Tuka says: carry the seed — let the fruit come there. ॥4॥

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
धरितां इच्छा दुरी पळे "holding desire — it flees afar"
पाठी सोहळे उदासा "festivities follow the udāsa"
म्हणऊनि असट मन "therefore — stop the mind"
नका खुण सांगतों "I'm telling you the secret-sign"
आविसापासी अवघें वर्म "all the secret is in restraint (āvisa)"
सोस श्रम पाववी "indulgence brings toil"
तुका म्हणे बीज न्यावें "Tuka says — carry the seed"
तेथें यावें फळानें "let the fruit come there"
॥४॥ colophon — closes 4-abhang sub-cluster (2173-2176)

What it means

Desire-flees-festivities-follow-udāsa + carry-seed-fruit-follows abhang. Ends with ॥४॥ — closes 4-abhang sub-cluster (2173-2176).

The paradox: dharitām ichchhā durī paḷē — pāṭhī sōhaḷē udāsāholding desire, it flees afar — festivities follow the udāsa (detached-one). The one-who-holds-desire (= grasps for-it) finds-it-flees; festivities-follow the udāsa (= detached-one). A core-Tukārām-paradox: desire-grasped flees; desire-released brings sōhaḷē (festivities).

The stop-the-mind: mhaṇa'ūni asaṭa mana — nakā khuṇa sāngatōmtherefore stop the mind — I'm telling you the secret-sign. Asaṭa = stop, restrain. Khuṇa = secret-sign, mark. Therefore stop-the-mind — I'm telling-you the secret-sign.

The restraint-is-all-secret: āvisāpāsī avaghē varma — sōsa śrama pāvavīall the secret is in restraint — indulgence brings toil. Āvisa = restraint, holding-back. Sōsa = indulgence, gratification. All-the-varma (= secret-essence) is-in-restraint; indulgence brings-toil.

The closing — seed-and-fruit: Tukā mhaṇē bīja nyāvē — tēthē yāvē phaḷānēTuka says: carry the seed — let the fruit come there. Carry-the-seed (= the prema/Name/restraint); the fruit-will-come there (= where-it's-planted). Echoes 2164's fruit-like-seed.

The ॥४॥ colophon closes a 4-abhang sub-cluster (2173-2176): 2173 (world-laughs-with-laugher), 2174 (prayer-template), 2175 (body-for-bhōga-apart-from-honor), 2176 (desire-flees-festivities-follow-udāsa). A coherent renunciation-instruction-cluster.

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For someone today

For today: holding desire — it flees afar — festivities follow udāsa; stop the mind — I'm telling secret-sign; all secret in restraint — indulgence brings toil; Tuka says — carry the seed — fruit comes there.

Where this applies

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