Abhanga 2202
Do not take a reward for work you have not done, and treat rising to serve honestly, even when called at an inconvenient moment, as itself a form of worship.
The verse
चाकरीवांचून । खाणें अनुचित वेतन ॥१॥ धणी काढोनियां निजा । करील ये कामाची पूजा ॥ध्रु.॥ उचितावेगळें । अभिलाषें तोंड काळें ॥२॥ सांगे तरी तुका । पाहा लाज नाहीं लोकां ॥३॥
Literal translation
Without service — taking the wage is improper. The master rouses [one] from sleep — will reckon this work as pūjā. Outside the fitting — the face blackens by desire. Tukā tells: see — people have no shame.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| चाकरीवांचून | "without service" |
| खाणें अनुचित वेतन | "taking the wage is improper" |
| धणी काढोनियां निजा | "the master rouses [one] from sleep" |
| करील ये कामाची पूजा | "will reckon this work as pūjā" |
| उचितावेगळें | "outside the fitting" |
| अभिलाषें तोंड काळें | "the face blackens by desire" |
| सांगे तरी तुका | "Tukā tells —" |
| पाहा लाज नाहीं लोकां | "see — people have no shame" |
What it means
No-service-no-wage + face-blackens-by-desire abhang.
The opening — service-and-wage: chākarīvāñchūna — khāṇē anuchita vētana — without service — taking the wage is improper. Chākarī = service, employment. Vētana = wage. Without-service, taking-the-wage is-improper. Service-first, wage-after.
The master-rouses image: dhaṇī kāḍhōniyām nijā — karīla yē kāmācī pūjā — the master rouses [one] from sleep — will reckon this work as pūjā. Dhaṇī = master, owner. Nijā = sleep. The Master (= Lord) rouses the bhakta-from-sleep; this-work (= the rousing-and-the-service) will-be-reckoned as-pūjā. (= the very-act-of-being-roused-and-serving-promptly is the pūjā.)
The face-blackens: uchitāvēgaḷē — abhilāṣē tōṇḍa kāḷē — outside the fitting — the face blackens by desire. Uchita-vēgaḷē = outside the fitting/proper. Abhilāṣa = desire, longing. Tōṇḍa kāḷē = face blackens (= disgrace, shame). Outside-the-fitting (= asking-beyond-one's-due), the face-blackens by-desire (= desire-out-of-place is-disgrace).
The closing — people-have-no-shame: sāngē tarī Tukā — pāhā lāja nāhīm lōkām — Tukā tells: see — people have no shame. See — people have-no-shame (= they take-without-serving, ask-without-fitting).
[T]
For someone today
For today: without service — wage improper; master rouses from sleep — work reckoned as pūjā; outside the fitting — face blackens by desire; Tukā tells — people have no shame.
Where this applies
- When you expect a reward, praise, or payment for work you have not actually done
- When you are called to a duty at an inconvenient time and treat showing up promptly as an act of devotion rather than a burden
- When you catch yourself wanting more than you have honestly earned and feel a quiet sense of shame about it
- When you notice people around you taking credit or rewards without doing the work, and it does not seem to bother them