संत साहित्य
Work in progress. Translations and commentary are AI-generated and may contain inaccuracies or hallucinations — please use your own judgement and check against the original sources.
संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 2222 of 4582

Abhanga 2222

For today: asking is improper — elders' rīt; body trivialized, all upādhi gone — buddhi stays with sēvā; word is upādhi — achaḷa-niścaya — anubhava not in body; Tuka says — body split into shares — upakāra is left in body.

When you'd take austere-stance asking-improper + body-split-upakāra-left — māgaṇē-anuchita-vaḍilāñchī-rīta; dēha-tuchchha-upādhī-sēvēpāśīm-buddhi; śabda-upādhi-achaḷa-niśchaya-anubhava-nāhīm-angīm; dēha-phānkilā-vibhāgīm-upakāra-angīm

The verse

कांहीं मागणें हें आम्हां अनुचित । वडिलांची रीत जाणतसों ॥१॥ देह तुच्छ जालें सकळ उपाधी । सेवेपाशीं बुद्धि राहिलीसे ॥ध्रु.॥ शब्द तो उपाधि अचळ निश्चय । अनुभव हो काय नाहीं अंगीं ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे देह फांकिला विभागीं । उपकार अंगीं उरविला ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: For us to ask anything is improper — we know the elders' custom. The body is trivialized, all upādhi [gone] — the buddhi has stayed with sēvā. The word is upādhi — achaḷa-niścaya [is what counts] — anubhava isn't in the body. Tuka says: the body has been split into shares — upakāra is left in the body.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
कांहीं मागणें हें आम्हां अनुचित "for us to ask anything is improper"
वडिलांची रीत जाणतसों "we know the elders' custom"
देह तुच्छ जालें सकळ उपाधी "the body is trivialized, all upādhi [gone]"
सेवेपाशीं बुद्धि राहिलीसे "the buddhi has stayed with sēvā"
शब्द तो उपाधि अचळ निश्चय "the word is upādhi — achaḷa-niścaya [steady-resolve is what counts]"
अनुभव हो काय नाहीं अंगीं "anubhava — what — isn't in the body"
तुका म्हणे देह फांकिला विभागीं "Tuka says — the body has been split into shares"
उपकार अंगीं उरविला "upakāra is left in the body"

What it means

Asking-is-improper + body-split-into-shares-upakāra-left abhang. Twelfth abhang of the niḍrā-cluster.

The opening — asking-improper: kāmhīm māgaṇē hē āmhām anuchita — vaḍilāñchī rīta jāṇatasōmfor us to ask anything is improper — we know the elders' custom. For-us, to-ask-anything is-improper; we-know the-elders'-custom (= the tradition-of-not-asking).

The trivialized-body: dēha tuchchha jālē sakaḷa upādhī — sēvēpāśīm buddhi rāhilīsēthe body is trivialized, all upādhi [gone] — the buddhi has stayed with sēvā. The body is-trivialized, all-upādhi-(gone); the buddhi has-stayed near-sēvā.

The word-as-upādhi: śabda tō upādhi achaḷa niśchaya — anubhava hō kāya nāhīm angīmthe word is upādhi — achaḷa-niścaya [is what counts] — anubhava — what — isn't in the body. Achaḷa-niśchaya = immovable resolve, steady-conviction. The word-itself is-upādhi; achaḷa-niścaya (= the immovable-resolve) is-what-counts; anubhava isn't in-the-body (= it-isn't-bodily).

The closing — body-split-into-shares, upakāra-left: Tukā mhaṇē dēha phānkilā vibhāgīm — upakāra angīm uravilāTuka says: the body has been split into shares — upakāra is left in the body. Phānkilā = split, divided. Vibhāga = share, portion. Upakāra = favor, indebtedness. The body has-been split-into-shares (= given-to-various-claimants); upakāra (gratitude/obligation) is-left in-the-body. (= the body-is-fully-allocated; only-the-obligation-to-Lord-remains-as-residue.)

The austere niḍrā-stance: not-asking, body-trivialized, word-as-upādhi, only-the-upakāra-residue. The bhakta retreats-to-the-bare-minimum.

[T]

For someone today

For today: asking is improper — elders' rīt; body trivialized, all upādhi gone — buddhi stays with sēvā; word is upādhi — achaḷa-niścaya — anubhava not in body; Tuka says — body split into shares — upakāra is left in body.

Where this applies

Related verses