संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 2246 of 4582

Abhanga 2246

Human birth is capital given to you once, so before you squander it and are left begging, turn back now toward the devotion that is your true home.

When you realize you've been squandering the years you've been given on things that don't last.

When you feel it's too late to change direction in life.

When you know you need to turn back toward what truly matters but keep putting it off.

The verse

जन्मा येउनि काय केलें । तुवां मुदल गमाविलें ॥१॥ कां रे न फिरसी माघारा । अझुनि तरी फजितखोरा ॥ध्रु.॥ केली गांठोळीची नासी । पुढें भीके चि मागसी ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे ठाया । जाई आपल्या आलिया ॥३॥

Literal translation

Coming to birth, what did you do — you've lost the principal. Why don't you turn back — even now, public-disgrace one? You ruined the bundle's-purse — now you'll beg. Tuka says: go to your own place, having come.

Word-by-word gloss

Marathi	Meaning
जन्मा येउनि काय केलें	"coming to birth, what did you do"
तुवां मुदल गमाविलें	"you've lost the principal (mudala)"
कां रे न फिरसी माघारा	"why don't you turn back"
अझुनि तरी फजितखोरा	"even now, public-disgrace one"
केली गांठोळीची नासी	"you ruined the bundle's-purse (gāṇṭhōḷī)"
पुढें भीके चि मागसी	"now you'll beg"
तुका म्हणे ठाया	"Tuka says — to your own place"
जाई आपल्या आलिया	"go, having come"

What it means

Lost-the-principal-now-you'll-beg + turn-back-even-now abhang. Jīva-warning in mercantile-register.

The mercantile-warning: janmā yē'uni kāya kēlē — tuvām mudala gamāvilē — coming to birth, what did you do — you've lost the principal. Mudala = principal, capital. Gamāvilē = lost, squandered. Coming-to-birth, what-did-you-do? You-have-lost-the-mudala (= the capital-of-puṇya, the human-birth's-investment-value). Tukārām-the-grain-merchant uses-trade-language — the bhakti-life as-trade-investment.

The turn-back call: kām rē na phirasī māghārā — ajhuni tarī phajita-khōrā — why don't you turn back — even now, public-disgrace one. Phajita-khōrā = public-disgrace one. Why-don't-you-turn-back even-now, you public-disgrace?

The bundle-purse ruined: kēlī gāṇṭhōḷīcī nāsī — puḍhē bhīkē chi māgasī — you ruined the bundle's-purse — now you'll beg. Gāṇṭhōḷī = the small-purse tied at the end of the dhoti or sari, used to carry money/grain in trade. You-ruined the-(traveling-)purse; now-you'll-beg-(ahead). A vivid market-image: the trader-who-spent-his-purse-on-the-wrong-goods now-must-beg.

The closing — go-to-your-own-place: Tukā mhaṇē ṭhāyā jā'ī āpalyā āliyā — Tukā says: go to your own place, having come. Go-to-your-own-place (= the bhakti-life, Viṭho's-feet), since-you-have-come (to-this-human-birth). (= use-the-opportunity-of-the-human-birth to-reach-your-true-place.)

[T]

For someone today

For today: coming to birth, what did you do — you've lost the principal; why not turn back even now — public-disgrace; ruined the bundle's-purse — now you'll beg; Tuka says — go to your own place, having come.

Where this applies

When you look back and feel you've wasted years without anything meaningful to show for them.
When you keep delaying a change of course even though you sense trouble ahead.
When you've spent your time, money, or energy chasing things that left you empty.
When you feel ashamed of how you've lived but wonder if it's too late to turn around.

Bhakti