संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 2302 of 4582

Abhanga 2302

For today: listen, saints, to my babbling words. 19 paired-definitions of dharma, karma, puṇya, pāpa, lābha, hāni, sukha, duḥkha, sādhana, mān, jāṇatā, bhalā-burā, āchārī-anāchārī, sva-hita-anahita, dhanya, jōharī, biḷayāḍā-gāṇḍhavyā, khōla-uthaḷa, udāra-kṛpaṇa, chāngalēpaṇa-vōngaḷa, gōḍa-kaḍu. Tukā says — mind to santa-sanga — no need to do anything — stay at Viṭhṭhala's feet.

When you're trying to sort out right from wrong across many areas of life at once.

When you feel burdened by trying to follow too many separate moral rules.

When you want one dependable practice to return to instead of overthinking every decision.

The verse

ऐका संतजन उत्तरें माझे बोबडे बोल । करीं लाड तुम्हांपुढें हो कोणी झणी कोपाल ॥१॥ उपाय साधन आइका कोण गति अवगति । दृढ बैसोनि सादर तुम्ही धरावें चित्तीं ॥ध्रु.॥ धर्म तयासी घडे रे ज्याचे स्वाधीन भाज । कर्म तयासी जोडे रे भीत नाहीं लाज ॥२॥ पुण्य तें जाणां रे भाइनो परउपकाराचें । परपीडा परनिंदा रे खरें पाप तयाचें ॥३॥ लाभ तयासी जाला रे मुखीं देव उच्चारी । प्रपंचापाठी गुंतला हाणी तयासी च थोरी ॥४॥ सुख तें जाणा रे भाइनो संतसमागम । दुःख तें जाणारे भाइनो शम तेथे विशम ॥५॥ साधन तयासी साधे रे ज्याची स्वाधीन बुद्धि । पराधीनासी आहे घात रे थोर जाण संबंधी ॥६॥ मान पावे तो आगळा मुख्य इंद्रियें राखे । अपमानी तो अधररसस्वाद चाखे ॥७॥ जाणता तयासी बोलिजे जाणे समाधान । नेणता तयासी बोलिजे वाद करी भूषण ॥८॥ भला तो चि एक जाणा रे गयावर्जन करी । बुरा धन नष्ट मेळवी परद्वार जो करी ॥९॥ आचारी अन्न काढी रे गाईं अतितभाग । अनाचारी करी भोजन ग्वाही नसतां संग ॥१०॥ स्वहित तेणें चि केलें रे भूतीं देखिला देव । अनहित तयाचें जालें रे आणी अहंभाव ॥११॥ धन्य जन्मा ते चि आले रे एक हरिचे दास । धिग ते विषयीं गुंतले केला आयुष्या नास ॥१२॥ जोहोरि तो चि एक जाणा रे जाणे सद्धिलक्षणें । वेडसरु तो भुले रे वरदळभूषणें ॥१३॥ बिळयाढा तो चि जाणा रे भक्ति दृढ शरीरीं । गांढव्या तयासी बोलिजे एक भाव न धरी ॥१४॥ खोल तो वचन गुरूचें जो गिळूनि बैसे । उथळ धीर नाहीं अंगीं रे म्हणे होईंल कैसें ॥१५॥ उदार तो जीवभाव रे ठेवी देवाचे पायीं । कृपण तयासी बोलिजे पडे उपाधिडाई ॥१६॥ चांगलेंपण तें चि रे ज्याचें अंतर शुद्ध । वोंगळ मिळन अंतरीं वाणी वाहे दुगपध ॥१७॥ गोड तें चि एक आहे रे सार विठ्ठलनाम । कडु तो संसार रे लक्षचौर्‍याशी जन्म ॥१८॥ तुका म्हणे मना घरी रे संतसंगतिसोईं । न लगे कांहीं करावें राहें विठ्ठलपायीं ॥१९॥

Literal translation

What it means

A REMARKABLE 19+1-VERSE ETHICAL-INSTRUCTION ABHANG — a systematic-paired-definitions-litany on the entire-Vārkarī-ethics in 19 paired-concepts.

The opening — listening request: aikā santa-jana uttarē mājhē bōbaḍē bōla — karīm lāḍa tumhāmpuḍhē hō kōṇī jhaṇī kōpāla — listen, saints, to my babbling words — I'm being playful before you — let no one get angry. Listen to-my-babbling-words; I'm-being-playful before-you — let-no-one-get-angry.

THE 19 PAIRED-DEFINITIONS offer a complete-ethical-framework — each-pair giving the-positive-and-negative of-a-core-concept: - Doctrine pairs: dharma vs karma, puṇya vs pāpa - Economic pairs: lābha vs hāni - Experiential pairs: sukha vs duḥkha - Discipline pairs: sādhana vs ghāta (destruction) - Social pairs: mān vs apamān - Knowledge pairs: jāṇatā vs nēṇatā - Moral pairs: bhalā vs burā, āchārī vs anāchārī, sva-hita vs anahita - Status pairs: dhanya-janma vs wasted-life - Quality pairs: jōharī vs vēḍasarū, biḷayāḍā vs gāṇḍhavyā, khōla vs uthaḷa, udāra vs kṛpaṇa, chāngalēpaṇa vs vōngaḷa - Final pair: gōḍa-Viṭhṭhala-nāma vs kaḍu-samsāra-of-84-lakhs-births

The conclusion: manā gharī rē santa-sangati-sō'īm — na lagē kāmhīm karāvē rāhē Viṭhṭhala-pāyīm — mind to the home of santa-sanga, no need to do anything else — stay at Viṭhṭhala's feet. All-the-19-pairs reduce-to-this-one-injunction.

[T]

For someone today

Where this applies

When you're overwhelmed trying to master every ethical rule or moral distinction in life.
When you're unsure what really counts as good conduct versus what just looks good.
When you're weighing gain against loss, or joy against sorrow, and want a simpler way to decide what matters.
When you need one simple practice to hold onto instead of juggling a long list of do's and don'ts.

Sant-sang / Sant-pūjā Bhakti