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 2392 of 4582

Abhanga 2392

English: If not making pāṭhēḷa, even wind not borne — once borne, the beast carries the sack.

The verse

पाठेळ करितां न साहावे वारा । साहेलिया ढोरा गोणी चाले ॥१॥ आपणां आपण हे चि कसवटी । हर्षामर्ष पोटीं विरों द्यावें ॥ध्रु.॥ नवनीत तोंवरी कडकडी लोणी । निश्चळ होऊनी राहे मग ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे जरी जग टाकी घाया । त्याच्या पडे पायां जन मग ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: If not making pāṭhēḷa, even wind not borne — once borne, the beast carries the sack. ★ This is the touchstone for oneself — let joy-anger dissolve in the belly ★. Fresh-butter sizzles until — then becomes still. ★ Tuka says: if the world strikes blows — then people fall at his feet ★.

What it means

★★ THE SELF-TOUCHSTONE + WORLD-STRIKES-THEN-FALLS ABHANG ★★. Continues 2391's pāṭhēḷa-discipline theme.

The wind-and-sack: pāṭhēḷa karitām na sāhāvē vārā — sāhēliyā ḍhōrā gōṇī chālēif not making pāṭhēḷa, even wind not borne — once borne, the beast carries the sack. Without-resilience, even-wind unbearable; with-resilience, even-a-beast carries-the-heavy-sack.

★ THE SELF-AS-TOUCHSTONE ★: āpaṇām āpaṇa hē chi kasavaṭī — harṣa-marṣa pōṭīm virōm dyāvē★ this is the touchstone for oneself — let joy-anger dissolve in the belly ★. Kasavaṭī = touchstone, test. ★ For-oneself, this-is the-touchstone (= the test of-one's-own-progress); let joy-and-anger dissolve in-the-belly. ★ The internal-test: can-joy-and-anger dissolve-within?

The butter-stills: navanīta tōmvarī kaḍakaḍī lōṇī — niśchaḷa hō'ūnī rāhē magafresh-butter sizzles until — then becomes still. Fresh-butter sizzles-on-fire; then-becomes-still (= once-fully-clarified, it-is-no-longer-disturbed).

★★ THE CLOSING PARADOX ★★: Tukā mhaṇē jarī jaga ṭākī ghāyā — tyāchyā paḍē pāyām jana maga★★ if the world strikes blows — then people fall at his feet ★★. ★★ If-the-world strikes-blows (against him); then-people fall-at-his-feet. ★★ The paradox-of-saintly-endurance: the-very-blows that-seem-to-defeat the-saint are-what-make-people-fall-at-his-feet.

[T]

For someone today

For today: without resilience, even wind is too much; ★ touchstone is internal — joy-anger must dissolve ★; butter stills after sizzling; ★ if the world strikes — then people fall at his feet ★*.

Where this applies

Related verses