Abhanga 2489

A human life is only worth having if it's spent in devoted service to God and kept free of stain, otherwise it is no better than an animal's.

The verse

Literal translation

What it means

THE TAKE-BIRTH-ONLY-AS-VIṬHṬHALA'S-DĀSA ABHANG. Closes the laḷatēm (clinging/petitioning) sub-section of 9 abhangs.

THE STARK CHOICE: tari cha janmā yāvē — dāsa Viṭhṭhalāchē vhāvē // nāhīm tari kāya thōḍīm — śvāna-śūkarē bāpuḍīm — then take birth — be Viṭhṭhala's servant // otherwise — dogs and pigs aren't lacking. Take-human-birth ONLY if-you'll-be-Viṭhṭhala's-servant; otherwise, dogs-and-pigs are-not-in-short-supply. The harsh-stark choice: human-birth has-only-one-justifiable-purpose — Viṭhṭhala-bhakti. Without-it, just-add-to-the-animal-population.

THE COLOPHON: ॥ laḷatēm ९ ॥ — closes a sub-section of laḷatēm (clinging-petitioning?) 9 abhangs. Structural marker in the Gatha.

[T]

For someone today

For today: take human-birth ONLY to be Viṭhṭhala's servant; otherwise — dogs-and-pigs already exist enough.

Where this applies

• When you're coasting through life without asking what it's actually for
• When you catch yourself living mostly by instinct and habit, like an animal following appetite
• When you're tempted to let some small corruption or compromise slide because it seems harmless
• When you wonder what it would take for your own name to be spoken with real trust and respect

Related verses

• Abhanga 2448 — The easiest path to God is repeating divine names with love at home, right where you are,
• Abhanga 2467 — What looks like your whole world, like a fig to the insect living inside it, is only a tin
• Abhanga 2494 — Living in devotion turns an ordinary day into a festival and removes the fear of birth and
• Abhanga 4481 — Tukaram promises that sincerely calling on the Lord's name, knowingly or unknowingly, with