संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 2862 of 4582

Abhanga 2862

Pāpāñcī mī rāśī — I am a rāśī (heap) of pāpa; sevā-chōra pāyām-pāśī — a sevā-chōra (service-thief) at the feet.

The canonical thief-on-both-sides extreme-confession
Recognizing taking-service-from-jana-while-claiming-bhakta-status
Punish-me-Nārāyaṇa — the bhakta's request for correction

The verse

पापाची मी राशी । सेवाचोर पायांपाशीं ॥१॥ करा दंड नारायणा । माझ्या मनाची खंडणा ॥ध्रु.॥ जना हातीं सेवा । घेतों लंडपणें देवा ॥२॥ तुझा ना संसार । तुका दोहींकडे चोर ॥३॥

Literal translation

Pāpāñcī mī rāśīI am a rāśī (heap) of pāpa; sevā-chōra pāyām-pāśīa sevā-chōra (service-thief) at the feet. Karā daṇḍa Nārāyaṇāinflict daṇḍa (punishment), Nārāyaṇa; mājhyā manāñcī khaṇḍanāthe khaṇḍanā (correction, breaking) of my mind. Janā hātī sevā(taking) service from the jana (people's) hands; ghētōm laṇḍa-paṇe DevāI take (as if) with laṇḍa-paṇe (rogue-ness), O Deva. Tujhā nā samsāranot your (servant), not (your) samsāra; Tukā dōhīm-kaḍe chōraTukā is a chōra (thief) on both sides.

What it means

A striking 3-verse extreme-confession verse. Pāpāñcī mī rāśī — sevā-chōra pāyām-pāśīI am a heap of sins — a service-thief at (your) feet. The opening self-naming: sevā-chōraone who steals (the appearance of) service. He stands-at-the-feet-of-the-Lord under-false-pretenses-of-being-a-servant.

Karā daṇḍa Nārāyaṇā — mājhyā manāñcī khaṇḍanāinflict punishment, Nārāyaṇa — the correction of my mind. The petition for correction-by-punishment. (Compare 2840's save-save-I-am-lost — both petition for divine-intervention.)

Janā hātī sevā — ghētōm laṇḍa-paṇe Devātaking service from people's hands — I take (as if) with rogue-ness, O Deva. The honest-confession: I receive sevā from-other-people-(treating-me-as-a-sant) — taking it with laṇḍa-paṇa (rogue-ness, dishonesty). The bhakta is accepting honor as a sant while-not-being-one.

The close: tujhā nā samsāra — Tukā dōhīm-kaḍe chōranot your (servant), not (your) samsāra — Tukā is a thief on both sides. The final-diagnostic: I am neither a true-servant of yours, nor a true-householder in samsāraI am a thief on both sides. Failing both spheres.

For someone today

A striking extreme-confession. I am a heap of pāpa — a service-thief at (your) feet. Inflict punishment, Nārāyaṇa — the correction of my mind. Taking service from people's hands — I take (as if) with rogue-ness, O Deva. Not your (servant), not (your) samsāra — Tukā is a thief on both sides. The verse permits radical-honest-self-examination: the bhakta names-his-own sevā-chōra status — accepting-honor-as-sant while-not-being-one. The dōhīm-kaḍe chōra (thief-on-both-sides) is the diagnostic-key — failing both spheres of duty. The petition for khaṇḍanā-of-mind (correction-by-breaking) is the closing-request. (Compare 2840 I-am-a-knowing-one warning, 2825 extreme-confession mountain-of-duḥkha.)

Where this applies

Related verses