Abhanga 2884
Āyuṣya mōjāvayā baisalā māpārī — the māpārī (measurer) has sat-down to measure-out (your) āyuṣya (life-span); tūm kām re vevhārī samsārāñcā — why are you, O vevhārī (busy-trader), of samsāra?
The verse
आयुष्य मोजावया बैसला मापारी । तूं कां रे वेव्हारी संसाराचा ॥१॥
नेईंल ओढोनि ठाउकें नसतां । न राहे दुश्चिता हरिविण ॥ध्रु.॥
कठीण हें दुःख यम जाचतील । कोण सोडवील तया ठायीं ॥२॥
राहतील दुरी सज्जन सोयरीं । आठवीं श्रीहरी लवलाहीं ॥३॥
तुका म्हणे किती करिसी लंडायी । होईंल भंडाईं पुढें थोर ॥४॥
Literal translation
Āyuṣya mōjāvayā baisalā māpārī — the māpārī (measurer) has sat-down to measure-out (your) āyuṣya (life-span); tūm kām re vevhārī samsārāñcā — why are you, O vevhārī (busy-trader), of samsāra? Neīla ōḍhōnī ṭhāukē nasatām — (he) will neīla (take) (you) ōḍhōnī (pulling-off) — without (your) knowing; na rāhe duścita Hari-viṇa — (the mind) does not remain duścita (anxiety-free) — without Hari. Kaṭhīṇa he duḥkha yama jāchatīla — hard is this duḥkha — yama will jāchatīla (torture, scorch); kōṇa sōḍavīla tayā ṭhāyī — who will release (you) — at that place? Rāhatīla durī sajjana sōyarī — sajjana-relatives will stay far; āṭhavīm Śrī-Harī lavalāhī — quickly remember Śrī-Hari. Tukā says: kitī karisī laṇḍāyī — how much laṇḍāyī (roguery) will you do?; hōīla bhaṇḍāī puḍhe thōra — great bhaṇḍāī (public-disgrace, shame) will be ahead.
What it means
A canonical 4-verse mortality-warning verse. The verse-image is striking: the māpārī (measurer) has sat-down to measure-your-āyuṣya.
Verse 1: Āyuṣya mōjāvayā baisalā māpārī — tūm kām re vevhārī samsārāñcā — the measurer has sat-down to measure your life-span — why are you, busy-trader, of samsāra? The māpārī — a grain-measurer who sits-down to-measure-out a sack of grain. The image: Yama (or Time) sits-down with-his-measuring-cup to-portion-out-your-life-span. The question to the bhakta: why are you busy-trading in samsāra while-Yama-is-measuring?
Dhrūpada: Neīla ōḍhōnī ṭhāukē nasatām — na rāhe duścita Hari-viṇa — (Yama) will take you, pulling, without your knowing — the mind doesn't stay anxiety-free without Hari. The warning: Yama-takes-suddenly; the discipline: Hari is the only-anxiety-cure.
Verse 2: Kaṭhīṇa he duḥkha yama jāchatīla — kōṇa sōḍavīla tayā ṭhāyī — hard is this duḥkha — Yama will torture — who will release at that place? The post-death-warning: Yama tortures at the post-death place; no-one-else can-release.
Verse 3: Rāhatīla durī sajjana sōyarī — āṭhavīm Śrī-Harī lavalāhī — sajjana-relatives will stay far — quickly remember Śrī-Hari. The reality: at-death, sajjana-relatives stay far; only-Śrī-Hari-remembrance helps. The discipline: remember-Hari-quickly (lavalāhī). (Pairs with 2797 kāḷa-grāsāvayā mortality-warning.)
Close: Tukā mhaṇe kitī karisī laṇḍāyī — hōīla bhaṇḍāī puḍhe thōra — how much roguery will you do? — great bhaṇḍāī (public-disgrace) is ahead. Bhaṇḍāī is public-exposure-of-one's-roguery. Laṇḍāyī (roguery) now → bhaṇḍāī (public-disgrace) at death.
For someone today
THE canonical mortality-warning text. The measurer has sat down to measure your life-span — why are you, busy-trader, of samsāra? (Yama) will take you pulling — without your knowing. Without Hari, the mind doesn't stay anxiety-free. Hard is this duḥkha — Yama will torture; who will release at that place? Sajjana-relatives will stay far — quickly remember Śrī-Hari. How much roguery will you do? — great public-disgrace is ahead. The verse provides a structured mortality-meditation: (1) the measurer is sitting-down right-now; (2) without warning, Yama takes; (3) at death, sajjana-relatives stay far; (4) only Hari-remembrance helps. The closing-warning: roguery-now → public-disgrace-at-death. The verse pairs with 2797 (kāḷa-grāsāvayā), 2879 (saying-Hari-Hari), and 2880's Brahma-prāpti-shows-in-body — together they form a mortality-and-Name-praise sequence.
Where this applies
- THE canonical mortality-warning text
- Recognizing māpārī-sits-measuring-āyuṣya mortality-image
- Sajjana-relatives-will-be-far — remember-Śrī-Hari-quickly
- The roguery-now → bhaṇḍāī-at-death warning
- Pairs with 2797 (kāḷa-grāsāvayā), 2884 (mortality-cluster)