Abhanga 3060
Sākareñcyā gōṇyā baiḷāñciye pāṭhī — sugar-sacks on the bull's back; tayāsī sevaṭīm karabāḍe — for it, at-end, karabāḍa (husk).
The verse
साकरेच्या गोण्या बैलाचिये पाठी । तयासी सेवटीं करबाडें ॥१॥
मालाचे पैं पेटे वाहाताती उंटें । तयालागीं कांटे भक्षावया ॥ध्रु.॥
वाउगा हा धंदा आशा वाढविती । बांधोनियां देती यमा हातीं ॥२॥
ज्यासी असे लाभ तो चि जाणे गोडी । येर तीं बापुडीं सिणलीं वांयां ॥३॥
तुका म्हणे शहाणा होई रे गव्हारा । चोर्यासीचा फेरा फिरों नको ॥४॥
Literal translation
Sākareñcyā gōṇyā baiḷāñciye pāṭhī — sugar-sacks on the bull's back; tayāsī sevaṭīm karabāḍe — for it, at-end, karabāḍa (husk). Mālāñce paim peṭe vāhātātī umṭe — the boxes of māla are carried by camels; tayālāgīm kāṇṭe bhakṣāvayā — for them, thorns to-eat. Vāugā hā dhamdā āśā vāḍhavitī — this useless-business grows āśā; bāmdhōnīyām detī yamā hātīm — binds and gives (you) into yama's hand. Jyāsī ase lābha tō chi jāṇe gōḍī — one who has lābha — he alone knows the goḍī; yera tīm bāpuḍīm siṇalīm vāmyā — the others, bāpuḍī, toil in-vain. Tukā mhaṇe śahāṇā hōī re gavhārā — Tukā says: become wise, gavhārā; chōryāsīñcā pherā phirōm nakō — don't do the 84-(lakh-yoni)-cycle.
What it means
A striking 4-verse samsāra-toilers parable by Tukārām.
The 2 images: 1. Sugar-sacks-on-bull's-back; bull-eats-only-husk-at-the-end 2. Luxury-cargo-on-camels; camels-eat-thorns
Both images: the laborer-animal carries-valuable-goods but-receives-only-coarse-fodder. The application: the samsāra-toiler carries-the-Lord's-goods but-receives-only-yama-binding and-thorny-rewards.
The framing: useless-business grows-āśā; one-with-lābha (= bhakti-lābha) knows-the-goḍī; others-are-bāpuḍī (helpless) toiling-in-vain. Closing-call: become-wise, don't-cycle-the-84-lakh-yonis.
The chōryāśī (84-lakh) is the standard-Hindu-figure-for-the-number-of-life-forms — to be reborn-through-all-of-them is-the-cycle that-bhakti-stops.
For someone today
Tukārām's samsāra-toilers parable. (There are) sugar-sacks on the bull's back — but-at-the-end (the bull gets) husk. Cargo on camels — but for them to eat are thorns. This useless-business grows desire — bound, it gives (you) into yama's hand. One who has gain — he alone knows the sweetness; the others, helpless, toil in vain. Become wise, you rude-clown — don't keep doing the 84-lakh-yoni-cycle. The verse permits the recognition of samsāra-as-bull-and-camel-labor, with-bhakti-as-the-only-knowing-of-sweetness.
Where this applies
- Tukārām's bull-and-camel for-samsāra-toilers parable
- Bull-eats-husk, camel-eats-thorns canonical-image
- 84-lakh-yoni-cycle — chōryāśī-pherā reference