संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 3340 of 4582

Abhanga 3340

Anantajanme jarī kelyā taparāsī — for ananta-janmas, if tapa-rāśīs were done; tarī hā na pave mhaṇe deha — still this deha (says he) doesn't attain.

Mixed attribution — closes invoking both Tukā and Tukārām's-brother
Praise-of-the-rare-bhakta-treasure-and-its-misuse

The verse

अनंतजन्में जरी केल्या तपरासी । तरी हा न पवे म्हणे देह ॥१॥ ऐसें जें निधान लागलेंसे हातीं । त्याची केली माती भाग्यहीना ॥ध्रु.॥ उत्तमाचें सार वेदाचें भांडार । ज्याच्यानें पवित्र तीथॉ होती ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे तुकयाबंधु आणीक उपमा । नाहीं या तों जन्मा द्यावयासी ॥३॥

Literal translation

Anantajanme jarī kelyā taparāsīfor ananta-janmas, if tapa-rāśīs were done; tarī hā na pave mhaṇe dehastill this deha (says he) doesn't attain. Aise je nidhāna lāgalese hātīmsuch a nidhāna come-to-hand; tyāñcī kelī māṭī bhāgyahīnāthe bhāgya-hīna made (it) māṭi. Uttamāñce sāra vedāñce bhāṇḍārathe sāra of uttama, the bhāṇḍāra of Veda; jyāñcyāne pavitra tīrtha hōtīby whom tīrthas become pure. Tukā mhaṇe tukayā-bandhu āṇīka upamāTukā says: Tukārām's-brother — another upamā; nāhī yā tōm janmā dyāvayāsīthere is none for this janma to-be-given.

What it means

A mixed-attribution 3-verse praise-text. The closing names both Tukā and Tukārām's-brother — possibly the verse-is-Tukārām's-praise-of-his-brother Kānhōbā, or-vice-versa, or-an-editorial-attribution.

The claim: Such-a-bhakta-treasure can't-be-attained-even-by-infinite-births-of-tapa-rāśīs; the-bhāgya-hīna made-(it)-into-dust; this is the-sāra-of-uttama, the-Vedic-bhāṇḍāra, by-whom-tīrthas-become-pure; there's-no-other-upamā for-making-this-janma-meaningful.

★ The text-reads as praise-of-the-rare-bhakta-treasure — the human-birth-with-bhakti-opportunity is-incomparable.

For someone today

Mixed-attribution praise-of-bhakta-treasure. For infinite births, if mountains-of-tapa were done — still this deha (he says) doesn't attain (it). Such a treasure has come-to-hand — the unfortunate one made (it into) dust. (This is) the essence of the uttama, the treasury of the Veda — by whom the tīrthas become pure. There is no other comparison for (making this) birth (meaningful). The verse permits the bhakti-recognition that human-bhakta-birth is incomparable-and-easily-wasted.

Where this applies

Related verses