Abhanga 3346
Vāṭa dāvī tyāñce gele kāya — what is lost to (the one) who shows the way; nāgavalā jō vāritām jāya — the stripped-one who warned (still) goes.
The verse
वाट दावी त्याचें गेलें काय । नागवला जो वारितां जाय ॥१॥
ऐसीं मागें ठकलीं किती । सांगतां खाती विषगोळा ॥ध्रु.॥
विचारोनि पाहे त्यास । न वजे जीवें नव्हे नास ॥२॥
तुका म्हणे जो रुसला जीवा । तयासी केशवा काय चाले ॥३॥
Literal translation
Vāṭa dāvī tyāñce gele kāya — what is lost to (the one) who shows the way; nāgavalā jō vāritām jāya — the stripped-one who warned (still) goes. Aisīm māge ṭhakalīm kitī — how many such (have been) deceived behind; sāngatām khātī viṣa-gōḷā — when told, they eat the poison-ball. Vichārōnī pāhe tyāsa — consider and see; na vaje jīve navhe nāsa — life doesn't go, no destruction. Tukā mhaṇe jō rusalā jīvā — Tukā says: one who has grown resentful at (his own) jīva; tayāsī Keśavā kāya chāle — to him, what does Keśava do.
What it means
A 3-verse observation by Tukārām on-the-warned-who-still-go-wrong.
The argument: Showing-the-way costs-nothing; the-stripped-one-still-goes-when-warned. Many-such-deceived-have-eaten-the-poison-ball when-told. Life-isn't-lost-by-showing — no-destruction-to-the-warner. But-to-one-who-has-grown-resentful-at-his-own-jīva — Keśava himself-can't-rescue.
★ The closing-observation is striking: Keśava-can't-help one-who-is-resentful-at-his-own-jīva. The bhakti-condition requires-the-bhakta-to-not-reject-his-own-life.
For someone today
Tukārām's observation. What is lost to (the one) who shows the way? — (To) the stripped-one who, warned, (still) goes. How many such (have been) deceived behind — they (still) eat the poison-ball when told? Consider and see — life doesn't go-away (with the showing); there is no destruction. To one who has grown resentful at (his own) life — what does Keśava do? The verse permits the bhakti-recognition: the-warner-loses-nothing; the-self-resentful-can't-be-helped-even-by-Keśava.
Where this applies
- Tukārām's those-who-reject-warning-and-eat-poison observation
- Self-resentful-not-helped-by-Keśava striking-claim