संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 3442 of 4582

Abhanga 3442

Do not waste your warmth on people or things as unresponsive as stone or fire, and know that someone truly withdrawn from you has become as distant as the sky.

When you keep hurting yourself against someone or something that feels nothing in return.
When you get close to a person or situation that only burns you no matter how kindly you approach it.
When someone has gone completely silent and cold toward you and no effort of yours seems to reach them.

The verse

धोंडएासवें आदळितां फुटे डोकें । तों तों त्याच्या सुखें घामेजेना ॥१॥ इंगळासी सन्निधान अतित्याईं । क्षेम देतां काईं सुख वाटे ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे आम्हांसवें जो रुसला । तयाचा अबोला आकाशासीं ॥३॥

Literal translation

Dhōnḍyāsavē āḍaḷitām phuṭe ḍōke — striking against stone, the head breaks; tōm tōm tyāñcyā sukhe ghāmejenā — but-it doesn't-sweat from-(your)-sukha. Ingaḷāsī sanniddhāna atityāīm — close-proximity to live-coal is ati-tyāīm; kṣema detām kāīm sukha vāṭe — does giving kṣema bring sukha. Tukā mhaṇe āmhāmsavē jō rusalā — Tukā says: one who is rusalā with us; tyāñcā abōlā ākāśāsīm — his abōlā is with the sky.

What it means

A short 3-verse social-observation by Tukārām.

The 3 images: 1. Stone-when-struck breaks-the-striker's-head, doesn't-sweat-from-your-sukha — stone is impassive 2. Live-coal-close-by: greeting-it brings-no-sukha (just-burns) 3. One-who-sulks-with-us, his-silence-is-with-the-sky (= absolute-rejection, no-relation-possible)

The teaching: don't-engage-with-stone-or-coal-types; the-truly-sulky-one is-as-distant-as-the-sky.

For someone today

Tukārām's social-observation. Striking against stone — the head breaks — but it doesn't sweat from (your) sukha. Close-proximity to live-coal is extreme excess; does giving greeting bring sukha (to it)? One who is sulky with us — his silence is with the sky. The verse permits the bhakti-realism: don't engage the impassive or the hostile.

मराठी: तुकारामांचे हे सामाजिक निरीक्षण आहे. दगडावर आपटले तर डोके फुटते — पण त्या दगडाला तुमच्या सुखाचा घाम फुटत नाही. निखाऱ्याजवळ जाणे हा अतिरेकच आहे; त्याला नमस्कार केला तरी काय सुख वाटणार? जो आपल्याशी रुसतो, त्याचे मौन आकाशाइतके दूर असते. जे उदासीन किंवा वैरभावाने वागतात, त्यांच्याशी वाद घालत बसू नये, हीच या अभंगाची शिकवण आहे.

Where this applies