Abhanga 3449
Tukārām's kathā-discipline: stillness in mind, flavour in speech, mutual hita.
The verse
काय दिवस गेले अवघे चि वर्हाडें । तें आलें सांकडें कथेमाजी ॥१॥
क्षण एके ठायीं मन स्थिर नाहीं । अराणूक कइं होईंल पुढें ॥ध्रु.॥
कथेचे विरसें दोषा मूळ होय । तरण उपाय कैचा माती ॥२॥
काय तें सांचवुनि उरलें हें मागें । घटिका एक संगें काय गेलें ॥३॥
ते चि वाणी येथें करा उजळणी । काढावी मथूनि शब्दरत्नें ॥४॥
तुका म्हणे हें चि बोलावया चाड । उभयतां नाड हित असे ॥५॥
Literal translation
Kāya divasa gele avaghe chi varhāḍe — what days went — all in vārhāḍa; te āle sānkaḍe kathemāji — the sānkaḍa came in kathā. Kṣaṇa eke ṭhāyī mana sthira nāhī — mind doesn't stay still even for one kṣaṇa; arāṇūka kaīm hōīla puḍhe — when will arāṇūka come ahead. Kathe virase dōṣā mūḷa hōya — by kathā-virasa, becomes root of dōṣa; taraṇa upāya kaichā mātī — what is the upāya of crossing. Kāya te sāmchavuni urale he māge — what saved-up remained behind; ghaṭikā eka samge kāya gele — not even one ghaṭikā went with. Te chi vāṇī yethe karā ujaḷaṇī — do ujaḷaṇī of the vāṇī; kāḍhāvī mathūnī śabda-ratne — extract śabda-ratnas by churning. Tukā mhaṇe he chi bōlāvayā chāḍa — Tukā says: for this-speaking is chāḍa; ubhayatām nāḍa hita ase — for mutuality, hita exists.
What it means
A 5-verse text on kathā-discipline: distraction-and-mind-wandering is virasa (flavourlessness), the mūḷa-of-dōṣa. Polish the vāṇī; extract śabda-ratnas (word-jewels) by churning. The mutual-engagement of speaker-and-listener brings hita.
For someone today
Tukārām's kathā-discipline: stillness in mind, flavour in speech, mutual hita.
Where this applies
- Tukārām's kathā-virasa-is-doṣa-root; polish-vāṇī observation
- Śabda-ratnas-by-mathaning canonical image