Abhanga 3900
The verse
मोलाचें आयुष्य वेचुनियां जाय । पूर्वपुण्यें होय लाभ याचा ॥१॥
अनंतजन्मींचे शेवट पाहतां । नर देह हातां आला तुझ्या ॥ध्रु.॥
कराल ते जोडी येईंल कार्यासी । ध्यावें विठ्ठलासी सुखालागीं ॥२॥
सांचलिया धन होईंल ठेवणें । तैसा नारायण जोडी करा ॥३॥
करा हरिभक्ती परलोकीं ये कामा । सोडवील यमापासोनियां ॥४॥
तुका म्हणे करा आयुष्याचें मोल । नका वेचूं बोल नामेंविण ॥५॥
Literal translation
Mōlāchē-āyuṣya-passes — pūrva-puṇya-gives-lābha. End-of-ananta-janmas — nara-deha-came-to-your-hand. Jōḍī-comes-to-use — meditate-Viṭṭhal-for-sukha. Sānchaliyā-dhana-becomes-ṭhēvaṇē — earn-Nārāyaṇa-like-that. Hari-bhakti — useful-in-paraloka — releases-from-Yama. Tukā: make-mōla-of-āyuṣya — don't-spend-word-without-Name.
What it means
★★ THE canonical 5-verse precious-life text. The valuable-life passes, being spent; its gain comes by past-puṇya. Looking at the end of countless births — this human-body has come into your hand. The earning you do will come to use — meditate on Viṭṭhal for joy. As accumulated wealth becomes a savings, so earn Nārāyaṇa. Do Hari-bhakti — it will be useful in the other-world; it will release you from Yama. Make the value of your life — don't spend a single word without the Name. The structural argument: (a) life is precious — (b) human-birth is rare — (c) treat bhakti as savings — (d) it's the only thing useful in death — (e) so don't spend a word without it. Foundational mortality + precious-life Vārkarī text. Pair with 2797 (Kāḷa-grāsāvayā-mortality-warning), 2884 (māpārī-mortality), 3823 (langōṭi-gōvarī mortality).
For someone today
Tukārām: this-rare-human-life-came-after-countless-births — make-its-value-by-Hari-bhakti — don't-spend-a-word-without-the-Name.
Where this applies
- ★★ Tukārām's valuable-life-rare-nara-deha-do-Hari-bhakti canonical
- don't-spend-word-without-Name economy-of-speech imperative
- Pair with 2797, 2884, 3823 — mortality cluster