संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 4144 of 4582

Abhanga 4144

The energy someone finds for entertainment but not for what truly matters reveals their real priorities, and neglecting what matters has real consequences.

Tukārām's anti-kathā-shunner polemic
Companion to 3052/3053/3056/3057 anti-distorted-priorities cluster

The verse

क्षुधा तृषा कांहीं सर्वथा नावडे । पहावया धांवें कोल्हांटासी ॥१॥ कथेसी साक्षेपें पाचारिला जरी । म्हणे माझ्या घरीं कोणी नाहीं ॥ध्रु.॥ बलत्कारीं जरी आणिला कथेसी । निद्रा घे लोडेंसी टेंकूनियां ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे थुंका त्याच्या तोंडावरी । जातो यमपुरी भोगावया ॥३॥

Literal translation

Kṣudhā trṣā kāmhī sarvathā nāvaḍe — hunger-thirst doesn't bother at all; pahāvayā dhāve kōlhāṭāsī — runs to watch the kōlhāṭī. Kathēsī sākṣepe pāchāralā jarī — if called to kathā with effort; mhaṇe mājhyā gharīm kōṇī nāhī — says no one is at my home. Balatkārīm jarī āṇilā kathēsī — if brought to kathā by force; nidrā ghe lōḍemsī ṭenkūnīyām — sleeps leaning on cushion. Tukā mhaṇe thunkā tyāñcyā tōṇḍāvarī — jātō yama-purī bhōgāvayā — Tukā says: spit on face — goes-to-yama-purī to-bhōga.

What it means

Anti-kathā-shunner polemic. Companion to 3052/3053/3056/3057 anti-distorted-priorities cluster.

For someone today

Tukārām: runs-to-spectacle but-shuns-kathā — spit-on-face.

Where this applies