संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 4238 of 4582

Abhanga 4238

A person who deceives and betrays those who trust him without any hesitation has wasted his birth, as if he never truly lived at all.

When you notice you have grown numb to your own wrongdoing instead of feeling any hesitation.
When greed tempts you to deceive people who trust and depend on you.
When you catch yourself excusing repeated dishonesty as no big deal.

The verse

कीविलवाणा जाला आतां । दोष करितां न विचारी ॥१॥ अभिळाषी नारी धन । झकवी जन लटिकें चि ॥ध्रु.॥ विश्वासिया करी घात । न धरी चित्ति कांटाळा ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे नाहीं आला । वृथा गेला जन्मासी ॥३॥

Literal translation

Kīvilavāṇā-wretched-now — doing-dōṣa-no-vichāra. Abhiḷāṣī-of-nārī-dhana — deceives-people-falsely. Harms-trustful — no-kāṇṭāḷā-in-chitti. Tukā: didn't-come — janma-in-vain.

What it means

A 3-verse anti-double-life text. He's become piteous-wretched; doesn't even consider doing sins. Covetous of woman and money, he deceives people falsely. He harms those who trust him; holds no reluctance in his heart. Tukā says: he didn't truly come — his birth was in vain. Pair with 4239 (don't-take-dāna-of-craver), 4201 (outer-show-vs-inner anti-hypocrisy).

For someone today

Tukaram describes a person who has become truly pitiful, someone who commits wrong without even pausing to think about it. Driven by greed for women and money, he deceives people with outright lies. Worst of all, he betrays the very people who trust him, and feels no hesitation or shame in his heart while doing it. Tukaram's harsh verdict is that such a person has not really lived at all, his birth has been wasted. The lesson is a caution against becoming numb to your own wrongdoing, especially betraying the trust of those who believe in you, because a life spent that way is a life spent for nothing.

मराठी: तुकाराम अशा माणसाचे वर्णन करतात जो खरोखर दयनीय बनला आहे, जो एक क्षणभरही विचार न करता चुकीचे कृत्य करतो. स्त्री आणि धनाच्या लोभाने प्रेरित होऊन तो निखालस खोटे बोलून लोकांना फसवतो. सर्वात वाईट म्हणजे, तो त्याच्यावर विश्वास ठेवणाऱ्या लोकांनाच फसवतो, आणि हे करताना त्याच्या मनात कोणताही संकोच किंवा लाज नसते. तुकारामांचा कठोर निर्णय असा आहे की असा माणूस खरोखर जगलाच नाही, त्याचा जन्म वाया गेला. स्वतःच्या चुकीच्या कृत्यांबद्दल बधीर होऊ नये, विशेषतः जे तुमच्यावर विश्वास ठेवतात त्यांचाच विश्वासघात करू नये, कारण असे आयुष्य फुकट गेलेले असते हाच यातील बोध आहे.

Where this applies

Related verses