Abhanga 4537
Holding onto anger does not punish the one you are angry at, it only makes you miss out on the good that was already being offered to you.
The verse
दुःखी होती लोभें करावें तें काईं । उडतील गाईं म्हैसी आतां ॥१॥
आणीकही कांहीं होईंल अरष्टि । नायिके हा धीट सांगितलें ॥२॥
सांगों चला याच्या मायबापांपाशीं । निघाले घरासि देवा रागें ॥३॥
रागें काला देतां न घेती कवळ । टोकवी गोपाळ क्रोधियांसि ॥४॥
क्रोध देवावरि धरियेला राग । तुका म्हणे भाग न लभती ॥५॥
Literal translation
Duḥkhī-by-lōbha-what-to-do — cows-buffaloes-will-fly. More-trouble-will-come — bold-one-doesn't-listen-told. Let's-go-tell-his-māy-bāp — went-to-house-angry-with-Deva. Angry-Kāḷā-given — angry-ones-don't-take-kavaḷa — Lord-pokes-krōdhī-Gopāḷas. Anger-on-Deva-holding-rāga — Tukā: bhāga-don't-get.
What it means
A 5-verse yamak-bandha — the angry-gauḷīs' next-move. After-Lord-snatched-Indra's-bhāga, they-fear-cows-and-buffaloes-will-fly-(scatter) and-more-trouble-coming. They-go-to-tell Yashodā-Nanda (his-māy-bāp). The kāḷā-detail: when Kāḷā (the Gopāḷa-Kāḷā mixed-meal celebration-food) is offered, the angry-ones-refuse-the-morsel — Lord-pokes-them-(teasing). The closing-warning: anger-on-Deva, holding-rāga = bhāga-don't-get (you-don't-get-your-share-when-you-hold-anger-against-the-Lord). Pair with 4534 (preceding Indra-yajña-prevention preview), 4536 (preceding chain).
For someone today
Furious that Krishna snatched their offerings, the cowherds worry their cattle will scatter and more trouble will follow, and they march off to complain to his parents. But when the shared meal, the kala, is finally offered, the angry ones are too worked up to even take a bite, and Krishna simply teases them for it. Tukaram draws the plain lesson at the end: hold onto anger at the Lord, and you miss out on your own share of the good that was right in front of you. Staying angry does not punish the one you are angry at, it just costs you the meal you were offered.
मराठी: कृष्णाने त्यांचा नैवेद्य हिरावून घेतल्याने संतापलेले गवळी गुरे पांगतील आणि आणखी संकट येईल अशी काळजी करतात, आणि त्याच्या आईवडिलांकडे तक्रार करायला निघतात. पण जेव्हा शेवटी काला वाटला जातो, तेव्हा रागावलेले लोक इतके संतापलेले असतात की घासही घेत नाहीत, आणि कृष्ण त्यांची फक्त थट्टा करतो. तुकाराम शेवटी सरळ धडा देतात, देवावर राग धरून बसलात तर तुमच्या वाट्याचे जे चांगले समोर होते तेच तुम्ही गमावता. राग धरून राहणे समोरच्याला शिक्षा देत नाही, ते फक्त तुमच्या वाट्याचे जेवण हुकवते.
Where this applies
- When you are so angry that you refuse a good thing that is right in front of you
- When holding a grudge ends up costing you more than the person you are angry at
- When you complain about someone instead of accepting what they are actually offering
- When being teased about your anger makes you realize how pointless it has become