Abhanga 138
An unfaithful man's brother-in-law won't trust him alone with his own wife. The thief constantly assumes everyone else is a thief too. Tuka says: whatever feeling lives in the heart — that is how (others) appear.
The verse
शिंदळा साल्याचा नाहीं हा विश्वास । बाईल तो त्यास न विसंभे ॥१॥ दुष्ट बुद्धि चोरी करी निरंतर । तो म्हणे इतर लोक तैसे ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे जया चित्तीं जे वासना । तयाची भावना तयापरी ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: The philanderer's brother-in-law has no trust in him — does not leave his (own) wife alone with him. The wicked mind constantly commits theft (and) says: "other people are like that too." Tuka says: whatever vāsanā lives in the heart — perception (of others) is according to that.
मराठी: शिंदळ्या (व्यभिचारी) साल्याचा विश्वास नाही — स्वतःची बायल त्याजवळ ठेवत नाही. दुष्ट-बुद्धि सतत चोरी करते (आणि) म्हणते — इतर लोक तसेच. तुकाराम म्हणतात — चित्तात जी वासना — त्यानुसार त्याची दुसऱ्यांची भावना.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| शिंदळा साल्याचा नाहीं हा विश्वास | "the brother-in-law has no trust in the shindala (philanderer)" |
| बाईल तो त्यास न विसंभे | "he doesn't leave his (own) wife alone with him" |
| दुष्ट बुद्धि चोरी करी निरंतर | "the wicked mind constantly commits theft" |
| तो म्हणे इतर लोक तैसे | "he says: other people are like that too" |
| जया चित्तीं जे वासना | "whatever vāsanā (latent disposition) lives in the heart" |
| तयाची भावना तयापरी | "(his) perception (of others) is according to that" |
What it means
A short projection-principle abhang. Two precise images: (1) the philanderer's relations know better than to trust him with their wife — because his pattern is observable. (2) The thief assumes everyone is a thief — because his own gut-register is theft; he has no other reference for what people are like. The structural law: जया चित्तीं जे वासना, तयाची भावना तयापरी — whatever vāsanā in the heart — perception of others is according to that. The world is read through one's own pattern. [T]
For someone today
This abhang offers two diagnostics:
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Reading others through their suspicions. The person who constantly suspects infidelity, theft, betrayal, exploitation — usually knows them as available patterns in himself. The suspicion is data about the suspector, not the suspected. (Cautious: this is a heuristic, not a verdict; victims of actual betrayal also have realistic suspicions.)
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Reading yourself through your baseline assumption. What do you assume people are like by default? They are after my money. They are using me. They will leave when convenient. The assumption is also data — about you. जयाची भावना तयापरी. The cure is not forced positivity; it is examining the gut-register and finding what's producing the projection.
मराठी: ही ओवी दोन diagnostics देते:
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इतरांची संशयांद्वारे ओळख. जो माणूस सतत infidelity, theft, betrayal, exploitation बद्दल संशय करतो — सहसा त्याच्यातच ते patterns उपलब्ध असतात. संशय suspector बद्दलची data, suspected बद्दलची नाही. (काळजी: हा heuristic, verdict नाही; खऱ्या betrayal च्या victims ला realistic संशय असू शकतात.)
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स्वतःची baseline गृहीतकाद्वारे ओळख. डीफॉल्टने तुम्ही लोकांना कसे गृहीत धरता? ते माझ्या पैशांच्या मागे आहेत. ते मला वापरतात. सोयीचं असेल तेव्हा सोडतील. गृहीतक देखील data — तुमच्याबद्दलची. जयाची भावना तयापरी. उपाय forced positivity नाही — gut-register परीक्षण — projection कशामुळे होतंय शोधणं.
Where this applies
- Constant suspicion of infidelity/theft/betrayal. Projection-data.
- Your own baseline-assumption. Read yourself through it.
- Evaluating someone's character. What they fear in others.