Abhanga 228
Practical wisdom, like looking both ways, protecting the group, and knowing when to concede, is available to you, so if you're still stuck, ask honestly why.
The verse
मागें पुढें पाहें सांभाळूनि दोनी ठाय । चुकावूनि जाय गडी राखे गडियांसि ॥१॥ मुरडे दंडा दोहीं तोंडें गडियां सावध करी । भेटतियासंगे तया हाल तुजवरी ॥ध्रु.॥ गडियां गडी वांटुनि देई । ज्याचा सोडी तेचि ठायीं ॥२॥ अगळ्या बळें करील काय । तुज देणें लागे डोय ॥३॥ नवां घरीं पाउला करीं । सांपडे तो तेथें धरीं ॥४॥ जिंकोनि डाव करीं । टाहो सत्ता आणिकांवरी ॥५॥ सांपडोनि डाईं बहु । काळ गुंतलासी ॥६॥ बळिया गडी फळी । फोडी न धरितां त्यांसी ॥७॥ चुकांडी जो खाय मिळोनि अंगीं जाय । गुंतलासी काय तुका म्हणे अझूनी ॥८॥
Literal translation
Look back-and-forth — manage the two places; the comrade who slips — save the comrades. Turn the daṇḍā at both ends — alert the comrades; with the meeting — the round (falls) on you. Distribute the comrades to comrades; whose (one) is released — in that place hold. With greater strength — what will (he) do? — you must give the head (if needed). In the new-house — make the steps; whoever is found — hold there. Conquer the turn — cry-out command over others. Caught in the trap — much time you have been stuck. The strong comrade breaks the formation — without holding them. Whoever escapes — joins (back) on (your) body. Tuka says: still stuck — why?
मराठी: मागें पुढें पाहें — सांभाळूनि दोनी ठाय — चुकावूनि जाय गडी — राखे गडियांसि. मुरडे दंडा दोहीं तोंडें — गडियां सावध करी — भेटतियासंगे तया हाल तुजवरी. गडियां गडी वांटुनि देई — ज्याचा सोडी तेचि ठायीं. अगळ्या बळें करील काय — तुज देणें लागे डोय. नवां घरीं पाउला करीं — सांपडे तो तेथें धरीं. जिंकोनि डाव करीं — टाहो सत्ता आणिकांवरी. सांपडोनि डाईं बहु काळ गुंतलासी. बळिया गडी फळी फोडी — न धरितां त्यांसी. चुकांडी जो खाय मिळोनि अंगीं जाय — गुंतलासी काय तुकाराम म्हणतात — अझूनी.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| मागें पुढें पाहें | "look back-and-forth" |
| सांभाळूनि दोनी ठाय | "managing the two places" |
| चुकावूनि जाय गडी राखे गडियांसि | "the comrade who slips — save the comrades" |
| मुरडे दंडा दोहीं तोंडें | "turn the daṇḍā (staff / arm) at both ends" |
| गडियां सावध करी | "alert the comrades" |
| भेटतियासंगे तया हाल तुजवरी | "with the meeting — the hāla (round) on you" |
| गडियां गडी वांटुनि देई | "distribute the comrades to comrades" |
| ज्याचा सोडी तेचि ठायीं | "whose (one) is released, in that place hold" |
| अगळ्या बळें करील काय | "with agaḷē (strange / greater) strength — what will (he) do?" |
| तुज देणें लागे डोय | "(if needed) you must give the ḍōya (head / leadership)" |
| नवां घरीं पाउला करीं | "in the new-house — make the pāulā (steps)" |
| सांपडे तो तेथें धरीं | "whoever is found — hold there" |
| जिंकोनि डाव करीं | "conquer the ḍāva (turn)" |
| टाहो सत्ता आणिकांवरी | "ṭāhō sattā (cry-out command) over others" |
| सांपडोनि डाईं बहु काळ गुंतलासी | "caught in the ḍāī (trap), much kāḷa (time) you have been stuck" |
| बळिया गडी फळी फोडी | "the strong comrade breaks the phaḷī (formation)" |
| न धरितां त्यांसी | "without holding them" |
| चुकांडी जो खाय मिळोनि अंगीं जाय | "whoever escapes — joins (back) on (your) body" |
| गुंतलासी काय तुका म्हणे अझूनी | "Tuka says — (you are) still stuck — why?" |
What it means
A long band-game tactical manual abhang. Eight tactical-rules in eight verses, building toward a final question. Five themes:
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Look-both-ways and manage two places (verse 1) — māgēm pudhēm pāhē, sāmbhāḷūnī dōnī ṭhāya. The first rule: bilateral attention. (Compare 174's māgēm pudhēm pāhē to jinkē — he-who-looks-both-ways wins.)
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Save the slipping-comrade (verse 1) — cukāvūnī jāya gaḍī, rākhē gaḍiyāñsi. The protection-rule: when a comrade slips (cukāvūnī = misses, slips, deviates), save the comrades (the band-as-whole, not just the slipping-individual). The band-protection takes precedence.
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Distribute the comrades; release-and-hold-in-place (verses 2-3) — gaḍiyām gaḍī vāṇṭuni deī; jyāchā soḍī tēci ṭhāyīm. The assignment-rule: distribute roles; whoever is released (= takes a particular sub-role) is held in that place. Don't shuffle mid-game.
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Greater-strength → give the head (verse 4) — agaḷyā baḷē karīla kāya, tuja deṇē lāgē ḍōya. When facing greater strength, give the head / leadership — i.e., concede leadership in this round if necessary. Pride is a tactical-error in band-games.
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Conquer-and-command (verse 5) — jinkonī ḍāva karī, ṭāhō sattā āṇikāmvarī. After conquering, take command over others. The win-cycle: win, command, hold the gains.
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Closing question (verses 6-8) — sāmpaḍoni ḍāī bahu kāḷa gumtalāsī... gumtalāsī kāya tukā mhaṇē azhūnī. You've been stuck-in-the-trap a long time... Tuka says: still stuck — why? The closing-question turns the tactical-manual into a self-examination: given all these rules, why are you still stuck?
The implication: the rules are available; if you are still stuck, the issue is not the unavailability of rules but some failure of application. [T]
For someone today
This abhang reads like a tactical manual dressed up as a folk game. Look both ways at once, minding what is behind you and what is ahead, and when someone in your group slips, protect the whole band rather than abandoning them or rescuing only them. Assign people their roles and let them hold that place instead of shuffling things mid-game, and when you meet someone stronger, don't let pride stop you from conceding leadership for that round. When you step into new ground, establish your footing first and hold on to whatever you gain rather than rushing past it. And after any victory, if you still find yourself stuck in the same trap, Tuka asks the honest question: since all these practical rules are available to you, why are you still stuck?
मराठी: ही ओवी एका लोकखेळाच्या रूपकातून सांगितलेला एक व्यूहरचनेचा धडा आहे. एकाच वेळी दोन्ही बाजूंकडे लक्ष द्या — मागे काय आहे आणि पुढे काय आहे. तुमच्या गटातला कोणी अडखळला किंवा घसरला, तर संपूर्ण गटाचं रक्षण करणं महत्त्वाचं आहे, फक्त त्या एका व्यक्तीला सोडून देणं किंवा फक्त त्यालाच वाचवणं नाही. प्रत्येकाला त्याची भूमिका द्या आणि ती त्याने टिकवावी, खेळाच्या मध्येच भूमिका बदलत बसू नये; आणि जेव्हा तुमच्यापेक्षा बलवान कुणी समोर येतो, तेव्हा अभिमानामुळे नेतृत्व सोडायला नकार देऊ नका — त्या फेरीपुरतं नेतृत्व सोडून द्या. नव्या प्रदेशात पाऊल ठेवताना आधी पाय रोवा आणि जे मिळवाल ते घट्ट धरून ठेवा, घाईघाईने पुढे जाऊ नका. आणि कोणताही विजय मिळाल्यानंतरही जर तुम्ही त्याच सापळ्यात अडकलेले राहिलात, तर तुकाराम प्रामाणिक प्रश्न विचारतात — एवढे व्यावहारिक नियम उपलब्ध असूनही, तुम्ही अजून का अडकलेले आहात?
Where this applies
- Look both ways. Save the slipping-comrade. Hold the assigned role.
- Concede leadership against greater-strength. Pride is tactical-error.
- Long-stuck — why? Closing self-question.