Abhanga 228
This abhang is a tactical-manual disguised in folk-game-imagery:
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
English: 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 is a tactical-manual disguised in folk-game-imagery:
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Look-both-ways always. Bilateral attention — what's behind, what's ahead — is foundational.
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Save the slipping-comrade — band over individual. When a comrade misses, the move is protect the band, not abandon the slipper or rescue-only-them. Rākhē gaḍiyāñsi — save the band-of-comrades.
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Bilateral-action with the daṇḍā. Turn at both ends, alert the comrades. Don't act one-directionally; alert in both directions.
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Assign and hold* roles. Whoever is released, in that place hold. No mid-game role-shuffling*. Stability of assignment is part of the discipline.
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Concede leadership against greater-strength. Tuja deṇē lāgē ḍōya. Pride that refuses to concede is a tactical-error. Sometimes the right-move is give the head for this round.
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New-house: make the steps; hold whoever is found. When entering new-territory, establish the steps (the foothold), and hold whoever is encountered. Don't rush past.
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Conquer-and-command — but don't dwell-in-the-trap. After winning, take command over others. But if you find yourself long-stuck-in-the-trap, the question is why. Tukā mhaṇē — gumtalāsī kāya azhūnī — Tuka says: still stuck, why?
For today: when navigating a strategic-game (work, relationship, project, community-management) — these tactical-rules apply. If you are long-stuck, the question is why — given that the rules are available.
मराठी: ही ओवी folk-game-imagery मध्ये tactical-manual आहे:
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नेहमी मागे-पुढे पाहा. Bilateral attention — मागे काय, पुढे काय — foundational.
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Slipping-comrade ला वाचवा — व्यक्तीपेक्षा band. Comrade miss झाला — हालचाल band protect करा, slipper abandon किंवा फक्त-त्याला-rescue नाही. राखे गडियांसि — band-of-comrades वाचवा.
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Daṇḍā दोन्ही टोकांनी bilateral-action. दोन्ही टोकांनी turn करा, comrades alert करा. एका-दिशेने act करू नका; दोन्ही दिशांना alert करा.
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Roles assign करा आणि hold* करा. जो release झाला, त्या ठिकाणी hold करा. Mid-game role-shuffling नाही*. Assignment-stability discipline चा भाग.
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Greater-strength विरुद्ध leadership concede करा. तुज देणें लागे डोय. Pride जो concede करायला नकार देतो — tactical-error. कधी कधी योग्य-हालचाल या round साठी head द्या.
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New-house: steps करा; जो सापडतो ती-ठिकाणी hold करा. New-territory मध्ये जाताना — steps (foothold) establish करा, आणि जो भेटेल त्याला hold करा. Rush past नाही.
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Conquer-and-command — पण trap-मध्ये dwell नका. Win नंतर — इतरांवर command. पण long-stuck-in-the-trap — प्रश्न का. तुका म्हणे — गुंतलासी काय अझूनी — Tuka म्हणतो: अजूनही stuck, का?
आज: strategic-game navigate करताना (work, relationship, project, community-management) — हे tactical-rules लागू. Long-stuck असाल — प्रश्न का — rules available असताना.
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.