Abhanga 229

This abhang names a boundary-warning register:

The verse

Literal translation

What it means

A band-warning abhang — Tukaram speaks as the band-leader (or as the deity speaking through Tukaram), warning intruders and the merely-curious. Five movements:

1. पाहा रे तमासा तुमचा येथें नव्हे लाग — your tamāśā doesn't have place here. Tamāśā — show, spectacle, fooling-around, entertainment-mode — is rejected from this band. The register is not entertainment.

2. देईन तो भाग आलियाचा बाहेरी — I'll give the share of what came from outside. The outsider's-portion is given outside. External-distribution-on-the-outside is what intruders get; the internal-circulation (compare 226) is for the real-comrades.

3. जागा रे गोपाळ नो — ठायीं ठायीं जागा — चाहुलीनें भागा दूर — be alert, gopāls, in places; by the cāhul (trace), go far. The band-discipline: alert in places. The cāhul (the audible trace, footstep-sound) is enough to get the band to go-far (= take protective-distance from intruders).

4. न रिघतां ठाव आम्हा — ठावा पाळतियां — भयाभीत वांयां — तेथें काय चांचपा — without entering, the place is known to us, the watchers; the fearful — what fearful-search for nothing? The protective-knowledge: we-the-watchers know the place without entering. The bhayābhīta (fear-frightened) need not cāñcapā (anxiously-search). The pāḷatī-knowledge eliminates the anxious-search.

5. तुका म्हणे हातां चडे जीवाचिये साटीं — मिटक्या देतां गोड मग लागतें शेवटीं — Tuka says: comes-into-hand at the jīva-cost; smacking-of-lips, sweet — then sticks at the end. The closing-claim:

6. The prize comes-into-hand only at the jīva (life)-cost. Free-prizes are not the kind.
7. The smacking-of-lips (= the casual-tasting) is sweet at first; then sticks at the end. The casual taste deceives; the post-taste shows the real cost. (= the tamāśā may seem fun-and-sweet at first; but at the end, it sticks — produces consequences.)

The compound-meaning: the band's prize is not for tamāśā-seekers; it requires jīva-cost. The casual-taste misleads the tamāśā-seekers; the real-prize requires the real-cost.

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names a boundary-warning register:

1. Tamāśā doesn't have place here. When you encounter a real bhakti-band, tamāśā-mode (entertainment, fooling-around, spectacle-curiosity) is not accepted. Don't bring tamāśā-mode to the band; the band will redirect you to outside.

2. External-portion to outsiders, internal-circulation to comrades. The band has two distributions: external (what is given to those-outside) and internal (one-to-one among comrades). Don't conflate them.

3. Cāhul-alertness — protective-distance. The band is alert at the trace-level. The intruder need not enter; the band knows them by trace and takes protective-distance. Don't expect to be detected only at full-entry; you are known by trace.

4. Fearful-search is unnecessary. Bhayābhīta vāyām — kāya cāñcapā? If you are fear-frightened, your anxious-searching is for nothing. The pāḷatī (the watcher) already knows. Stop the cāñcapā.

5. Real prize at jīva-cost; tamāśā is sweet-then-sticks. Hātām caḍē jīvāciye sāṭīm. The real-prize requires the jīva-cost — the cost of one's life. Free-prizes are not real. And casual-tasting is sweet at first but sticks at the end — produces post-tasting-consequences.

For today: when assessing whether to enter a real-band — recognize that tamāśā-mode is not accepted; the real prize requires jīva-cost; the casual-taste deceives. Either commit to jīva-cost or accept the external-portion.

मराठी: ही ओवी एक boundary-warning register नाव सांगते:

1. तमाशा-ला इथे जागा नाही. Real bhakti-band भेटला — तमाशा-mode (entertainment, fooling-around, spectacle-curiosity) accepted नाही. तमाशा-mode band मध्ये आणू नका; band तुम्हाला बाहेर redirect करेल.

2. बाहेरच्यांना external-portion, comrades ला internal-circulation. Band ला दोन distributions: external (बाहेरच्यांना दिलेलं) आणि internal (comrades मध्ये one-to-one). Conflate करू नका.

3. चाहुल-alertness — protective-distance. Band trace-level वर alert. Intruder ला enter करायची गरज नाही; band trace ने ओळखतं आणि protective-distance घेतं. Full-entry वरच detect होईल असं expect करू नका; trace-ने known आहात.

4. Fearful-search अनावश्यक. भयाभीत वांयां — काय चांचपा? तुम्ही fear-frightened — anxious-searching नाही-गरज. पाळतीला आधीच माहीत. Cāñcapā थांबवा.

5. Real prize jīva-cost; tamāśā sweet-then-sticks. हातां चडे जीवाचिये साटीं. Real-prize ला jīva-cost — जीवाची किंमत. Free-prizes real नाहीत. Casual-tasting आधी गोड पण शेवटी sticks — post-tasting-consequences produce करतं.

आज: real-band मध्ये enter करायचं का assess करताना — तमाशा-mode accepted नाही; real prize jīva-cost-गरजेचं; casual-taste deceive करतं — ओळखा. एकतर jīva-cost commit करा किंवा external-portion स्वीकारा.

Where this applies

• Tamāśā-mode rejected. Internal-circulation is not a show.
• Cāhul-alertness; pāḷatī knows by trace. No need for full-entry detection.
• Real prize at jīva-cost*; casual-taste sticks at the end.* Cost-axis distinction.

Related verses

• Abhanga 2374
• Abhanga 2377 — English: Gentle, sweet bāla-rūpa — that form from Kāḷī-time.
• Abhanga 2387
• Abhanga 2402