Abhanga 253
A deceiver's respect and warmth come first as an opening move, and their true false face shows itself only afterward, so words that stay on the tongue and never reach the heart are worth doubting.
The verse
तारतिम वरी तोंडा च पुरतें । अंतरा हें येतें अंतरीचें ॥१॥ ऐसी काय बरी दिसे ठकाठकी । दिसतें लौकिकीं सत्या ऐसें ॥ध्रु.॥ भोजनांत द्यावें विष कालवूनि । मोहचाळवणी मारावया ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे मैंद देखों नेदी कुडें । आदर चि पुढें सोंग दावी ॥३॥
Literal translation
Tāra-tima is enough only on the tongue; what is of-the-interior comes from the interior. How does this ṭhakāṭhakī look good? — looks-true-in-public-only. Mix poison in the food — moha-cāḷavaṇī to kill. Tuka says: the maind does not let the kūḍē be seen — first puts the ādara, then exposes the sōnga.
मराठी: तारतिम वरी तोंडा च पुरतें — अंतरा हें येतें अंतरीचें. ऐसी काय बरी दिसे ठकाठकी — दिसतें लौकिकीं सत्या ऐसें. भोजनांत द्यावें विष कालवूनि — मोहचाळवणी मारावया. तुकाराम म्हणतात — मैंद देखों नेदी कुडें — आदर चि पुढें सोंग दावी.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| तारतिम वरी तोंडा च पुरतें | "tāra-tima (sing-song / decoration) is enough only on the tongue" |
| अंतरा हें येतें अंतरीचें | "what is of-the-interior comes from the interior" |
| ऐसी काय बरी दिसे ठकाठकी | "how does thisṭhakāṭhakī (cheat-and-counter-cheat) look good?" |
| दिसतें लौकिकीं सत्या ऐसें | "looks true-as-such — only-in-public" |
| भोजनांत द्यावें विष कालवूनि | "mix poison in the food" |
| मोहचाळवणी मारावया | "moha-cāḷavaṇī (delusion-blandishment) to kill" |
| मैंद देखों नेदी कुडें | "the maind (deceiver) does not let the kūḍē (false) be seen" |
| आदर चि पुढें सोंग दावी | "first puts theādara(respect-show), then exposes thesōnga(mask)" |
What it means
A deception-exposure abhang. Four claims:
-
तारतिम वरी तोंडा च पुरतें — अंतरा हें येतें अंतरीचें — tāra-tima is enough only on the tongue; what is of-the-interior comes from the interior. The interior-exterior gap. Decorative-words on the tongue are only enough on the tongue; they do not reach the interior of the listener. What comes from the interior is what reaches the interior. (= the listener's interior is reached only by what comes from the speaker's interior; tongue-only words bounce off.)
-
ऐसी काय बरी दिसे ठकाठकी — दिसतें लौकिकीं सत्या ऐसें — how does this ṭhakāṭhakī look good? — looks-true-as-such only-in-public. The cheat-and-counter-cheat dynamic (ṭhakāṭhakī — both sides cheating each other) looks-true only in public; in private / interior, it does not look good.
-
भोजनांत द्यावें विष कालवूनि — मोहचाळवणी मारावया — mix poison in the food — moha-cāḷavaṇī to kill. The deceiver's standard-method: poison-in-food, delusion-as-blandishment. The deceiver does not openly attack; he poisons through the welcoming-mode.
-
तुका म्हणे मैंद देखों नेदी कुडें — आदर चि पुढें सोंग दावी — the maind does not let the kūḍē be seen — first puts the ādara, then exposes the sōnga. The closing-exposure. The deceiver's sequence is precise:
- First: ādara (respect-show, welcome, deference, honor-display)
- Second: sōnga (the mask / disguise / fake-role) is exposed
- The deceiver uses the first to enable the second. The respect-show is not the actual respect; it is the opening-move in the deception-sequence.
[T]
For someone today
This abhang names the deceiver's standard pattern. Flattering, decorative words that only sit on the tongue never actually reach another person's heart — real connection only comes from what genuinely comes from within. Something that looks true only when everyone is watching, but doesn't hold up in private, is not truth at all, just performance. A deceiver rarely attacks openly; instead they offer a warm welcome laced with hidden poison, luring you in through flattery before striking. Tuka points out the sequence to watch for: respect and warmth come first as the opening move, and only afterward does the mask slip and the true, false face show itself — so be wary of anyone whose kindness never seems to reach past the surface.
मराठी: ही ओवी फसवणूक करणाऱ्याचा ठरलेला पॅटर्न सांगते. निव्वळ जिभेवर राहणारे गोड, सजवलेले शब्द दुसऱ्याच्या मनापर्यंत कधीच पोहोचत नाहीत — खरी जवळीक फक्त अंतःकरणातून येणाऱ्या गोष्टीतूनच घडते. जी गोष्ट फक्त सगळे पाहत असताना खरी वाटते, पण खासगीत टिकत नाही, ती खरी नसतेच, तो केवळ देखावा असतो. फसवणारा उघडपणे हल्ला क्वचितच करतो; तो आधी उबदार स्वागत करतो आणि त्यात लपवलेलं विष मिसळतो, गोड बोलून आधी मोहात पाडतो आणि मग वार करतो. तुकाराम सांगतात तो क्रम असा असतो — आधी आदर आणि उबदारपणा दाखवला जातो, आणि नंतरच खरा, खोटा चेहरा उघड होतो — त्यामुळे ज्याचा प्रेमळपणा नेहमी पृष्ठभागापुरताच राहतो, त्याच्याबद्दल सावध राहा.
Where this applies
- Decorative-words don't reach the interior. Tongue-only.
- Public-only-truth-appearance. Check private.
- Welcoming-blandishment with hidden-poison. मोह-चाळवणी मारावया.
- Sequence: ādara-first, sōnga-exposed. Deceiver's pattern.