संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 253 of 4582

Abhanga 253

This abhang names the deceiver's standard-pattern:

When tāra-tima is on the tongue but not in the interior — and you have to recognize the gap

When the deceiver puts respect-show first, then exposes the mask — and you have to recognize the sequence

When poison is mixed in the food / blandishment is offered to kill — and you accept this register

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

English: 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 this ṭhakāṭhakī* (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 the ādara (respect-show), then exposes the sōnga (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:

Decorative-words don't reach the interior. Tāra-tima vari toṇḍā chi puratē. If someone is speaking decoratively but you sense no interior-reach, the words are tongue-only. They will not penetrate; don't let them.
Public-only-truth-appearance. Disate laukikīm satya aisēm. If something looks-true only in public but not in private / interior, the truth-appearance is performance, not reality. Check the private-form; if it doesn't match, the public-form is ṭhakāṭhakī.
Watch for poison-in-food. Bhojanāmta dyāvē viṣa kāḷavūnī. The deceiver does not openly attack; he offers welcoming-blandishment with poison mixed in. Moha-cāḷavaṇī — delusion-blandishment — is the welcoming-poison. Watch for welcoming-modes that produce moha; they may be the poison-mode.
Sequence-recognition: ādara first, then sōnga-exposed*. This is the diagnostic-key. The deceiver's first-move is the ādara (respect-show). The exposure of the sōnga (mask) follows. If you have been receiving ādara from someone and the sōnga has been exposed afterward, recognize this as the deceiver's pattern. The ādara was the opening-move, not the honor*.

For today: when assessing whether someone is genuine or a deceiver, check: do their decorative-words reach the interior, or only the tongue? Does their truth-appearance hold in private as in public? Are they offering welcoming-blandishment with hidden-poison? Does the ādara-first / sōnga-exposed sequence apply?

The anti-deceiver-discernment is part of the bhakti-vivekā. (Compare 0105's take/leave discrimination.)

मराठी: ही ओवी deceiver चं standard-pattern नाव सांगते:

Decorative-words interior-ला पोहोचत नाहीत. तारतिम वरी तोंडा च पुरतें. कोणी decorative बोलत असेल पण तुम्हाला interior-reach नाही जाणवत असेल — words tongue-only. Penetrate होणार नाहीत; होऊ देऊ नका.
Public-only-truth-appearance. दिसतें लौकिकीं सत्या ऐसें. काही गोष्ट फक्त public मध्ये true दिसत असेल पण private / interior मध्ये नाही — truth-appearance performance, reality नाही. Private-form check करा; match होत नसेल — public-form ṭhakāṭhakī.
Poison-in-food साठी सावध. भोजनांत द्यावें विष कालवूनि. Deceiver openly attack करत नाही; welcoming-blandishment offer करतो poison mixed सह. Moha-cāḷavaṇī — delusion-blandishment — welcoming-poison. Welcoming-modes जे moha produce करतात त्या poison-mode असू शकतात.
Sequence-recognition: आदर first, मग सोंग-exposed*. Diagnostic-key. Deceiver चा first-move आदर (respect-show). सोंग (mask) चं exposure नंतर. कोणाकडून आदर मिळत आहे आणि नंतर सोंग exposed — deceiver pattern ओळखा. आदर opening-move होता, honor नाही*.

आज: कोणी genuine आहे की deceiver assess करताना — check करा: त्यांचे decorative-words interior-ला पोहोचतात की फक्त tongue? Truth-appearance private मध्ये public-सारखं hold होतं का? Welcoming-blandishment hidden-poison सह offer होतंय का? Ādara-first / sōnga-exposed sequence लागू होतो का?

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.