Abhanga 333

This abhang names the both-sides-trap:

The verse

Literal translation

What it means

A short both-sides-trap abhang. Three claims:

1. एक नेणतां नाडली — एकां जाणिवेची भुली — one ruined by not-knowing; one by knowing-delusion. The two failure-modes. Not-knowing (= ignorance) — ruins (compare 305 bad-sañcita prevents reception). Jāṇīvē-ī bhulī — the delusion-that-comes-with-knowing — also ruins. Both poles fail. (Compare 243 jāṇa-paṇa creates antarāya.)

2. बोलों नेणें मुकें — वेडें वाचाळ काय निकें — knows-not-to-speak — silent; mad-chatterer — what good? The speech-side parallel. The silent who doesn't-know-to-speak — is mute. The mad-chatterer (vēḍē-vācāḷa) — what good is that? (Compare 289 bahu-tomḍē-vācāḷa-mūla-laṭikēm.) Both speech-modes fail too.

3. दोहीं सवा नाड — विहीर एकीकडे आड — both-sides nāḍa — well one side, ditch other. The image. Both sides have failure. One side is a vihīra (deep-well — falling-in is fatal); other side is an āḍa (a pond / ditch — another type of falling-in). Both falls happen; the path is between, not on either side*.

4. तुका म्हणे कर्म — तुझें कळों नेदी वर्म — Tuka says: karma — does not let the varma be known. The closing-claim. (Your) karma does not let the varma (secret-key) be known. Karma-conditions block the varma-revelation. (Reading: the karma-state determines whether the varma is accessible; in the both-sides-trap state, the varma is hidden by karma.)

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the both-sides-trap:

1. Two failure-modes: not-knowing and knowing-delusion. Eka neṇatā nāḍalī — ekā jāṇīvē-ī bhulī. Pure ignorance fails; but so does knowing-with-delusion. The binary is not knowledge-vs-ignorance; both poles can fail.

2. Two speech-modes: silent-ignorant and mad-chatterer. Silent-but-not-knowing-what-to-say fails; mad-chatterer with words also fails. The binary is not speech-vs-silence; both can fail.

3. Path is between the well and the ditch. Vihīra one side, āḍa other side. Both falls are real. Walk the middle. (This is not Buddhist-middle-path doctrine specifically; it is Tukaram's recognition that the path-is-narrow with falls on both sides.)

4. Karma blocks the varma-revelation. Karma tujhē kaḷō nēdī varma. Your karma-state determines varma-access. In the both-sides-trap, the varma is hidden by karma. (Compare 305 bad-sañcita prevents reception; the karma is the blocking-mechanism.)

For today: recognize that knowledge alone doesn't save (jāṇīvē-bhulī); ignorance alone doesn't save (neṇatā); recognize that mad-chatter and silent-ignorance both fail; walk the middle; trust that the karma-state can be transformed (compare 320 barā kuṇabī kelōm — saved from the dambha-trap).

This abhang is important for both-sides-recognition: don't think you're safe by-default in either knowledge-or-ignorance; both have traps; the varma is hidden by karma. The cure is the bhakta-path that transforms the karma-state*.

मराठी: ही ओवी both-sides-trap नाव सांगते:

1. दोन failure-modes: not-knowing आणि knowing-delusion. एक नेणतां नाडली — एकां जाणिवेची भुली. Pure ignorance fails; पण knowing-with-delusion पण fails. Binary knowledge-vs-ignorance नाही; दोन्ही poles fail होऊ शकतात.

2. दोन speech-modes: silent-ignorant आणि mad-chatterer. Silent-but-not-knowing-what-to-say fails; mad-chatterer with words पण fails. Binary speech-vs-silence नाही; दोन्ही fail होऊ शकतात.

3. Path well आणि ditch च्या मध्ये. विहीर एकीकडे, आड दुसरीकडे. दोन्ही falls real. Middle चाला.

4. Karma varma-revelation block करतं. कर्म तुझें कळों नेदी वर्म. तुमची karma-state varma-access determine करते. Both-sides-trap मध्ये, varma karma ने hidden.

आज: फक्त knowledge वाचवत नाही (jāṇīvē-bhulī); फक्त ignorance वाचवत नाही (neṇatā) ओळखा; mad-chatter आणि silent-ignorance दोन्ही fail होतात ओळखा; middle चाला; karma-state transform होऊ शकते trust करा.

ही ओवी both-sides-recognition साठी महत्त्वाची: knowledge-or-ignorance मध्ये by-default safe नाही; दोन्हीला traps; varma karma ने hidden. Cure bhakta-path जी karma-state transform करते.

Where this applies

• Two failure-modes: not-knowing and knowing-delusion.
• Two speech-modes: silent-ignorant and mad-chatterer.
• Walk the middle: well one side, ditch other.
• Karma blocks varma-revelation.

Related verses

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