संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 439 of 4582

Abhanga 439

English: They make her viṭambana — to all prasiddha jana — without one beating, the wise — that one knows — sukha won't come.

When the bhakta is mocked but goes through it (with sharp ironic-voice) — and you have to recognize this register

When don't say my-anything; sleep your own sukha-place — and you accept this anti-attachment teaching

When the closing curse marō rāṇḍēcē sharpens the warning — and you receive this register

The verse

ते करिती तिची विटंबना । अवघ्या प्रसद्धि जना । एक न मारितां शाहाणा । तो जाणा सुख न पवे ॥१॥ हें चौघांच्या मुखें । मना आणावें सुखें । अवघीं चुकती दुःखें । खोटें बोला नरनारी ॥ध्रु.॥ म्हणोन न म्हणा माझें कांहीं । निजीं निजा सुखें ठायीं । यत्न होईल तई । चोराठायीं विश्वास ॥२॥ पांचांनीं दिधली हातीं । म्हणोनि न मनावी निश्चिती । परपुरुषीं होय रती । सुखगती ते पावे ॥३॥ येथें नांव काई । सांगसी तें ठायीं । मरो रांडेचें ॥४॥

Literal translation

English: They make her viṭambana — to all prasiddha jana — without one beating, the wise — that one knows — sukha won't come. From four mouths — bring sukha to mana — all duḥkhas end — speak khōṭa, nara-nārī. Therefore don't say māzhē — sleep at your own sukha-place — when prayatna comes — at cōrā-ṭhāyī trust. Given at the hand of pāñcā — therefore don't be niścintī — at para-puruṣa — rati — sukha-gati she gets. Here — name — what? — what you say — at the place — marō rāṇḍēcē.

मराठी: ते करिती तिची विटंबना — अवघ्या प्रसद्धि जना — एक न मारितां शाहाणा — तो जाणा सुख न पवे. हें चौघांच्या मुखें — मना आणावें सुखें — अवघीं चुकती दुःखें — खोटें बोला नरनारी. म्हणोन न म्हणा माझें कांहीं — निजीं निजा सुखें ठायीं — यत्न होईल तई — चोराठायीं विश्वास. पांचांनीं दिधली हातीं — म्हणोनि न मनावी निश्चिती — परपुरुषीं होय रती — सुखगती ते पावे. येथें नांव काई — सांगसी तें ठायीं — मरो रांडेचें.

Word-by-word gloss

Marathi	Meaning
ते करिती तिची विटंबना	"they make her viṭambana"
अवघ्या प्रसद्धि जना	"to all prasiddha jana"
एक न मारितां शाहाणा	"without one beating — the wise"
तो जाणा सुख न पवे	"that one knows — sukha won't come"
हें चौघांच्या मुखें मना आणावें सुखें	"from four mouths — bring sukha to mana"
अवघीं चुकती दुःखें	"all duḥkhas end"
खोटें बोला नरनारी	"speak khōṭa — nara-nārī"
म्हणोन न म्हणा माझें कांहीं	"therefore don't say māzhē"
निजीं निजा सुखें ठायीं	"sleep your own sukha-place"
यत्न होईल तई	"when prayatna comes"
चोराठायीं विश्वास	"trust at cōrā-ṭhāyī"
पांचांनीं दिधली हातीं	"given at the hand of pāñcā"
म्हणोनि न मनावी निश्चिती	"therefore don't be niścintī"
परपुरुषीं होय रती	"at para-puruṣa — rati"
सुखगती ते पावे	"sukha-gati she gets"
येथें नांव काई	"here — name — what?"
सांगसी तें ठायीं	"what you say at the place"
मरो रांडेचें	"die — that rāṇḍēcē"

What it means

A sharp ironic anti-paratantra-bhakti-warning abhang. The closing curse marō rāṇḍēcē — "die that low-woman" — is not literal-misogyny but Tukaram's harshest-mode rhetoric used as gravity-marker against a particular spiritual error. (Compare 0303 vyabhicāriṇī-mātā gravity-marker.) Five claims:

ते करिती तिची विटंबना — अवघ्या प्रसद्धि जना — एक न मारितां शाहाणा — तो जाणा सुख न पवे — they make her viṭambana — to prasiddha jana — without one beating, the wise — sukha won't come. The opening-image: they (the world) mock her; the wise know that without one stroke (= without going through the trial), sukha doesn't come. Trial-precedes-sukha rule.
हें चौघांच्या मुखें — मना आणावें सुखें — अवघीं चुकती दुःखें — खोटें बोला नरनारी — from four mouths — bring sukha to mana — all duḥkhas end — speak khōṭa, nara-nārī. The false-speech-as-protection claim: what comes from four mouths (others' speech), bring it to mind as sukha; all duḥkhas end; speak khōṭa (false), men and women. Don't take the others' speech literally; let it slide; speak strategic-falsehood when needed.
म्हणोन न म्हणा माझें कांहीं — निजीं निजा सुखें ठायीं — यत्न होईल तई — चोराठायीं विश्वास — don't say māzhē — sleep at your own sukha-place — when prayatna comes — at cōrā-ṭhāyī trust. The anti-mine-claim: don't say māzhē (mine) about anything; sleep at your own sukha-place; when prayatna comes (= when an action is to be done), cōrā-ṭhāyī viśvāsa (trust at the thief-place — i.e. trust the thief / ironic counsel). Don't claim possession; trust where trust seems impossible.
पांचांनीं दिधली हातीं — म्हणोनि न मनावी निश्चिती — परपुरुषीं होय रती — सुखगती ते पावे — given at the hand of pāñcā — don't be niścintī — at para-puruṣa, rati — sukha-gati she gets. The given-by-five claim: given at the hand of the pāñcā (five elders / panchayat); therefore don't be niścintī (carefree); (but) — at para-puruṣa (the Other / the Lord) — rati (delight) — sukha-gati she attains. (Note: para-puruṣa in mystical-bhakti = the Lord-as-the-other-Husband; the "adultery" image is allegorical for bhakti-with-the-Lord-beyond-one's-husband-of-samsāra. Compare 0383's khasama ahamkāra-dādulā.)
येथें नांव काई — सांगसी तें ठायीं — मरो रांडेचें — here name — what? — what you say at the place — die that rāṇḍēcē (low-woman). The closing-curse: here, what name (matters)? — what you say at the place (= the appearances) — die that rāṇḍēcē (low-woman). The curse-as-gravity-marker: let the appearance-of-low-woman die = let the world's-shaming-name be killed. The bhakta passes-through the world's-shaming-curse to reach the para-puruṣa.

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the bhakta-passes-through-shaming-to-reach-para-puruṣa register:

Without one beating, the wise know sukha* won't come. Ēka na māritām — sukha na pavē. Trial precedes the deepest sukha; don't expect bhakti-without-trial*.
Bring others' speech as sukha; speak khōṭa* when needed. Cauhāmcyā mukhē — sukhē — khōṭa bōlā. Take others' criticism without absorbing it; speak strategic-falsehood when needed (e.g., plausible-deniability protections). Don't be artless-with-the-world*.
Don't say māzhē about anything; trust at the cōrā-ṭhāyī*. Na mhaṇā māzhē — cōrā-ṭhāyī viśvāsa. Drop ownership-claims; paradoxically trust where trust seems impossible. (This is anti-attachment-and-trust-the-deva* combined.)
At the para-puruṣa, rati and sukha-gati* come. Para-puruṣīm rati — sukha-gati pāvē. The bhakti-with-the-Lord-as-other-Husband brings the deepest rati and sukha-gati. (The adultery-image is bhakti-allegorical — compare Mīrā leaving Mevāḍa-husband for Giridhara*.)
Let the world's-shaming-name die. Marō rāṇḍēcē. The world's-shaming-curse doesn't define the bhakta; let it die. Pass through it.

For today: trial precedes deep-sukha; don't absorb others' criticism, speak strategic-falsehood as needed; drop māzhē-claims; at the para-puruṣa the deepest rati comes; let the world's-shaming-name die.

This abhang is one of Tukaram's-sharpest in the para-puruṣa-bhakti-allegorical register — the adultery-image for bhakti-with-the-Lord-beyond-the-samsāra-husband. Compare 375 (don't call me śimḍaḷī) and 383 (khasama ahamkāra-dādulā); same allegorical-frame, harsher-rhetoric here.

मराठी: ही ओवी bhakta-passes-through-shaming-to-reach-para-puruṣa register नाव सांगते:

एक न मारितां — sukha* येणार नाही — wise जाणतात. एक न मारितां — सुख न पवे. Trial deep-sukha च्या आधी; Bhakti-without-trial expect नका*.
इतरांचं speech sukha म्हणून आणा; गरज असेल तेव्हा khōṭa* बोला. चौघांच्या मुखें — सुखें — खोटें बोला. Others' criticism absorb न करता घ्या; गरज असेल तेव्हा strategic-falsehood बोला (उदा., plausible-deniability protections). Artless-with-the-world नका*.
Māzhē काही म्हणू नका; cōrā-ṭhāyī विश्वास. न म्हणा माझें — चोराठायीं विश्वास. Ownership-claims drop करा; Paradoxically trust where trust seems impossible. (Anti-attachment-and-trust-the-deva* combined.)
Para-puruṣa कडे rati आणि sukha-gati येतात. परपुरुषीं रती — सुखगती पावे. Bhakti-with-the-Lord-as-other-Husband deepest rati आणि sukha-gati आणते. (Adultery-image bhakti-allegorical — Mīrā Mevāḍa-husband सोडून Giridhara* कडे compare.)
जगाचं shaming-name मरो. मरो रांडेचें. World's-shaming-curse bhakta ला define करत नाही; Let it die. Pass through.

आज: Trial deep-sukha आधी; Others' criticism absorb न करता घ्या, strategic-falsehood गरज असेल तेव्हा; Māzhē-claims drop करा; Para-puruṣa कडे deepest rati; जगाचं shaming-name मरो*.

Tukaram च्या para-puruṣa-bhakti-allegorical register मधल्या sharpest पैकी एक. Adultery-image — bhakti-with-the-Lord-beyond-the-samsāra-husband. 375 (don't call me śimḍaḷī) आणि 383 (khasama ahamkāra-dādulā) compare; same allegorical-frame, harsher-rhetoric here.

Where this applies

Trial-precedes-sukha. No-stroke, no-deep-sukha.
Others' speech as sukha; khōṭa when needed. Anti-absorption.
No māzhē; trust at cōrā-ṭhāyī. Anti-attachment-with-paradox.
Para-puruṣa gives rati-sukha-gati. Bhakti-allegorical.
Marō rāṇḍēcē. Curse-the-shaming-name.

Bhakti anti-paratantra-bhakti-irony