Abhanga 463
Don't preach devotion you don't practice yourself, and don't wear the outer look of a devotee while nothing inside has changed; commit to bhakti fully with a pure heart, or don't pretend at all.
The verse
आणिकां उपदेशूं नेणें नाचों आपण । मुंढा वांयां मारगेली वांयां हांसे जन ॥१॥ तैसा नव्हे चाळा आवरीं मन डोळा । पुढिलांच्या कळा कवतुक जाणोनी ॥ध्रु.॥ बाहिरल्या वेषें आंत जसें तसें । झाकलें तों बरें पोट भरे तेणें मिसें ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे केला तरी करीं शुद्ध भाव । नाहीं तरी जासी वांयां हा ना तोसा ठाव ॥३॥
Literal translation
Knows to counsel others — doesn't dance himself — mumḍhā goes vain — vāyam hāsē jana. Not such cāḷā — control mana and ḍoḷā — knowing others' kaḷā kautuka. Outer-veśa — inside as it is — covered, well — belly fills through that misa. Tuka says: if you do — do śuddha-bhāva — else go in vain — neither this nor that ṭhāva.
मराठी: आणिकां उपदेशूं नेणें नाचों आपण — मुंढा वांयां मारगेली — वांयां हांसे जन. तैसा नव्हे चाळा — आवरीं मन डोळा — पुढिलांच्या कळा कवतुक जाणोनी. बाहिरल्या वेषें आंत जसें तसें — झाकलें तों बरें — पोट भरे तेणें मिसें. तुकाराम म्हणतां — केला तरी करीं शुद्ध भाव — नाहीं तरी जासी वांयां — हा ना तोसा ठाव.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| आणिकां उपदेशूं नेणें नाचों आपण | "knows to counsel others — doesn't dance himself" |
| मुंढा वांयां मारगेली वांयां हांसे जन | "mumḍhā — goes vain — people laugh vain" |
| तैसा नव्हे चाळा | "not such cāḷā" |
| आवरीं मन डोळा | "control mana and ḍoḷā" |
| पुढिलांच्या कळा कवतुक जाणोनी | "knowing others' kaḷā kautuka" |
| बाहिरल्या वेषें आंत जसें तसें | "outer veśa — inside as it is" |
| झाकलें तों बरें | "covered — well" |
| पोट भरे तेणें मिसें | "belly fills through that misa" |
| केला तरी करीं शुद्ध भाव | "if you do — do śuddha-bhāva" |
| नाहीं तरी जासी वांयां | "else go in vain" |
| हा ना तोसा ठाव | "neither this nor that ṭhāva" |
What it means
A don't-counsel-without-dancing-yourself / anti-bāhirla-veśa abhang. Counterpoint within the women-bhakta-dance cluster (462-466). Three claims:
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आणिकां उपदेशूं नेणें नाचों आपण — मुंढा वांयां मारगेली — वांयां हांसे जन — counsel others, don't dance self — mumḍhā goes vain — vāyam hāsē jana. The opening-warning: the one who knows-to-counsel-others-but-doesn't-dance-himself — themumḍhā(silent-fool / mendicant who only-mutters) goes in vain;people laugh in vain at him.Counsel-without-practice = mockery.
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तैसा नव्हे चाळा — आवरीं मन डोळा — पुढिलांच्या कळा कवतुक जाणोनी — not such cāḷā — control mana-ḍoḷā — knowing others' kaḷā kautuka. The self-control rule: not such tricks; control yourmanaandḍoḷā(eye); whileknowingthekaḷā(skill) andkautuka(wonder) of others. Internal-control while observing externally.
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बाहिरल्या वेषें आंत जसें तसें — झाकलें तों बरें — पोट भरे तेणें मिसें — outer veśa — inside as it is — covered, well — belly fills through that misa. The outer-disguise diagnosis: outer-form (bhakta-veśa); inside as it is (= unchanged); as long as it's covered, it's well — the belly fills through that pretext. The outer-form is just a belly-filling pretext. (Critique of false-bhakta-mendicants.)
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तुका म्हणे केला तरी करीं शुद्ध भाव — नाहीं तरी जासी वांयां हा ना तोसा ठाव — Tuka says: if you do — do śuddha-bhāva — else go in vain — neither this nor that ṭhāva. The closing-rule: if you take up bhakti-form, do it withśuddha-bhāva(pure-stance); else you'll go in vain —hā nā tōsā ṭhāva(neither here nor there, no place). Either-pure-bhāva-or-no-place.
[T]
For someone today
Tukaram warns against advising others to dance in devotion while never dancing yourself; that kind of preaching without practice makes people laugh at you, and rightly so. Watch your own mind and eyes, even as you notice and admire the skill and wonder in others' devotion. Wearing the outer look of a devotee while nothing has changed inside is just a costume that fills your belly through pretense, not real bhakti. Either commit to bhakti with a pure, whole heart, or don't bother pretending, because half-hearted devotion leaves you with no real place at all.
मराठी: इतरांना भक्तीत नाचायचा उपदेश द्यायचा आणि स्वतः मात्र न नाचायचं, असं तुकाराम टाळायला सांगतात; आचरणाशिवाय केलेला उपदेश लोकांच्या हसण्याला कारण बनतो, आणि ते योग्यच आहे. स्वतःचं मन आणि डोळे आवरा, तरीही इतरांच्या भक्तीतली कला आणि अद्भुतता ओळखा आणि तिचं कौतुक करा. आतून काहीच न बदलता फक्त बाहेरून भक्ताचा वेष घालणं म्हणजे पोट भरण्यासाठीचं एक निमित्त आहे, खरी भक्ती नाही. एकतर शुद्ध भावाने पूर्ण मनाने भक्ती करा, नाहीतर ढोंग करू नका, कारण अर्धवट भक्तीला कुठेच जागा नसते.
Where this applies
- Don't counsel without dancing. Anti-hypocrisy.
- Control mana-ḍoḷā observing externally. Internal-control.
- Bāhirla-veśa is belly-pretext. Anti-show.
- Śuddha-bhāva or no-place. Binary-rule.