Abhanga 472
Outward signs of holiness mean nothing without inner compassion, and naming hypocrisy honestly is not slander but necessary diagnosis.
The verse
माझें माझें म्हणोनियां । गुंतगुंतों मेलीं ॥१॥ नकों करूं बोल । गुरुविण मार्ग नाहीं । करिसी तें फोल ॥२॥ खाउनी जेउनि लेउनि नेसुनि । म्हणती आम्ही बर्या । साधु संत घरा आल्या । होती पाठमोर्या ॥३॥ वाचोनि पढोनि जाले शाहणे । म्हणती आम्ही संत । परनारी देखोनि त्यांचें । चंचळ जालें चित्त ॥४॥ टिळा टोपी घालुनि माळा । म्हणती आम्ही साधु । दयाधर्म चित्तीं नाहीं । ते जाणावे भोंदु ॥५॥ कलियुगीं घरोघरीं । संत जाले फार । वीतिभरी पोटासाठीं । हिंडती दारोदार ॥६॥ संत म्हणती केली निंदा । निंदा नव्हे भाई । तुका असे अनन्यें भावें शरण संतां पायीं ॥७॥ ॥११॥
Literal translation
My-my saying — entangling, died. Don't argue — without guru no mārga — what you do is fol. Eating, drinking, dressing, wearing — āmhī baryā; sādhu-samta come home — they turn back. Reading-studying — wise — āmhī samta — seeing para-nārī, citta cañcaḷa. Ṭiḷa-ṭopī-māḷā — āmhī sādhu — no dayā-dharma in citta — bhōmdu. Kaliyuga — every-house — saints many — vītī-belly — wander door-to-door. Saints say: he did nindā — not nindā, brother — Tuka in ananya-bhāva — śaraṇa at saints' feet.
मराठी: माझें माझें म्हणोनियां गुंतगुंतों मेलीं. नकों करूं बोल — गुरुविण मार्ग नाहीं — करिसी तें फोल. खाउनी जेउनि लेउनि नेसुनि — म्हणती आम्ही बर्या — साधु संत घरा आल्या होती पाठमोर्या. वाचोनि पढोनि जाले शाहणे — म्हणती आम्ही संत — परनारी देखोनि त्यांचें चंचळ जालें चित्त. टिळा टोपी घालुनि माळा — म्हणती आम्ही साधु — दयाधर्म चित्तीं नाहीं ते जाणावे भोंदु. कलियुगीं घरोघरीं संत जाले फार — वीतिभरी पोटासाठीं हिंडती दारोदार. तुकाराम म्हणतां — संत म्हणती केली निंदा — निंदा नव्हे भाई — तुका असे अनन्यें भावें शरण संतां पायीं.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| माझें माझें म्हणोनियां गुंतगुंतों मेलीं | "my-my saying — entangling-entangling died" |
| नकों करूं बोल गुरुविण मार्ग नाहीं | "don't argue — without guru no mārga" |
| करिसी तें फोल | "what you do is fol" |
| खाउनी जेउनि लेउनि नेसुनि | "eating, drinking, dressing, wearing" |
| म्हणती आम्ही बर्या | "they say āmhī baryā" |
| साधु संत घरा आल्या होती पाठमोर्या | "when sādhu-samta come home — they turn back" |
| वाचोनि पढोनि जाले शाहणे म्हणती आम्ही संत | "reading-studying, wise — they say āmhī samta" |
| परनारी देखोनि त्यांचें चंचळ जालें चित्त | "seeing para-nārī — their citta — cañcaḷa" |
| टिळा टोपी घालुनि माळा म्हणती आम्ही साधु | "ṭiḷa-ṭopī-māḷā wearing — they say āmhī sādhu" |
| दयाधर्म चित्तीं नाहीं ते जाणावे भोंदु | "no dayā-dharma in citta — bhōmdu know them" |
| कलियुगीं घरोघरीं संत जाले फार | "kaliyuga — every-house — saints many" |
| वीतिभरी पोटासाठीं हिंडती दारोदार | "vītī-belly — wander door-to-door" |
| संत म्हणती केली निंदा निंदा नव्हे भाई | "saints say: he did nindā — not nindā, brother" |
| तुका असे अनन्यें भावें शरण संतां पायीं | "Tuka is in ananya-bhāva — śaraṇa at saints' feet" |
What it means
A fake-saints-everywhere-not-nindā-but-diagnosis abhang. Closing ॥११॥ marks the end of an 11-abhang cluster (likely 462-472 the women-bhakta-dance + householder-fakery cluster). Six claims:
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माझें माझें म्हणोनियां — गुंतगुंतों मेलीं — my-my saying — entangling, died. The opening-diagnosis: the "my-my" possessive-mind has died from being entangled-and-entangled. Possessive-self the cause of inner-death.
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नकों करूं बोल — गुरुविण मार्ग नाहीं — करिसी तें फोल — don't argue — without guru no mārga — what you do is fol. The guru-required claim: don't argue this point; without a guru, there's nomārga(path); whatever you do (without guru) isfol(worthless). Guru-as-essential.
3-5. Three fake-saint-types:eating-drinking-dressing-and-saying-āmhī-baryā but turning-back when sādhu-samta come; reading-studying-and-saying-āmhī-samta but citta-cañcaḷa at para-nārī; ṭiḷa-ṭopī-māḷā-wearing-and-saying-āmhī-sādhu but no dayā-dharma — these are bhōmdu.Three diagnostic-types of fake-saints.
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कलियुगीं घरोघरीं — संत जाले फार — वीतिभरी पोटासाठीं हिंडती दारोदार — kaliyuga — every-house — saints many — vītī-belly — wander door-to-door. The kaliyuga-density-claim: inkaliyuga, saints have become many in every house; for thevītī-belly (small-belly = belly-fill), they wander door-to-door. Belly-driven-saints multiplied.
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संत म्हणती केली निंदा — निंदा नव्हे भाई — तुका असे अनन्यें भावें शरण संतां पायीं — saints say he did nindā — not nindā, brother — Tuka in ananya-bhāva at saints' feet. The closing-clarification: saints (= true saints) might think this isnindā(criticism); notnindā, brother; Tuka is inananya-bhāva(single-pointed) at the saints' feet (= true-saints, not the fake-ones critiqued). Diagnosis-not-nindā.
(Closing ॥११॥ marks 11-abhang cluster.)
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For someone today
This abhang names how easily people entangle and even quietly destroy themselves by clinging to 'mine, mine.' Tukaram insists that without a guru there is no real path, and whatever you do on your own, however impressive, comes to nothing. He then names three kinds of fake holiness: those who eat and dress well and call themselves good, yet turn their backs when real saints come to their door; those who read and study and call themselves saints, yet whose minds still wander at the sight of another's wife; and those who wear the marks of a holy man, the forehead-mark, the cap, the prayer-beads, yet have no real compassion in their hearts — these are frauds. In an age like this, saints have multiplied in every household, but most of them are only wandering door to door to fill their own bellies. Some may call this harsh judgment slander, but it isn't — Tukaram says he speaks this way with complete, single-minded devotion, kneeling at the feet of the true saints, not to tear anyone down but to see clearly.
मराठी: हा अभंग सांगतो की 'माझं माझं' म्हणत राहिल्याने माणूस कसा गुंतत जातो आणि आतून स्वतःलाच संपवत जातो. तुकाराम ठामपणे सांगतात की गुरूशिवाय खरा मार्ग नाही, आणि स्वतःच्या बळावर केलेलं काहीही, कितीही देखणं दिसलं तरी, निरर्थक ठरतं. मग ते तीन प्रकारच्या ढोंगी पवित्रतेची नावं सांगतात: जे चांगलं खातात-पितात-नेसतात आणि स्वतःला चांगले म्हणवतात, पण खरे साधुसंत घरी आले की पाठ फिरवतात; जे वाचून-अभ्यासून स्वतःला संत म्हणवतात, पण दुसऱ्याच्या बायकोला बघताच त्यांचं मन चंचळ होतं; आणि जे टिळा-टोपी-माळा घालून स्वतःला साधू म्हणवतात, पण ज्यांच्या मनात खरी दया-धर्म नसतो — हे सगळे ढोंगी आहेत. या काळात प्रत्येक घरात संत वाढले आहेत, पण त्यांच्यातले बहुतेक फक्त स्वतःचं पोट भरण्यासाठी दारोदार फिरतात. काहीजण याला निंदा म्हणतील, पण ती निंदा नाही — तुकाराम म्हणतात की ते हे सगळं पूर्ण, एकनिष्ठ भावाने, खऱ्या संतांच्या चरणी शरण जाऊन बोलत आहेत, कोणाला खाली पाडण्यासाठी नव्हे तर स्पष्टपणे बघण्यासाठी.
Where this applies
- My-my entangles-and-kills. Drop possessive-mind.
- Without guru, mārga nāhīm. Guru-essential.
- Three fake-saint-types. Diagnose.
- Kaliyuga's belly-driven density. Recognize.
- Diagnosis ≠ nindā. Critical-honesty.
- Ananya-bhāva at true-saints' feet. Closing.