संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 524 of 4582

Abhanga 524

English: Parāviyā-nārī — Rakhumāī-samāna — nēmūn from ṭhāyīmcē-cī.

When the bhakta refuses a tempting woman by calling her mother — and you have to recognize this register
When can't bear Your patana — don't speak that wicked vacana — and you accept this protective-stance
When the bhakta's biting-question: are men so few? — and you receive this rebuke

The verse

पराविया नारी रखुमाईसमान । हें गेलें नेमून ठायींचें चि ॥१॥ जाई वो तूं माते न करीं सायास । आम्ही विष्णुदास नव्हों तैसे ॥ध्रु.॥ न साहावें मज तुझें हें पतन । नको हें वचन दुष्ट वदों ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे तुज पाहिजे भ्रतार । तरी काय नर थोडे जाले ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: Parāviyā-nārī — Rakhumāī-samāna — nēmūn from ṭhāyīmcē-cī. Go, māte — don't make sāyāsa — we are not Viṣṇu-dāsa of that kind. I can't bear Your patana — don't speak duṣṭa vacana. Tuka says: you need bharatāra — are nara so few?

मराठी: पराविया नारी रखुमाईसमान — हें गेलें नेमून ठायींचें चि. जाई वो तूं माते — न करीं सायास — आम्ही विष्णुदास नव्हों तैसे. न साहावें मज तुझें हें पतन — नको हें वचन दुष्ट वदों. तुकाराम म्हणतां — तुज पाहिजे भ्रतार — तरी काय नर थोडे जाले?

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
पराविया नारी रखुमाईसमान "parāviyā-nārī — Rakhumāī-samāna"
हें गेलें नेमून ठायींचें चि "nēmūn — from ṭhāyīmcē-cī"
जाई वो तूं माते न करीं सायास "go, māte — don't make sāyāsa"
आम्ही विष्णुदास नव्हों तैसे "we — not Viṣṇu-dāsa of that kind"
न साहावें मज तुझें हें पतन "I can't bear — Your patana"
नको हें वचन दुष्ट वदों "don't speak — duṣṭa vacana"
तुज पाहिजे भ्रतार "you need — bharatāra"
तरी काय नर थोडे जाले "are nara — thōḍē (few)?"

What it means

A famous parāviyā-nārī-Rakhumāī-samāna abhang. The narrative-frame: a woman has approached Tukaram with seductive-intent; he rebuffs her by calling her mother and reminding her that other-men are plentiful if she needs a bharatāra. Four claims:

  1. पराविया नारी रखुमाईसमान — हें गेलें नेमून ठायींचें चि — parāviyā-nārī Rakhumāī-samāna — nēmūn from ṭhāyīmcē-cī. The opening-rule-claim: parāviyā-nārī (other-women, women-other-than-one's-own-wife) — Rakhumāī-samāna (equal-to-Rakhumāī, treated-as-Rakhumāī = Rukmiṇī, the consort-of-Viṣṇu, the divine-mother); this is nēmūn (settled, fixed) from the ṭhāyīmcē-cī (very-place, very-beginning). Other-women-as-mother-from-the-very-start. Foundational-rule.

  2. जाई वो तूं माते न करीं सायास — आम्ही विष्णुदास नव्हों तैसे — go, māte — don't make sāyāsa — we are not Viṣṇu-dāsa of that kind. The rebuff-claim: go, māte (mother); don't make sāyāsa (effort, attempt); we are not Viṣṇu-dāsa of that kind (= we are not the kind of Viṣṇu-bhakta who can be tempted). Calling-the-tempter-mother is the rebuff-strategy. We-are-not-that-kind*.

  3. न साहावें मज तुझें हें पतन — नको हें वचन दुष्ट वदों — I can't bear Your patana — don't speak duṣṭa vacana. The protective-rebuff-claim: I cannot sāhāvē (bear, tolerate) Your patana (fall, downfall, moral-fall); don't speak (vadōm) such duṣṭa vacana (wicked-words). I-can't-bear-your-fall — for-her-sake-not-mine. The bhakta is-protective-of-the-tempter-from-her-own-fall. (This is a remarkable-twist: the rebuff is framed as concern-for-her not for-him.)

  4. तुका म्हणे तुज पाहिजे भ्रतार — तरी काय नर थोडे जाले — Tuka says: you need bharatāra — are nara so few? The closing-biting-question: Tuka says: if you need a bharatāra (husband, partner); are nara (men, males) so thōḍē (few, scarce)? If-you-need-a-husband-find-one-elsewhere; men-are-not-scarce. The biting-rebuff: don't waste-effort-here.

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the parāviyā-nārī-Rakhumāī-don't-tempt register:

  1. Other-women are Rakhumāī-samāna* — settled from the start. Parāviyā-nārī Rakhumāī — nēmūn ṭhāyīmcē-cī. The brahmacarya-rule for the householder-bhakta: other-women are mother-figures, not objects-of-attraction. Foundational-rule, not-conditional*.

  2. Call the tempter mother*; we are not that kind. Jāī māte — Viṣṇu-dāsa nahī taisē. The rebuff strategy is to call the tempter mother; this re-codes the relationship. Self-identification as not-that-kind-of-bhakta*.

  3. Concern-for-her-fall, not for mine. Na sāhāvē tujhē patana — duṣṭa vacana nakō. The rebuff is framed as protection-of-her-from-her-own-fall. This is morally-superior-to-rejection-by-fear-of-own-fall. Don't-let-her-fall.

  4. If you need a bharatāra*, are men so few? Bharatāra pāhijē — nara thōḍē jālē? The biting-question: there are plenty of men; don't waste-effort-here. Direct-and-practical rebuff*.

For today: the brahmacarya-rule for the householder is parāviyā-nārī-Rakhumāī-samāna; foundational-not-conditional; call the tempter mother; re-code the relation; protect-her-from-her-own-fall, not yourself-from-fear; the practical-rebuff: men are plentiful, don't waste-effort.

This abhang is Tukaram's parāviyā-nārī-rule register — one of the most-cited Tukaram-pieces in Maharashtrian-moral-discourse. Compare 0522-523 strī-samga-nakō; same brahmacarya-register but here from the narrative-encounter-with-tempter angle. The Rakhumāī-samāna rule is the householder-bhakta's-foundational-stance.

मराठी: ही ओवी parāviyā-nārī-Rakhumāī-don't-tempt register नाव सांगते:

  1. Parāviyā-nārī Rakhumāī-samāna — ṭhāyīmcē-cī नेमून. पराविया नारी रखुमाई — नेमून ठायीं-च. Householder-bhakta साठी brahmacarya-rule: other-women mother-figures, attraction-objects नाही. Foundational-rule, conditional नाही*.

  2. Tempter ला mother* म्हणा; आम्ही त्या प्रकारचे नाही. जाई माते — विष्णुदास नव्हों तैसे. Rebuff strategy tempter ला mother म्हणणं; relationship re-code करतं. Not-that-kind-of-bhakta self-identification*.

  3. तिच्या patana साठी concern, माझ्यासाठी नाही. न साहावें तुझें पतन — दुष्ट वचन नको. Rebuff तिच्या-स्वतःच्या-fall पासून protection म्हणून framed. आपल्या-fall च्या-fear ने rejection पेक्षा morally-superior. तिला fall होऊ देऊ नका.

  4. Bharatāra हवा? — nara कमी झाले? भ्रतार पाहिजे — नर थोडे जाले? Biting-question: पुष्कळ men आहेत; इथे effort waste नका. Direct-and-practical rebuff*.

आज: Householder साठी brahmacarya-rule parāviyā-nārī-Rakhumāī-samāna; foundational-not-conditional; Tempter ला mother म्हणा; relation re-code करा; Self-fear ने नाही, तिच्या-fall पासून protect करा; Practical-rebuff: men पुष्कळ, effort waste नका.

Tukaram च-parāviyā-nārī-rule-register — Maharashtrian-moral-discourse मधल्या most-cited Tukaram-pieces पैकी एक. 0522-523 strī-samga-nakō compare; तीच brahmacarya-register पण इथे narrative-encounter-with-tempter angle ने. Rakhumāī-samāna rule householder-bhakta च foundational-stance.

Where this applies

Bhakti Mother / Family bond

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