Abhanga 530
English: What ucita — does durbaḷa know?
The verse
उचित तें काय जाणावें दुर्बळें । थोरिवेचें काळें तोंड देवा ॥१॥ देतों हाका कोणी नाइकती द्वारीं । ओस कोणी घरीं नाहीं ऐसें ॥ध्रु.॥ आलिया अतीता शब्द समाधान । करितां वचन कायवेंचे॥२॥ तुका म्हणे तुम्हां साजे हें श्रीहरी । आम्ही निलाजिरीं नाहीं ऐसीं ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: What ucita — does durbaḷa know? — deva's thōrivā-face is blackened. I call hāka — none listens at the door — ōsa — ghara — no-one. If atīta comes — śabda samādhāna — vacana — what does it cost? Tuka says: this suits You, Śrīharī — we are nilājirī, aren't we?
मराठी: उचित तें काय जाणावें दुर्बळें — थोरिवेचें काळें तोंड देवा. देतों हाका कोणी नाइकती द्वारीं — ओस कोणी घरीं नाहीं ऐसें. आलिया अतीता शब्द समाधान — करितां वचन कायवेंचे?. तुकाराम म्हणतां — तुम्हां साजे हें श्रीहरी — आम्ही निलाजिरीं नाहीं ऐसीं?
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| उचित तें काय जाणावें दुर्बळें | "what ucita — durbaḷa know?" |
| थोरिवेचें काळें तोंड देवा | "deva's thōrivā — kāḷē tōmḍa" |
| देतों हाका कोणी नाइकती द्वारीं | "hākā — none listens — at door" |
| ओस कोणी घरीं नाहीं ऐसें | "ōsa — ghara — no-one" |
| आलिया अतीता शब्द समाधान | "atīta — śabda samādhāna" |
| करितां वचन कायवेंचे | "vacana — kāya vēmcē (what cost)?" |
| तुम्हां साजे हें श्रीहरी | "this suits You, Śrīharī" |
| आम्ही निलाजिरीं नाहीं ऐसीं | "we nilājirī — aren't we?" |
What it means
A call-but-no-answer-deva's-greatness-face-blackened abhang. Continued strong-protest register. Four claims:
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उचित तें काय जाणावें दुर्बळें — थोरिवेचें काळें तोंड देवा — what ucita does durbaḷa know? — deva's thōrivā face blackened. The opening-protest: what ucita (fitting, proper) does the durbaḷa (poor-one, weak-bhakta) know? (= I'm just a poor-one, I don't know what's-fitting; You should know better); but the deva's thōrivā (greatness) — its face is kāḷē (blackened, blackened-by-shame). Greatness-shamed-by-non-response. The kāḷē tōmḍa idiom: a face-blackened-with-shame is a face-publicly-disgraced.
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देतों हाका कोणी नाइकती द्वारीं — ओस कोणी घरीं नाहीं ऐसें — I call hāka — none listens at door — ōsa — ghara — no-one. The deserted-house-claim: I am giving hākā (calls); none listens (nāikatī) at the dvāra (door); as if the ghara (house) is ōsa (deserted, abandoned), no-one (in it). The deva's-house seems empty. Devastating-image-of-no-response.
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आलिया अतीता शब्द समाधान — करितां वचन कायवेंचे — if atīta comes — śabda samādhāna — what does vacana cost? The cost-claim: if an atīta (guest, traveler-arrived) comes — a śabda (word) of samādhāna (comfort, settlement) is given; what does the vacana (word) vēmcē (cost, spend)? Even-a-cheap-courtesy-isn't-given. Words-cost-nothing-but-aren't-given.
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तुका म्हणे तुम्हां साजे हें श्रीहरी — आम्ही निलाजिरीं नाहीं ऐसीं — Tuka says: this suits You, Śrīharī — we are nilājirī, aren't we? The closing-biting-irony: Tuka says: this sājē (suits, befits) You, Śrīharī; we are nilājirī (shameless), aren't we? The biting-irony: the shameless-bhakta keeps-calling even when ignored; this-state-of-affairs suits-You. Bhakta-calls-Himself-shameless to mirror-back the deva's-no-response. (The implication: Your-non-response only confirms my shamelessness; we-make-a-pair.)
[T]
For someone today
This abhang names the deserted-house-this-suits-You register:
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The durbaḷa doesn't know ucita; the deva's thōrivā* is shamed. Durbaḷa — ucita — thōrivā kāḷē tōmḍa. The bhakta's-poverty doesn't excuse the deva's-greatness from-responding; non-response shames-the-deva. Reputation-charge*.
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The ghara is ōsa*; no-one listens. Ōsa ghara — kōṇī nāhīm. The deva's-house seems deserted; the calls are unanswered. Devastating-image*.
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A vacana* of comfort costs nothing. Atīta — śabda samādhāna — vacana kāya vēmcē? Even basic-courtesy: a word-of-comfort to a guest costs-nothing; but isn't given. Cost-nothing-charge*.
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This suits You, Śrīharī* — we are shameless. Tumhā sājē — āmhī nilājirī. The biting-irony: the shameless-bhakta-and-the-non-responding-deva make-a-pair. Mutual-mockery as protest*.
For today: the durbaḷa-bhakta-doesn't-know-ucita-but-the-deva's-greatness-is-shamed-by-non-response; the ghara seems deserted; a vacana of comfort costs-nothing-but-isn't-given; the biting-irony: this-suits-You — we-are-shameless*.
This abhang is Tukaram's biting-irony-protest register — the kāḷē-tōmḍa-of-the-thōrivā image is striking; the deva's-greatness-itself is shamed by the non-response. Compare 0529 na-pusasī-phukā; same protest-register but here with the deserted-house image and the mutual-shameless-pairing irony. Tukaram's protest-style is precise: he charges the deva's-reputation, not just his-own-feelings.
मराठी: ही ओवी deserted-house-this-suits-You register नाव सांगते:
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Durbaḷa ucita कळत नाही; देवाची thōrivā शामलेली. दुर्बळ — उचित — थोरिवा काळें तोंड. Bhakta-poverty देवाच्या-greatness-ला respond करायपासून excuse करत नाही; non-response देवाला shame करतं. Reputation-charge*.
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Ghara ōsa; कोणी listens नाही. ओस घर — कोणी नाही. देवाचं-घर deserted वाटतं; calls unanswered. Devastating-image*.
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Vacana of comfort कोणताच cost नाही. अतीत — शब्द समाधान — वचन काय वेंचे? Basic-courtesy सुद्धा: guest ला word-of-comfort cost-नाही; पण दिलं जात नाही. Cost-nothing-charge*.
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हे You ला suit, Śrīharī* — आम्ही shameless. तुम्हां साजे — आम्ही निलाजिरीं. Biting-irony: shameless-bhakta-आणि-non-responding-देव pair-होतात. Mutual-mockery-as-protest*.
आज: Durbaḷa-bhakta ला ucita कळत नाही पण देवाची-greatness non-response ने shamed; Ghara deserted वाटतं; Vacana-of-comfort cost-nothing-पण-दिलं जात नाही; Biting-irony: हे-You-ला-suit — आम्ही-shameless*.
Tukaram च-biting-irony-protest-register — Kāḷē-tōmḍa-of-the-thōrivā image striking; देवाची-greatness स्वतः non-response ने shamed. 0529 na-pusasī-phukā compare; तीच protest-register पण इथे deserted-house image आणि mutual-shameless-pairing-irony. Tukaram च protest-style precise: देवाची-reputation charge करतो, फक्त self-feelings नाही.
Where this applies
- Thōrivā-face blackened. Reputation-charge.
- Ōsa ghara. Deserted-image.
- Vacana costs nothing. Cost-nothing-charge.
- Suits-You — we shameless. Mutual-mockery.