संत साहित्य
Work in progress. Translations and commentary are AI-generated and may contain inaccuracies or hallucinations — please use your own judgement and check against the original sources.
संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 584 of 4582

Abhanga 584

When the bhakta refuses being mocked as a low-tradesman — and you have to recognize this register
When no counterfeit transaction passes here — and you accept this filter
When Viṣṇu-dāsa knows rasa from nīrasa — and you receive this discrimination

The verse

मजसवें नको चेष्टा । नव्हे साळी कांहीं कोष्टा ॥१॥ बैस सांडोनि दिमाख । जाय काळें करीं मुख ॥ध्रु.॥ येथें न सरे चार । हीण आणीक वेव्हार ॥२॥ तुका विष्णुदास । रस जाणतो नीरस ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: Me — no cēṣṭā — not sāḷī-kōṣṭā. Sit — abandon dimākha — go — blacken mouth. Here — no cāra — hīṇa — vēvhāra. Tuka — Viṣṇu-dāsa — knows rasa — nīrasa.

मराठी: मजसवें नको चेष्टा — नव्हे साळी कांहीं कोष्टा. बैस सांडोनि दिमाख — जाय काळें करीं मुख. येथें न सरे चार — हीण आणीक वेव्हार. तुका विष्णुदास — रस जाणतो नीरस.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
मजसवें नको चेष्टा "with-me — no cēṣṭā"
नव्हे साळी कांहीं कोष्टा "not sāḷī or kōṣṭā"
बैस सांडोनि दिमाख "sit — abandon dimākha"
जाय काळें करीं मुख "go — blacken mouth"
येथें न सरे चार "here — no cāra — passes"
हीण आणीक वेव्हार "hīṇa — other vēvhāra"
तुका विष्णुदास "Tuka — Viṣṇu-dāsa"
रस जाणतो नीरस "knows — rasa from nīrasa"

What it means

A don't-mock-me-Viṣṇu-dāsa-discriminates-rasa abhang. Sharp self-defense register. Three claims:

  1. मजसवें नको चेष्टा — नव्हे साळी कांहीं कोष्टा — me — no cēṣṭā — not sāḷī-kōṣṭā. The opening-no-mockery-claim: don't make cēṣṭā (mockery, joking-around) with me; I am not a sāḷī (weaver) or kōṣṭā (cobbler / loom-worker) (= not your kind of low-tradesman to be made fun of, joked-with-and-cheated). Don't-treat-me-as-someone-who-can-be-mocked. (Note: Tukaram, born to the Vāṇī / shopkeeper-class, here uses caste-language about even-lower-castes being routinely-mocked-and-cheated — but here it's pointed against those-who-might-take-a-bhakta-as-easy-prey. The point is: don't-take-the-bhakta-as-easy.)

  2. बैस सांडोनि दिमाख — जाय काळें करीं मुख — येथें न सरे चार — हीण आणीक वेव्हार — sit — abandon dimākha — go — blacken mouth — no cāra — hīṇa — vēvhāra. The no-counterfeit-claim: sit — abandon dimākha (pride, swagger); go — blacken-your-mouth (= go-and-be-shamed); here, cāra (cheating / counterfeit-coin) doesn't saratē (pass); hīṇa (low-grade, debased) — and other vēvhāra (transactions, dealings). No-counterfeit-transactions-here; the bhakta's-place won't accept fake-coin-or-debased-dealings*.

  3. तुका विष्णुदास — रस जाणतो नीरस — Tuka — Viṣṇu-dāsa — knows rasa — nīrasa. The closing-discrimination-claim: Tuka — Viṣṇu-dāsa; knows rasa (juice, essence, true-flavor) from nīrasa (juiceless, un-essence, false-flavor). Viṣṇu-dāsa-discriminates-real-from-fake. Discrimination-is-the-bhakta's-quality.

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the don't-mock-me-Viṣṇu-dāsa-knows-rasa register:

  1. Don't make cēṣṭā* with me; I'm not your low-tradesman. Cēṣṭā nakō — sāḷī-kōṣṭā nakō. The bhakta refuses being-mocked-as-easy-prey. Self-respect-of-the-bhakta*.

  2. Abandon dimākha; blacken your mouth; cāra* doesn't pass here. Dimākha sāmḍa — kāḷē mukha — cāra na sarē. No-counterfeit-passes-here; abandon-pride-and-deceit. Don't-try-to-fool-the-bhakta*.

  3. Viṣṇu-dāsa knows rasa from nīrasa. Viṣṇu-dāsa — rasa-nīrasa. Bhakta-discriminates-real-from-fake. Discrimination-as-bhakta's-mark*.

For today: the bhakta-refuses-being-mocked or treated as easy-prey; no counterfeit-transactions pass here; Viṣṇu-dāsa knows rasa from nīrasa. Don't-try-to-fool-the-bhakta-with-fake-bhakti.

This abhang is Tukaram's self-defense-and-discrimination register — sharp-and-direct. Compare 0552-553 false-bhakta-criticism; same discrimination-register but here from the self-defense angle. The rasa-jāṇatō-nīrasa claim is precise: the bhakta's-quality is to know-the-difference.

मराठी: ही ओवी don't-mock-me-Viṣṇu-dāsa-knows-rasa register नाव सांगते:

  1. माझ्या-सोबत cēṣṭā* नका; मी तुमचा low-tradesman नाही. चेष्टा नको — साळी-कोष्टा नको. Bhakta easy-prey-म्हणून-mocked-होणं refuse करतो. Bhakta-self-respect*.

  2. Dimākha abandon; mouth blacken; cāra इथे pass होत नाही. दिमाख सांडा — काळे मुख — चार न सरे. Counterfeit-इथे-pass-नाही; pride-and-deceit-abandon. Bhakta-fool नका*.

  3. Viṣṇu-dāsa rasa nīrasa पासून ओळखतो. Viṣṇu-दास — rasa-nīrasa. Bhakta-real-from-fake-discriminate. Discrimination-bhakta-mark*.

आज: Bhakta-mocked किंवा easy-prey-treat-नाही; Counterfeit-transactions इथे-pass-नाही; Viṣṇu-dāsa rasa nīrasa पासून ओळखतो. Fake-bhakti ने bhakta-fool नका*.

Tukaram च-self-defense-and-discrimination-register — Sharp-and-direct. 0552-553 false-bhakta-criticism compare; तीच discrimination-register पण इथे self-defense-angle ने. Rasa-jāṇatō-nīrasa claim precise: bhakta-quality difference-know-करायची.

Where this applies

Bhakti

Related verses