Abhanga 599
English: Dravya — dharma not done — nāgavilā — rāja-dvāra.
The verse
द्रव्य असतां धर्म न करी । नागविला राजद्वारीं ॥१॥ माय त्यासि व्याली जेव्हां । रांड सटवी नव्हती तेव्हां ॥ध्रु.॥. कथाकाळीं निद्रा लागे । कामीं श्वानापरी जागे ॥२॥ भोग स्त्रियेसि देतां लाजे । वस्त्र दासीचें घेउनि निजे ॥३॥ तुका म्हणे जाण । नर गाढवाहुनी हीन ॥४॥
Literal translation
English: Dravya — dharma not done — nāgavilā — rāja-dvāra. Mother bore — when — rāṇḍa Saṭvī — not then. Kathā — nidrā — kāma — śvāna — wakes. Bhōga — wife — ashamed — dāsī vastra — sleeps. Tuka says: know — nara — gaḍhava — hīna.
मराठी: द्रव्य असतां धर्म न करी — नागविला राजद्वारीं. माय त्यासि व्याली जेव्हां — रांड सटवी नव्हती तेव्हां. कथाकाळीं निद्रा लागे — कामीं श्वानापरी जागे. भोग स्त्रियेसि देतां लाजे — वस्त्र दासीचें घेउनि निजे. तुकाराम म्हणतां — जाण — नर गाढवाहुनी हीन.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| द्रव्य असतां धर्म न करी | "dravya — dharma not done" |
| नागविला राजद्वारीं | "nāgavilā — rāja-dvāra" |
| माय त्यासि व्याली जेव्हां | "mother bore — when" |
| रांड सटवी नव्हती तेव्हां | "rāṇḍa Saṭvī — not then" |
| कथाकाळीं निद्रा लागे | "kathā — nidrā" |
| कामीं श्वानापरी जागे | "kāma — śvāna — wakes" |
| भोग स्त्रियेसि देतां लाजे | "bhōga — wife — ashamed" |
| वस्त्र दासीचें घेउनि निजे | "dāsī vastra — sleeps" |
| नर गाढवाहुनी हीन | "nara — gaḍhava — hīna" |
What it means
A drvya-no-dharma-nara-lower-than-donkey abhang. Sharp social-critique register. Five claims:
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द्रव्य असतां धर्म न करी — नागविला राजद्वारीं — dravya — dharma not done — nāgavilā — rāja-dvāra. The opening-wealth-without-dharma-claim: (one who) has dravya (wealth) but doesn't do dharma; gets nāgavilā (stripped, made-naked) at the rāja-dvāra (king's-gate, the court). Wealth-without-dharma-leads-to-public-stripping.
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माय त्यासि व्याली जेव्हां — रांड सटवी नव्हती तेव्हां — mother bore — when — rāṇḍa Saṭvī — not then. The no-fate-was-written-claim: when his mother bore him; (it seems) the rāṇḍa Saṭvī (the goddess who writes the fate on the sixth-night-after-birth) was not (present) then. No-fate-was-written-by-the-deity. (The folk-belief: Saṭvī comes on the 6th-night and writes the child's-fate; if she's-absent, no-fate-no-good-fortune.)
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कथाकाळीं निद्रा लागे — कामीं श्वानापरी जागे — kathā — nidrā — kāma — śvāna — wakes. The inverted-state-claim: during kathā (deva-narrative-recital) — nidrā (sleep) takes him; in kāma (lust) — he wakes like a śvāna (dog). Sleeps-during-kathā-wakes-during-kāma. Inverted-state of priorities.
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भोग स्त्रियेसि देतां लाजे — वस्त्र दासीचें घेउनि निजे — bhōga — wife — ashamed — dāsī — vastra — sleeps. The inversion-of-relations-claim: ashamed to give bhōga to (his own) strī (wife); (but) sleeps having taken the vastra (clothes / shawl) of the dāsī (servant-woman). Inverted-relation: avoids-wife-sleeps-with-dāsī*.
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तुका म्हणे जाण — नर गाढवाहुनी हीन — Tuka says: know — nara — gaḍhava — hīna. The closing-fortiori-claim: Tuka says: know — the nara (man) is hīna (lower, more-base) than the gaḍhava (donkey). Such-a-man-lower-than-the-donkey. Final-belittlement.
[T]
For someone today
This abhang names the drvya-no-dharma-nara-lower-than-donkey register:
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Wealth without dharma gets stripped at king's-gate. Dravya — dharma — nāgavilā rāja-dvāra. Wealth-without-dharma is socially-fragile. Recognize-the-cost.
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His fate was not written. Saṭvī — not then. Folk-image of fortune-less-birth. Behavior-fits-fortune-less-state.
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Sleeps during kathā; wakes during kāma like a dog. Kathā nidrā — kāma śvāna jāgē. The inverted-state: dharma-asleep, kāma-awake. Recognize-the-inversion.
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Avoids wife-bhōga; sleeps with dāsī. Strī lājē — dāsī vastra niñē. Inverted-relations: avoids-the-honored, takes-the-low. Don't-be-this-man.
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Nara is lower than gaḍhava by such conduct. Nara gaḍhava-hūnī hīna. Final-fortiori: such-a-man-lower-than-the-donkey. Strongest-belittlement*.
For today: wealth without dharma is socially-fragile; the inverted-state (sleeps during kathā, wakes during kāma) is the dharma-less man's mark; avoiding-wife-and-sleeping-with-dāsī is inversion-of-relations; such-a-man is lower-than-a-donkey.
This abhang is Tukaram's sharp-social-critique register — one of the most-direct anti-householder-failure statements. Compare 0568-571 household-distress; same domestic-realism but here directed at hypocrites-and-failures. The nara-gaḍhava-hīna claim is one of Tukaram's most-cited fortioris-of-belittlement.
मराठी: ही ओवी drvya-no-dharma-nara-lower-than-donkey register नाव सांगते:
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Dharma शिवाय wealth king's-gate ला stripped. द्रव्य — धर्म — नागविला राजद्वारी. Wealth-without-dharma socially-fragile. Cost ओळखा.
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त्याची फेट लिहिली नाही. सटवी — तेव्हां नाही. Fortune-less-birth चं folk-image. Behavior fortune-less-state-fit.
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Kathā त झोप; kāma त कुत्र्यासारखा जागा. कथा निद्रा — काम श्वान जागे. Inverted-state: dharma-asleep, kāma-awake. Inversion ओळखा*.
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पत्नी ला bhōga द्यायला लाजतो; dāsī च्या vastra* मध्ये झोपतो. स्त्री लाजे — दासी वस्त्र निजे. Inverted-relations: honored-avoid, low-take. असा माणूस नका*.
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Nara अशा conduct ने gaḍhava पेक्षा hīna. नर गाढवा-हूनी हीन. Final-fortiori: असा-माणूस-गाढवापेक्षा-low. Strongest-belittlement*.
आज: Dharma-शिवाय-wealth socially-fragile; Inverted-state (kathā झोप, kāma जागा) dharma-less-माणसाचं mark; Wife-avoid-dāsī-सोबत-झोप inversion-of-relations; असा-माणूस-गाढवापेक्षा-low.
Tukaram च-sharp-social-critique-register — Most-direct anti-householder-failure statements पैकी एक. 0568-571 household-distress compare; तीच domestic-realism पण इथे hypocrites-and-failures-directed. Nara-gaḍhava-hīna claim Tukaram च्या most-cited fortioris-of-belittlement पैकी एक.
Where this applies
- Wealth-no-dharma stripped. King's-gate.
- Kathā-asleep; kāma-awake. Inversion.
- Wife-avoided; dāsī taken. Inversion-relations.
- Nara* lower than donkey. Fortiori.