Abhanga 603
Sweet speech and outward religious marks can disguise someone who means to harm you, so judge by intent, not by appearance, because deceivers will still answer for their deceit.
The verse
बोली मैंदाची बरवी असे । वाटे अंतरीं घालावे फांसे ॥१॥ कैसा वरिवरि दिसताहे चांग । नव्हे भाविक केवळ मांग ॥ध्रु.॥ टिळा टोपी माळा कंठीं । अंधारीं नेउनि चेंपी घांटी ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे तो केवळ पुंड । त्याजवरी यमदंड ॥३॥
Literal translation
Maimda-speech — baravī — feels — phāmsē — inside — throws. Outward — cānga — not bhāvika — kēvaḷa māmga. Ṭiḷā-ṭōpī-māḷā — kaṇṭha — into dark — cēmpī ghāmṭi. Tuka says: kēvaḷa puṇḍa — yamadaṇḍa upon him.
मराठी: बोली मैंदाची बरवी असे — वाटे अंतरीं घालावे फांसे. कैसा वरिवरि दिसताहे चांग — नव्हे भाविक केवळ मांग. टिळा टोपी माळा कंठीं — अंधारीं नेउनि चेंपी घांटी. तुकाराम म्हणतां — केवळ पुंड — त्याजवरी यमदंड.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| बोली मैंदाची बरवी असे | "maimda-speech — baravī" |
| वाटे अंतरीं घालावे फांसे | "feels — inside — phāmsē throws" |
| कैसा वरिवरि दिसताहे चांग | "outward — appears cānga" |
| नव्हे भाविक केवळ मांग | "not bhāvika — kēvaḷa māmga" |
| टिळा टोपी माळा कंठीं | "ṭiḷā-ṭōpī-māḷā — kaṇṭha" |
| अंधारीं नेउनि चेंपी घांटी | "into dark — cēmpī ghāmṭi" |
| तो केवळ पुंड | "kēvaḷa puṇḍa" |
| त्याजवरी यमदंड | "yamadaṇḍa upon him" |
What it means
A deceiver-pretends-bhakti-leads-to-dark-presses-throat abhang. Sharp-warning-against-fake-bhakta register. Three claims:
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बोली मैंदाची बरवी असे — वाटे अंतरीं घालावे फांसे — maimda-speech — baravī — feels — phāmsē — inside — throws. The opening-deceiver-speech-claim: themaimda's (deceiver's, fraudster's)bōlī(speech) isbaravī(good, sweet); (but) feels-as-if (he) would throwphāmsē(noose) inside (= would strangle-from-inside). Sweet-speech-with-strangling-intent.
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कैसा वरिवरि दिसताहे चांग — नव्हे भाविक केवळ मांग — टिळा टोपी माळा कंठीं — अंधारीं नेउनि चेंपी घांटी — outward — cānga — not bhāvika — kēvaḷa māmga — ṭiḷā-ṭōpī-māḷā — into dark — cēmpī ghāmṭi. The strangler-disguise-claim: outwardly — appearscānga(fine, good); notbhāvika(sincere); kēvaḷa māmga (mere outcaste / mere deceiver);with ṭiḷā (forehead-paste-mark), ṭōpī (cap), māḷā (rosary) on the kaṇṭha; leads (his victim) into the dark —cēmpī ghāmṭi(presses the throat = strangles). Bhakti-marks-hide-the-strangler. (The cēmpī-ghāmṭi image: the standard-strangler's-method is to lead-the-victim-into-the-dark-and-throttle-him; here the bhakti-marks are the ploy.)
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तुका म्हणे तो केवळ पुंड — त्याजवरी यमदंड — Tuka says: kēvaḷa puṇḍa — yamadaṇḍa upon him. The closing-yamadaṇḍa-claim: Tuka says: he iskēvaḷa puṇḍa(mere outlaw, mere bully); yamadaṇḍa (Yama's-staff) upon him.Mere-puṇḍa-deserves-yamadaṇḍa.Final-warning.
[T]
For someone today
Tukaram warns you plainly: a smooth talker's sweet words can hide the intention to choke you the moment your guard is down. Someone can wear the forehead mark, the cap, and the rosary around the neck, all the outward signs of devotion, and still be leading you into the dark to do you harm. Looking pious on the outside proves nothing about what's inside a person. Tuka calls such a person a plain fraud, and says the reckoning will still catch up with him.
मराठी: तुकाराम स्पष्ट सांगतात, गोड बोलणाऱ्या माणसाचे शब्द इतके छान वाटतात की तुमचं लक्ष विचलित होताच तो तुमचा गळा दाबूही शकतो. कोणी टिळा, टोपी, गळ्यात माळ अशी सगळी भक्तीची बाह्य चिन्हं मिरवत असतानाही तुम्हाला अंधारात नेऊन इजा करू शकतो. वरवर धार्मिक दिसणं म्हणजे आतून तसा असणं नाही. तुकाराम अशा माणसाला निव्वळ ठग म्हणतात, आणि सांगतात की त्याचा हिशोब त्याला शेवटी चुकवावाच लागेल.
Where this applies
- Sweet speech, strangling-intent. Watch-sweet.
- Marks hide strangler. Don't-trust-marks.
- Mere puṇḍa — yamadaṇḍa. Final-judgment.