Abhanga 673
True devotion shows in where your real care and attention go, not in what you claim to believe, and denying a saint while doting on comfort is hypocrisy.
The verse
संत मागे पाणी नेदी एक चूळ । दासीस आंघोळ ठेवी पाणी ॥१॥ संतासी देखोनी होय पाठमोरा । दासीचिया पोरा चुंबन देतो ॥ध्रु.॥ संतासी देखोनि करितो ढवाळ्या । भावें धुतो चोळ्या दासीचिया ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे त्याच्या तोंडावरी थुंका । जातो यमलोका भोगावया ॥३॥
Literal translation
When a samta asks water, (he) doesn't give one cūḷa (mouthful) — but for the dāsī's bath, stores water. On seeing the samta, turns his back — gives a kiss to the dāsī's child. On seeing the samta, makes ugly faces — with bhāva, washes the dāsī's bodices. Tuka says: spit on his face — he goes to yama-lōka to suffer.
मराठी: संत पाणी मागे — एक चूळ ही नेदी — दासीच्या आंघोळीसाठी पाणी ठेवी. संत पाहून पाठमोरा — दासीच्या पोराला चुंबन. संत पाहून ढवाळ्या — भावें दासीच्या चोळ्या धुतो. Tuka म्हणे: तोंडावरी थुंका — जातो यमलोका भोगायला.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| संत मागे पाणी नेदी एक चूळ | "samta asks water — doesn't-give one cūḷa" |
| दासीस आंघोळ ठेवी पाणी | "for dāsī's bath — stores water" |
| संतासी देखोनी होय पाठमोरा | "on seeing samta — pāṭha-mōrā (turns back)" |
| दासीचिया पोरा चुंबन देतो | "dāsī's child — gives cumbana (kiss)" |
| संतासी देखोनि करितो ढवाळ्या | "on seeing samta — makes ḍhavāḷyām (faces / sneers)" |
| भावें धुतो चोळ्या दासीचिया | "with bhāva — washes — dāsī's cōḷyā (bodices)" |
| त्याच्या तोंडावरी थुंका | "on his tōṇḍa — spit" |
| जातो यमलोका भोगावया | "goes — yama-lōka — to suffer" |
What it means
A anti-hypocrite-polemic-water-for-dāsī-not-saint-yama-lōka abhang. Sharp anti-hypocrite-polemic register. The structure: each verse contrasts what the man does for the samta (none, hostility) and for the dāsī (full attention, even washing-bodices-with-bhāva).
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संत पाणी मागे — एक चूळ ही नेदी — दासी-आंघोळ पाणी ठेवी. Water-contrast. To the saint, not even a mouthful of water; but stores water for thedāsī's bath. Misplaced-priority-water.
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संत पाहून पाठमोरा — दासी-पोराला चुंबन. Back-and-kiss-contrast. Turns his back on the saint; gives kiss to thedāsī's child. Misplaced-affection. (The dāsī here is the maid-servant or possibly the kept-mistress; the priority is fully-on-her-and-her-child.)
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संत पाहून ढवाळ्या — भावें दासी-चोळ्या धुतो. Sneer-and-bhāva-wash-contrast. Makes ugly-faces (ḍhavāḷyā) on seeing the saint; withbhāva(devotional-feeling, the very word reserved-for-deity), washes thedāsī'scōḷyā(bodices). Thebhāvathat should-be-for-deity is given to washing thedāsī's clothes. (This is a very-sharp inversion: bhāva — the religious-feeling-word — applied to laundering the mistress's-bodices.)
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Tuka: तोंडावरी थुंका — यमलोका भोगायला. Final-verdict. Spit on his face; he goes toyama-lōkato suffer. Sharp-yama-warning.
[T]
For someone today
Tukaram paints a portrait of a hypocrite: a man who won't spare even a mouthful of water for a visiting saint, yet keeps water ready for his maidservant's bath. He turns his back on the saint but kisses her child. He sneers at the saint but washes her clothes with real devotion, the very devotion that should be reserved for God. Tukaram's verdict is blunt: spit on such a man's face, because he is headed for suffering. The lesson is that devotion is proven by where your real attention and care actually go, not by what you claim to believe, and lavishing your best feeling on comfort or favorites while shutting out what asks something of your spirit is hypocrisy, however it is dressed up.
मराठी: तुकाराम इथे एका ढोंगी माणसाचे चित्र रेखाटतात: संत पाणी मागतो तेव्हा एक चूळभरही पाणी देत नाही, पण दासीच्या आंघोळीसाठी मात्र पाणी साठवून ठेवतो. संत दिसला की पाठ फिरवतो, पण दासीच्या मुलाचे मुके घेतो. संताकडे पाहून तोंड वेडेवाकडे करतो, पण भावाने दासीच्या चोळ्या धुतो — जो भाव खरे तर देवासाठी राखायचा असतो. तुकाराम स्पष्ट सांगतात: अशा माणसाच्या तोंडावर थुंका, कारण तो यमलोकात भोगायला जाणार आहे. शिकवण अशी की खरी भक्ती कुठे आहे हे तुम्ही काय बोलता यावरून नाही, तर तुमचे खरे लक्ष आणि प्रेम कुठे जाते यावरून कळते; जे तुमच्या आत्म्याला काही मागते त्याला नाकारून सुखसोयी किंवा आवडत्या व्यक्तींवर आपला उत्तम भाव उधळणे, हे कितीही सजवले तरी ढोंगच आहे.
Where this applies
- Water priority. Misplaced.
- Affection priority. Misplaced.
- Bhāva misallocated. Sharpest.
- Yama-lōka. Final-verdict.