संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 720 of 4582

Abhanga 720

English: Vacanē — nāḍa — na bōlē — mukē-khōḍa.

When words are a snare and silence is a defect — and you have to recognize this register
When between-speech-and-silence is the rule — and you accept this image
When the seed in earth's belly shows by sight — and you receive this final image

The verse

वचनें ही नाड । न बोले तें मुकें खोड ॥१॥ दोहीं वेगळें तें हित । बोली अबोलणी नीत ॥ध्रु.॥ अंधार प्रकाशी । जाय दिवस पावे निशी ॥२॥ बीज पृथिवीच्या पोटीं । तुका म्हणे दावी दृष्टी ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: Vacanē — nāḍa — na bōlē — mukē-khōḍa. From both, separate — hita. Bōlī-abōlaṇī — nīta. Andhāra-prakāśa — divasa goes — niśī arrives. Bīja — earth-pōṭa — Tuka says — dāvī dṛṣṭī.

मराठी: वचनं ही नाड (फांस) — न-बोलणं — मुक्या-खोडं (दोष). दोन्हींपासून वेगळं — हें च हित — bōlī-abōlaṇī — नीत. अंधार-प्रकाश — दिवस जातो, निशी पावते. बीज पृथ्वीच्या पोटीं — Tuka म्हणे: दृष्टी ने दावी.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
वचनें ही नाड "vacanē — nāḍa (snare)"
न बोले तें मुकें खोड "not-speaking — mukē-khōḍa (mute-defect)"
दोहीं वेगळें तें हित "from-both — separate — hita"
बोली अबोलणी नीत "bōlī-abōlaṇī — nīta (rule)"
अंधार प्रकाशी "andhāra-prakāśa"
जाय दिवस पावे निशी "divasa goes — niśī arrives"
बीज पृथिवीच्या पोटीं "bīja — earth-pōṭa"
दावी दृष्टी "dāvī dṛṣṭī"

What it means

A words-snare-silence-defect-between-the-two-bōlī-abōlaṇī-cycle-seed-shows abhang. Between-speech-and-silence register. Three claims:

  1. वचनं नाड — न-बोलणं मुक्य-खोड — दोहीं-वेगळं हित — बोली-अबोलणी नीत. Words-snare-silence-defect-between-claim. Words too are a nāḍa (snare, trap, halter — like the rope-with-noose for catching cattle); not-speaking is a mukē-khōḍa (the defect of muteness, the fault of dumbness); separate from both — that is hita (welfare); bōlī-abōlaṇī (the speaking-not-speaking, the in-between-mode) is nīta (the rule, the proper-way). Words-snare-silence-defect-between-them-is-the-rule. (The bōlī-abōlaṇī is the speaking-when-needed-and-not-speaking-when-not-needed* — the discriminating-speech.)

  2. अंधार-प्रकाश — दिवस-जाय-निशी-पावे. Cycle-of-light-and-darkness-claim. Andhāra-prakāśa (darkness-and-light); day goes — niśī (night) arrives. The natural-cycle alternates*. (The reading: just as day-and-night alternate, speech-and-silence alternate; you need-both-at-the-right-time.)

  3. Tuka: बीज पृथ्वी-पोटीं — दृष्टी ने दावी. Seed-in-earth-shows-by-sight-claim. Tuka says: the bīja (seed) in the earth's pōṭa (belly); dāvī dṛṣṭī (shows by sight — i.e., when it sprouts, you see it). Hidden-seed-eventually-shows-itself-visibly. (The reading: the seed (the inner bīja of bhāva, of bōlī-abōlaṇī-discrimination) ripens-in-secret in the earth-of-the-heart and eventually-shows-itself*.)

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the between-speech-and-silence register:

  1. Words are a snare; silence is a defect; bōlī-abōlaṇī is the rule. Between-speech-silence.

  2. Day-and-night alternate. Cycle.

  3. The seed in earth's belly shows itself by sight. Hidden-seed.

For today: speaking is a snare (gets you tangled in argument and falsehood); silence is a defect (mute-fault: not-saying-the-truth-when-needed); the rule is bōlī-abōlaṇī, the discriminating speech-and-silence; like day-and-night alternating; the seed-in-earth's-belly shows-by-sight — what's grown-in-secret-in-the-heart-eventually-becomes-visible*.

This abhang is Tukaram's between-speech-and-silence-and-seed-shows register — one of the most-compact bhakti-discrimination statements. Compare 0675 vakta-śrōtā-aphorism (Tuka's mudra); same speech-discipline but here organized through the both-snare-and-defect paradox and the seed-shows-by-sight image. The bōlī-abōlaṇī-nīta is precise: not all-silence, not all-speaking, but the discerning rule between.

मराठी: ही ओवी between-speech-and-silence register नाव सांगते:

  1. वचनं नाड; मुकं खोड; bōlī-abōlaṇī नीत. Between-speech-silence.

  2. दिवस-निशी alternate. Cycle.

  3. बीज पृथ्वी-पोटीं — दृष्टी ने दावी. Hidden-seed.

आज: Speaking snare (argument-falsehood-त-tangled); silence defect (truth-needed-तेव्हा-न-बोलणं); Rule bōlī-abōlaṇī, discriminating-speech-silence; Day-night alternate-सारखं; Seed-in-earth's-belly shows-by-sight — heart-च्या-secret-grown gradually-visible*.

Tukaram च-between-speech-and-silence-and-seed-shows-register — Most-compact bhakti-discrimination statements पैकी एक. 0675 vakta-śrōtā-aphorism (Tuka mudra) compare; तीच speech-discipline पण इथे both-snare-and-defect paradox आणि seed-shows-by-sight image च्या मार्गाने. Bōlī-abōlaṇī-nīta precise — not all-silence, not all-speaking, discerning-rule between.

Where this applies

Bhakti words-snare-silence-defect darkness-and-light-cycle

Related verses