संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 745 of 4582

Abhanga 745

English: Āpalē — anything — here — to-say — none.

When I have nothing of my own to say — and you have to recognize this register
When vāṇī is vain-windy; passion makes nonsense — and you accept this image
When the body is a five-element-gathering, separate in truth; delusion walks upside-down — and you receive this final image

The verse

आपलें तों कांहीं । येथें सांगिजेसें नाहीं ॥१॥ परि हे वाणी वायचळ । छंद करविते बरळ ॥ध्रु.॥ पंचभूतांचा हा मेळा । देह सत्यत्वें निराळा ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे भुली । इच्या उफराट्या चाली ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: Āpalē — anything — here — to-say — none. Yet — vāṇīvāya-caḷachanda — makes — baraḷa. Pañca-bhūta-mēḷadēhasatyatvanirāḷa. Tuka says: bhulī — its — uphara-ṭā cālī.

मराठी: आपलं तर इथें सांगण्यासारखं काहीच नाहीं. परि ही वाणी वाय-चळ — छंद करविते बरळ. पंच-भूतांचा हा मेळा — देह सत्यत्वें निराळा. Tuka म्हणे: भुली — इच्या उफराट्या चाली.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
आपलें तों कांहीं "āpalē — my-own — anything"
येथें सांगिजेसें नाहीं "here — to-say — none"
परि हे वाणी वायचळ "yet — vāṇīvāya-caḷa"
छंद करविते बरळ "chanda — makes-do — baraḷa"
पंचभूतांचा हा मेळा "pañca-bhūta-mēḷa"
देह सत्यत्वें निराळा "dēhasatyatvanirāḷa"
भुली इच्या उफराट्या चाली "bhulī — its — uphara-ṭā cālī"

What it means

A my-own-nothing-to-say-vāṇī-vain-pañca-bhūta-mēḷa-body-separate-delusion-walks-upside-down abhang. Anti-self-claim-deha register. Three claims:

  1. आपलं इथें सांगण्यासारखं नाहीं — पण वाणी वाय-चळ — छंद बरळ-करविते. My-own-nothing-vāṇī-vain-claim. Of my-own — there's nothing here to say (sāngijēsē nāhīm — i.e., I have nothing-of-mine to claim or contribute); yet this vāṇī is vāya-caḷa (vain-windy, fickle, like-the-wind); its chanda (passion / habit) makes-do baraḷa (nonsense, prattle, idle-talk). Nothing-of-mine-but-vāṇī-still-prattles-out-of-habit.

  2. पंच-भूत-मेळा — देह सत्यत्वें निराळा. Pañca-bhūta-mēḷā-deha-separate-claim. This (body) is a pañca-bhūta-mēḷā (gathering of the five-elements: pṛthvī-jala-tēja-vāyu-ākāśa); the dēha in satyatva (truth) is nirāḷa (separate, distinct). Body-is-five-element-gathering-but-truly-separate. (Reading: in truth, the dēha (the indweller / the I-as-witness) is separate-from this five-element-gathering.)

  3. Tuka: भुली — इच्या उफराट्या चाली. Delusion-walks-upside-down-claim. Tuka says: bhulī (delusion); its (delusion's, or the body's, or the vāṇī's) cālī (walking, way) is uphara-ṭā (upside-down, inverted, contrary). Delusion-walks-the-wrong-way*.

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the anti-self-claim-deha register:

  1. My-own — nothing here to say. Self-emptied.

  2. Vāṇī is vain-windy; passion makes nonsense. Vāṇī-windy.

  3. Body is a pañca-bhūta-mēḷā; in truth separate; delusion walks upside-down. Body-and-delusion.

For today: the bhakta has nothing-of-his-own to say; yet his vāṇī is vāya-caḷa and chanda keeps it making baraḷa; the body itself is a pañca-bhūta-mēḷā — distinct in satya from the truly-self; delusion walks the uphara-ṭā (upside-down) way*.

This abhang is Tukaram's anti-self-claim-deha-and-delusion-walks-upside-down registerone of the most-honest self-empty statements. Compare 0721 vicāra-and-give-to-deva-and-auspicious (Tuka's mudra); same body-distinction but here organized through vāṇī-vain and delusion-upside-down claims. The uphara-ṭā cālī (upside-down walk) is one of Tukaram's most-precise diagnostic-images of samsāric-misorientation.

मराठी: ही ओवी anti-self-claim-deha register नाव सांगते:

  1. माझं इथें सांगण्यासारखं काहीं नाहीं. Self-emptied.

  2. Vāṇī वाय-चळ; chanda baraḷa-करवते. Vāṇī-windy.

  3. देह pañca-bhūta-mēḷā; satya-त निराळा; भुली उफराट्या-चाली. Body-and-delusion.

आज: Bhakta-कडे nothing-of-his-own to-say; पण त्याची vāṇī vāya-caḷa आणि chanda मुळे baraḷa करवते; Body-स्वतः pañca-bhūta-mēḷāsatya-त truly-self-पासून-distinct; Delusion uphara-ṭā (upside-down) चालते.

Tukaram च-anti-self-claim-deha-and-delusion-walks-upside-down-registerMost-honest self-empty statements पैकी एक. 0721 vicāra-and-give-to-deva-and-auspicious (Tuka mudra) compare; तीच body-distinction पण इथे vāṇī-vain आणि delusion-upside-down claims च्या मार्गाने. Uphara-ṭā cālī Tukaram च्या most-precise diagnostic-images of samsāric-misorientation पैकी एक.

Where this applies

Related verses