Abhanga 749
Real strength is turning back from an alluring trap before it closes; even clever, capable people get fooled by thinking they are immune.
The verse
मन गुंतलें लुलयां । जाय धांवोनि त्या ठाया ॥१॥ मागें परती तो बळी । शूर एक भूमंडळीं ॥ध्रु.॥ येऊनियां घाली घाला । नेणों काय होई तुला ॥२॥ तुका म्हणें येणें । बहु नाडिले शाहाणे ॥३॥
Literal translation
Mana — guṇṭalē — lulayām — runs — that ṭhāya. Paratī — baḷī — śūra — only — bhū-maṇḍaḷa. Coming — ghālī ghālā — don't know — what — happens — to you. Tuka says: bahu — nāḍilē — śāhāṇē.
मराठी: मन गुंतलं लुलयांत — त्या ठायी धांवून जातं. मागें परत-येणारा-तो बळी — भू-मंडळावर एक च शूर. येऊनियां घाला घाली — नेणों काय होई तुला. Tuka म्हणें: ह्याने — बहु शाहाणे नाडले.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| मन गुंतलें लुलयां | "mana — guṇṭalē — lulayām" |
| जाय धांवोनि त्या ठाया | "runs — that ṭhāya" |
| मागें परती तो बळी | "paratī — baḷī" |
| शूर एक भूमंडळीं | "śūra — only — bhū-maṇḍaḷa" |
| येऊनियां घाली घाला | "comes — ghālī ghālā" |
| नेणों काय होई तुला | "don't know — what — happens — to you" |
| बहु नाडिले शाहाणे | "bahu — nāḍilē — śāhāṇē" |
What it means
A mind-tangled-in-lulayā-runs-there-the-one-who-turns-back-is-baḷī-śūra-many-shrewd-cheated abhang. Anti-mind-trap register. Three claims:
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मन-लुलयांत-गुंतलं — त्या-ठायी-धांव — परत-येणारा-बळी — भू-मंडळ-शूर. Mind-tangled-runs-turn-back-is-baḷī-śūra-claim. Themanagotguṇṭalē(tangled, caught) inlulayām (a cripple / a seductress / a worthless-attractive-thing — likely the figure-of-the-seductress or the lame-thing-attractive);runs to that ṭhāya (place);the one who paratī (turns-back) (from there) is the baḷī (powerful);the only śūra (hero) on the bhū-maṇḍaḷa. Mind-runs-but-only-the-one-who-turns-back-is-the-true-hero.
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येऊनियां-घाला-घाली — नेणों-काय-होई-तुला. Lulayā-attacks-claim. (The lulayām) comes —ghālī ghālā(attacks, makes-an-attack, hurls-a-blow); don't know what will happen to you. Lulayā-attacks-and-you-don't-know-what-will-happen.
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Tuka: ह्याने — बहु-शाहाणे-नाडले. Many-shrewd-cheated-claim. Tuka says: by this (thelulayām) —bahu(many)śāhāṇē(the shrewd, the wise-in-the-world's-eyes) have beennāḍilē(cheated, fooled, tricked). Many-shrewd-cheated-by-this.
[T]
For someone today
The mind gets caught up in some seductive but worthless thing and runs straight toward it. But the one who turns back from there is the only true hero, the only strong one, on the whole earth. That seductive thing strikes when you least expect it, and you have no idea what will become of you once it does. Tukaram says that many clever, worldly-wise people have been fooled and cheated by exactly this trap.
मराठी: मन एखाद्या मोहक पण फुकट गोष्टीत गुंतते आणि तिकडे धावत जाते. पण तिथून जो परत फिरतो, तोच खरा शूर, खरा बलवान, या सगळ्या पृथ्वीवर एकमेव. ती मोहक गोष्ट अनपेक्षित वेळी हल्ला करते, आणि मग तुझे काय होईल हे कोणालाच ठाऊक नसते. तुकाराम म्हणतात, अशा या सापळ्यात कितीतरी शहाणे, हुशार माणसेही फसली आहेत.
Where this applies
- When you feel drawn toward a habit, relationship, or indulgence you already sense is hollow.
- When you're tempted to chase something enticing without weighing the risk.
- When you pride yourself on being smart or disciplined and assume you're immune to temptation.
- When you catch yourself at the edge of a bad decision and have a chance to step back.