संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 769 of 4582

Abhanga 769

English: Lōha — cumbaka — baḷa — stands — suspended — nirāḷē.

When iron stands suspended by the magnet — and you have to recognize this register
When the thread is saved by the mōharā from fire — and you accept this image
When fire took the firewood, but sandalwood escaped — and you receive this final image

The verse

लोह चुंबकाच्या बळें । उभें राहिलें निराळें ॥१॥ तैसा तूं चि आम्हांठायीं । खेळतोसी अंतर्बाहीं ॥ध्रु.॥ भक्ष अग्नीचा तो दोरा । त्यासि वांचवी मोहरा ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे अधीलपणें । नेली लांकडें चंदनें ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: Lōha — cumbaka — baḷa — stands — suspended — nirāḷē. So — You — with-us-place — play — antar-bāhīm. Bhakṣa — agni — dōrā — saves — mōharā. Tuka says: adhīla-paṇa — took — lānkaḍa — candana.

मराठी: लोह चुंबकाच्या बळें — उभें राहिलें निराळें. तैसा तूं च आम्हांठायीं — खेळतोसी अंतर-बाहीं. भक्ष अग्नीचा तो दोरा — त्यासि वांचवी मोहरा. Tuka म्हणे: अधीलपणें — नेली लांकडें, चंदनें.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
लोह चुंबकाच्या बळें "lōha — cumbaka — baḷa"
उभें राहिलें निराळें "stands — suspended — nirāḷē"
तैसा तूं चि आम्हांठायीं "so — You — with-us-place"
खेळतोसी अंतर्बाहीं "play — antar-bāhīm"
भक्ष अग्नीचा तो दोरा "bhakṣa — agni — dōrā"
त्यासि वांचवी मोहरा "saves — mōharā"
अधीलपणें "adhīla-paṇa"
नेली लांकडें चंदनें "took — lānkaḍa — candana"

What it means

A iron-by-magnet-You-play-internally-externally-thread-saved-by-mōharā-fire-took-firewood-sandalwood abhang. You-play-with-us register. Three claims:

  1. लोह — चुंबक-बळें — निराळें-स्थित — तैसा तूं आम्हांठायीं — अंतर-बाहीं खेळ. Iron-by-magnet-You-play-claim. The lōha (iron) — by the cumbaka's (magnet's) power — stands-suspended (nirāḷē — unsupported, separate); so You-only — with-us, in-our-place — play (khēḷatōsi) internally and externally (antar-bāhīm). Magnet-and-iron-image-applied-to-You-and-us; You-hold-us-suspended-and-play-both-inside-and-out*.

  2. भक्ष-अग्नी-दोरा — मोहरा-वांचवी. Thread-saved-by-mōharā-claim. The bhakṣa (food, fuel) of the agni is the dōrā (thread / string); but the mōharā (a jewel / agate, possibly Hari-mōharā or some-protective-stone) saves (vāncavī) it. Even-the-fire-bound-thread-can-be-saved-by-the-mōharā.

  3. Tuka: अधीलपणें — नेली लांकडें — चंदनें. Fire-took-firewood-sandalwood-claim. Tuka says: in adhīla-paṇa (greedy-haste, attached-eagerness, indiscriminate-grasping); the agni took (nēlī) the lānkaḍa (firewood); (but) the candana (sandalwood, also wood-but-precious) (escaped / was-spared). Fire-takes-firewood-but-spares-sandalwood. (Reading: the discriminating-fire-takes-only-firewood, sparing-the-sandalwood; or: even-greedy-fire makes-this-distinction. The bhakta is the candana — fragrant, special — and spared even when others are taken.)

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the You-play-with-us register:

  1. Iron stands suspended by magnet — You play with us internally and externally. Iron-magnet-You-play.

  2. The thread is saved by the mōharā from fire. Mōharā-saves-thread.

  3. Fire took the firewood, but sandalwood escaped. Fire-spares-sandalwood.

For today: like iron held-suspended by the magnet, the bhakta is held-by Your power; You play with us both inside and outside; even the thread bound-for-fire is saved by the mōharā; the greedy-fire takes the lānkaḍa (firewood) but leaves the candana (sandalwood).

This abhang is Tukaram's iron-magnet-mōharā-fire-firewood-sandalwood-You-play-with-us register — one of the most-image-rich miscellany-abhangs. Compare 0742 bhāva-such-fruit-jāti-runs-to-jāti-diamond-from-inside (Tuka's mudra); same image-cluster-style but here organized around iron-magnet, mōharā-thread, fire-firewood-sandalwood. The adhīla-paṇē — nēlī lānkaḍē candanē (in haste, fire-took-firewood-but-sandalwood-spared) is one of Tukaram's most-mysterious aphorisms — likely meaning: even-undiscriminating-grasping spares-the-precious*.

मराठी: ही ओवी You-play-with-us register नाव सांगते:

  1. लोह-चुंबक-निराळें — तू-अंतर-बाहीं-खेळ. Iron-magnet-You-play.

  2. दोरा-mōharā-वांचवी. Mōharā-saves-thread.

  3. अग्नि-लांकडें-नेली, चंदनें-वांचलं. Fire-spares-sandalwood.

आज: Iron-magnet-ने suspended सारखं, bhakta You-power-ने held; You play both inside and outside with-us; Fire-bound-thread mōharā-ने saved; Greedy-fire lānkaḍa (firewood) घेते पण candana (sandalwood) सोडते.

Tukaram च-iron-magnet-mōharā-fire-firewood-sandalwood-You-play-with-us-register — Most-image-rich miscellany-abhangs पैकी एक. 0742 bhāva-such-fruit-jāti-runs-to-jāti-diamond-from-inside (Tuka mudra) compare; तीच image-cluster-style पण इथे iron-magnet, mōharā-thread, fire-firewood-sandalwood च्या मार्गाने. Adhīla-paṇē — nēlī lānkaḍē candanē Tukaram च्या most-mysterious aphorisms पैकी एक — likely meaning: even-undiscriminating-grasping-spares-the-precious**.

Where this applies

Bhakti

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