Abhanga 771
English: Donkeys — ghōḍē — we — before-eyes.
The verse
गाढवाचे घोडे । आम्ही करूं दृष्टीपुढें ॥१॥ चघळी वाहाणा । माघारिया बांडा सुना ॥ध्रु.॥ सोंगसंपादनी । तरि करूं शुद्ध वाणी ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे खळ । करूं समयीं निर्मळ ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: Donkeys — ghōḍē — we — before-eyes. Caghaḷī — vāhāṇā — back — bāṇḍā sunā. Sōnga-sampādanī — yet — śuddha vāṇī. Tuka says: khaḷa — samaya — nirmaḷa.
मराठी: गाढवाचे घोडे — आम्हीं करूं दृष्टी-पुढें. चघळी वाहाणा — माघारियाला बांडा सुना. सोंग-संपादनी — तरि करूं शुद्ध वाणी. Tuka म्हणे: खळ — समयीं निर्मळ करूं.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| गाढवाचे घोडे | "donkeys — ghōḍē" |
| आम्ही करूं दृष्टीपुढें | "we make — before-eyes" |
| चघळी वाहाणा | "caghaḷī — vāhāṇā" |
| माघारिया बांडा सुना | "back — bāṇḍā sunā" |
| सोंगसंपादनी | "sōnga-sampādanī" |
| तरि करूं शुद्ध वाणी | "yet — śuddha vāṇī" |
| खळ करूं समयीं निर्मळ | "khaḷa — at samaya — nirmaḷa" |
What it means
A donkeys-into-horses-show-but-pure-vāṇī-khaḷa-cleansed abhang. Sōnga-acquisition-pure-vāṇī register. This abhang is somewhat-cryptic and opens to multiple readings; the core-claim is the bhakta's-confession and resolve in the world's-fakery. Three claims:
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गाढवाचे-घोडे — दृष्टी-पुढें — चघळी-वाहाणा — माघारियाला-बांडा-सुना. Donkeys-into-horses-show-claim. (We pretend) donkeys are horses before the eyes (publicly); (while) chewing the slippers (in self-disregard) — back at home, a damaged-or-broken (bāṇḍā) daughter-in-law (sunā). Public-show-of-donkeys-as-horses-but-private-mess. (The image: we publicly-show-off donkeys-as-horses; privately, our daughter-in-law is bāṇḍā (defective, ill-formed); slippers are being chewed (= dirty / disregarded). The reading is uncertain; bāṇḍā sunā may be idiomatic for family-disgrace.)
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सोंग-संपादनी — तरि शुद्ध-वाणी. Sōnga-but-pure-vāṇī-claim. Sōnga-sampādanī (acquisition of the sōnga — the costume, the role-play, the public-pretence); yet we will keep the vāṇī śuddha (pure). Even-in-the-sōnga-keep-pure-vāṇī*.
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Tuka: खळ — समयीं-निर्मळ. Khaḷa-cleansed-at-time-claim. Tuka says: the khaḷa (the wicked / the obstacle / the impure-element); we'll cleanse at the right samaya (time). Cleanse-the-khaḷa-at-the-right-time.
[T]
For someone today
This abhang names the sōnga-but-pure-vāṇī register:
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Donkeys made horses before the eyes; private mess. Public-private.
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Even in sōnga, keep pure-vāṇī. Pure-vāṇī.
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Cleanse the khaḷa at the right time. Khaḷa-cleansed.
For today: the world's sōnga (public-pretence — donkeys-shown-as-horses) often disguises private-mess; even-in-the-sōnga, the bhakta keeps the vāṇī śuddha; the khaḷa (the impurity, the obstacle) will be cleansed at the right-samaya.
This abhang is Tukaram's donkeys-into-horses-but-pure-vāṇī-and-cleanse-at-time register — one of the more-cryptic abhangs in this section. Compare 0743 anti-fake-jñānī-bones-dogs-fight (Tuka's mudra); same anti-fakery-polemic but here organized around sōnga-but-pure-vāṇī. The sōnga-sampādanī tari karūm śuddha vāṇī (sōnga-acquisition but keep pure-vāṇī) is the precise vow*.
मराठी: ही ओवी sōnga-but-pure-vāṇī register नाव सांगते:
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Donkeys-into-horses public-show; private-mess. Public-private.
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Sōnga-त सुद्धा śuddha-vāṇī*. Pure-vāṇī*.
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Khaḷa — samaya-त निर्मळ. Khaḷa-cleansed*.
आज: World-च sōnga (public-pretence — donkeys-shown-as-horses) मध्ये private-mess lurk; Even-in-the-sōnga, bhakta-keeps vāṇī śuddha; Khaḷa (impurity, obstacle) right-samaya-त cleansed.
Tukaram च-donkeys-into-horses-but-pure-vāṇī-and-cleanse-at-time-register — More-cryptic abhangs section-त पैकी एक. 0743 anti-fake-jñānī-bones-dogs-fight (Tuka mudra) compare; तीच anti-fakery-polemic पण इथे sōnga-but-pure-vāṇī च्या मार्गाने. Sōnga-sampādanī tari karūm śuddha vāṇī precise vow.
Where this applies
- Donkeys-into-horses.* Public-pretence.
- Pure-vāṇī*. In-sōnga.
- Cleanse at samaya*. Right-time.