Abhanga 771
Even when the world dresses ordinary things up as impressive, keep your speech honest, trusting that whatever faults remain in you will be cleansed in due time.
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
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
We often dress up ordinary things to look impressive in public, a donkey shown off as a horse, while behind closed doors the household is in disarray. Even when you're caught up in life's necessary performances and pretenses, resolve to keep your own speech honest and pure. Whatever faults or impurity remain in you, trust they will be cleansed at the right time; don't let the outward show corrupt what is genuine inside you.
मराठी: आपण अनेकदा साध्या गोष्टींना बाहेरून झगमगीत करून दाखवतो, गाढवालाच घोडा म्हणून मिरवतो, तर आतून घर मात्र विस्कळीत असतं. जगाच्या अपरिहार्य नाटकात आणि दिखाव्यात अडकलं तरी आपली वाणी शुद्ध ठेवण्याचा निश्चय करावा. आपल्यात जी काही अशुद्धता किंवा दोष उरले असतील, ते योग्य वेळी नक्की शुद्ध होतील असा विश्वास ठेवा, बाह्य देखाव्याला आतल्या खरेपणाला बिघडवू देऊ नका.
Where this applies
- Donkeys-into-horses. Public-pretence.
- Pure-vāṇī. In-sōnga.
- Cleanse atsamaya. Right-time.