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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 829 of 4582

Abhanga 829

English: Before-darpaṇa — nakhaṭa — lājē.

When the ugly-face is shamed before the mirror; the pure shows it as-it-is — and you have to recognize this register
When by faults' bondage, even-good appears opposite — and you accept this image
When to the blind, diamond and hailstone are the same; the dog barks not-knowing its-place — and you receive this final image

The verse

दर्पणासी नखटें लाजे । शुद्ध खिजे देखोनि ॥१॥ ऐसें अवगुणांच्या बाधें । दिसे सुदें विपरीत ॥ध्रु.॥ अंधळ्यास काय हिरा । गारां चि तो सारिखा ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे भुंके सुनें । ठाया नेणे ठाव तो ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: Before-darpaṇa — nakhaṭa — lājē. Śuddha — khijē — when-seen. So — by-avaguṇa — bādha — appears — sudē — viparīta. To-andhaḷā — what — hīrā. Gārā — alone — same. Tuka says: bhunkē — sunē. Ṭhāya — na-jāṇē — ṭhāva.

मराठी: दर्पणापुढे नखटें (कुरुप-तोंड) लाजतं — शुद्ध (आरसा) पाहिल्यावर खिजतो (दिसवतो). असं अवगुणांच्या बाधेनं — सुदें (चांगलं) विपरीत दिसतं. अंधळ्याला हिरा काय? — गारा-च त्याला सारखी. Tuka म्हणे: सुनें भुंकें — आपली ठाव-जागा त्याला माहीत नाहीं.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
दर्पणासी नखटें लाजे "before-darpaṇa — nakhaṭa — lājē"
शुद्ध खिजे देखोनि "śuddha — khijē — when-seen"
ऐसें अवगुणांच्या बाधें "so — by-avaguṇa — bādha"
दिसे सुदें विपरीत "appears — sudē — viparīta"
अंधळ्यास काय हिरा "andhaḷā — what — hīrā"
गारां चि तो सारिखा "gārā — alone — same"
भुंके सुनें "bhunkē — sunē"
ठाया नेणे ठाव तो "ṭhāya — na-jāṇē — ṭhāva"

What it means

A ugly-face-shamed-before-mirror-by-bondage-of-faults-good-looks-opposite-blind-can't-tell-diamond-dog-barks-without-knowing-place abhang. Slanderer-mirror-blind-dog-images register. Three claims:

  1. दर्पणापुढे-नखटें-लाजतं — शुद्ध-खिजे-देखोनि — अवगुण-बाधें-सुदें-विपरीत. Mirror-shows-and-fault-bondage-distorts-claim. Before the darpaṇa (mirror), the *nakhaṭa (ugly-face) is lājē (shamed); the śuddha (pure-mirror), when seen, khijē (shows-as-it-is — exposes the ugliness); thus, by the bādha (bondage) of avaguṇa (faults), even sudē (the good itself) appears viparīta (the opposite). Mirror-shames-the-ugly; faults-make-good-look-bad. (The darpaṇa metaphor for Hari-nāma / the saint-tradition: those who are ugly-with-faults are shamed before this pure-mirror; their inverted-vision of the good (= the viparīta perception of sudē as bad) is itself proof of their avaguṇa-bādha*.)

  2. अंधळ्याला-हिरा-गारा-सारिख — सुनें-भुंकें-ठाव-नेणे. Blind-and-dog-can't-discriminate-claim. To the andhaḷā (blind-man), what is a *hīrā (diamond)? — gārā (hailstone, glass-bead) is just-the-same to-him; the *sunē (dog) bhunkē (barks); it does not know its-own ṭhāva (proper place / station). Blind-can't-tell-diamond-from-glass; dog-barks-without-knowing-place. (Two-images for the slanderer: blind-with-no-vision-of-the-real-jewel, and dog-barking-without-knowing-where-it-belongs. The avaguṇa-bādha makes the slanderer blind-and-dog* — incapable of discrimination, barking-without-station.)

  3. Tuka: ठाया-नेणे-ठाव-तो. Closing-dog-doesn't-know-place-claim. Tuka says: it does not know its-(own) ṭhāva. The slanderer is fundamentally place-less — barking from no-station. (Closing application: any slander — bark — comes-from-no-real-place; ignore-it accordingly.)

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the slanderer-mirror-blind-dog-images register:

  1. Ugly-face shamed before the mirror; faults make-good look-the-opposite. Mirror-shame.

  2. Blind sees diamond same-as-hailstone; dog barks without knowing place. Blind-and-dog.

  3. The dog doesn't know its place. Place-less-bark.

For today: the darpaṇa (mirror — the Name, the saint-tradition) shames the nakhaṭa; the avaguṇa-bādha makes-the-good appear-viparīta; to the blind, hīrā and gārā are the same; the dog bhunkē — not-knowing its-(own) ṭhāva; (treat slander accordingly — it comes from no-place).

This abhang is Tukaram's slanderer-mirror-blind-dog-images register — one of the most-tightly-imaged anti-slander abhangs. Compare 0828 true-coin-vs-false-anti-pākhāṇḍa (Tuka's mudra); same anti-pākhāṇḍa-position but here organized around mirror-shame and blind-and-dog images. The bhunkē sunē — ṭhāyā nēṇē ṭhāva tō (the dog barks — doesn't know its-place) is the precise place-less-bark image*.

मराठी: ही ओवी slanderer-mirror-blind-dog-images register नाव सांगते:

  1. दर्पण-नखटें-लाजे; अवगुण-सुदें-विपरीत. Mirror-shame.

  2. अंधळा-हिरा-गारा; सुनें-ठाव-नेणे. Blind-and-dog.

  3. ठाया-नेणे. Place-less-bark.

आज: Darpaṇa (mirror — Name, saint-tradition) nakhaṭa-ला shame करतं; Avaguṇa-bādha-नं sudē (good) viparīta (opposite) दिसतं; Blind-ला hīrā आणि gārā same; dog barks — आपली ṭhāva (place) माहीत नाहीं; (slander-तसंच handle करा — कोणत्याही-place-तून येत नाहीं).

Tukaram च-slanderer-mirror-blind-dog-images-register — Most-tightly-imaged anti-slander abhangs पैकी एक. 0828 true-coin-vs-false-anti-pākhāṇḍa (Tuka mudra) compare; तीच anti-pākhāṇḍa-position पण इथे mirror-shame आणि blind-and-dog च्या मार्गाने. Bhunkē sunē — ṭhāyā nēṇē ṭhāva tō precise place-less-bark image.

Where this applies

Bhakti

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