Abhanga 887
English: Ucita — indriya-ōḍhī — not-known.
The verse
उचित न कळे इंद्रियाचे ओढी । मुखें बडबडी शिकलें तें ॥१॥ आपण जाऊन न्यावीं नरकास । बळें बेताळीस कुळें जग ॥ध्रु.॥ अबोलणें बोले डोळे झांकुनियां । बडबडी वांयां दंभासाटीं ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे आम्ही तेथील पारखी । नाचे देखोवेखीं जाणों खरें ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: Ucita — indriya-ōḍhī — not-known. Mukha — baḍabaḍī — learned. Āpaṇa — naraka — bētāḷīsa kuḷē — baḷē. Abōlaṇē — ḍōḷē jhānkuni. Baḍabaḍī — vāyām — dambha. Tuka says: pārakhī — nāca — dēkhō-vēkhī — kharē.
मराठी: उचित इंद्रियांच्या ओढी-नं कळत नाहीं — मुखें शिकलें तें बडबडी. आपण-च जाऊन — बळें — बेताळीस कुळें जगाला नरकास नेतो. अबोलणं डोळे झांकुनि बोले — वांयां दंभा-साठीं बडबडी. Tuka म्हणे: आम्ही तेथील पारखी — नाचे देखो-वेखीं खरें जाणों.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| उचित न कळे इंद्रियाचे ओढी | "ucita — indriya — ōḍhī" |
| मुखें बडबडी शिकलें तें | "mukha — baḍabaḍī — learned" |
| आपण जाऊन न्यावीं नरकास | "āpaṇa — naraka" |
| बळें बेताळीस कुळें जग | "baḷē — bētāḷīsa kuḷē — world" |
| अबोलणें बोले डोळे झांकुनियां | "abōlaṇē — ḍōḷē jhānkuni" |
| बडबडी वांयां दंभासाटीं | "baḍabaḍī — vāyām — dambha-sāṭī" |
| आम्ही तेथील पारखी | "we — pārakhī" |
| नाचे देखोवेखीं जाणों खरें | "nāca — dēkhō-vēkhī — kharē" |
What it means
A ucita-not-known-by-indriyas-pull-mouth-babbles-takes-forty-two-kuḷas-to-naraka-by-force-speaks-unspeakable-eyes-closed-uselessly-for-dambha-we-are-assayers-spot-genuine-by-the-glance abhang. We-are-the-assayers-spot-by-the-dance register. Three claims:
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उचित-इंद्रिय-ओढीनं-न-कळे — मुखें-बडबडी — बेताळीस-कुळें-नरकास-बळें. Indriya-pulled-and-takes-clans-to-naraka-claim. The ucita is not known by the indriyas' ōḍhī; what was learned is baḍabaḍī; he himself goes and baḷē takes the bētāḷīsa kuḷē (forty-two clans — ancestral generations on both sides) of the world to *naraka. Indriya-pulled-leader-takes-his-followers-to-hell. (Strong-warning about the false-teacher: not-only-himself-fallen but takes his forty-two ancestral clans of followers with him.)
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डोळे-झांकुनि-अबोलणें-बोले — वांयां-दंभा-साठीं-बडबडी. Speaks-unspeakable-eyes-closed-claim. He speaks the abōlaṇē (the unspeakable / what should-not-be-spoken — forbidden-or-secret-discourse) with ḍōḷē jhānkuni (closed eyes — feigning meditation); vāyām baḍabaḍī for dambha. Eyes-closed-pretending-meditation; useless-babble-for-show.
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Tuka: तेथील-पारखी — नाचे-देखो-वेखीं-खरें. We-are-the-assayers-spot-by-the-glance-claim. Tuka says: we are the pārakhī of-that-place (= we know the bhakti-trade from-inside); we jāṇōm the kharē by the dēkhō-vēkhī of the nāca (= we recognize the genuine from the side-glance of the dance — i.e., from-the-very-style-and-bearing of the imposter). Tuka-as-assayer-spots-counterfeits-instantly*.
[T]
For someone today
This abhang names the we-are-the-assayers-spot-by-the-dance register:
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Ucita not known by indriya-pull; mouth babbles; takes forty-two clans to naraka by force. Pulled-leader-pulls-followers.
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Speaks the unspeakable, eyes closed; uselessly babbles for dambha. Eyes-closed-pretender.
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We are the assayers — spot the genuine by the glance of the dance. Assayers-spot.
For today: the ucita is not known by the indriya-ōḍhī; the mukha babbles what was learned; he forcefully takes the bētāḷīsa kuḷē to naraka; speaks the abōlaṇē eyes-closed; uselessly baḍabaḍī for dambha; we are the pārakhī — we jāṇōm the kharē by the dēkhō-vēkhī of the nāca.
This abhang is Tukaram's we-are-the-assayers-and-spot-counterfeit-instantly register — one of the most-bracing anti-imposter polemical statements. Compare 0828 true-coin-vs-false-anti-pākhāṇḍa (Tuka's mudra); same anti-pākhāṇḍa-position but here organized around forty-two-clans-led-to-naraka and spot-by-the-glance. The nācē dēkhō-vēkhīm jāṇōm kharē (we know the genuine even by the glance of the dance) is the precise expert-spotter claim*.
मराठी: ही ओवी we-are-the-assayers-spot-by-the-dance register नाव सांगते:
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इंद्रिय-ओढी; बेताळीस-कुळें-नरकास. Pulled-leader-pulls-followers.
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डोळे-झांकुनि; दंभ-बडबडी. Eyes-closed-pretender.
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पारखी; नाचे-देखो-वेखीं. Assayers-spot.
आज: Ucita indriya-ōḍhī-नं कळत नाहीं; mukha baḍabaḍī; Bētāḷīsa kuḷē naraka-ला baḷē नेतो; Abōlaṇē ḍōḷē jhānkuni बोले; vāyām baḍabaḍī dambha-साठीं; आम्ही pārakhī — kharē nāca-च्या-dēkhō-vēkhī-ने जाणों*.
Tukaram च-we-are-the-assayers-and-spot-counterfeit-instantly-register — Most-bracing anti-imposter polemical statements पैकी एक. 0828 true-coin-vs-false-anti-pākhāṇḍa (Tuka mudra) compare; तीच anti-pākhāṇḍa-position पण इथे forty-two-clans-led-to-naraka आणि spot-by-the-glance च्या मार्गाने. Nācē dēkhō-vēkhīm jāṇōm kharē precise expert-spotter claim.
Where this applies
- Pulled-leader.* Followers-fall.
- Eyes-closed-pretender.* Diagnostic.
- Assayer-spots.* Expert.