Abhanga 887
Real discernment spots a false or showy spirituality in a person's whole manner, not just their words, so stay alert that no performance leads you or others astray.
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
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. Theucitais not known by theindriyas'ōḍhī; what was learned isbaḍabaḍī; he himself goes andbaḷētakes thebētāḷīsa 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 theabōlaṇē(the unspeakable / what should-not-be-spoken — forbidden-or-secret-discourse) withḍōḷē jhānkuni (closed eyes — feigning meditation);vāyām baḍabaḍīfordambha. 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 thepārakhīof-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 verse is a sharp warning about spiritual showmanship. Someone who is driven by his senses and has only memorized words without living them ends up leading himself, and everyone who follows him, toward ruin. He closes his eyes and speaks as if lost in deep meditation, but it is really just noise put on for show. Tukaram says that people with real discernment can spot this instantly, because the truth or falseness of a person shows itself in their whole manner and bearing, not just in their words.
मराठी: ही ओवी अध्यात्मिक देखाव्याविषयी एक तीक्ष्ण इशारा देते. जो इंद्रियांच्या ओढीने वागतो आणि फक्त शब्द पाठ करून बोलतो पण ते जगत नाही, तो स्वतःला आणि त्याच्या मागे जाणाऱ्या सगळ्यांना नाशाकडे घेऊन जातो. तो डोळे मिटून खोल ध्यानात असल्यासारखा बोलतो, पण तो केवळ देखाव्यासाठीचा गोंगाट असतो. तुकाराम म्हणतात, खऱ्या पारखी माणसाला हे लगेच कळतं — खरेपणा किंवा खोटेपणा माणसाच्या संपूर्ण वागण्या-बोलण्यातून दिसतो, केवळ शब्दांतून नाही.
Where this applies
- Pulled-leader. Followers-fall.
- Eyes-closed-pretender. Diagnostic.
- Assayer-spots. Expert.