Abhanga 895
Imitating greatness does not make you great, and a hard rebuke aimed at your pretending can be an act of care meant to save you from ruin.
The verse
देखीचा दिमाख शिकोनियां दावी । हिर्यां ऐसी केवीं गारगोटी ॥१॥ मर्यादा ते जाण अरे अभागिया । देवाच्या ऐसिया सकळ मूर्ति ॥ध्रु.॥ काय पडिलेंसी लटिक्याचे भरी । वोंवाळुनि थोरी परती सांडीं ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे पुढें दिसतसे घात । करितों फजित म्हणउनी ॥३॥
Literal translation
Dimākha — śikōniyām — dāvī. Hīra — gāra-gōṭī — how. Maryādā — know — abhāgiya. Dēva — mūrti. Laṭikā-bharī. Vōmvāḷuni — thōrī — paratī sāṇḍī. Tuka says: ahead — ghāta — phajita.
मराठी: देखीचा दिमाख (पाहून-शिकलेला-डौल) शिकोनियां दावी — पण हिर्या-सारखी गार-गोटी कैसी?. मर्यादा जाण, अरे अभागिया — सकळ मूर्ति देवा-सारख्या. काय लटिक्याच्या भरीं पडलासि — थोरी ओंवाळून परती सांडीं. Tuka म्हणे: पुढें घात दिसतो — म्हणून फजित करितों.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| देखीचा दिमाख शिकोनियां दावी | "dimākha — śikōniyām — dāvī" |
| हिर्यां ऐसी केवीं गारगोटी | "hīra — gāra-gōṭī" |
| मर्यादा ते जाण अरे अभागिया | "maryādā — know — abhāgiya" |
| देवाच्या ऐसिया सकळ मूर्ति | "Dēva — like — all mūrti" |
| काय पडिलेंसी लटिक्याचे भरी | "laṭikā-bharī" |
| वोंवाळुनि थोरी परती सांडीं | "vōmvāḷuni — thōrī — paratī sāṇḍī" |
| पुढें दिसतसे घात | "ahead — ghāta" |
| करितों फजित म्हणउनी | "phajita — mhaṇauni" |
What it means
A mimicking-show-glass-pebble-can't-be-diamond-know-the-limit-O-abhāgiya-all-mūrtis-are-Dēva's-why-fallen-into-rush-of-false-toss-away-greatness-ahead-I-see-destruction-so-I-shame abhang. Mimic-shamed-for-his-good register. Three claims:
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दिमाख-शिकोनि-दावी — हिर्या-गार-गोटी. Mimicking-show-glass-not-diamond-claim. Mimicking, having-learned, hedāvīthedimākha; but how can agāra-gōṭībe like thehīra?Mimic-can't-be-genuine. (Thegāra-gōṭī(glass-bead, fake-jewel) tries to look like ahīra (diamond) — but their nature differs.)
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मर्यादा-जाण — अभागिया — सकळ-मूर्ति-देवा-सारख्या — लटिक्याच्या-भरीं-पडलासि — थोरी-ओंवाळून-सांडीं. Know-limit-toss-away-greatness-claim. Know themaryādā, O abhāgiya; all themūrtis are like Dēva's; why have you fallen into thelaṭikā-bharī?; vōmvāḷuni the thōrī, paratī sāṇḍī. Stay-within-limits; toss-away-the-show-of-greatness. (The vōmvāḷuni-paratī-sāṇḍī image: the waving-around-the-head and tossing-aside gesture used in Marathi for cancelling-and-discarding — used here for the thōrī (the show of greatness).)
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Tuka: पुढें-घात-दिसतो — फजित-करितों. See-destruction-ahead-shame-claim. Tuka says: ahead I seeghāta; so Ikaritōm phajita (make shameful).Shaming-from-care-not-malice. (Crucial-context for Tuka'sphajita-mode: it'sbecausehe sees theghāta(destruction) ahead — i.e., shaming isfor the mimic's own good, not for spite.)
[T]
For someone today
You can learn the pose of greatness and put it on display, but a glass pebble copying a diamond's shine is still just glass. Tukaram tells the unlucky show-off to know his limits, because every form and every being belongs to God the same way, so putting on airs over others is simply false. He asks why you have rushed to chase this fake glitter instead of setting that pretend greatness aside and letting it go. When Tukaram calls someone out sharply here, he says plainly that it is because he sees ruin coming for them, so the sharp words are an act of care, not cruelty.
मराठी: तू दिखाव्याचा रुबाब शिकून दाखवू शकतोस, पण हिऱ्यासारखी चमक दाखवणारी गार-गोटी शेवटी गार-गोटीच राहते. तुकाराम अभागी बढाईखोराला मर्यादा ओळखायला सांगतात, कारण सगळ्या मूर्ती देवासारख्याच आहेत, त्यामुळे इतरांवर श्रेष्ठत्व मिरवणे खोटेपणा आहे. ते विचारतात की तू या खोट्या झगमगाटाच्या घाईत का पडलास, त्यापेक्षा तो खोटा मोठेपणा ओंवाळून दूर टाकून दे. तुकाराम इथे कठोर बोलतात, पण स्पष्ट सांगतात की पुढे नाश दिसतो म्हणून ते फजिती करतात — हे प्रेमापोटी आहे, क्रूरतेपोटी नाही.
Where this applies
- Mimic-can't. Glass-vs-diamond.
- Limit-and-toss. Maryādā.
- Shame-from-care. Corrective.