संत साहित्य
Work in progress. Translations and commentary are AI-generated and may contain inaccuracies or hallucinations — please use your own judgement and check against the original sources.
संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 895 of 4582

Abhanga 895

English: Dimākha — śikōniyām — dāvī.

When mimicking the show; but glass-pebble can't be like diamond — and you have to recognize this register
When know the limit, O abhāgiya; all mūrtis are like Dēva's — and you accept this image
When why fallen into the rush of the false; toss-away the greatness — and you allow this image

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

English: 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:

  1. दिमाख-शिकोनि-दावी — हिर्‍या-गार-गोटी. Mimicking-show-glass-not-diamond-claim. Mimicking, having-learned, he dāvī the dimākha; but how can a gāra-gōṭī be like the hīra? Mimic-can't-be-genuine. (The gāra-gōṭī (glass-bead, fake-jewel) tries to look like a hīra* (diamond) — but their nature differs.)

  2. मर्यादा-जाण — अभागिया — सकळ-मूर्ति-देवा-सारख्या — लटिक्याच्या-भरीं-पडलासि — थोरी-ओंवाळून-सांडीं. Know-limit-toss-away-greatness-claim. Know the maryādā, O *abhāgiya; all the mūrtis are like Dēva's; why have you fallen into the laṭikā-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).)

  3. Tuka: पुढें-घात-दिसतो — फजित-करितों. See-destruction-ahead-shame-claim. Tuka says: ahead I see ghāta; so I karitōm phajita (make shameful). Shaming-from-care-not-malice. (Crucial-context for Tuka's phajita-mode: it's because he sees the ghāta (destruction) ahead — i.e., shaming is for the mimic's own good*, not for spite.)

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the mimic-shamed-for-his-good register:

  1. Mimicking the show; but glass-pebble can't be a diamond. Mimic-can't.

  2. Know the limit, O abhāgiya; all mūrtis are like Dēva's; toss-away the show of greatness. Limit-and-toss.

  3. I see destruction ahead — that's why I shame. Shame-from-care.

For today: the dimākha is mimicked by śikōniyā, but a gāra-gōṭī can't be a *hīra; know the maryādā, abhāgiya — all mūrtis are Dēva-like; why fallen into *laṭikā-bharī?; vōmvāḷuni-the-thōrī-and-paratī sāṇḍī; I see ghāta ahead — that's why karitōm phajita*.

This abhang is Tukaram's mimic-shamed-for-his-good register — one of the most-precise corrective-shame-with-explanation statements. Compare 0845 corrective-shaming-anti-pākhāṇḍa (Tuka's mudra); same shame-as-corrective but here organized around glass-pebble-vs-diamond and I-see-destruction-ahead-so-I-shame. The karitōm phajita mhaṇauni (I make shameful for-this-reason) is the precise corrective-with-care*.

मराठी: ही ओवी mimic-shamed-for-his-good register नाव सांगते:

  1. दिमाख-गार-गोटी-हिरा. Mimic-can't.

  2. मर्यादा; ओंवाळून-सांडीं. Limit-and-toss.

  3. घात-पुढें; फजित. Shame-from-care.

आज: Dimākha शिकोनियां dāvī — पण gāra-gōṭī hīrā-सारखी कैसी?; Maryādā जाण, abhāgiya; सर्व mūrti देवा-सारख्या; Laṭikā-bharī मध्यें कां पडलासि?; thōrī vōmvāḷuni paratī sāṇḍī; Tuka: पुढें ghāta दिसतो — म्हणून phajita करितों.

Tukaram च-mimic-shamed-for-his-good-register — Most-precise corrective-shame-with-explanation statements पैकी एक. 0845 corrective-shaming-anti-pākhāṇḍa (Tuka mudra) compare; तीच shame-as-corrective पण इथे glass-pebble-vs-diamond आणि I-see-destruction-ahead-so-I-shame च्या मार्गाने. Karitōm phajita mhaṇauni precise corrective-with-care.

Where this applies

Bhakti mimic-shamed-for-his-good

Related verses