संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 924 of 4582

Abhanga 924

English: Āpalālyā — rūpa — understand.

When each understands by own form; why blame the mirror? — and you have to recognize this register
When not deha-buddhi's cause; Nārāyaṇa would have given the dāna — and you accept this image
When babrū-arrow should touch the varma; loose-shooter doesn't know — and you allow this image

The verse

आपलाल्या तुम्ही रूपासी समजा । कासया वरजा आरसिया ॥१॥ हें तों नव्हे देहबुद्धीचें कारण । होइल नारायणें दान केलें ॥ध्रु.॥ बब्रूचिया बाणें वर्मासि स्पर्शावें । हें तों नाहीं ठावें मोकलित्या ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे बहु मुखें या वचना । सत्याविण जाणा चाल नाहीं ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: Āpalālyā — rūpa — understand. Ārasiyā — blame — why. Dēha-buddhi — kāraṇa — none. Nārāyaṇa — dāna. Babrū-bāṇa — varma — sparśāvē. Mōkalityā — none-knows. Tuka says: mukha — vacana. Satya — cāla — none.

मराठी: आपलाल्या तुम्ही रूपासी समजा — कासया आरसियाला वरजा?. हें देह-बुद्धीचं कारण नव्हे — Nārāyaṇानं दान केलें असेल. बब्रूचिया बाणें वर्मासि स्पर्शावे — पण मोकलित्या (हलगर्जी सोडणाऱ्या)-ला हें ठावें नाहीं. Tuka म्हणे: ह्या वचनाला बहु मुखें — पण सत्या-विण जाणा, चाल नाहीं.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
आपलाल्या तुम्ही रूपासी समजा "āpalālyā — rūpa — understand"
कासया वरजा आरसिया "ārasiyā — blame"
हें तों नव्हे देहबुद्धीचें कारण "dēha-buddhi — kāraṇa — none"
होइल नारायणें दान केलें "Nārāyaṇa — dāna"
बब्रूचिया बाणें वर्मासि स्पर्शावें "babrū-bāṇa — varma"
हें तों नाहीं ठावें मोकलित्या "mōkalityā — none-known"
बहु मुखें या वचना "many — mukha — vacana"
सत्याविण जाणा चाल नाहीं "satya — cāla"

What it means

A each-understand-by-own-form-why-blame-the-mirror-this-not-deha-buddhi-cause-Nārāyaṇa-would-give-the-dāna-babrū-arrow-touches-varma-loose-shooter-doesn't-know-many-mouths-but-without-satya-no-cāla abhang. Mirror-and-arrow-of-truth register. Four claims:

  1. आपलाल्या-रूप-समजा — आरसिया-वरजा-कां. Don't-blame-the-mirror-claim. Each understand by your own rūpa; why blame the ārasiyā? Mirror-just-shows-don't-blame-it. (Image: when one looks-in-the-mirror and sees one's own face, one shouldn't blame the mirror for the face.)

  2. देह-बुद्धी-कारण-नव्हे — Nārāyaṇा-दान-केलं. Not-from-deha-buddhi-claim. This (= the kīrtana / the satya-utterance) is not from dēha-buddhi; Nārāyaṇa would have given (this) *dāna. Not-mine-but-Hari's-dāna.

  3. बब्रू-बाणें-वर्म-स्पर्शावें — मोकलित्या-ठावें-नाहीं. Babrū-arrow-touches-varma-claim. The babrū-bāṇa (= a particular-named-arrow, possibly a-specific-targeted-arrow) should sparśāvē the varma; but the mōkalityā (the loose-shooter, the one who shoots-blindly) doesn't know this. Skilled-shooter-touches-vital-spot; careless-shooter-doesn't-know*.

  4. Tuka: मुखें-वचना-बहु — सत्याविण-चाल-नाहीं. Without-satya-no-cāla-claim. Tuka says: many mukhas to this vacana; but without satya, know, no cāla. Many-can-mouth-the-vacana-but-without-satya-it-doesn't-have-currency*.

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the mirror-and-arrow-of-truth register:

  1. Each understands by own form; don't blame the mirror. Mirror-blameless.

  2. Not from deha-buddhi; Nārāyaṇa gives the dāna. Not-mine.

  3. Babrū-arrow touches varma; loose-shooter doesn't know. Targeted-skill.

  4. Many mouths, but without satya, no cāla. Need-satya.

For today: each understand by your rūpa; don't blame the ārasiyā; this is not from dēha-buddhi — Nārāyaṇa gives the dāna; the babrū-bāṇa touches the varma; the mōkalityā doesn't know; many mukhas to this vacana, but without satya, no cāla**.

This abhang is Tukaram's mirror-and-arrow-of-truth-without-satya-no-cāla register — one of the most-precise truth-as-currency statements. Compare 0828 true-coin-vs-false-anti-pākhāṇḍa (Tuka's mudra); same currency-image but here organized as without-satya-no-cāla-of-vacana. The satyā-viṇa jāṇā cāla nāhīm (without satya, know, there is no cāla) is the precise no-currency-without-truth claim*.

मराठी: ही ओवी mirror-and-arrow-of-truth register नाव सांगते:

  1. आरसिया-वरजा-कां. Mirror-blameless.

  2. Nārāyaṇा-दान. Not-mine.

  3. बब्रू-वर्म-स्पर्श. Targeted-skill.

  4. सत्या-चाल. Need-satya.

आज: Āpalālyā rūpāsī समजा; ārasiyā कां वरजा?; Dēha-buddhi-kāraṇa नव्हे — Nārāyaṇa-dāna; *Babrū-bāṇa varma-sparśāvē; mōkalityā ला माहीत नाहीं; Mukha bahu, पण satya-viṇa cāla nāhīm**.

Tukaram च-mirror-and-arrow-of-truth-without-satya-no-cāla-register — Most-precise truth-as-currency statements पैकी एक. 0828 true-coin-vs-false-anti-pākhāṇḍa (Tuka mudra) compare; तीच currency-image पण इथे without-satya-no-cāla-of-vacana च्या मार्गाने. Satyā-viṇa jāṇā cāla nāhīm precise no-currency-without-truth claim.

Where this applies

Bhakti mirror-and-arrow-of-truth

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