Abhanga 924
A word only carries real weight when there is truth behind it; you cannot blame the mirror for the face it shows, and no crowd of repeated voices can substitute for sincerity.
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
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:
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आपलाल्या-रूप-समजा — आरसिया-वरजा-कां. Don't-blame-the-mirror-claim. Each understand by yourown rūpa; why blame theārasiyā?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.)
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देह-बुद्धी-कारण-नव्हे — Nārāyaṇा-दान-केलं. Not-from-deha-buddhi-claim. This (= the kīrtana / the satya-utterance) is not fromdēha-buddhi; Nārāyaṇa would have given (this) dāna. Not-mine-but-Hari's-dāna.
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बब्रू-बाणें-वर्म-स्पर्शावें — मोकलित्या-ठावें-नाहीं. Babrū-arrow-touches-varma-claim. Thebabrū-bāṇa(= a particular-named-arrow, possibly a-specific-targeted-arrow) shouldsparśāvēthevarma; but themōkalityā (the loose-shooter, the one who shoots-blindly) doesn't know this.Skilled-shooter-touches-vital-spot; careless-shooter-doesn't-know.
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Tuka: मुखें-वचना-बहु — सत्याविण-चाल-नाहीं. Without-satya-no-cāla-claim. Tuka says: manymukhas to thisvacana; but withoutsatya, know, no cāla. Many-can-mouth-the-vacana-but-without-satya-it-doesn't-have-currency.
[T]
For someone today
When you look in a mirror, you see your own face, so it makes no sense to blame the mirror for what it simply shows you. In the same way, a truthful word does not come from your own cleverness or ego; it is more like a gift, given through you rather than manufactured by you. A skilled archer's arrow finds the vital point, but someone who shoots carelessly never even notices what they missed. Tukaram says many people can repeat the same words, but without truth behind them, those words carry no real weight at all.
मराठी: आरशात पाहिलं की तुम्हाला तुमचाच चेहरा दिसतो, म्हणून आरसा जे दाखवतो त्याबद्दल आरशाला दोष देण्यात अर्थ नाही. त्याचप्रमाणे खरं बोलणं हे तुमच्या स्वतःच्या चतुराईतून किंवा अहंकारातून येत नाही, ते तुमच्याकडून घडणारी एक देणगी असते. कुशल धनुर्धाऱ्याचा बाण नेमक्या जागी लागतो, पण निष्काळजीपणे बाण सोडणाऱ्याला आपण काय चुकवलं हेही कळत नाही. तुकाराम म्हणतात, अनेकजण एकच शब्द बोलू शकतात, पण त्यामागे सत्य नसेल तर त्या शब्दांना खरं वजन उरत नाही.
Where this applies
- Mirror-blameless. Self-image.
- Not-mine. Hari's-dāna.
- Targeted-skill. Vs-careless.
- Need-satya. Currency.