संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 981 of 4582

Abhanga 981

English: Maū mēnā-hūni — Viṣṇu-dāsa.

When softer than wax — yet pierce vajra — and you have to recognize this register
When dead-but-alive, sleeping-but-awake; whatever asked, given — and you accept this image
When good get loincloth; obstinate get head-knock — and you allow this image

The verse

मऊ मेनाहूनि आम्ही विष्णुदास । कठिण वज्रास भेदूं ऐसे ॥१॥ मेले जित असों निजोनियां जागे । जो जो जो जें मागे तें तें देऊं ॥ध्रु.॥ भले तरि देऊं गांडीची लंगोटी । नाठ्याळा चि गांठीं देऊं माथां ॥२॥ मायबापाहूनि बहू मायावंत । करूं घातपात शत्रूहूनि ॥३॥ अमृत तें काय गोड आम्हांपुढें । विष तें बापुडें कडू किती ॥४॥ तुका म्हणे आम्ही अवघे चि गोड । ज्याचें पुरे कोड त्याचेपरि ॥५॥

Literal translation

English: Maū mēnā-hūni — Viṣṇu-dāsa. Kaṭhiṇa vajra — bhēdūm. Mēlē jita — nijōni jāgē. Whoever — asks — give. Bhalē — langōṭī. Nāṭhyāḷa — gāṇṭhī. Māya-bāpa-hūni — māyā-vanta. Ghāta-pāta — śatrū. Amṛta — gōḍa — none. Viṣa — kaḍū — none. Tuka says: all-gōḍa — jyācē purē kōḍa — tyācē-pari.

मराठी: आम्ही Viṣṇu-दास, मेनाहूनि-मऊ — परि वज्रासही भेदूं, ऐसे कठीण. मेले-जित असों, निजोनियां जागे — जो-जो जें-जें मागे, तें-तें देऊं. भले तरि देऊं गांडीची लंगोटी — नाठ्याळा-च गांठीं माथां देऊं. माय-बापा-हूनि बहु माया-वंत — परि शत्रू-हूनि घात-पात करूं. अमृत तें काय गोड आम्हां-पुढें — विष तें बापुडें कडू किती?. Tuka म्हणे: आम्ही अवघे-च गोड — ज्याचें कोड पुरे, त्याचे-परि.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
मऊ मेनाहूनि आम्ही विष्णुदास "maū mēnā-hūni — Viṣṇu-dāsa"
कठिण वज्रास भेदूं ऐसे "kaṭhiṇa vajra — bhēdūm"
मेले जित असों निजोनियां जागे "mēlē jita — nijōni jāgē"
जो जो जो जें मागे तें तें देऊं "whoever — asks — give"
भले तरि देऊं गांडीची लंगोटी "bhalē — langōṭī"
नाठ्याळा चि गांठीं देऊं माथां "nāṭhyāḷa — gāṇṭhī — māthā"
मायबापाहूनि बहू मायावंत "māya-bāpa-hūni — māyā-vanta"
करूं घातपात शत्रूहूनि "ghāta-pāta — śatrū"
अमृत तें काय गोड आम्हांपुढें "amṛta — gōḍa"
विष तें बापुडें कडू किती "viṣa — kaḍū"
आम्ही अवघे चि गोड "all-gōḍa"
ज्याचें पुरे कोड त्याचेपरि "kōḍa — tyācē-pari"

What it means

A softer-than-wax-Viṣṇu-dāsas-pierce-vajra-dead-but-alive-sleeping-but-awake-give-whatever-asked-good-get-loincloth-obstinate-get-head-knock-more-affectionate-than-parents-destruction-more-than-enemy-amṛta-not-sweet-poison-not-bitter-we-altogether-sweet-by-each-one's-fulfilled-longing abhang. Softer-than-wax-harder-than-vajra register. Five claims:

  1. मऊ-मेनाहूनि-Viṣṇu-दास — वज्र-भेदूं — मेले-जित — मागे-देऊं. Soft-yet-pierces-claim. Softer-than-wax, Viṣṇu-dāsa; can pierce kaṭhiṇa vajra; dead-but-alive, sleeping-but-awake; give whatever-is-asked.

  2. भले-लंगोटी — नाठ्याळा-गांठीं-माथां. Good-get-loincloth-obstinate-head-knock-claim. To bhalē, langōṭī; to nāṭhyāḷa, gāṇṭhī on māthā. Match-each-as-each-deserves.

  3. माय-बाप-हूनि-माया — शत्रू-हूनि-घात-पात. More-affectionate-or-destructive-than-anyone-claim. More māyā-vanta than māya-bāpa; more ghāta-pāta than śatrū. Both-extremes.

  4. अमृत-गोड-नकाहीं — विष-कडू-नकाहीं. Amṛta-not-sweet-poison-not-bitter-claim. Amṛta not gōḍa before us; viṣa not kaḍū. Beyond-categories*.

  5. Tuka: अवघे-गोड — कोड-पुरे-त्याचे-परि. Sweet-by-each-one's-fulfilled-longing-claim. Tuka says: we are altogether gōḍa; for jyācē purē kōḍa, in tyācē-pari. Sweet-as-each-needs*.

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the softer-than-wax-harder-than-vajra register:

  1. Softer than wax — yet pierce vajra; dead-but-alive, sleeping-but-awake; give whatever asked. Paradox.

  2. Good get loincloth; obstinate get head-knock. Match.

  3. More affectionate than parents; more destructive than enemy. Both-extremes.

  4. Amṛta not sweet, poison not bitter; altogether sweet by each one's longing. Beyond.

For today: maū mēnā-hūni Viṣṇu-dāsa, kaṭhiṇa vajra bhēdūm; *mēlē jita, nijōni jāgē; bhalē — langōṭī, nāṭhyāḷa — gāṇṭhī māthām; *māyā-vanta māya-bāpa-hūni, ghāta-pāta śatrū-hūni; amṛta-gōḍa nakaim, viṣa-kaḍū kitī; *avaghē gōḍa — kōḍa-purē-tyācē-pari.

This abhang is Tukaram's softer-than-wax-harder-than-vajra register — one of the most-celebrated Vārkarī-self-description abhangs (the bhakta-as-paradox). Compare 0828 true-coin-vs-false-anti-pākhāṇḍa (Tuka's mudra); same anti-pākhāṇḍa-position but here organized as paradoxical-self-description. The jyācē purē kōḍa tyācē-pari (each one's longing in their own way) is the precise relational-sweetness claim*.

मराठी: ही ओवी softer-than-wax-harder-than-vajra register नाव सांगते:

  1. मऊ-मेनाहूनि; वज्र-भेदूं. Paradox.

  2. भले-लंगोटी; नाठ्याळा-गांठीं. Match.

  3. माय-बाप-शत्रू. Both-extremes.

  4. अमृत-गोड-नाहीं. Beyond.

  5. ज्याचें-कोड-त्याचे-परि. Each-one's-way.

आज: Viṣṇu-dāsa — maū mēnā-hūni, vajra bhēdūm; mēlē jita, nijōni jāgē; *bhalē-langōṭī, nāṭhyāḷa-gāṇṭhī; Māya-bāpa-hūni-māya, śatrū-hūni-ghāta; amṛta-gōḍa nakaim; viṣa-kaḍū kitī; *avaghē gōḍa, jyācē purē kōḍa, tyācē-pari.

Tukaram च-softer-than-wax-harder-than-vajra-register — Most-celebrated Vārkarī-self-description abhangs (bhakta-as-paradox) पैकी एक. 0828 (Tuka mudra) compare; तीच anti-pākhāṇḍa-position पण इथे paradoxical-self-description च्या मार्गाने. Jyācē purē kōḍa tyācē-pari precise relational-sweetness claim.

Where this applies

Bhakti

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