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 985 of 4582

Abhanga 985

English: Jaḷō — prēma — ranga — patanga — bhulōni.

When cursed be such prema-color; moth deceived into flame — and you have to recognize this register
When daughter-in-law cries for show; thug's mouth sweet — and you accept this image
When just as the basil-sheen, good to hold — and you allow this image

The verse

जळो प्रेमा तैसा रंग । जाय भुलोनि पतंग ॥१॥ सासूसाटीं रडे सून । भाव अंतरींचा भिन्न ॥ध्रु.॥ मैंद मुखींचा कोंवळा । भाव अंतरीं निराळा ॥२॥ जैसी वृंदावनकांती । उत्तम धरूं ये हातीं ॥३॥ बक ध्यान धरी । सोंग करूनि मासे मारी ॥४॥ तुका म्हणे सर्प डोले । तैसा कथेमाजी खुले ॥५॥

Literal translation

English: Jaḷō — prēma — ranga — patanga — bhulōni. Sūna — sāsū-sāṭīm — bhāva — bhinna. Maiṇḍa — mukha — kōvaḷa. Vṛndāvana-kāntī — uttama — hātī. Baka — dhyāna — sōnga — kills. Tuka says: sarpa — ḍōlē — kathā — khulē.

मराठी: जळो प्रेमा तैसा रंग — जाय भुलोनि पतंग. सासू-साटीं रडे सून — भाव अंतरींचा भिन्न. मैंद मुखींचा कोंवळा — भाव अंतरीं निराळा. जैसी वृंदावन-कांती — उत्तम धरूं ये हातीं. बक ध्यान धरी — सोंग करूनि मासे मारी. Tuka म्हणे: सर्प डोले — तैसा कथे-माजी खुले.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
जळो प्रेमा तैसा रंग "jaḷō — prēma — ranga"
जाय भुलोनि पतंग "patanga — bhulōni"
सासूसाटीं रडे सून "sūna — sāsū-sāṭīm"
भाव अंतरींचा भिन्न "bhāva — bhinna"
मैंद मुखींचा कोंवळा "maiṇḍa — kōvaḷa"
भाव अंतरीं निराळा "bhāva — nirāḷa"
जैसी वृंदावनकांती "vṛndāvana-kāntī"
उत्तम धरूं ये हातीं "uttama — hātī"
बक ध्यान धरी "baka — dhyāna"
सोंग करूनि मासे मारी "sōnga — kills"
सर्प डोले "sarpa — ḍōlē"
तैसा कथेमाजी खुले "kathā — khulē"

What it means

A cursed-be-such-prema-color-moth-into-flame-daughter-in-law-cries-for-show-thug's-mouth-sweet-basil-sheen-good-to-hold-heron-holds-meditation-but-kills-fish-snake-sways-impostor-opens-in-kathā abhang. Heron-meditation-impostor-images register. Five claims (each a parable):

  1. जळो-प्रेमा-रंग — पतंग-भुलोनि-जाय. Cursed-be-such-prema-claim. Jaḷō (cursed) such prēma-ranga; the patanga (moth) goes-deceived (into the flame)*.

  2. सून-सासू-साठीं-रडे — भाव-भिन्न. Daughter-in-law-cries-for-show-claim. Sūna cries for sāsū-sāṭīm; but inner bhāva is bhinna. Public-tears-private-relief*.

  3. मैंद-मुख-कोंवळा — भाव-निराळा. Thug's-sweet-mouth-claim. Maiṇḍa's mukha is kōvaḷa; inner bhāva is nirāḷa*.

  4. वृंदावन-कांति — उत्तम-धरूं-ये-हातीं — बक-ध्यान-सोंग-मासे-मारी. Heron-meditation-claim. Just-as vṛndāvana-kāntī — uttama to hold; the baka holds dhyāna, plays the sōnga, kills *māsē. Pretends-meditation-actually-predator.

  5. Tuka: सर्प-डोले — कथेमाजी-खुले. Snake-sways-impostor-opens-claim. Tuka says: the sarpa sways; thus the impostor khulē in the kathā. Snake-sways-when-music-plays; impostor-opens-up-when-kathā-flows.

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the heron-meditation-impostor-images register:

  1. Cursed be such prema-color; moth deceived. False-prema.

  2. Daughter-in-law cries for show; thug's sweet mouth. Two-faced.

  3. Heron holds meditation, then kills fish. Heron-meditation.

  4. Snake sways; impostor opens up in kathā. Sways-with-music.

For today: jaḷō prēmā ranga; patanga bhulōni; sūna sāsū-sāṭī raḍē, *bhāva bhinna; maiṇḍa mukhīñcā kōvaḷa; baka dhyāna sōnga māsē mārī; *sarpa ḍōlē, kathē-mājī khulē.

This abhang is Tukaram's heron-meditation-impostor-images register — one of the most-vivid impostor-typology abhangs in the Gatha. Compare 0860 bhōrapyā-self-confession (Tuka's mudra); same impostor-typology but here organized as five-parables. The sarpa ḍōlē taisā kathē-mājī khulē (snake sways, so impostor opens-up in kathā) is the precise sways-with-the-music image*.

मराठी: ही ओवी heron-meditation-impostor-images register नाव सांगते:

  1. पतंग-भुलोनि. False-prema.

  2. सून-सासू; मैंद-मुख. Two-faced.

  3. बक-ध्यान-मासे. Heron-meditation.

  4. सर्प-डोले-कथा. Sways-with-music.

आज: Jaḷō prēmā ranga; patanga bhulōni; Sūna sāsū — bhāva bhinna; *Maiṇḍa mukha kōvaḷa; Baka dhyāna — sōnga — māsē mārī; Sarpa ḍōlē — kathē-mājī khulē**.

Tukaram च-heron-meditation-impostor-images-register — Most-vivid impostor-typology abhangs in the Gatha पैकी एक. 0860 (Tuka mudra) compare; तीच impostor-typology पण इथे five-parables च्या मार्गाने. Sarpa ḍōlē taisā kathē-mājī khulē precise sways-with-music image.

Where this applies

Bhakti

Related verses