संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 986 of 4582

Abhanga 986

English: Vēśa — bōla — none — avaguṇa — dūṣīlē.

When dress has no fault; the faults are blameworthy — and you have to recognize this register
When food is life but mixed with poison becomes poison — and you accept this image
When gold is pure; alloy makes lower-grade — and you allow this image

The verse

वेशा नाहीं बोल अवगुण दूषीले । ऐशा बोला भले झणें क्षोभा ॥१॥ कोण नेणे अन्न जीवाचें जीवन । विषमेळवण विष होय ॥ध्रु.॥ सोनें शुद्ध नेणे कोण हा विचार । डांकें हीनवर केलें त्यासी ॥२॥ याती शुद्ध परि अधम लक्षण । वांयां गेलें तेणें सोंगें ही तें ॥३॥ तुका म्हणे शूर तो चि पावे मान । आणीक मंडण भार वाही ॥४॥

Literal translation

English: Vēśa — bōla — none — avaguṇa — dūṣīlē. Kṣōbhā — none. Anna — jīvana — viṣa-mēḷavaṇa. Sōnē-śuddha — ḍānka — hīna-vara. Yāti-śuddha — adhama-lakṣaṇa — vāyām-sōnga. Tuka says: śūra — māna — maṇḍana — bhāra.

मराठी: वेशा नाहीं बोल — अवगुण दूषीले — ऐशा बोला, भले, झणें क्षोभा. कोण नेणे — अन्न जीवाचें जीवन — विष-मेळवण विष होय. सोनें शुद्ध — नेणे कोण हा विचार? — डांकें हीन-वर केलें त्यासि. याती शुद्ध — परि अधम लक्षण — वांयां गेलें तेणें सोंगें ही तें. Tuka म्हणे: शूर तो-च पावे मान — आणीक मंडण, भार वाही.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
वेशा नाहीं बोल अवगुण दूषीले "vēśa — bōla — avaguṇa"
ऐशा बोला भले झणें क्षोभा "kṣōbhā"
कोण नेणे अन्न जीवाचें जीवन "anna — jīvana"
विषमेळवण विष होय "viṣa-mēḷavaṇa"
सोनें शुद्ध नेणे कोण हा विचार "sōnē-śuddha — vicāra"
डांकें हीनवर केलें त्यासी "ḍānka — hīna-vara"
याती शुद्ध परि अधम लक्षण "yāti — adhama lakṣaṇa"
वांयां गेलें तेणें सोंगें ही तें "vāyām — sōnga"
शूर तो चि पावे मान "śūra — māna"
आणीक मंडण भार वाही "maṇḍana — bhāra"

What it means

A dress-has-no-fault-faults-blameworthy-food-is-life-but-mixed-with-poison-becomes-poison-gold-pure-but-alloy-lower-grade-caste-pure-but-character-low-warrior-alone-gets-honor abhang. Warrior-alone-gets-honor register. Five claims (parables of pure-substance-spoiled):

  1. वेश-दूष-नाहीं — अवगुण-दूषीले — क्षोभा-नका. Don't-blame-the-dress-claim. Vēśa has no bōla; avaguṇa are dūṣīlē; don't kṣōbhā by such bōla.

  2. अन्न-जीवन — विष-मेळ-विष. Anna-vs-poison-mix-claim. Anna is jīvana of jīva; but viṣa-mēḷavaṇa becomes viṣa*.

  3. सोनें-शुद्ध — डांकें-हीन-वर. Gold-and-alloy-claim. Sōnē is śuddha; ḍānka makes hīna-vara**.

  4. याती-शुद्ध — अधम-लक्षण — सोंग-वांयां. Caste-vs-character-claim. Yāti śuddha, but *adhama-lakṣaṇa; (such yāti's) sōnga went vāyām**.

  5. Tuka: शूर-मान — मंडण-भार-वाही. Warrior-alone-gets-honor-claim. Tuka says: the śūra alone gets māna; the rest, maṇḍana (decoration), carries the bhāra. Real-quality-not-decoration*.

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the warrior-alone-gets-honor register:

  1. Dress no fault; the faults are blameworthy. Don't-blame-form.

  2. Food is life; mixed with poison becomes poison. Mixture.

  3. Gold pure; alloy lower-grade. Adulteration.

  4. Caste pure but character low; the form went in vain. Form-vs-content.

  5. Warrior gets honor; rest is decoration carrying burden. Real-quality.

For today: vēśa no bōla, avaguṇa are dūṣīlē; anna is jīvana, viṣa-mēḷa makes it *viṣa; sōnē-śuddha but ḍānka makes hīna-vara; yāti śuddha, adhama-lakṣaṇa; śūra gets māna, maṇḍana carries *bhāra.

This abhang is Tukaram's warrior-alone-gets-honor register — one of the most-precise content-vs-form-and-quality-vs-decoration statements. Compare 0986-style 0940 anti-counterfeit-bhakti (Tuka's mudra); same anti-counterfeit but here organized as five-parables-of-pure-substance-spoiled. The śūra tō ci pāvē māna āṇīka maṇḍana bhāra vāhī (warrior alone gets honor, rest is decoration carrying burden) is the precise quality-not-decoration claim*.

मराठी: ही ओवी warrior-alone-gets-honor register नाव सांगते:

  1. वेश-दूष-नाहीं. Don't-blame-form.

  2. विष-मेळ. Mixture.

  3. सोनें-डांक. Adulteration.

  4. याती-शुद्ध; अधम-लक्षण. Form-vs-content.

  5. शूर-मान; मंडण-भार. Real-quality.

आज: Vēśa-bōla नाहीं — avaguṇa-dūṣīlē; Anna-jīvana, viṣa-mēḷa-viṣa; *Sōnē-śuddha, ḍānka-hīna-vara; Yāti-śuddha, adhama-lakṣaṇa; Śūra-māna; maṇḍana-bhāra**.

Tukaram च-warrior-alone-gets-honor-register — Most-precise content-vs-form-and-quality-vs-decoration statements पैकी एक. 0940 (Tuka mudra) compare; तीच anti-counterfeit पण इथे five-parables-of-pure-substance-spoiled च्या मार्गाने. Śūra tō ci pāvē māna precise quality-not-decoration claim.

Where this applies

Anti-caste / Egalitarianism Bhakti

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