संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 995 of 4582

Abhanga 995

English: Catura — bhōvatām — no bhāva — phuñja — anga.

When I became clever around myself, without bhāva — empty puff on the body — and you have to recognize this register
When what's the point of going ahead in vain — kāma-krōdha lodged here — and you accept this image
When guṇa-dōṣa of jagat entered antara — buddhi on matsara of bhūtas — and you allow this image

The verse

चतुर मी जालों आपुल्या भोंवता । भावेंविण रिता फुंज अंगीं ॥१॥ आतां पुढें वांयां जावें हें तें काई । कामक्रोधें ठायीं वास केला ॥ध्रु.॥ गुणदोष आले जगाचे अंतरा । भूताच्या मत्सरावरी बुद्धि ॥२॥ तुका हमणे करूं उपदेश लोकां । नाहीं जालों एका परता दोषा ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: Catura — bhōvatām — no bhāva — phuñja — anga. Vāyām — what — kāma-krōdha — vāsa. Guṇa-dōṣa — jagat — antara — matsara — buddhi. Tuka says: upadēśa — lōka — not — gone past — ēkā dōṣa.

मराठी: चतुर मी जालों — आपुल्या भोंवता — भावें-विण रिता फुंज अंगीं. आतां पुढें वांयां जावें — हें तें काई — काम-क्रोधें ठायीं वास केला. गुण-दोष — जगाचे — अंतरा आले — भूताच्या मत्सरा-वरी बुद्धि. Tuka म्हणे: करूं उपदेश लोकां — नाहीं जालों एका परता दोषा.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
चतुर मी जालों आपुल्या भोंवता "catura — bhōvatām"
भावेंविण रिता फुंज अंगीं "no bhāva — empty phuñja — anga"
आतां पुढें वांयां जावें हें तें काई "vāyām — what"
कामक्रोधें ठायीं वास केला "kāma-krōdha — vāsa"
गुणदोष आले जगाचे अंतरा "guṇa-dōṣa — jagat — antara"
भूताच्या मत्सरावरी बुद्धि "matsara — buddhi"
करूं उपदेश लोकां "upadēśa — lōka"
नाहीं जालों एका परता दोषा "not — gone past — ēkā dōṣa"

What it means

A I-became-clever-around-myself-but-without-bhāva-empty-puff-on-body-now-what-point-going-ahead-in-vain-kāma-krōdha-lodged-residence-here-guṇa-dōṣa-of-jagat-entered-antara-buddhi-on-matsara-of-bhūtas-I'd-give-upadēśa-but-haven't-gone-past-even-one-fault abhang. Haven't-gone-past-even-one-fault register. One of Tukaram's most disarming first-person self-confession abhangs. Four claims:

  1. चतुर-भोंवता — भाव-विण-फुंज. Clever-around-myself-without-bhāva-claim. I became catura (clever, smart) around-myself; but without bhāva (heart, real-feeling), (it is just) an empty phuñja (puff, swelling) on the anga (body). (Cleverness without bhāva is a swollen-empty-balloon on the body — appears full, holds nothing.)

  2. पुढें-वांयां — काम-क्रोध-वास. Kāma-krōdha-lodged-residence-claim. Now what's-the-point of going-ahead-in-vain; kāma-krōdha have made a vāsa (residence) in (this) place. (The ṭhāyī — the very place* where I am — has become the residence of kāma-krōdha. Tuka admits the inner-condition.)

  3. गुण-दोष-जग-अंतर — भूत-मत्सर-बुद्धि. Guṇa-dōṣa-of-jagat-entered-antara-buddhi-on-matsara-claim. The guṇa-dōṣa (virtues-and-faults) of jagat (the world) have come into (my) antara (interior); the buddhi is upon the matsara (jealousy, envious-rivalry) of bhūtas (beings). (I look at others' faults, my buddhi is set on jealousy-of-creatures.)

  4. Tuka: उपदेश-लोकां — एका-परता-दोषा-नाहीं. Haven't-gone-past-even-one-fault-claim. Tuka says: I'd give upadēśa (instruction) to lōkas (people); but I have not gone past even ēkā dōṣa (one fault). (The classic Tuka self-confession: I would lecture others, yet I have not surmounted a single fault myself.)

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the haven't-gone-past-even-one-fault register:

  1. Clever around myself; without bhāva, empty puff. Cleverness-without-bhāva.

  2. What's the point of going ahead — kāma-krōdha lodged here. Kāma-krōdha-lodged.

  3. Guṇa-dōṣa of jagat entered antara; buddhi on matsara. Mind-on-others'-faults.

  4. I'd give upadēśa to people — but haven't gone past even one fault. Self-confession.

For today: catura around-myself, no bhāva, phuñja on anga; vāyām going-ahead, kāma-krōdha vāsa; guṇa-dōṣa of jagat in antara, buddhi on *matsara; I'd preach to lōkas but haven't gone past ēkā dōṣa*.

This abhang is Tukaram's haven't-gone-past-even-one-fault register — one of the most-disarming first-person-self-confession statements. Compare 0995-style other-self-confession abhangs (Tuka's mudra); same self-accusation but here organized as cleverness-without-bhāva-and-residence-of-kāma-krōdha-and-others'-fault-watching-and-can't-preach-myself. The nāhīm jālōm ēkā paratā dōṣā (haven't gone past even one fault) is the precise self-confession claim*.

मराठी: ही ओवी haven't-gone-past-even-one-fault register नाव सांगते:

  1. चतुर-भोंवता; भाव-विण-फुंज. Cleverness-without-bhāva.

  2. काम-क्रोध-वास. Kāma-krōdha-lodged.

  3. गुण-दोष-अंतर; मत्सर-बुद्धि. Mind-on-others'-faults.

  4. उपदेश-लोकां; एका-परता-दोषा-नाहीं. Self-confession.

आज: Catura आपुल्या भोंवता, bhāva नाहीं, phuñja अंगीं; Vāyām जावें — kāma-krōdha ठायीं vāsa; Guṇa-dōṣa जगाचे अंतरा, matsara-वरी *buddhi; Lōkām upadēśa करूं, पण ēkā paratā dōṣā नाहीं जालों*.

Tukaram च-haven't-gone-past-even-one-fault-register — Most-disarming first-person-self-confession statements पैकी एक. Nāhīm jālōm ēkā paratā dōṣā precise self-confession claim.

Where this applies

Bhakti

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