Abhanga 998
English: Kaḷōm-yētē — why not — gōvē — bhrama.
The verse
कळों येतें तरि कां नव्हे । पडती गोवें भ्रमाचे ॥१॥ जाणतां चि होतो घात । परिसा मत देवा हें ॥ध्रु.॥ आंविसासाटीं फासा मान । पाडी धनइच्छा ते ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे होणार खोटें । कर्म मोटें बिळवंत ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: Kaḷōm-yētē — why not — gōvē — bhrama. Jāṇatām-ci — ghāta — listen — mata — Deva. Āmvisa — phāsā — māna — dhana-icchā — makes-fall. Tuka says: hōṇāra — khōṭē — karma — mōṭē — biḷavamta.
मराठी: कळों येतें तरि कां नव्हे? — भ्रमाचे गोवें पडती. जाणतां-च घात होतो — परिसा मत, Deva. आंविसा-साटीं फासा मानेस — धन-इच्छा पाडी ते. Tuka म्हणे: होणार खोटें — कर्म मोटें-बिळवंत.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| कळों येतें तरि कां नव्हे | "kaḷōm-yētē — why not" |
| पडती गोवें भ्रमाचे | "gōvē — bhrama" |
| जाणतां चि होतो घात | "jāṇatām-ci — ghāta" |
| परिसा मत देवा हें | "listen — mata — Deva" |
| आंविसासाटीं फासा मान | "āmvisa — phāsā — māna" |
| पाडी धनइच्छा ते | "dhana-icchā — makes-fall" |
| तुका म्हणे होणार खोटें | "hōṇāra — khōṭē" |
| कर्म मोटें बिळवंत | "karma — mōṭē — biḷavamta" |
What it means
A if-becoming-known-why-doesn't-it-stick-we-fall-into-knots-of-delusion-knowing-itself-the-downfall-happens-for-the-bait-the-neck-falls-in-noose-greed-makes-it-fall-what's-going-to-happen-is-fated-karma-is-large-and-mighty abhang. Karma-is-large-and-mighty register. Three claims:
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कळों-येतें-तरि-नव्हे — गोवें-भ्रम-पडे. If-known-why-doesn't-it-stick-claim. If it is kaḷōm-yētē (becoming-known, dawning-on-us), why doesn't (it stick)?; we fall into the gōvē (knots, entanglements) of bhrama (delusion). (We know the right path but somehow keep tangling in the wrong one.)
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जाणतां-घात — परिसा-Deva. Knowing-itself-downfall-happens-claim. Knowing-itself, the ghāta (downfall) happens; listen to (my) mata (opinion, view), O Deva. (Knowledge alone doesn't save — the ghāta (ruin) happens despite knowledge. Tuka asks Deva to hear this.)
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आंविस-फासा-मान — धन-इच्छा-पाडी — Tuka: कर्म-मोटें-बिळवंत. Bait-greed-noose-claim — karma-is-large-and-mighty-claim. For the sake of āmvisa (bait, the dangle), the māna (neck) gets caught in the phāsa (noose); the dhana-icchā makes (it) fall. Tuka says: what's-going-to-happen is khōṭē (false, inevitable, fated-falsely-but-fixed); karma is mōṭē (large), biḷavamta (mighty). (The fish-and-bait image — greed-for-bait makes the neck fall in the noose. Karma is so mighty that even knowing doesn't escape it.)
[T]
For someone today
This abhang names the karma-is-large-and-mighty register:
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If becoming known, why doesn't it stick — we fall into knots of delusion. Knowledge-doesn't-stick.
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Knowing-itself, the downfall happens. Knowing-doesn't-save.
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For the bait, the neck falls in noose — greed makes it fall; karma is large and mighty. Karma-mighty.
For today: kaḷōm-yētē tari, why not? bhrama-gōvē fall; jāṇatām-ci — ghāta happens; for āmvisa, māna in phāsā; dhana-icchā makes-fall; hōṇāra is khōṭē, karma mōṭē-biḷavamta.
This abhang is Tukaram's karma-is-large-and-mighty register — one of the most-precise knowledge-doesn't-save-from-karma statements. The karma mōṭē biḷavamta (karma is large and mighty) is the precise karma-mighty claim.
मराठी: ही ओवी karma-is-large-and-mighty register नाव सांगते:
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कळतें-नव्हे; भ्रम-गोवें. Knowledge-doesn't-stick.
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जाणतां-घात. Knowing-doesn't-save.
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आंविस-फासा; कर्म-मोटें-बिळवंत. Karma-mighty.
आज: Kaḷōm-yētē तरि नव्हे — bhrama-gōvē पडती; Jāṇatām-ci ghāta होतो; Āmvisā-sāṭīm phāsā मानेस — dhana-icchā pāḍī; Hōṇāra khōṭē — karma mōṭē biḷavamta**.
Tukaram च-karma-is-large-and-mighty-register — Most-precise knowledge-doesn't-save-from-karma statements पैकी एक. Karma mōṭē biḷavamta precise karma-mighty claim.
Where this applies
- Knowledge-doesn't-stick.* Bhrama.
- Knowing-doesn't-save.* Ghāta.
- Karma-mighty.* Bait-and-noose.