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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1044 of 4582

Abhanga 1044

When thievish dog beaten with blows — yowls but doesn't give up tricks — and you have to recognize this register
When such is the evil-doer — does harm to his own soul — and you accept this image
When nose gone but no shame — wanders as publicly-disgraced thief — and you allow this image

The verse

चोरटें सुनें मारिलें टाळे । केंउं करी परि न संडी चाळे ॥१॥ ऐसें एक दुराचारी गा देवा । आपुलिया जीवा घात करी ॥ध्रु.॥ नाक गेलें तरि लाज ना विचार । हिंडे फजितखोर दारोदारीं ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे कर्म बिळवंत गाढें । नेदी तया पुढेंमागें सरों ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: Cōraṭē sunē — ṭāḷē — kē'um — cāḷē. Durācārī — ghāta — jīva. Lāja — vicāra — phajita-khōra — dāra-dārī. Tuka says: karma — biḷavanta gāḍhē — sarōm — puḍhē-māgē.

मराठी: चोरटें सुनें — मारिलें टाळे — केंउं करी — परि चाळे न संडी. ऐसें एक दुराचारी, गा Dēvā — आपुलिया जीवा घात करी. नाक गेलें — तरि लाज ना — विचार ना — दारो-दारीं फजित-खोर हिंडे. Tuka म्हणे: कर्म बिळवंत-गाढें — पुढें-मागें सरों नेदी त्या.

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
चोरटें सुनें मारिलें टाळे "cōraṭē sunē — ṭāḷē"
केंउं करी परि न संडी चाळे "kē'um — cāḷē not give up"
ऐसें एक दुराचारी गा देवा "durācārī"
आपुलिया जीवा घात करी "ghāta — own jīva"
नाक गेलें तरि लाज ना विचार "lāja — vicāra"
हिंडे फजितखोर दारोदारीं "phajita-khōra — dāra-dārī"
कर्म बिळवंत गाढें "karma — biḷavanta gāḍhē"
नेदी तया पुढेंमागें सरों "sarōm — puḍhē-māgē"

What it means

A thievish-dog-beaten-with-blows-yowls-but-doesn't-give-up-its-tricks-such-is-the-evil-doer-O-Dēvā-does-harm-to-his-own-soul-nose-gone-but-no-shame-no-thinking-wanders-door-to-door-as-publicly-disgraced-thief-karma-mighty-and-deep-doesn't-let-him-move-forward-or-back abhang. Karma-mighty-and-deep register. Four claims (a parable):

  1. चोरट-सुनें — टाळ-केंउं — चाळ-न-सोडी. Thievish-dog-doesn't-give-up-tricks-claim. A cōraṭē sunē (thievish dog) beaten with *ṭāḷē (kicks/blows); kē'um-yowls but doesn't sandī (give up) its cāḷē (tricks). (The dog gets kicked, yelps, but goes back to stealing.)

  2. दुराचारी — आत्म-घात. Evil-doer-self-harm-claim. Such-a-one is the durācārī, O Dēvā; does ghāta to (his own) *jīva.

  3. नाक-गेलें — लाज-न — फजित-खोर. Nose-gone-but-no-shame-claim. Nose has gone (a symbolic disgrace — the nose was historically cut as punishment), but no lāja, no *vicāra; wanders dāra-dārī (door-to-door) as phajita-khōra (publicly-disgraced-thief).

  4. Tuka: कर्म-बिळवंत — पुढें-मागें-न. Karma-mighty-and-deep-claim. Tuka says: karma is biḷavanta gāḍhē (mighty-and-deep); does not let him sarōm (move) puḍhē-māgē (forward-or-back). (Karma's grip is so strong that the evil-doer can neither advance nor retreat*.)

[T]

For someone today

This abhang names the karma-mighty-and-deep register:

  1. Thievish dog beaten — yowls but doesn't give up tricks. Dog-tricks.

  2. Such is the evil-doer — harms his own soul. Self-harm.

  3. Nose gone but no shame — wanders as disgraced thief. No-shame.

  4. Karma mighty and deep — doesn't let him move forward or back. Karma-grip.

For today: cōraṭē sunē, ṭāḷē-beaten, cāḷē not given-up; durācārī — jīva-ghāta; nāka gēlē, no lāja, *phajita-khōra; karma biḷavanta gāḍhē, puḍhē-māgē not allowed.

This abhang is Tukaram's karma-mighty-and-deep register — one of the most-precise thievish-dog-can't-give-up-tricks parable statements. The karma biḷavanta gāḍhē nēdī tayā puḍhē-māgē sarōm (karma is mighty and deep, doesn't let him move forward or back) is the precise karma-grip claim.

मराठी: ही ओवी karma-mighty-and-deep register नाव सांगते:

  1. चोरट-सुनें-चाळ. Dog-tricks.

  2. आत्म-घात. Self-harm.

  3. नाक-गेलें-लाज-न. No-shame.

  4. कर्म-बिळवंत. Karma-grip.

आज: Cōraṭē sunē — ṭāḷē मारिलें — cāḷē न संडी; Durācārī — āpuliyā jīvā ghāta; Nāka gēlē — lāja ना — phajita-khōra हिंडे; Karma biḷavanta-gāḍhē — puḍhē-māgē sarōm नेदी.

Tukaram च-karma-mighty-and-deep-register — Most-precise thievish-dog-parable statements पैकी एक. Karma biḷavanta gāḍhē precise karma-grip claim.

Where this applies

Bhakti

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