Abhanga 1210
For today: once the māyā-jāḷa is seen as laṭika, ask Hari to drop the play; don't chase shadows — even the hamsa (the great soul) loses itself among the false stars.
The verse
मज पाहातां हें लटिकें सकळ । कोठें मायाजाळ दावीं देवा ॥१॥ कोणाचा कोणासीं न धरे संबंध । आहे शुद्धबुद्ध ठायींचे ठायीं ॥ध्रु.॥ काढा काढा जी मोह बुंथा जाळ । नका लावूं बळें वेड आम्हां ॥२॥ जीव शिव कां ठेवियेलीं नांवें । सत्य तुम्हां ठावें असोनियां ॥३॥ सेवेच्या अभिळासें न धरा चि विचार । आम्हां दारोदार हिंडविलें ॥४॥ आहे तैसें आतां कळलियावरी । परतें सांडा दुरी दुजेपण ॥५॥ तुका म्हणे काय छायेचा अभिलाष । हंस पावे नाश तारागणीं ॥६॥
Literal translation
English: To me, all this looks laṭika (false) — where do you show me the māyā-jāḷa, Deva? No relation holds between any and any; the śuddha-buddha is in its own place. Pull out the mōha-bunthā net; don't forcibly lay madness on us. Why have you placed these names "jīva" and "Śiva" — when the truth is known to you? For the desire of our service, you don't even consider — you've made us wander door-to-door. Now that we've understood as-is, set aside, far away, the dujēpaṇa. Tuka says: what use is desire for the chāyā? — the hamsa perishes among the tārāgaṇa.
मराठी: मला (आत्तां) पाहातां — हें सर्व लटिकें — मग देवा, माया-जाळ कुठें दाखवायला? कुणाचा कुणाशीं संबंध-च नाहीं — शुद्ध-बुद्ध ठायीच्या ठायीं आहे. हें मोह-बुंथा-जाळ काढा — आम्हांला बळें वेड लावूं नका. "जीव" "शिव" अशीं नांवें का ठेवली? — सत्य तुम्हांला माहीत असून. सेवेच्या अभिलाषेनें — विचारच धरला नाहीं — आणि आम्हांला दारोदार हिंडवलें. आतां जसें आहे तसें कळलें — दूर दुजेपण सांडा. Tukā म्हणे — छायेचा अभिलाष कुठला? — हंस तारा-गणांत नाश पावतो.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| मज पाहातां हें लटिकें सकळ | "when I look — all this is laṭika (false)" |
| कोठें मायाजाळ दावीं देवा | "where (kōṭhēm) do you show the māyā-jāḷa, Deva?" |
| कोणाचा कोणासीं न धरे संबंध | "no relation holds between any-and-any" |
| शुद्धबुद्ध ठायींचे ठायीं | "śuddha-buddha is in its own place" |
| काढा मोह बुंथा जाळ | "pull out the mōha-bunthā (delusion-pouch) net" |
| नका लावूं बळें वेड आम्हां | "don't forcibly (baḷē) lay madness on us" |
| जीव शिव कां ठेवियेलीं नांवें | "why have you placed the names jīva and Śiva?" |
| सत्य तुम्हां ठावें असोनियां | "the truth being known to you" |
| सेवेच्या अभिळासें | "for the desire of (our) sēvā" |
| आम्हां दारोदार हिंडविलें | "(you) made us wander door-to-door" |
| परतें सांडा दुरी दुजेपण | "set aside, far away, the dujēpaṇa (twoness)" |
| काय छायेचा अभिलाष | "what (use) the desire for (the) chāyā (shadow)?" |
| हंस पावे नाश तारागणीं | "the hamsa attains nāśa among the tārāgaṇa (cluster of stars)" |
What it means
Tuka challenges Hari to drop the māyā-jāḷa. The bhakta-protest stance: now that I see through it, why keep showing me the play? The questions rise: why the names jīva and Śiva if the truth is unitary? Why drag bhaktas door-to-door for service if the dujēpaṇa (twoness) was always optional?
The closing image is haunting: the hamsa perishes among the tārāgaṇa. Two readings: 1. The hamsa (swan/soul) loses itself among stars (false lights, distractions of phenomena) 2. The hāmsa (sun) perishes among the stars — when the great light is set among countless small lights, it can't be distinguished — māyā multiplies sources to drown out the true light
Either way: don't desire the chāyā (shadow); set aside dujēpaṇa far. This is Tuka in jñāna-bhakti mode — the Advaita-leaning side of warkari sant tradition asserting itself.
[T]
For someone today
For today: once the māyā-jāḷa is seen as laṭika, ask Hari to drop the play; don't chase shadows — even the hamsa (the great soul) loses itself among the false stars.
Where this applies
- All-this-is-laṭika.* Hēm-laṭikēm-sakaḷa.
- Drop-the-māyā-jāḷa.* Kāḍhā-mōha-bunthā-jāḷa.
- Why-jīva-and-Śiva.* Anti-dvaita challenge.
- Door-to-door-wandering.* Dārōdāra-hiṇḍavilēm.
- Hamsa-among-stars.* Hamsa-pāvē-nāśa-tārāgaṇīm.