Abhanga 1258
English: With money in the gāṇṭhōḷī (purse-knot) — they bhākā for karuṇā — showing sajjana, pressing pity.
The verse
गांठोळीस धन भाकावी करुणा । दावूनि सज्जना कींव पीडी ॥१॥ नाठेळाची भक्ति कुचराचें बळ । कोरडें वोंगळ मार खाय ॥ध्रु.॥ सांडोव्यासी घाली देवाची करंडी । विल्हाळ त्या धोंडी पूजा दावी ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे ऐसे माकडाचे छंद । अवघे धंदधंद सिंदळीचे ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: With money in the gāṇṭhōḷī (purse-knot) — they bhākā for karuṇā — showing sajjana, pressing pity. The rascal's bhakti — the cunning's strength — kōraḍē vōngaḷa gets a beating. (They) place the Deva's karaṇḍī into the sāṇḍōvī — and show pūjā to that mass of stones. Tuka says: these are monkey-fancies — all the trade-fakes of a sindaḷī.
मराठी: गांठोळींत धन — पण करुणा भाकवी (भीक मागे) — सज्जनासारखें दाखवून — किव पीडी (दया वाजवी). नाठेळाची भक्ति — कुचराचें बळ — कोरडें वोंगळ — मार खाय. देवाची करंडी सांडोव्यांत (जनावरांच्या शेणाच्या ढिगांत) घालतात — आणि त्या विल्हाळ-धोंडीला पूजा दावितात. Tukā म्हणे — असें माकडाचें छंद — अवघे धंद-धंद — सिंदळीचे (वेश्येचे).
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| गांठोळीस धन भाकावी करुणा | "with dhana in the gāṇṭhōḷī (purse-knot) — bhākā (beg) for karuṇā" |
| दावूनि सज्जना कींव पीडी | "showing sajjana — pressing (pīḍī) kīmva (pity)" |
| नाठेळाची भक्ति कुचराचें बळ | "nāṭhēḷa (rascal)'s bhakti — kucara (cunning/twisted)'s baḷa" |
| कोरडें वोंगळ मार खाय | "kōraḍē vōngaḷa (dry-revolting) — gets a beating" |
| सांडोव्यासी घाली देवाची करंडी | "places Deva's karaṇḍī (basket) into the sāṇḍōvī (cattle-dung pile)" |
| विल्हाळ त्या धोंडी पूजा दावी | "shows pūjā to that vilhāḷa (mass) of dhōṇḍī (stones)" |
| ऐसे माकडाचे छंद | "such — monkey-fancies (mākaḍācē chanda)" |
| अवघे धंदधंद सिंदळीचे | "all are dhanda-dhanda (trade-fakes) of a sindaḷī (prostitute)" |
What it means
Anti-fake-bhakti abhang in Tuka's most caustic register. Four images of fake-bhakti:
- Gāṇṭhōḷīsa dhana — bhākāvī karuṇā — with money already in the purse-knot, they beg for karuṇā (= public charity / sympathy). The hypocrisy of the well-off begging-for-pity.
- Nāṭhēḷācī bhakti — kucarācē baḷa — kōraḍē vōngaḷa māra khāya — the rascal's bhakti and the cunning's strength — kōraḍē vōngaḷa (dry-revolting) gets a beating. Vōngaḷa = something gross / disgusting; the dry-revolting empty bhakti gets only blows.
- Sāṇḍōvyāsī ghālī Devācī karaṇḍī — places the Deva's karaṇḍī (worship-basket with idol) into the sāṇḍōvī (cattle-dung-and-refuse pile) — and then vilhāḷa dhōṇḍī pūjā dāvī (shows pūjā-display to that mass of stones). The image is brutal: the deity-idol placed in a dung-heap by the worshiper's lack of devotion, while the public-show is offered to inanimate stones.
- Mākaḍācē chanda — dhandadhanda sindaḷīcē — monkey-fancies — all the trade-fakes of a sindaḷī. Sindaḷī is a slang/coarse term for prostitute; the dhandadhanda (trades-and-trades) are her seductive performances.
This is sustained Tukaram bluntness — his way of stripping fake-bhakti of any reprieve.
[T]
For someone today
For today: purse-money + pity-begging, cunning + rascal's bhakti, idol-in-dung-heap with show-pūjā elsewhere — Tuka calls these monkey-fancies, the trade-fakes of a sindaḷī.
Where this applies
- Money-in-purse-begs-pity.* Gāṇṭhōḷīsa-dhana-bhākāvī-karuṇā.
- Rascal's-bhakti.* Nāṭhēḷācī-bhakti.
- Idol-in-dung-heap.* Sāṇḍōvyāsī-Devācī-karaṇḍī.
- Monkey-fancies.* Mākaḍācē-chanda.
- Prostitute's-trade-fakes.* Sindaḷīcē-dhandadhanda.