Abhanga 1280
English: They do bhajan according to their (own) preference — and say "Nārāyaṇa did the bhōga".
The verse
आवडीच्या मतें करिती भजन । भोग नारायणें म्हणती केला ॥१॥ अवघा देव म्हणे वेगळें तें काय । अर्थासाठीं डोय फोडूं पाहे ॥ध्रु.॥ लाजे कमंडल धरितां भोपळा । आणीक थीगळा प्रावरणा ॥२॥ शाला गडवे धातुद्रव्यइच्छा चित्तीं । नैश्वर्य बोलती अवघें मुखें ॥३॥ तुका म्हणें यांस देवा नाहीं भेटी । ऐसे कल्पकोटि जन्म घेतां ॥४॥
Literal translation
English: They do bhajan according to their (own) preference — and say "Nārāyaṇa did the bhōga". (They) say "all is Deva — what is separate?" — but for artha they want to break (someone's) head. The kamaṇḍalu feels lajja being held — (so the) bhōpaḷā (pumpkin-pot) (is held instead) — and threadbare cloth for prāvaraṇa. Śawls, gaḍavās — icchā for metal-money in citta — but they speak naiśvarya entirely with the mouth. Tuka says: to these — there is no bhēṭī of Deva — even taking kalpa-kōṭi janmas.
मराठी: आपल्या आवडीप्रमाणें भजन करतात — आणि "भोग तर नारायणानेंच केला" असें म्हणतात. "अवघा देव" म्हणतात — "वेगळें तें काय?" — पण अर्थासाठीं — डोय फोडायला पाहतात. कमंडलूला (खर्या सन्न्याशाच्या भांड्याला) स्वतःच्या लाज वाटते म्हणून — भोपळा (खोटा फकीर-पात्र) धरतात — आणि थीगळ-प्रावरण (चिंध्यांच्या वस्त्रें). शाला, गडवे — चित्तांत धातु-द्रव्याची इच्छा — पण मुखानें "नैश्वर्य"-च बोलतात. Tukā म्हणे — यांना देवाची भेटी नाहीं — कल्प-कोटि जन्म घेतले तरी.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| आवडीच्या मतें करिती भजन | "do bhajan according to (their own) preference (āvaḍī)" |
| भोग नारायणें म्हणती केला | "say Nārāyaṇa did the bhōga (= it was Hari who enjoyed)" |
| अवघा देव म्हणे वेगळें तें काय | "says all is Deva — what is separate?" |
| अर्थासाठीं डोय फोडूं पाहे | "for artha (money) — wants to break (someone's) ḍōya (head)" |
| लाजे कमंडल धरितां भोपळा | "the kamaṇḍalu (sannyāsi-pot) feels lajja — (so) the bhōpaḷā (pumpkin-pot) is held (instead)" |
| आणीक थीगळा प्रावरणा | "and thīgaḷa (threadbare / patched cloth) for prāvaraṇa (covering / robe)" |
| शाला गडवे | "śawls, gaḍavās (cushion / coin-pouch)" |
| धातुद्रव्यइच्छा चित्तीं | "(the) icchā for dhātu-dravya (metal-coin / money) — in citta" |
| नैश्वर्य बोलती अवघें मुखें | "speaks (the doctrine of) naiśvarya (lordless asceticism) with the mouth" |
| यांस देवा नाहीं भेटी | "to these — there is no bhēṭī of Deva" |
| ऐसे कल्पकोटि जन्म घेतां | "(even) taking kalpa-kōṭi (a crore of kalpas of) janmas" |
What it means
Anti-fake-sannyāsi abhang at maximum sharpness. Tukaram's portrait of the fake-renunciate is unsparing and detailed:
-
Āvaḍīcyā matē karitī bhajana — bhajan done according to (their own) preference, not according to Hari's prescription. Then they say Nārāyaṇa did the bhōga — i.e., Hari himself enjoyed (so I am free) — a misuse of advaita-doctrine to justify self-indulgence.
-
Avaghā Deva mhaṇē... arthāsāṭīm ḍōya phōḍūm pāhē — say all is Deva — what is separate? (a parrot-Advaita-line) — but for artha (money) they're ready to break someone's head. The doctrine is in the mouth, the violence is in the act.
-
Lājē kamaṇḍala dharitām — bhōpaḷā — the genuine sannyāsi's kamaṇḍalu (water-pot) feels lajja (shame) at being held by such a person — so they hold a bhōpaḷā (= pumpkin / gourd / squash-pot) instead. The bhōpaḷā is the fake sannyāsi's shorthand-pot — a hollowed pumpkin pretending to be the holy kamaṇḍalu.
-
Thīgaḷa prāvaraṇa, śālā gaḍavē, dhātu-dravya-icchā cittīm — naiśvarya bōlatī avaghē mukhē — patched outer cloth (for show), but with hidden śawls and coin-purses; icchā for metal-money in citta — but the mouth speaks naiśvarya (lordlessness, asceticism).
The verdict: yāmsa Devā nāhīm bhēṭī — kalpa-kōṭi janma ghētām — even with crore-kalpas of janma, no bhēṭī of Deva.
[T]
For someone today
For today: spot the bhōpaḷā-instead-of-kamaṇḍalu — the inner dhātu-dravya-icchā mocks the outer naiśvarya-talk; no bhēṭī of Hari even in kalpa-kōṭi.
Where this applies
- Bhajan-by-own-preference.* Āvaḍīcyā-matē-bhajana.
- All-is-Deva-but-money-violence.* Avaghā-Deva-arthāsāṭīm-ḍōya-phōḍūm.
- Pumpkin-pot-instead-of-kamaṇḍalu.* Lājē-kamaṇḍala-bhōpaḷā.
- Money-in-heart-asceticism-in-mouth.* Cittīm-icchā-mukhē-naiśvarya.
- No-bhēṭī-in-crore-kalpas.* Kalpa-kōṭi-janma-ghētām.