Abhanga 1324
For today: only the warrior recognizes the wound-hand; for others, it's only matter for talking — your fresh-young vāṇī can settle into its own home.
The verse
निवडोनि वाण काढिले निराळे । प्रमाण डोहळे यावरि ते ॥१॥ जयाचा विभाग तयासी च फळे । देखणें निराळें कौतुकासी ॥ध्रु.॥ शूर तो ओळखे घायडायहात । येरां होइल मात सांगायासी ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे माझी केळवते वाणी । केला निजस्थानीं जाणवसा ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: Having selected, the vāṇa was set apart — its pramāṇa was the ḍōhaḷē on it. Whose vibhāga — only to him does it fruit — the dēkhaṇa-nirāḷa is for kavutuka. The śūra recognizes ghāya-ḍāya-hāta — for others, it's only matter to tell. Tuka says: my kēḷavatē vāṇī has made (its) home in (my) nija-sthāna.
मराठी: निवडून — वाण निराळें काढलें — प्रमाण — डोहळे (शकुन / लक्षण) — त्यावर. ज्याचा विभाग — त्यालाच फळ — देखणें निराळें — कौतुकासी (अद्भुतासी). शूर तो — घाय-डाय-हात (योद्ध्याचा जखमी हात) — ओळखतो — येरांना — हें मात (बोलण्याचें) सांगण्या-साठीं. Tukā म्हणे — माझी केळवते (कोवळी / केळ्याच्या गराची) वाणी — निज-स्थानीं — जाणवसा केला.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| निवडोनि वाण काढिले निराळे | "having selected (nivaḍōnī) — the vāṇa (choice / portion) was set apart" |
| प्रमाण डोहळे यावरि ते | "the pramāṇa (proof) — was the ḍōhaḷē (omens / pregnancy-cravings) on it" |
| जयाचा विभाग तयासी च फळे | "whose vibhāga (share) — to him only it fruits (phaḷē)" |
| देखणें निराळें कौतुकासी | "the dēkhaṇa-nirāḷa — is for kavutuka (wonder / display)" |
| शूर तो ओळखे घायडायहात | "the śūra (warrior) — recognizes (ōḷakhē) the ghāya-ḍāya-hāta (the wound-and-stake-hand)" |
| येरां होइल मात सांगायासी | "for others — it will be only māta (matter) — to tell" |
| माझी केळवते वाणी | "my kēḷavatē (banana-pulp / fresh-young) vāṇī" |
| केला निजस्थानीं जाणवसा | "has made (its) jāṇavasā (acquaintance / home) — in (my) nija-sthāna (own-place)" |
What it means
Warrior-recognizes-wound-hand abhang. The most-quoted line: śūra tō ōḷakhē ghāya-ḍāya-hāta — yērām hō'īla māta sāngāyāsī — the śūra recognizes ghāya-ḍāya-hāta — for others, it's only matter to tell.
Ghāya-ḍāya-hāta is a compressed image: a warrior's wound (ghāya) + stake / cut (ḍāya) + hand (hāta) — i.e., the battle-marked hand. Only one who has himself sustained battle-marks recognizes another's marks for what they are. Civilians can describe them ("oh, that's a sword-cut, isn't it?"), but only fellow-warriors recognize them as the signature of having-stood-in-battle.
The bhakti application: only one who has himself stood in the bhakti-battle recognizes the bhakta's marks. To others, the bhakta's anguish, holding, scolding, longing are all māta (matters of talk) — material for outsider-commentary. The bhakta-recognizing-bhakta is a śūra-recognizing-śūra.
The opening lines support this: jayāncā vibhāga tayāsī chi phaḷē — dēkhaṇē nirāḷē kavutukāsī — whose vibhāga (share / inheritance), only to him does it fruit — the dēkhaṇa-nirāḷa (separately-perceiving) is for kavutuka (wonder, marvel). The bhakti-fruit accrues only to whose share-it-is.
The closing — mājhī kēḷavatē vāṇī — kēlā nija-sthānīm jāṇavasā — my kēḷavatē (= banana-tree-pulp / fresh-young / soft-tender) vāṇī — has made jāṇavasā (acquaintance) in (my) nija-sthāna. Kēḷavatē — the soft-pithy-fresh; not battle-hardened-rhetoric. The vāṇī has settled-into-its-own-place (the nija-sthāna).
[T]
For someone today
For today: only the warrior recognizes the wound-hand; for others, it's only matter for talking — your fresh-young vāṇī can settle into its own home.
Where this applies
- Vāṇa-selected-set-apart.* Nivaḍōnī-vāṇa-nirāḷē.
- Ḍōhaḷē-as-pramāṇa.* Pramāṇa-ḍōhaḷē.
- Whose-share-his-fruit.* Jayāncā-vibhāga-tayāsī-phaḷē.
- Warrior-recognizes-wound-hand.* Śūra-ōḷakhē-ghāya-ḍāya-hāta.
- Others-only-talk-matter.* Yērām-māta-sāngāyāsī.
- Vāṇī-settled-in-nija-sthāna.* Kēḷavatē-vāṇī-nija-sthānīm-jāṇavasā.