Abhanga 1329
For today: words-display the kinds, but the true-wonder is not in the words; awaken the children of the place and depart; (the autobiography that follows is your model).
The verse
वचनांचे मांडे दावावे प्रकार । काय त्या साचार कौतुकाचे ॥१॥ जातां घरा मागें । उरों नेणें खंती । मिळाल्या बहुतीं फांकलिया ॥ध्रु.॥ उदयीं च अस्त उदयो संपादला । कल्पनेचा केला जागेपणें ॥२॥ जाणवूनि गेला हांडोरियां पोरां । सावध इतरां करुनी तुका ॥३॥ स्वामीस संतांनीं पुसलें कीं तुम्हांस वैराग्य कोण्या प्रकारें जालें तें सांगा - ते अभंग ॥ ३ ॥
Literal translation
Of vacanas, the display shows the kinds — what truth in those wonders? Going home behind, no regret of remaining — when many gathered, they spread. At the sunrise itself, the sunset (was) accomplished — the kalpanā made the awakening. Tuka has gone — making the children of the place known — making the others alert. (Editor:) The saints asked Swāmī, "Tell us how vairāgya happened to you" — those abhangs ॥३॥.
मराठी: वचनांचे मांडे (दिखावा) — प्रकार दावितात — त्यांत साचार (खरें) कौतुक काय? घराला मागें जातां — उरण्याची खंती नाहीं — बहुतां जमलियावर — सर्व फांकलें. उदयीं-च — अस्त — उदयो संपादला — कल्पनेनेंच जागेपण केलें. Tukā हांडोरियां-पोरांना (गांवच्या मुलांना) जाणवून — इतरांना सावध करून — गेला. (संत-संपादक) — स्वामीला संतांनीं विचारलें: "वैराग्य कोणत्या प्रकारें झालें तें सांगा?" — ते अभंग ॥३॥
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| वचनांचे मांडे दावावे प्रकार | "of vacanas — the māṇḍē (display / mound) — shows prakāra (kinds)" |
| काय त्या साचार कौतुकाचे | "what — in those — sācāra (true) kavutuka?" |
| जातां घरा मागें उरों नेणें खंती | "going home behind — leaves no khantī (regret) of remaining" |
| मिळाल्या बहुतीं फांकलिया | "when bahuta (many) gathered — phānkaliyā (they spread out)" |
| उदयीं च अस्त उदयो संपादला | "at the very udaya (sunrise) — the asta (sunset) — the udaya (rising) — was sampādalā (accomplished, made known)" |
| कल्पनेचा केला जागेपणें | "(it was) the kalpanā that made the jāgē-paṇa (awakening)" |
| जाणवूनि गेला हांडोरियां पोरां | "Tuka has gone — making known to the hāṇḍōriyā pōrām (= the children of the place / 'town's youngsters')" |
| सावध इतरां करुनी तुका | "making the others sāvadha (alert) — Tuka" |
| स्वामीस संतांनीं पुसलें... तें अभंग ॥३॥ | "(editor's note: 'the saints asked Swāmī, tell us how vairāgya happened to you — those abhangs ॥३॥')" |
What it means
Words-display-but-truth-is-elsewhere abhang + editor's frame for the autobiographical set.
Tuka's content: vacanāncē māṇḍē dāvāvē prakāra — kāya tyā sācāra kavutukācē — themāṇḍē(display) of vacanas shows theprakāra(kinds) — what truth (sācāra) is in those wonders? Words can display kinds, but they don't carry the kavutuka-sācāra (the true-wonder).
The riddling middle: udayīm chi asta — udayō sampādalā — kalpanēcā kēlā jāgēpaṇē — at sunrise itself, sunset; the rising was accomplished; the kalpanā made the awakening. Some kinds of awakening already-contain-their-end — the kalpanā (imagination / construct) is what makes the awakening, but it also predicts the end.
The closing: jāṇavūnī gēlā hāṇḍōriyā pōrām — sāvadha itarām karunī Tukā — Tuka has gone — making known to the children-of-the-place — making the others alert. Hāṇḍōriyā pōrām — children of the place (perhaps the youngsters of Dehū, who would be Tuka's lay-pupils). Tuka makes them sāvadha (alert) and departs.
The editor's heading at the end of the source-text frames the next 3 abhangs (1330-1332) as Tuka's vairāgya-explanation set. The saints had asked: tumhāms vairāgya kōṇyā prakārē jālē tē sāngā — tell us how vairāgya happened to you. The next three abhangs are Tuka's spiritual autobiography in his own words. This is the most foundational biographical material in the entire Tukaram-Gatha.
[T]
For someone today
For today: words-display the kinds, but the true-wonder is not in the words; awaken the children of the place and depart; (the autobiography that follows is your model).
Where this applies
- When someone impresses others with clever talk but the words do not actually carry the truth they claim
- When a situation already contains the seeds of its own ending right from the start, if you look closely
- When you choose to give people a clear, simple warning and then step back rather than keep explaining
- When you want to understand a teacher's wisdom by hearing the real story of how they arrived at it