संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 1358 of 4582

Abhanga 1358

For today: the false pleases the taste; truth won't digest; only bhōga teaches the sīṇa; mamatā grows until the dūtas come; my upadeśa feels stiff to the monkey-mind.

When the false tastes good but truth won't digest — that's the māja-yācā-guṇa; mamatā grows because dūtas haven't yet caught

The verse

लटिकें तें रुचे । साच कोणां ही न पचे ॥१॥ ऐसा माजल्याचा गुण । भोगें कळों येइल सीण ॥ध्रु.॥ वाढवी ममता । नाहीं वरपडला तो दूतां ॥२॥ कांहीं न मनी माकड । तुका उपदेश हेकड ॥३॥

Literal translation

English: The laṭika is what pleases (the taste) — sāca doesn't digest for anyone. Such is the mājala's guṇa — by bhōga, sīṇa will come to be known. (He) increases mamatā — (because) not yet caught by the dūtas. The mākaḍa (monkey) takes no (advice) — Tuka's upadeśa is hēkaḍa.

मराठी: लटिकें-च रुचतें — साच कोणाला पचत नाहीं. ऐसा माजल्याचा गुण — भोगानें-च सीण कळेल. ममता वाढवीतो — दूतांच्या (यम-दूतांच्या) हातीं अजून पडलेला नाहीं म्हणून. मांकडासारखा — कांहीं मानत नाहीं — Tukā उपदेश हेकड (कठोर) (वाटतो).

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
लटिकें तें रुचे "the laṭika (false) — is what rucē (pleases the taste)"
साच कोणां ही न पचे "sāca (truth) — for anyone — doesn't pacē (digest)"
ऐसा माजल्याचा गुण "such is the mājala's (drunkard / overproud) guṇa"
भोगें कळों येइल सीण "by bhōga — the sīṇa (toil-pain) will come to be known"
वाढवी ममता "(he) increases mamatā (mine-feeling)"
नाहीं वरपडला तो दूतां "(because he) is not yet varapaḍalā (caught) by the dūtas (yama's-messengers)"
कांहीं न मनी माकड "the mākaḍa (monkey) — doesn't take any (advice)"
तुका उपदेश हेकड "Tuka's upadeśa — is hēkaḍa (stiff / disagreeable)"

What it means

Laṭika-pleases-sāca-doesn't-digest abhang. The diagnosis: laṭikēm tē rucē — sāca kōṇām hī na pacēwhat's laṭika (false) is what tastes good; sāca (truth) doesn't digest for anyone. The taste-buds-of-the-spirit prefer falsity; truth is rejected like indigestible food.

The diagnosis: aisā mājalyācā guṇasuch is the mājala-lē-yācā (drunkard / proud-one)'s guṇa. Mājalāthe one in māja (drunken-pride). Bhōgē kaḷōm yē'ila sīṇaonly by bhōga (the suffering-of-experience) — the sīṇa (pain-toil) will come to be known. The proud-drunk only learns through eating his own karma's bhōga.

The reason for the increase of mamatā: vāḍhavī mamatā — nāhīm varapaḍalā tō dūtām(he) increases mamatā — because (he) is not yet varapaḍalā (caught / fallen-on) by the dūtas (= yama's-messengers / death-messengers). The drunkard-of-pride hasn't yet been caught by death-messengers; that's why mamatā grows freely.

The closing self-recognition: kāmhīm na manī mākaḍa — Tukā upadeśa hēkaḍathe mākaḍa (monkey) doesn't take any (advice) — Tuka's upadeśa is hēkaḍa (stiff, disagreeable to such ones). To the monkey-mind that wants to climb-and-jump, Tuka's take-the-truth upadeśa feels hēkaḍa — too stiff, too disagreeable. The fault is not in the upadeśa.

[T]

For someone today

For today: the false pleases the taste; truth won't digest; only bhōga teaches the sīṇa; mamatā grows until the dūtas come; my upadeśa feels stiff to the monkey-mind.

Where this applies

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