Abhanga 1371
For today: the staged-play is for cooling the eye; the tiger and cow are of wood; abhēda underlies the multiplicity; rūpa is not in the mirror — samtōṣa is the message.
The verse
नटनाट्य तुम्ही केलें याच साटीं । कवतुकें दृष्टी निववावी ॥१॥ नाहीं तरि काय कळलें चि आहे । वाघ आणि गाय लांकडाची ॥ध्रु.॥ अभेद चि असे मांडियेलें खेळा । केल्या दीपकळा बहुएकी ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे रूप नाहीं दर्पणांत । संतोषाची मात दुसरें तें ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: You made the naṭa-nāṭya for this very (reason) — by kavutuka, to cool the dṛṣṭi. Otherwise — what is to be known? — the tiger and cow are of wood. Abhēda is what's set up as the play — many lamps have been made (from one). Tuka says: rūpa is not in the darpaṇa — samtōṣa is the māta — the second is that***.
मराठी: नट-नाट्य तुम्हीं केलें — याच साठीं — कवतुकानें दृष्टि निवावी. नाहीं तर — कळतें-च आहे — वाघ आणि गाय — लांकडाचीं. अभेद-च — खेळांत मांडलें — केल्या दीप-कळा — बहु-एकीं. Tukā म्हणे — दर्पणांत रूप नाहीं — संतोषाची मात — दुसरें तें (तें-च).
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| नटनाट्य तुम्ही केलें याच साटीं | "you made the naṭa-nāṭya (actor's-drama) — for this very reason" |
| कवतुकें दृष्टी निववावी | "by kavutuka — to nivava (cool / refresh) the dṛṣṭi" |
| नाहीं तरि काय कळलें चि आहे | "otherwise — what is kaḷa-lēm chi (is to be known)?" |
| वाघ आणि गाय लांकडाची | "the vāgha (tiger) and gāya (cow) — are of lānkaḍa (wood)" |
| अभेद चि असे मांडियेलें खेळा | "abhēda — is what is set-up as the khēḷa (play)" |
| केल्या दीपकळा बहुएकी | "many dīpa-kaḷā (lamp-flames) — have been made (from one)" |
| रूप नाहीं दर्पणांत | "rūpa is not — in the darpaṇa (mirror)" |
| संतोषाची मात दुसरें तें | "samtōṣa is the māta (the message-of-truth) — the dusarē (the other / second) is that" |
What it means
Cosmic-play-as-naṭa-nāṭya abhang. The opening: naṭa-nāṭya tumhī kēlēm yā ca sāṭīm — kavutukē dṛṣṭī nivavāvī — (you, Hari) made the naṭa-nāṭya (= actor's-drama, the staged-play) for this very purpose — to nivava (cool / refresh / pacify) the dṛṣṭi by kavutuka*. The cosmic-spectacle is staged-for-cooling-the-eye. The play is therapeutic, not real.
The disclaimer: nāhīm tarī kāya kaḷalēm chi āhē — vāgha āṇi gāya lānkaḍācī — otherwise — what is known-already is — the tiger and the cow are of lānkaḍa (wood). In a naṭa-nāṭya (street-theater / puppet-show), the figures of tiger and cow are wooden — they don't actually fight. Anyone who watches the cosmic-play with eyes-open already knows the threat is wooden. The fierce-and-the-prey are equally manufactured.
Abhēda chi asē māṇḍiyēlēm khēḷā — kēlyā dīpa-kaḷā bahu-ēkī — abhēda (non-difference) is what's māṇḍiyēlēm (set up) as the khēḷa (play); many dīpa-kaḷās (lamp-flames) have been made from one. The play displays abhēda — the multiplicity of dīpa-flames is one fire's many appearances. Many lamps, one flame.
The closing: rūpa nāhīm darpaṇāmta — samtōṣācī māta dusarē tē — rūpa is not in the darpaṇa (mirror) — samtōṣa is the māta (= news / message); the second is that. The reflection in the mirror is not the rūpa; samtōṣa is the message — the second (the reflection / the manifestation) is that-itself* (the original).
[T]
For someone today
For today: the staged-play is for cooling the eye; the tiger and cow are of wood; abhēda underlies the multiplicity; rūpa is not in the mirror — samtōṣa is the message.
Where this applies
- Cosmic-play-staged-for-eye-cooling.* Naṭa-nāṭya-kavutukē-dṛṣṭī-nivavāvī.
- Tiger-and-cow-of-wood.* Vāgha-gāya-lānkaḍācī.
- Abhēda-staged-as-play.* Abhēda-māṇḍiyēlēm-khēḷā.
- Many-lamps-from-one.* Dīpa-kaḷā-bahu-ēkī.
- Mirror-has-no-rūpa-samtōṣa-is-message.* Rūpa-darpaṇāmta-samtōṣācī-māta.