Abhanga 1393
For today: when honor grows, don't relax; for the bhūtas' love, stay bhūta among them; tie the mind to the kāncanī; in the one's body, color sticks; Deva is niṣkāma-and-separate, the jīva-state is the change-game.
The verse
वाढलियां मान न मनावी निश्चिती । भूतांचिये प्रीती भूतपण ॥१॥ म्हणऊनि मना लावावी कांचणी । इंद्रियांचे झणी ओढी भरे ॥ध्रु.॥ एका एकपणें एकाचिये अंगीं । लागे रंग रंगीं मिळलिया ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे देव निष्काम निराळा । जीवदशे चाळा चळणांचा ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: When honor has grown, don't take niścinti — for the bhūtas' love, bhūta-paṇa. Therefore the mind must be put on the kāncanī — the indriyas will forcefully pull. In the one, by ēka-paṇa, in the one's body — color sticks when mixed. Tuka says: Deva is niṣkāma, nirāḷā — the jīva-state is the cāḷā of caḷaṇa.
मराठी: वाढलियां — मान — न मनावी — निश्चिती; — भूतांच्ये — प्रीती — भूत-पण. म्हणऊनि — मनाला — कांचणी — लावावी; — इंद्रियांची — झणीं — ओढी — भरे. एका — एक-पणें — एकाच्या — अंगीं — रंगीं मिळलिया — रंग — लागे. Tukā म्हणे — देव — निष्काम — निराळा; — जीव-दशा — चळणांचा — चाळा.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| वाढलियां मान न मनावी निश्चिती | "when māna (honor) has grown — don't take niścinti (carefreeness)" |
| भूतांचिये प्रीती भूतपण | "for the bhūtas' love — bhūta-paṇa (= being-as-bhūta-among-bhūtas)" |
| म्हणऊनि मना लावावी कांचणी | "therefore — to the mind — must be applied — kāncanī (= line / discipline / measuring-thread)" |
| इंद्रियांचे झणी ओढी भरे | "the indriyas — jhaṇī (forcefully / pressingly) — ōḍhī (pulling) — bharē (will fill / overflow)" |
| एका एकपणें एकाचिये अंगीं | "in the ēka (one) — by ēka-paṇa (one-ness) — in the ēka's body" |
| लागे रंग रंगीं मिळलिया | "color sticks (lāgē ranga) — when colors are mixed (rangīm miḷaliyā)" |
| देव निष्काम निराळा | "Deva is niṣkāma (desire-less) — nirāḷā (separate / distinct)" |
| जीवदशे चाळा चळणांचा | "the jīva-daśā (jīva-state) — cāḷā (game / motion) — of caḷaṇa (changing / movement)" |
What it means
Don't-take-rest-when-honor-grows abhang. The opening warning: vāḍhaliyām māna na manāvī niścinti — when māna (honor / status) has grown, don't take niścinti (carefreeness / let-down). Honor-growth is dangerous — don't relax. Compare 1308 jāṇapaṇa baravēm Devācē śirīm — let knowing be on Deva's head; here the warning is don't relax just because honor came.
The corollary stance: bhūtāñciyē prītī bhūta-paṇa — for the bhūtas' love — bhūta-paṇa (= being-as-bhūta-among-bhūtas). To love the bhūtas (= ordinary beings), you must remain a bhūta-among-bhūtas, not climb above them on honor.
The discipline: mhaṇa'ūnī manā lāvāvī kāncanī — indriyāncē jhaṇī ōḍhī bharē — therefore — apply kāncanī (= the thread / measuring-line / discipline-line) to the mind — the indriyas will jhaṇī (forcefully) ōḍhī bharē (= pull-and-flood). The indriyas are always pressing; the mind must be tied to a measuring-line.
The dyeing-image: ēkā ēka-paṇē ēkāciyē angīm — lāgē ranga rangīm miḷaliyā — in the ēka (one), by ēka-paṇa (oneness), in the one's body — color sticks (lāgē ranga) — when colors are mixed (rangīm miḷaliyā). The dyeing-vat metaphor: when colors mix in the dyer's vat, the cloth-in-the-vat takes on the predominant color. So the bhakta in the one's vat takes on the one's color.
The closing distinction: Deva niṣkāma nirāḷā — jīva-daśē cāḷā caḷaṇāncā — Deva is niṣkāma (desire-less) and nirāḷā (separate / distinct) — the jīva-daśā (jīva-state) is the cāḷā (= game, sport) of caḷaṇa (changing, moving). The Deva is outside the change-game; the jīva-state is the change-game. The jīva that recognizes this both is and is not the cāḷā.
[T]
For someone today
For today: when honor grows, don't relax; for the bhūtas' love, stay bhūta among them; tie the mind to the kāncanī; in the one's body, color sticks; Deva is niṣkāma-and-separate, the jīva-state is the change-game.
Where this applies
- Honor-grew-don't-relax.* Vāḍhaliyām-māna-niścinti-na.
- Stay-bhūta-among-bhūtas.* Bhūtāñciyē-prītī-bhūta-paṇa.
- Apply-discipline-to-mind.* Manā-lāvāvī-kāncanī.
- Indriyas-pull-forcefully.* Indriyāncē-ōḍhī-bharē.
- Deva-niṣkāma-separate-jīva-state-is-change-game.* Deva-niṣkāma-nirāḷā-jīva-daśē-cāḷā-caḷaṇāncā.