Abhanga 1425
For today: Hari, why have you taken a name if you're niṣkāma? — jñāna-talk is mutual-cheating; let love dance — if it's real, it shows on the road ahead; prema is no work of breaking.
The verse
कां जी धरिलें नाम । तुम्ही असोनि निष्काम ॥१॥ कोणां सांगतसां ज्ञान । ठकाठकीचें लक्षण ॥ध्रु.॥ आवडीनें नाचें । आहे तरी पुढें साचें ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे प्रेम । नाहीं भंगायाचें काम ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: Why, sir, have you taken a nāma — you (yourself) being niṣkāma? To whom are you telling jñāna? — that's the lakṣaṇa of ṭhakā-ṭhakī. By āvaḍī, let it dance — if it is, it'll be sāca ahead. Tuka says: prēma — is no work of bhanga.
मराठी: कां — जी — धरिलें — नाम? — तुम्ही — असोनि — निष्काम. कोणां — सांगतसां — ज्ञान? — ठका-ठकीचें — लक्षण. आवडीनें — नाचें; — आहे — तरी — पुढें — साचें. Tukā म्हणे — प्रेम; — नाहीं — भंगायाचें — काम.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| कां जी धरिलें नाम | "why (kām) — sir (jī, polite) — have (you) taken/borne (dharilēm) — a nāma?" |
| तुम्ही असोनि निष्काम | "you (politely) — being (asōnī) — niṣkāma (= desire-less / kāma-less)" |
| कोणां सांगतसां ज्ञान | "to whom (kōṇām) — are (you) telling (sāngatasām) — jñāna?" |
| ठकाठकीचें लक्षण | "of ṭhakā-ṭhakī (= mutual-cheating) — lakṣaṇa (mark / sign)" |
| आवडीनें नाचें | "by āvaḍī (love) — let (it) dance (nācē)" |
| आहे तरी पुढें साचें | "if (it) is (āhē tarī) — puḍhēm (ahead) — sācē (true)" |
| तुका म्हणे प्रेम | "Tuka says — prēma" |
| नाहीं भंगायाचें काम | "is no (nāhīm) — kāma (work) — of bhanga (breaking)" |
What it means
Why-take-a-name-when-niṣkāma abhang. Light Hari-tāḍ — Tuka catches Hari in a paradox. The opening: kām jī dharilēm nāma — tumhī asōnī niṣkāma — why, sir (jī, politely-needling) — have you taken a nāma? — when you (yourself) are niṣkāma (= desire-less / having no kāma). The paradox: Hari is niṣkāma (= without-desire); yet he bears a nāma (= takes a name, takes a form). If you have no desire, why bear a name? (Pun: niṣ-kāma = desire-less; nāma implies kāma in some sense. The very-nāma-bearing presupposes a desire to be known*.)
The middle dig: kōṇām sāngatasām jñāna — ṭhakā-ṭhakīcē lakṣaṇa — to whom are you telling jñāna? — that's the lakṣaṇa (mark) of ṭhakā-ṭhakī (= mutual-cheating). Jñāna-discourse is mutual-cheating — the jñāna-teller and jñāna-listener cheat each other (each pretending to give-or-receive what neither has). (This may be aimed at Hari in the abhēda-mode — if you're niṣkāma and beyond-name, who are you teaching jñāna to? — or at the fake-jñānīs of 1424.)
The corrective: āvaḍīnēm nācē — āhē tarī puḍhēm sācē — by āvaḍī (love) — let (it) dance (nācē); — if it is (real), then ahead — it will be sācē (true). Let love dance (= the bhakti-state); if it's real love, it will be sāca (true) on the road ahead. Real prēma proves itself by going-on; jñāna as talk doesn't.
The closing: Tukā mhaṇē prēma — nāhīm bhangāyācēm kāma — Tuka says — prēma — is no kāma (work) — of bhanga (breaking). Prēma is not breakable — it has no breakage-business. (Cf. 1397's wet-root piercing rock — prēma has the same un-breakable quality.)
[T]
For someone today
For today: Hari, why have you taken a name if you're niṣkāma? — jñāna-talk is mutual-cheating; let love dance — if it's real, it shows on the road ahead; prema is no work of breaking.
Where this applies
- Why-name-when-desireless.* Dharilēm-nāma-niṣkāma.
- Jñāna-talk-is-mutual-cheating.* Sāngatasām-jñāna-ṭhakā-ṭhakī.
- Let-love-dance-truth-shows-ahead.* Āvaḍīnēm-nācē-puḍhēm-sācē.
- Prēma-doesn't-break.* Prēma-bhanga-na.