Abhanga 1463
For today: every house has poets, but none know the flavor of prasāda; the rascal relishes ornaments and doesn't see the fall ahead; take out the ready-thing and bind it to your own welfare; they know it intellectually but become blind.
The verse
घरोघरीं बहु जाले कवि । नेणे प्रसादाची चवी ॥१॥ लंडा भूषणांची चाड । पुढें न विचारी नाड ॥ध्रु.॥ काढावें आइतें । तें चि जोडावें स्वहितें ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे कळे । परि होताती अंधळे ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: In every house, many poets have arisen — they don't know prasāda's cavī. The laṇḍa has cāḍa for bhūṣaṇas — doesn't consider the nāḍa ahead. Take out the ā'itēm — that itself, jōḍāvēm for sva-hita. Tuka says: it is known — but they become andhaḷē.
मराठी: घरो-घरीं — बहु — जाले — कवि; — नेणे — प्रसादाची — चवी. लंडा — भूषणांची — चाड; — पुढें — न — विचारी — नाड. काढावें — आइतें; — तें — चि — जोडावें — स्व-हितें. Tukā म्हणे — कळे; — परि — होताती — अंधळे.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| घरोघरीं बहु जाले कवि | "in every house (gharō-gharīm) — many — kavi (poets) — have arisen (jālē)" |
| नेणे प्रसादाची चवी | "they don't know — prasāda's — cavī (= taste / flavor)" |
| लंडा भूषणांची चाड | "the laṇḍa (= rascal / fool) — has cāḍa (= relish / urge) — for bhūṣaṇas (= ornaments / decorative-language)" |
| पुढें न विचारी नाड | "ahead (puḍhēm) — does not consider (na vicārī) — nāḍa (= cord / consequence / fall)" |
| काढावें आइतें | "should take out (kāḍhāvēm) — what is ā'itēm (= ready / prepared)" |
| तें चि जोडावें स्वहितें | "that very (tēm chi) — should be jōḍāvēm (= joined / acquired) — for sva-hita (own-welfare)" |
| तुका म्हणे कळे | "Tuka says — (it) is known (kaḷē)" |
| परि होताती अंधळे | "but (parī) — they become — andhaḷē (blind)" |
What it means
Every-house-poets-but-no-prasāda-flavor abhang. A self-aware lament about the kavi-inflation of Tuka's day. The opening: gharō-gharīm bahu jālē kavi — nēṇē prasādācī cavī — in every house — many poets have arisen; — they don't know — prasāda's cavī (= flavor). Many poets, but none knowing the prasāda-flavor. Prasāda — the graceful-style (in poetic-criticism) and grace from Hari (in bhakti) — both senses available. The kavi-mass-production of his day produces poets without prasāda-taste. (Compare 1407's kōraḍyā gōṣṭī ōla-na — dry talk, no moisture; same theme.)
The diagnosis: laṇḍā bhūṣaṇāñcī cāḍa — puḍhēm na vicārī nāḍa — the laṇḍa (= rascal) — has cāḍa (= relish) — for bhūṣaṇas (= ornaments / alankāras / decorative-words); — ahead, doesn't consider — nāḍa (= cord / consequence / fall). Loves the alankāra-decorations but doesn't think of the consequence ahead. (= the poetic-ornament-as-vanity trap; cf. 1456's bhūṣaṇa-Vedāntins. Nāḍa puns: cord/rope + fall + sound/clamor — possibly the consequent reckoning.)
The pragmatic advice: kāḍhāvēm ā'itēm — tēm chi jōḍāvēm sva-hitēm — take out (kāḍhāvēm) — what is ā'itēm (= ready / prepared); — that very thing — jōḍāvēm (= acquire / bind) — for sva-hita (own-welfare). Take what's ready (= the nāma, the bhakti-experience already-given) — bind that to your own-welfare. (= don't manufacture new ornament-poetry; take the ready-prasāda.)
The closing-paradox: Tukā mhaṇē kaḷē — parī hōtātī andhaḷē — Tuka says — (it) is known; — but — they become andhaḷē (blind). They know it (intellectually) — but become blind (= can't see the prasāda-flavor though they know about it). The bhāva-required-for-bhakti is missing; intellect alone produces andhaḷa-kavis.
[T]
For someone today
For today: every house has poets, but none know the flavor of prasāda; the rascal relishes ornaments and doesn't see the fall ahead; take out the ready-thing and bind it to your own welfare; they know it intellectually but become blind.
Where this applies
- Every-house-poets-don't-know-prasāda-flavor.* Gharō-gharīm-kavi-prasāda-cavī-na.
- Rascal-loves-ornaments-doesn't-see-fall.* Laṇḍa-bhūṣaṇa-nāḍa-na-vicārī.
- Take-the-ready-thing-for-self-welfare.* Kāḍhāvēm-ā'itēm-sva-hita-jōḍāvēm.
- Know-but-become-blind.* Kaḷē-parī-andhaḷē-hōtātī.