Abhanga 1478
For today: the fake-guru gives takra to the disciple but reserves dugdha for himself as god's-share; jñāna-bundles disgraced by desire; preaches purity to the world but claims it for himself; he's the tongue-and-genital's slave with only upper-display.
The verse
तक्र शिष्या मान । दुग्धा म्हणे नारायण ॥१॥ ऐशीं ज्ञानाचीं डोबडें । आशा विटंबिलीं मूढें ॥ध्रु.॥ उपदेश तो जगा । आपण सोंवळा इतका मांगा ॥२॥ रसनाशिश्नाचे अंकित । तुका म्हणे वरदळ स्पित ॥३॥
Literal translation
Takra to the śiṣya — dugdha he calls Nārāyaṇa (god's-share). Such are jñāna's ḍōbaḍas — disgraced by āśā, the mūḍha. Upadēśa for the jaga — for himself, sōmvaḷā itakā māngā. Rasanā-śiśna's ankita — Tuka says: varadaḷa spita.
मराठी: तक्र — शिष्या — मान; — दुग्धा — म्हणे — नारायण. ऐशीं — ज्ञानाचीं — डोबडें; — आशा — विटंबिलीं — मूढें. उपदेश — तो — जगा; — आपण — सोंवळा — इतका — मांगा. रसना-शिश्नाचे — अंकित; — Tukā म्हणे — वरदळ — स्पित.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| तक्र शिष्या मान | "takra (buttermilk, leftovers) — to śiṣya — māna (= gives as portion / honors with)" |
| दुग्धा म्हणे नारायण | "to dugdha (milk) — calls Nārāyaṇa (i.e., 'this is god's share, for me')" |
| ऐशीं ज्ञानाचीं डोबडें | "such — jñāna's — ḍōbaḍa (= bundles / pretenses / disguises)" |
| आशा विटंबिलीं मूढें | "by āśā (desire) — disgraced (viṭambilīm) — mūḍha (deluded)" |
| उपदेश तो जगा | "upadēśa — to the jaga" |
| आपण सोंवळा इतका मांगा | "(but) himself — sōmvaḷā (= ritual-pure) — itakā māngā (= up to the limit / claims as much as one likes; māngā compares / limit-marker)" |
| रसनाशिश्नाचे अंकित | "rasanā-śiśna (= tongue-and-genital)'s — ankita (= servant / one-marked-by)" |
| तुका म्हणे वरदळ स्पित | "Tuka says — varadaḷa spita (= upper-display / swollen-on-outside)" |
What it means
Fake-guru-keeps-the-cream abhang. The opening domestic-image: takra śiṣyā māna — dugdhā mhaṇē Nārāyaṇa — tośiṣya, givestakra(= buttermilk, the watery-leftover after butter is taken); — but todugdha(= milk, the rich-cream) — calls itNārāyaṇa(= 'this is god's-share, kept for me'). Striking household-image: takra is the leftover-watery-buttermilk (what poor people drink); dugdha is the rich-cream. The fake-guru gives the takra to disciples — and reserves the dugdha for himself, calling it Nārāyaṇa-prasāda. (= the guru-as-religious-cream-skimmer; classic eats-the-cream-himself charge.)
The verdict: aiśīm jñānācīm ḍōbaḍēm — āśā viṭambilīm mūḍhē — such arejñāna'sḍōbaḍas (= bundles / disguises); — byāśā(desire) —disgraced— themūḍha(deluded). Such jñāna-bundles are disguises; desire disgraces them. (Compare 1404's śṛngārilēm-maḍhēm — decorated corpse; same anti-fake-guru genre.)
The hypocrisy: upadēśa tō jagā — āpaṇa sōmvaḷā itakā māngā — upadēśa for thejaga(world); — forhimself—sōmvaḷā(= ritual-purity) —itakā māngā(= as much as wanted). He preaches renunciation to the world; for himself, he claims maximum ritual-purity. (= one rule for the audience, another for himself.)
The closing diagnosis: rasanā-śiśnācē ankita — varadaḷa spita — (he is)rasanā-śiśna(= tongue-and-genital)'s —ankita(servant / marked-by); — Tuka says —varadaḷa spita(= upper-display, swollen-on-the-outside). Slave to taste-buds and sex-organ — the spirituality is just upper-show. (Striking Sanskritic-formula — rasanā-and-śiśna — the two-organ-control the Bhāgavata-Purāṇa identifies as primary.)
[T]
For someone today
For today: the fake-guru gives takra to the disciple but reserves dugdha for himself as god's-share; jñāna-bundles disgraced by desire; preaches purity to the world but claims it for himself; he's the tongue-and-genital's slave with only upper-display.
Where this applies
- When you notice a teacher or leader who demands restraint from others but quietly exempts himself
- When you catch yourself dressing up self-indulgence in spiritual or moral language
- When you sense someone's public devotion doesn't match how they actually treat their own comfort or appetites
- When you're tempted to demand sacrifice from others while keeping the better share for yourself