Abhanga 1491
For today: great astonishment at people not considering their welfare; what strength is in their bellies? what answer would they give Yama? why have these poor-things forgotten death — what sweetness binds them? no money needed for bhakti — why doesn't their mind take it? why undergo rebirth-mines, forgetting Cakra-pāṇī?
The verse
वाटे या जनाचें थोर बा आश्चर्य । न करिती विचार कां हिताचा ॥१॥ कोण दम ऐसा आहे यांचे पोटीं । येईल शेवटीं कोण कामा ॥ध्रु.॥ काय मानुनियां राहिले निश्चिंती । काय जाब देती यमदूतां ॥२॥ कां हीं विसरलीं मरण बापुडीं । काय यांसी गोडी लागलीसे ॥३॥ काय हातीं नाहीं करील तयासी । काय जालें यांसी काय जाणों ॥४॥ कां हीं नाठविती देवकीनंदना । सुटाया बंधनापासूनियां ॥५॥ काय मोल यासी लागे धन वित्त । कां हें यांचें चित्त घेत नाहीं ॥६॥ तुका म्हणे कां हीं भोगितील खाणी । कां त्या चक्रपाणी विसरलीं ॥७॥
Literal translation
English: It seems — of these jana — great āścarya — they don't make vicāra of hita. What dama is in their pōṭa? — at the end, who will come of use? What thinking, they stay in niścinti? — what jāba would they give to Yama-dūtā? Why have these poor things forgotten maraṇa? — what gōḍī clings to them? What's not in his hand he will do — what has happened to them, what do I know? Why don't these remember Devakī-nandana — to be released from bandhana? What mōla does this require — dhana-vitta? — why does their citta not take? Tuka says: why would these experience khāṇī? — why have they forgotten Cakra-pāṇī?
मराठी: वाटे — या — जनाचें — थोर — बा — आश्चर्य; — न — करिती — विचार — कां — हिताचा. कोण — दम — ऐसा — आहे — यांचे — पोटीं? — येईल — शेवटीं — कोण — कामा? काय — मानुनियां — राहिले — निश्चिंती? — काय — जाब — देती — यम-दूतां? कां — हीं — विसरलीं — मरण — बापुडीं? — काय — यांसी — गोडी — लागलीसे? काय — हातीं — नाहीं — करील — तयासी? — काय — जालें — यांसी — काय — जाणों? कां — हीं — नाठविती — देवकी-नंदना? — सुटाया — बंधना-पासूनियां? काय — मोल — यासी — लागे — धन — वित्त? — कां — हें — यांचें — चित्त — घेत — नाहीं? Tukā म्हणे — कां — हीं — भोगितील — खाणी? — कां — त्या — चक्र-पाणी — विसरलीं?
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| वाटे या जनाचें थोर बा आश्चर्य | "it seems (vāṭē) — of these jana — thōra (great) — āścarya (astonishment), bā (vocative)" |
| न करिती विचार कां हिताचा | "they don't make — vicāra — why — of hita (welfare)?" |
| कोण दम ऐसा आहे यांचे पोटीं | "what dama (= breath / strength) — like that — is — in their pōṭa?" |
| येईल शेवटीं कोण कामा | "at the end (śēvaṭīm) — who — will come of use (kāmā)?" |
| काय मानुनियां राहिले निश्चिंती | "what — counting — they have stayed in niścinti?" |
| काय जाब देती यमदूतां | "what jāba (answer) — would they give — to Yama-dūta?" |
| कां हीं विसरलीं मरण बापुडीं | "why — these — forgotten — maraṇa — bāpuḍīm (poor things)" |
| काय यांसी गोडी लागलीसे | "what gōḍī (sweetness) — is clinging (lāgalīsē) — to them?" |
| काय हातीं नाहीं करील तयासी | "what is not in (his) hand — that — he (Hari) — would do?" |
| काय जालें यांसी काय जाणों | "what has happened — to them — what do I know?" |
| कां हीं नाठविती देवकीनंदना | "why — these — don't remember — Devakī-nandana?" |
| सुटाया बंधनापासूनियां | "to be released — from bandhana" |
| काय मोल यासी लागे धन वित्त | "what mōla — does this — require — dhana-vitta (wealth)?" |
| कां हें यांचें चित्त घेत नाहीं | "why — does — their citta — not take?" |
| तुका म्हणे कां हीं भोगितील खाणी | "Tuka says — why — these — would experience — khāṇī (= rebirth-mines / wombs)?" |
| कां त्या चक्रपाणी विसरलीं | "why — that Cakra-pāṇī — have they forgotten?" |
What it means
Astonishment-at-people's-bhakti-neglect abhang. A 7-verse sustained-grief-and-astonishment lament. Each verse is a kā (why?) — Tuka bewildered by his fellow-humans' neglect of obvious-spiritual-welfare.
The seven whys catalogue:
(1) thōra āścarya — na karitī vicāra kām hitācā — great astonishment — they don't reflect on their welfare.
(2) kōṇa dama yāñcē pōṭīm — yē'īla śēvaṭīm kōṇa kāmā — what dama (= breath / endurance) is in their bellies? — at the end, who will be of use? (= what makes them feel so-confident about lasting?)
(3) kāya mānūniyām rāhilē niścinti — jāba Yama-dūtām — what makes them stay carefree? — what answer for Yama-dūtas?
(4) kām hīm visaralīm maraṇa bāpuḍīm — kāya gōḍī lāgalīsē — why have these poor-things forgotten death? — what sweetness clings? (Striking bāpuḍīm — poor pitiful things; Tuka's compassion shows.)
(5) kāya hātīm nāhīm karīla tayāsī — kāya jālēm yāñsī — what's not in (Hari's) hand to do? — what has happened to them?
(6) kām hīm nāṭhavitī Devakī-nandanā — suṭāyā bandhanā — why don't they remember Devakī-nandana — to be released?
(7) kāya mōla — dhana-vitta — kām citta ghēta nāhīm — what price does this need? wealth-property? — why doesn't their citta take it? (= bhakti is free; even so, mind refuses.)
The closing: kām hīm bhōgītīla khāṇī — kām tyā Cakra-pāṇī visaralīm — why would these undergo the khāṇī (= rebirth-mines / wombs)? — why have they forgotten that Cakra-pāṇī? The khāṇī-image: the wombs of rebirth are mines one is sentenced to dig in. (Compare 1435's lakṣa-cauryāñśīñcī sōḍavaṇa — same theme.)
[T]
For someone today
For today: great astonishment at people not considering their welfare; what strength is in their bellies? what answer would they give Yama? why have these poor-things forgotten death — what sweetness binds them? no money needed for bhakti — why doesn't their mind take it? why undergo rebirth-mines, forgetting Cakra-pāṇī?
Where this applies
- Astonishment-people-don't-consider-welfare.* Vāṭē-thōra-āścarya-vicāra-na.
- No-strength-in-belly-no-help-at-end.* Dama-pōṭīm-śēvaṭīm-kāmā.
- Forgotten-death-what-sweetness-binds.* Visaralīm-maraṇa-gōḍī-lāgalīsē.
- Free-yet-mind-doesn't-take.* Mōla-na-citta-ghēta-na.
- Forgotten-Cakra-pāṇī-go-to-rebirth-mines.* Bhōgītīla-khāṇī-Cakra-pāṇī-visaralīm.