Abhanga 1492
For today: people see, hear, know — yet why don't they understand for themselves? body-truth, age-progression, wife-son-wealth's uselessness — all known; this best-birth thrown in vain — why don't they say Rāma-Rāma? delusion has fallen even on knowers; bound by Time in adamantine-noose.
The verse
काय एकां जालें तें कां नाहीं ठावें । काय हें सांगावें काय म्हुण ॥१॥ देखतील डोळां ऐकती कानीं । बोलिलें पुराणीं तें ही ठावें ॥ध्रु.॥ काय हें शरीर साच कीं जाणार । सकळ विचार जाणती हा ॥२॥ कां हें कळों नये आपुलें आपणा । बाळत्व तारुण्य वृद्धदशा ॥३॥ कां हें आवडलें प्रियापुत्रधन । काय कामा कोण कोणा आलें ॥४॥ कां हें जन्म वांयां घातलें उत्तम । कां हे रामराम न म्हणती ॥५॥ काय भुली यांसी पडली जाणतां । देखती मरतां आणिकांसी ॥६॥ काय करिती हे बांधलिया काळें । तुका म्हणे बळें वज्रपाशीं ॥७॥
Literal translation
English: Why don't they know what's happened to others? — what to say, what why? They see with eyes, hear with ears — what's spoken in Purāṇas, they know too. Whether this śarīra is real or jāṇāra — all reasoning they know. Why does this not come known to oneself — bālatva, tāruṇya, vṛddha-daśā? Why has wife-son-wealth been āvaḍalēm? — what kāma has come to whom? Why has this uttama janma been vāyām-ghātalēm? — why don't they say Rāma-Rāma? What bhulī has fallen on them, knowing? — they see others dying. What would these do, bound by Kāḷa — Tuka says: by force, in vajra-pāśa.
मराठी: काय — एकां — जालें — तें — कां — नाहीं — ठावें? — काय — हें — सांगावें — काय — म्हुण? देखतील — डोळां — ऐकती — कानीं; — बोलिलें — पुराणीं — तें — ही — ठावें. काय — हें — शरीर — साच — कीं — जाणार? — सकळ — विचार — जाणती — हा. कां — हें — कळों — नये — आपुलें — आपणा? — बालत्व — तारुण्य — वृद्ध-दशा. कां — हें — आवडलें — प्रिया-पुत्र-धन? — काय — कामा — कोण — कोणा — आलें? कां — हें — जन्म — वांयां — घातलें — उत्तम? — कां — हे — राम-राम — न — म्हणती? काय — भुली — यांसी — पडली — जाणतां? — देखती — मरतां — आणिकांसी. काय — करिती — हे — बांधलिया — काळें? — Tukā म्हणे — बळें — वज्र-पाशीं.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| काय एकां जालें तें कां नाहीं ठावें | "what — to others — has happened — why — don't they know?" |
| काय हें सांगावें काय म्हुण | "what to say (sāngāvēm) — what mhuṇa (why)?" |
| देखतील डोळां ऐकती कानीं | "they will see — with eyes — they hear — with ears" |
| बोलिलें पुराणीं तें ही ठावें | "what's been spoken in Purāṇas — that too — known" |
| काय हें शरीर साच कीं जाणार | "whether this śarīra is real or going-away (jāṇāra)" |
| सकळ विचार जाणती हा | "all reasoning (sakaḷa vicāra) — they know — this" |
| कां हें कळों नये आपुलें आपणा | "why — does it not become known — to oneself?" |
| बाळत्व तारुण्य वृद्धदशा | "bālatva (childhood), tāruṇya (youth), vṛddha-daśā (old-age)" |
| कां हें आवडलें प्रियापुत्रधन | "why — has this been liked — priyā-putra-dhana (wife-son-wealth)?" |
| काय कामा कोण कोणा आलें | "what work — who — to whom — has come (= been of use)?" |
| कां हें जन्म वांयां घातलें उत्तम | "why — has this uttama (best) — janma — been vāyām ghātalēm (thrown in vain)?" |
| कां हे रामराम न म्हणती | "why — these — don't they say — Rāma-Rāma?" |
| काय भुली यांसी पडली जाणतां | "what bhulī (delusion) — has fallen on them — though knowing?" |
| देखती मरतां आणिकांसी | "they see — others dying" |
| काय करिती हे बांधलिया काळें | "what would these do — bound by Kāḷa?" |
| तुका म्हणे बळें वज्रपाशीं | "Tuka says — by baḷa — in vajra-pāśa (adamantine-noose)" |
What it means
Why-don't-they-say-Rāma-Rāma abhang. Direct continuation of 1491's astonishment-and-grief. Where 1491 enumerated why people neglect bhakti?, 1492 enumerates why-they-neglect-it-despite-knowing. The opening: kāya ēkām jālēm tēm kām nāhīm ṭhāvē — what's happened to others — why don't they know? Then: dēkhatīla ḍōḷām aikatī kānīm — bōlilēm purāṇīm tēm hī ṭhāvē — they see with eyes, hear with ears — even what's spoken in the Purāṇas they know. The paradox-of-knowing-but-not-acting.
The body-knowledge: kāya hēm śarīra sāca kīm jāṇāra — sakaḷa vicāra jāṇatī hā — whether this body is real or going — they know all the reasoning. The jāṇāra (= going-away) — the body is going-from-existence; they know this intellectually.
The age-progression: kām hēm kaḷōm nayē āpulēm āpaṇā — bālatva tāruṇya vṛddha-daśā — why doesn't this come known to oneself — childhood, youth, old-age? The three-ages — even seeing one's own progression, why doesn't the bhakti-implication become clear?
The wife-son-wealth-question: kām hēm āvaḍalēm priyā-putra-dhana — kāya kāmā kōṇa kōṇā ālēm — why are wife-son-wealth liked? — what work has anyone been of, to anyone? (= no relation has helped any other in extremity.)
The wasted-birth: kām hēm janma vāyām ghātalēm uttama — kām hē Rāma-Rāma na mhaṇatī — why this best-birth thrown in vain? — why don't they say Rāma-Rāma? The vāyām-ghātalēm image — the human-birth, the best, has been thrown-out-without-using*. Why don't they at least say "Rāma-Rāma"? (= the most-minimal-bhakti-act.)
The delusion-paradox: kāya bhulī yāñsī paḍalī jāṇatām — dēkhatī maratām āṇikāñsī — what bhulī has fallen on them, knowing? — they see others dying. Even with eyes-on-others'-deaths, the bhulī covers them.
The closing-image: kāya karitī hē bāndhaliyā kāḷē — baḷē vajra-pāśīm — what would they do — bound by Kāla — by force — in the vajra-pāśa (= adamantine-noose)? The vajra-pāśa is the unbreakable-noose — even if they wanted to act, they'd be helpless. (= bhulī produces complete paralysis; the wake-up-window may have closed.)
[T]
For someone today
For today: people see, hear, know — yet why don't they understand for themselves? body-truth, age-progression, wife-son-wealth's uselessness — all known; this best-birth thrown in vain — why don't they say Rāma-Rāma? delusion has fallen even on knowers; bound by Time in adamantine-noose.
Where this applies
- They-see-hear-know-purāṇas.* Dēkhatī-aikatī-purāṇīm-ṭhāvē.
- Whether-body-real-or-going-known.* Śarīra-sāca-jāṇāra-jāṇatī.
- Three-ages-not-applied-to-self.* Bālatva-tāruṇya-vṛddha-daśā-na.
- Best-birth-thrown-in-vain-no-Rāma-Rāma.* Janma-uttama-vāyām-Rāma-Rāma-na.
- Delusion-fallen-on-knowers.* Bhulī-jāṇatām.
- Bound-by-Time-in-adamantine-noose.* Bāndhaliyā-Kāḷē-vajra-pāśīm.