Abhanga 1500
For today: why is this happening? — kīrtana faces obstructions in the world; how can this seem right to you? — saints' sayings have been shamed; thorn-people torment the faithful, daily-experience; the nāma is your decisive arrow — but you take no honor-pride in defending it.
The verse
ऐसें कां जालें तें मज ही न कळे । कीर्तनाचे रळेपळे जगीं ॥१॥ कैसें तुम्हां देवा वाटतसे बरें । संतांचीं उत्तरें लाजविलीं ॥ध्रु.॥ भाविकां कंटक करिताती पीडा । हा तंव रोकडा अनुभव ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे नाम निर्वाणीचा बाण । याचा अभिमान नाहीं तुम्हां ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: Why has this become — even to me, not known? — kīrtana's raḷē-paḷē in the jaga. How, Deva, does it seem barēm to you? — saints' uttara have been lājavilī. To bhāvikas, kaṇṭakas cause pīḍā — this is indeed rōkaḍā anubhava. Tuka says: nāma is nirvāṇīcā bāṇa — for this you have no abhimāna.
मराठी: ऐसें — कां — जालें — तें — मज — ही — न — कळे? — कीर्तनाचे — रळे-पळे — जगीं. कैसें — तुम्हां — देवा — वाटतसे — बरें? — संतांचीं — उत्तरें — लाजविलीं. भाविकां — कंटक — करिताती — पीडा; — हा — तंव — रोकडा — अनुभव. Tukā म्हणे — नाम — निर्वाणीचा — बाण; — याचा — अभिमान — नाहीं — तुम्हां.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ऐसें कां जालें तें मज ही न कळे | "why — has it become like this — even to me — not known" |
| कीर्तनाचे रळेपळे जगीं | "of kīrtana — raḷē-paḷē (= hindrances / obstructions) — in the jaga" |
| कैसें तुम्हां देवा वाटतसे बरें | "how — to you, Deva — does it seem (vāṭatasē) — barēm (right)?" |
| संतांचीं उत्तरें लाजविलीं | "samtas' — uttarē (sayings) — have been put-to-shame (lājavilīm)" |
| भाविकां कंटक करिताती पीडा | "to the bhāvikas — kaṇṭakas — cause pīḍā (torment)" |
| हा तंव रोकडा अनुभव | "this — tava (indeed) — rōkaḍā (= cash / immediate) — anubhava" |
| तुका म्हणे नाम निर्वाणीचा बाण | "Tuka says — nāma — is nirvāṇīcā bāṇa (= the arrow of (the) end)" |
| याचा अभिमान नाहीं तुम्हां | "for this — abhimāna (= honor-claim) — you don't have" |
What it means
Hari-tāḍ-on-kīrtana-obstruction abhang. A Hari-tāḍ protest. The opening: aisēm kām jālēm tēm maja hī na kaḷē — kīrtanācē raḷē-paḷē jagīm — why has this happened — even to me — not known; — kīrtana's — raḷē-paḷē (= obstructions) — in the world. Even Tuka, the bhakta-poet, can't understand why kīrtana faces hindrances. Raḷē-paḷē — onomatopoeia for bumps and stoppages.
The shaming-charge: kaisēm tumhām Devā vāṭatasē barēm — samtāñcīm uttarē lājavilīm — how, Deva, does this seem right to you? — samtas' words have been put-to-shame*. The saints have been disgraced; how can this be acceptable to you?
The diagnostic: bhāvikām kaṇṭaka karitātī pīḍā — hā tava rōkaḍā anubhava — to the bhāvikas — kaṇṭakas (thorns / persecutors) — cause pīḍā (torment); — this is indeed rōkaḍā (= cash / immediate) anubhava. The faithful are being persecuted by thorn-people; this is immediate / unmistakable experience. (= the bhakti-persecution is rōkaḍā — not abstract, but daily-cash-experience.)
The closing-charge: nāma nirvāṇīcā bāṇa — yācā abhimāna nāhīm tumhām — the nāma — is the nirvāṇī-cā bāṇa (= the arrow of (the) end / decisive arrow); — for this — abhimāna (= honor-claim / pride-of-defense) — you don't have. Nāma is your decisive weapon; but you don't take pride in defending it. (= strong Hari-tāḍ accusation: Hari is failing to defend his own nāma's honor. The nirvāṇīcā bāṇa — the finishing-arrow — Hari's own ultimate weapon — and he's not protective of it.)
[T]
For someone today
For today: why is this happening? — kīrtana faces obstructions in the world; how can this seem right to you? — saints' sayings have been shamed; thorn-people torment the faithful, daily-experience; the nāma is your decisive arrow — but you take no honor-pride in defending it.
Where this applies
- Why-kīrtana-obstructed.* Aisēm-kām-kīrtanācē-raḷē-paḷē.
- Saints'-sayings-shamed.* Samtāñcīm-uttarē-lājavilīm.
- Bhāviks-tormented-immediate-experience.* Bhāvikām-kaṇṭaka-pīḍā-rōkaḍā.
- Name-decisive-arrow-no-Hari-honor-claim.* Nāma-nirvāṇīcā-bāṇa-abhimāna-na.