Abhanga 1511
Suffering comes from a life lived out of rhythm, not from missing religious symbols, so outward marks of devotion alone cannot bring God near.
The verse
जैसें दावी तैसा राहे । तरि कां देव दुरी आहे ॥१॥ दुःख पावायाचें मूळ । रहनी ठाव नाहीं ताळ ॥ध्रु.॥ माळामुद्रांवरी । कैंचा सोंगें जोडे हरि ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे देखें । ऐसे परीचीं बहुतेकें ॥३॥
Literal translation
As shown, so stays — then why is Deva far? The mūḷa of duḥkha-pāvāyācēm — rahanī ṭhāva without tāḷa. On māḷā-mudrā — whence by sōnga gets Hari joined? Tuka says: I see — many such kinds.
मराठी: जैसें — दावी — तैसा — राहे; — तरि — कां — देव — दुरी — आहे? दुःख — पावायाचें — मूळ; — रहनी — ठाव — नाहीं — ताळ. माळा-मुद्रांवरी; — कैंचा — सोंगें — जोडे — हरि? Tukā म्हणे — देखें; — ऐसे — परीचीं — बहुतेकें.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| जैसें दावी तैसा राहे | "as one shows (dāvī) — so one stays (rāhē)" |
| तरि कां देव दुरी आहे | "then — why — Deva — far (durī) — is?" |
| दुःख पावायाचें मूळ | "mūḷa (root) — of getting duḥkha" |
| रहनी ठाव नाहीं ताळ | "rahanī (way-of-life) — ṭhāva (place) — no tāḷa (= rhythm / mark)" |
| माळामुद्रांवरी | "on māḷā-mudrā (rosary-and-seal-marks)" |
| कैंचा सोंगें जोडे हरि | "whence — by sōnga — gets joined — Hari?" |
| तुका म्हणे देखें | "Tuka says — I see" |
| ऐसे परीचीं बहुतेकें | "such (aisē) — kinds (parīcīm) — many (bahutēkēm)" |
What it means
No-Hari-by-rosary-seal-disguise abhang. The opening: jaisēm dāvī taisā rāhē — tarī kām Deva durī āhē — as (one is)shown— so (one)stays; —then whyisDeva—far? The diagnostic-question: if a person stays-as-shown (= follows guidance), then why is Hari still far? Implication: something is not right in the showing-and-staying.
The diagnosis: duḥkha pāvāyācēm mūḷa — rahanī ṭhāva nāhīm tāḷa — therootofgetting duḥkha— israhanī(= way-of-life / dwelling-mode) — withouttāḷa(= rhythm / proper-pitch / mark). The way-of-life lacks the proper rhythm; that's the root-cause. Tāḷa — musical-and-life-rhythm — the proper-beat is missing.
The application: māḷā-mudrāñvarī — kaimcā sōngēm jōḍē Hari — onmāḷā-mudrā(= rosary-and-seal-mark) —whence— bysōnga— doesHarigetjoined? Wearing rosaries and seal-marks (the formal vaiṣṇava-marks) doesn'tjoinHari — they're justsōnga(costume). (Compare 1404's jaṭā-rākha-viṭambanā and 1502's sōnga-chanda-Deva-jōḍē-na — same anti-disguise register; here the targets are the vaiṣṇava-paraphernalia themselves.)
The closing-observation: dēkhēm — aisē parīcīm bahutēkēm — I see — many such kinds. I see many such (people). (= the māḷā-mudrā-disguise-wearers are common in Tuka's day; he doesn't single one out — they're widespread.)
[T]
For someone today
For today: if you follow all the outward guidance and God still feels far away, the real problem is a life out of rhythm, not missing symbols. Wearing a rosary and sacred marks by themselves — mere costume — won't bring Hari close. I see this happening to many people.
मराठी: आजसाठी: सगळं सांगितल्याप्रमाणे वागूनही देव दूरच वाटत असेल, तर खरी अडचण आयुष्यातल्या तालाच्या अभावात आहे, चिन्हांच्या कमतरतेत नाही. फक्त गळ्यात माळ आणि अंगावर मुद्रा घातल्याने — निव्वळ सोंग करून — हरि जवळ येत नाही. असे पुष्कळ जण मला दिसतात.
Where this applies
- When you follow all the outward religious practices yet still feel distant from God
- When you wonder why your suffering continues despite doing everything you were told to do
- When you notice someone relying on visible symbols of faith without changing how they actually live
- When you're tempted to judge your own devotion by what you wear or display rather than how you live