Abhanga 1517
For today: the kathā-interrupter is the lowest of low — recognize him; why is he alive? — earth-burden, no-favor to mother's womb; loves sleep, disgusted with kīrtana-vigil, belly full of wrong-diet; he has drowned both lineages — his face is black at kathā.
The verse
कथेचा उलंघ तो अधमां अधम । नावडे ज्या नाम ओळखा तो ॥१॥ कासया जीऊन जाला भूमी भार । अनउपकार माते कुंसी ॥ध्रु.॥ निद्रेचा आदर जागरणीं वीट । त्याचे पोटीं कीट कुपथ्याचें ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे दोन्ही बुडविलीं कुळें । ज्याचें तोंड काळें कथेमाजी ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: Kathā's ulamgha — adhamām adhama — to whom nāma doesn't please — recognize him. Why is he alive — became bhūmī-bhāra — anu-pakāra to mātā's kumsī. Ādara for nidrā, vīṭa at jāgaraṇa — in his pōṭa, kīṭa of kupathya. Tuka says: drowned both kuḷa-s — whose tōṇḍa is kāḷē at kathā.
मराठी: कथेचा — उलंघ — तो — अधमां — अधम; — नावडे — ज्या — नाम — ओळखा — तो. कासया — जीऊन — जाला — भूमी — भार? — अनुपकार — माते — कुंसी. निद्रेचा — आदर — जागरणीं — वीट; — त्याचे — पोटीं — कीट — कुपथ्याचें. Tukā म्हणे — दोन्ही — बुडविलीं — कुळें; — ज्याचें — तोंड — काळें — कथे-माजी.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| कथेचा उलंघ तो अधमां अधम | "the ulamgha (= interruption / breach) — of kathā — that one — adhamām adhama (= lowest of low)" |
| नावडे ज्या नाम ओळखा तो | "does not please (nāvaḍē) — to whom — nāma; — recognize (ōḷakhā) — that one" |
| कासया जीऊन जाला भूमी भार | "why (kāsayā) — having lived (jī'ūna) — has become — bhūmī (earth)'s — bhāra (load)" |
| अनउपकार माते कुंसी | "anu-pakāra (= un-favor) — to mātā's — kumsī (= womb)" |
| निद्रेचा आदर जागरणीं वीट | "ādara (regard) — of nidrā; — vīṭa (disgust) — at jāgaraṇa (= keeping awake at kīrtana)" |
| त्याचे पोटीं कीट कुपथ्याचें | "in his pōṭa — kīṭa (= heap / dirt) — of kupathya (= wrong-diet)" |
| तुका म्हणे दोन्ही बुडविलीं कुळें | "Tuka says — both — kuḷas (lineages) — drowned (buḍavilīm)" |
| ज्याचें तोंड काळें कथेमाजी | "whose tōṇḍa (face) — kāḷēm (black) — at kathā" |
What it means
Anti-kathā-interrupter abhang. The strongest anti-kathā-interrupter invective in this stretch. The opening: kathēcā ulamgha tō adhamām adhama — nāvaḍē jyā nāma ōḷakhā tō — the ulamgha of kathā — adhamām adhama; — to whom nāma doesn't please — recognize (= identify) him. Interrupting kathā is the lowest of low; the one who doesn't love nāma — know him for what he is. (Compare 1485's kōṭi-kuḷē-vāṭulī-Brahma-hatyā — interrupting-kathā = brahma-hatyā; here a different invective-mode.)
The earth-burden: kāsayā jī'ūna jālā bhūmī bhāra — anu-pakāra mātē kumsī — why is he alive — has become bhūmī-bhāra (= a burden on the earth); — un-favor — to (his) mātā's — kumsī (= womb). The bhūmī-bhāra trope (= classical durjana-as-burden-on-earth); plus insult to mother's womb (= the womb-bearer received no return-favor for bringing this person forth). Strong invective.
The diet-and-sleep: nidrēcā ādara jāgaraṇīm vīṭa — tyācē pōṭīm kīṭa kupathyācēm — regard for nidrā (sleep); — vīṭa (disgust) at jāgaraṇa (= keeping awake — specifically the kīrtana-night-vigil); — in his pōṭa — kīṭa (heap / accumulated-dirt) — of kupathya (= un-conducive / wrong food). He loves sleep, hates kīrtana-vigil; his belly full of wrong-diet.
The closing-image: dōnnhī buḍavilīm kuḷē — jyācēm tōṇḍa kāḷēm kathē-mājhī — both kuḷas — drowned; — whose tōṇḍa — is kāḷēm — at kathā. He's drowned both lineages (= his father's and mother's families' merit-line); his face is black at the kathā-event (= shamed publicly during kathā). (Compare 1466's kāḷēm tōṇḍa samtām-madhyē — black face among saints; same imagery here, applied to the kathā-interrupter*.)
[T]
For someone today
For today: the kathā-interrupter is the lowest of low — recognize him; why is he alive? — earth-burden, no-favor to mother's womb; loves sleep, disgusted with kīrtana-vigil, belly full of wrong-diet; he has drowned both lineages — his face is black at kathā.
Where this applies
- Kathā-interrupter-lowest-of-low.* Kathēcā-ulamgha-adhamām-adhama.
- Earth-burden-no-favor-to-mother's-womb.* Bhūmī-bhāra-anu-pakāra-kumsī.
- Sleep-loved-kīrtana-disgusted-belly-of-wrong-diet.* Nidrā-ādara-jāgaraṇa-vīṭa-kupathya.
- Drowned-both-lineages-face-black-at-kathā.* Dōnnhī-kuḷē-buḍavilīm-tōṇḍa-kāḷēm.