Abhanga 1559
Worldly attachment does not turn into spiritual freedom on its own; left unchecked, it strips you of everything, rich or poor.
The verse
संसारसंगें परमार्थ जोडे । ऐसें काय घडे जाणतेनो ॥१॥ हेंडग्याच्या आळां अवघीं चिपाडें । काय तेथें गोडें निवडावीं ॥ध्रु.॥ ढेकणाचे बाजे सुखाची कल्पना । मूर्खत्व वचना येऊं पाहे ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे मद्य सांडवी लंगोटी । सांगितला सेटीं विचार त्या ॥३॥
Literal translation
By samsāra-sanga, paramārtha is jōḍē? — what such ghaḍē, jāṇatīs? In hēṇḍagā's āḷā, all cipāḍa — what sweet there to select? On ḍhēkaṇa's bāja, kalpanā of sukha — mūrkhatva to vacana yē'ūm. Tuka says: madya strips langōṭī — told to sēṭī, that vicāra.
मराठी: संसार-संगें — परमार्थ — जोडे? — ऐसें — काय — घडे — जाणतेनो? हेंडग्याच्या — आळां — अवघीं — चिपाडें; — काय — तेथें — गोडें — निवडावीं? ढेकणाचे — बाजे — सुखाची — कल्पना; — मूर्खत्व — वचना — येऊं — पाहे. Tukā म्हणे — मद्य — सांडवी — लंगोटी; — सांगितला — सेटीं — विचार — त्या.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| संसारसंगें परमार्थ जोडे | "by samsāra-sanga — paramārtha — gets joined (jōḍē)" |
| ऐसें काय घडे जाणतेनो | "like that — what — happens, O jāṇatīs?" |
| हेंडग्याच्या आळां अवघीं चिपाडें | "in (the) hēṇḍagā (= reed-cluster) — āḷā (grove); — all — cipāḍa (chaff)" |
| काय तेथें गोडें निवडावीं | "what — there — sweet — could be selected?" |
| ढेकणाचे बाजे सुखाची कल्पना | "ḍhēkaṇa (bedbug)'s — bāja (bed); — kalpanā — of sukha" |
| मूर्खत्व वचना येऊं पाहे | "foolishness — to vacana — comes-and-goes (yē'ūm pāhē)" |
| तुका म्हणे मद्य सांडवी लंगोटी | "Tuka says — madya — strips (sāṇḍavī) — langōṭī" |
| सांगितला सेटीं विचार त्या | "told — to the sēṭīm (merchant) — that vicāra" |
What it means
Samsāra-sanga-can't-yield-paramārtha abhang. The opening rhetorical-question: samsāra-sangēm paramārtha jōḍē — aisēm kāya ghaḍē jāṇatēnō — bysamsāra-sanga—paramārtha— getsjoined?; —what—like that—happens, Ojāṇatīs?Can paramārtha be obtained through samsāra-sanga? Knowing-ones, does this happen?(Implied:no.)
The reed-grove image: hēṇḍagyācyā āḷām avaghīm cipāḍēm — kāya tēthē gōḍēm nivaḍāvīm — in thehēṇḍagā(= cluster of cane / reeds) —grove—all—cipāḍa(= dry-cane-husk-fragments / chaff); —what—sweet—there— could beselected? In a chaff-grove, no sweet thing. (= samsāra is all-chaff; no paramārtha-sweetness can be sorted-out.)
The bedbug-bed image: ḍhēkaṇācē bājē sukhācī kalpanā — mūrkhatva vacanā yē'ūm pāhē — on abedbug-bed—imagination of sukha; —foolishness— to thevacana—comes-and-goes. Imagining-comfort on a bedbug-bed is fool's talk. (Striking-image: samsāra-life-as-bedbug-infested-bed; expecting comfort there is foolish.)
The closing-image: madya sāṇḍavī langōṭī — sāngitalā sēṭīm vicāra tyā — liquor —strips even the langōṭī(= last-piece-of-clothing); — told — to thesēṭīm(= merchant) — thatvicāra. Liquor strips even your loincloth (= samsāra-attachment progressively-dispossesses you). Told this counsel to thesēṭī(= shopkeeper / wealthy-merchant) — i.e., to the worldly-prosperous person. (Striking image; alcoholism-as-samsāra-attachment-metaphor — first you lose dignity, then clothing, then everything.)
[T]
For someone today
For today: can paramārtha be obtained through samsāra-sanga, you knowing-ones? In a reed-grove, only chaff — what sweet would you find?; imagining comfort on a bedbug-bed is fool's talk; liquor strips even the loincloth — this was told to the merchant.
Where this applies
- When you assume that being busy and successful in worldly affairs will naturally deepen your spiritual life
- When you keep searching for meaning inside a life centered only on money, status, or possessions
- When you tell yourself you're comfortable in a situation that is quietly costing you everything
- When you see a wealthy or successful person and assume their attachments can't really harm them