Abhanga 1560
For today: the native-type carries the prema — the right bird remembers Rāma; those qualities don't attach to others — a cage doesn't shine on a crow; only the well-born bears teaching, then his price climbs; disguise-wearers — a eunuch doesn't become a woman.
The verse
जातीचें तें चढे प्रेम । पक्षी स्मरे राम राम ॥१॥ ते काय गुण लागती येरां । कागा पिंजरा शोभेना ॥ध्रु.॥ शिकविलें तें सुजात सोसी । मग तयासी मोल चढे ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे वेषधारी । हिजड्या नारी नव्हती ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: Jāti's-prēma climbs — pakṣī remembers Rāma. Those guṇas attach to yērām? — kāgā cage doesn't śōbhē. Sujāta bears taught — then mōla climbs. Tuka says: vēṣa-dhārī — hijaḍa doesn't become nārī.
मराठी: जातीचें — तें — चढे — प्रेम; — पक्षी — स्मरे — राम — राम. ते — काय — गुण — लागती — येरां? — कागा — पिंजरा — शोभेना. शिकविलें — तें — सुजात — सोसी; — मग — तयासी — मोल — चढे. Tukā म्हणे — वेष-धारी; — हिजड्या — नारी — नव्हती.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| जातीचें तें चढे प्रेम | "jāti's (type / breed) — that — climbs — prēma" |
| पक्षी स्मरे राम राम | "the pakṣī (bird) — remembers — Rāma Rāma" |
| ते काय गुण लागती येरां | "those guṇas — would they attach — to others (yērām)?" |
| कागा पिंजरा शोभेना | "to kāga (crow) — piñjarā (cage) — doesn't shine" |
| शिकविलें तें सुजात सोसी | "what is taught — sujāta (well-born) — bears (sōsī)" |
| मग तयासी मोल चढे | "then — to that one — price — climbs (caḍē)" |
| तुका म्हणे वेषधारी | "Tuka says — vēṣa-dhārī (= disguise-wearer)" |
| हिजड्या नारी नव्हती | "hijaḍa (eunuch) — nārī (woman) — does not become" |
What it means
Eunuch-doesn't-become-woman abhang. The opening: jātīcē tē caḍē prēma — pakṣī smarē Rāma Rāma — jāti's (= breed-quality)'s — that — climbs — prēma; — the right pakṣī (= bird) — remembers Rāma Rāma. Native-type carries the prema; the right bird (= the parrot, classically) remembers Rāma-Rāma. (= the parrot-as-trained-Rāma-namer — the bird whose jāti allows learning the name.)
The crow-cage image: tē kāya guṇa lāgatī yērām — kāgā piñjarā śōbhēnā — those guṇas — would they attach — to others?; — to a kāga (crow) — a piñjarā (cage) — doesn't shine. The bhakti-qualities don't attach to non-bhakta-types; putting a crow in a (parrot's) cage doesn't make it a parrot. (= external-display can't change inner-jāti*.)
The trainability: śikavilēm tēm sujāta sōsī — maga tayāsī mōla caḍē — what is taught — sujāta (= the well-born / right-type) — bears; — then — to that one — price — climbs*. Only the well-born bears training; then his price (worth) climbs.
The closing-anti-disguise: vēṣa-dhārī — hijaḍyā nārī navhatī — the vēṣa-dhārī (= disguise-wearer); — a hijaḍa (eunuch) — does not become — a nārī (woman). Striking-and-blunt image: putting on a woman's disguise doesn't make a eunuch a woman. (= the fake-bhakta with bhakti-disguise doesn't become a true-bhakta. Compare 1404's jaṭā-rākha-viṭambanā and 1502's sōnga-Deva-jōḍē-na — same anti-disguise register; here the most-pointed image. Note: this uses the gendered eunuch-not-woman image; would feel sharp to modern readers but is Tuka's idiom for outer-form-doesn't-change-inner-nature.)
[T]
For someone today
For today: the native-type carries the prema — the right bird remembers Rāma; those qualities don't attach to others — a cage doesn't shine on a crow; only the well-born bears teaching, then his price climbs; disguise-wearers — a eunuch doesn't become a woman.
Where this applies
- Native-type-carries-prema-bird-remembers-Rāma.* Jātī-prēma-pakṣī-Rāma.
- Crow-doesn't-fit-in-cage.* Kāga-piñjarā-śōbhēnā.
- Well-born-bears-teaching.* Sujāta-śikavilēm-mōla-caḍē.
- Eunuch-doesn't-become-woman.* Vēṣa-dhārī-hijaḍa-nārī-na.