Abhanga 1614
For today: if you tell a single false-word, all the merit you've gathered — even at the most-auspicious-moment, even for the purpose of helping others — will go to fall, no doubt; here is the witness I'm telling: Nārāyaṇa-Kṛṣṇa made Dharma-rāja Yudhiṣṭhira speak the half-lie about Aśvatthāmā — and his big-toe sank into the earth for that karma; Tuka says — be careful henceforth — the inner-falsehood will give suffering.
The verse
असत्य वचन होतां सर्व जोडी । जरी लग्नघडी परउपकार ॥१॥ जाईंल पतना यासि संदेह नाहीं । साक्ष आहे कांहीं सांगतों ते ॥ध्रु.॥ वदविलें मुखें नारायणें धर्मा । अंगुष्ठ त्या कर्मासाटीं गेला ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे आतां सांभळा रे पुढें । अंतरिंचे कुडें देइल दुःख ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: If a false vacana occurs, all merit gathered — even at lagna-time for para-upakāra — will go to patana, no doubt. The witness I'm telling: Nārāyaṇa made Dharma speak through the mouth — and the anguṣṭha sank for that karma. Tuka says: now, be careful henceforth — the inner-falsehood will give suffering.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| असत्य वचन होतां सर्व जोडी | "false vacana — if it occurs — all (gain) — gathered" |
| जरी लग्नघडी परउपकार | "even at lagna-time — for para-upakāra (helping others)" |
| जाईंल पतना यासि संदेह नाहीं | "will go — to fall (patana); — no doubt" |
| साक्ष आहे कांहीं सांगतों ते | "witness — I'm telling — something — that" |
| वदविलें मुखें नारायणें धर्मा | "was made to speak — through (the) mouth — by Nārāyaṇa — to Dharma (= Yudhiṣṭhira)" |
| अंगुष्ठ त्या कर्मासाटीं गेला | "the anguṣṭha (big-toe) — for that karma's sake — went (= sank)" |
| तुका म्हणे आतां सांभळा रे पुढें | "Tuka says — now — be careful — henceforth" |
| अंतरिंचे कुडें देइल दुःख | "the inner-falsehood — will give — suffering" |
What it means
Yudhiṣṭhira's-toe-sank-for-half-lie abhang.
The opening: asatya vacana hōtām sarva jōḍī — jarī lagna-ghaḍī para-upakāra — if a single false vacana occurs, all merit gathered — even at lagna-time for para-upakāra. Lagna-ghaḍī = the auspicious-marriage-moment (= the most-merit-laden-time); para-upakāra = for the purpose of helping others. Even when telling a falsehood at the most-merit-bearing-moment for the noblest-purpose (helping-others), all gathered-merit will be lost.
The patana-warning: jā'īla patanā yāsi sandēha nāhīm — sākṣa āhē kāhīm sāngatōm tē — will go to fall, no doubt — witness, I'm telling. Patana = fall, downfall, hell-ward-trajectory.
The MBh-citation: vadavilēm mukhē Nārāyaṇē Dharmā — anguṣṭha tyā karmā-sāṭīm gēlā — Nārāyaṇa made Dharma speak through the mouth — the anguṣṭha sank for that karma. Reference: the Mahābhārata's Aśvatthāmā-hatā-nara-vā-kuñjarō-vā episode. In the Kurukṣetra-war, to defeat Drona, the Pāṇḍavas needed to make Drona believe his son Aśvatthāmā had been killed. Bhīma killed an elephant named Aśvatthāmā and shouted "Aśvatthāmā has been killed!" Drona doubted and asked Yudhiṣṭhira (= Dharma-rāja, named for his truthfulness). Yudhiṣṭhira said: "Aśvatthāmā hatā: nara-vā-kuñjarō-vā" (= Aśvatthāmā has been killed: man or elephant) — but the second-clause was deliberately spoken inaudibly (drowned by Kṛṣṇa's blowing of a conch). Drona, hearing only the first-clause, dropped his weapons in grief and was killed. Vadavilēm mukhē Nārāyaṇē Dharmā — Nārāyaṇa (= Kṛṣṇa) made Dharma (= Yudhiṣṭhira) speak this. The traditional-result: Yudhiṣṭhira's chariot, which had floated four fingers above the ground in honor of his truthfulness, descended to touch the earth — and his anguṣṭha (big-toe) was burned / went into the earth — when later he had to enter heaven, his toe alone could-not-enter-heaven-bodily because of this karma.
The lesson: even Dharma-rāja, even speaking-the-half-lie at Kṛṣṇa's-instigation, even for the highest-purpose of war-victory — even he was punished. Therefore even more for ordinary humans.
The closing: Tukā mhaṇē ātām sāmbhaḷā rē puḍhē — antariñcē kuḍē dē'īla duḥkha — Tuka says: now be careful henceforth — the inner-falsehood will give suffering. Antariñcē kuḍē = the inner-deception / inner-falsehood — even if outwardly-acceptable, the inner-deception will return as duḥkha.
[T]
For someone today
For today: if you tell a single false-word, all the merit you've gathered — even at the most-auspicious-moment, even for the purpose of helping others — will go to fall, no doubt; here is the witness I'm telling: Nārāyaṇa-Kṛṣṇa made Dharma-rāja Yudhiṣṭhira speak the half-lie about Aśvatthāmā — and his big-toe sank into the earth for that karma; Tuka says — be careful henceforth — the inner-falsehood will give suffering.
Where this applies
- One-false-word-destroys-all-merit-even-for-good-purpose.* Asatya-vacana-sarva-jōḍī-para-upakāra-na.
- Will-go-to-fall-no-doubt.* Patana-sandēha-nāhīm.
- Yudhiṣṭhira's-mouth-spoke-toe-sank.* Dharma-mukha-anguṣṭha-gēlā.
- Inner-falsehood-gives-suffering.* Antarī-kuḍē-duḥkha.