Abhanga 1650
For today: what should be said is better kept in the belly — wrong-thinking only gives sorrow afterward; do your own affairs — conquering the inner, with the mind as witness; the spoken word doesn't come back — better to have borne the strain of silence; Tuka says — I've feared too much-fuss — now, Devā, no more false words.
The verse
सांगावें तें बरें असतें हें पोटीं । दुःख देते खोटी बुद्धी मग ॥१॥ आपला आपण करावा वेव्हार । जिंकोनि अंतर मन ग्वाही ॥ध्रु.॥ नाहीं मागें येत बोलिलें वचन । पावावा तो सीण बरा मग ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे बहु भ्यालों खटपटे । आतां देवा खोटे शब्द पुरे ॥३॥ वाराणसीस यात्रा चालली तेव्हां स्वामींनीं भागीरथीस पत्र धाडिलें - ते अभंग ॥ ४ ॥
Literal translation
English: What should be said is better kept in the belly — false buddhi gives sorrow then. Do your own vyavahāra — conquering the inner, mind is witness. The spoken vacana doesn't come back — better to bear the strain. Tuka says: I have feared much fuss — now, Devā, no more false words.
(Editorial: When the Vārāṇasī-yātrā was going on, the swāmī sent a letter to the Bhāgīrathī — those abhangs follow — 4.)
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| सांगावें तें बरें असतें हें पोटीं | "should-be-said — that — better — kept — in belly" |
| दुःख देते खोटी बुद्धी मग | "gives sorrow — false buddhi — then" |
| आपला आपण करावा वेव्हार | "one's own self — should make — vyavahāra" |
| जिंकोनि अंतर मन ग्वाही | "conquering — inner; — mind — witness" |
| नाहीं मागें येत बोलिलें वचन | "not back-coming — spoken vacana" |
| पावावा तो सीण बरा मग | "should-bear — strain — better — then" |
| तुका म्हणे बहु भ्यालों खटपटे | "Tuka says — much — feared — fuss" |
| आतां देवा खोटे शब्द पुरे | "now — Devā — false words — enough" |
| वाराणसीस यात्रा चालली तेव्हां स्वामींनीं भागीरथीस पत्र धाडिलें - ते अभंग ॥ ४ ॥ | "(editorial-marker: when the Vārāṇasī-yātrā was going on, the swāmī (Tukārām) sent a letter to the Bhāgīrathī — those abhangs — 4)" |
What it means
Anti-spoken-falsehood + better-kept-in-belly abhang. Closes with editorial-marker introducing the 4-abhang Bhāgīrathī-letter cluster.
The keep-in-belly: sāngāvēm tēm barēm asatēm hēm pōṭīm — duḥkha dētē khōṭī buddhī maga — what should-be-said is better kept in the belly — false buddhi then gives sorrow. Better keep things in the belly than speak them out from a wrong-buddhi.
The own-vyavahāra: āpalā āpaṇa karāvā vēvhāra — jinkōni antara mana gvāhī — do your own vyavahāra — conquering the inner, the mind is witness. Conquer the inner first; let the mind be your witness.
The vacana-irreversibility: nāhīm māgē yēta bōlilēm vacana — pāvāvā tō sīṇa barā maga — the spoken word does not come back — better bear the strain. Once spoken, the word doesn't return; better-to-have-borne-the-strain-of-not-speaking.
The closing-prayer: Tukā mhaṇē bahu bhyālōm khaṭa-paṭē — ātām Devā khōṭē śabda purē — Tuka says: I've feared much-fuss — now, Devā, no more false words. I'm done with the fuss-of-false-words; let me speak no more of them.
Editorial-marker (पत्रपाठ): when the Vārāṇasī-yātrā was going on, the swāmī (Tukārām) sent a letter to the Bhāgīrathī — those abhangs (= the next 4: 1651-1654). This identifies abhangs 1651-1654 as a physical-letter-of-pilgrimage-praises: Tukārām, sitting at Dehu, composed bhakti-letters to be carried by yātrīs going to Vārāṇasī (Bhāgīrathī, Viśvanātha), Gayā, Mathurā — establishing his pan-Indian-tīrtha-connectivity-through-bhakti without himself traveling. (Compare 1527's earlier physical-letter to Sant Mhāḷu via bhāra-vāhī-Maḷha.)
[T]
For someone today
For today: what should be said is better kept in the belly — wrong-thinking only gives sorrow afterward; do your own affairs — conquering the inner, with the mind as witness; the spoken word doesn't come back — better to have borne the strain of silence; Tuka says — I've feared too much-fuss — now, Devā, no more false words.
Where this applies
- Better-keep-in-belly-false-buddhi-gives-sorrow.* Pōṭīm-asatēm-khōṭī-buddhī.
- Do-own-vyavahāra-mind-witness.* Āpalā-vyavahāra-mana-gvāhī.
- Spoken-word-doesn't-return-bear-strain.* Vacana-māgē-na-yē-sīṇa-barā.
- No-more-false-words-Devā.* Khōṭē-śabda-purē.
- Bhāgīrathī-letter-cluster-marker.* ॥४॥-Vārāṇasī-yātrā-Bhāgīrathī-patra.