Abhanga 1682
For today: while in pleasure, you don't recognize the fault — but who is the experiencer of the suffering then?; doesn't this come known from the start — like doing things at night with eyes closed?; walking on the side-track, thorns pierce and break at the foot; Tuka says — to whom does the wise person place blame? (= no-one but himself).
The verse
सुखें न मनी अवगुण । दुःख भोगी त्याचें कोण ॥१॥ हें कां ठायींचें न कळे । राती करा झांकुनि डोळे ॥ध्रु.॥ चालोनि आड वाटे । पायीं मोडविले कांटे ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे कोणा । बोल ठेवितो शाहाणा ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: With sukha, doesn't recognize avaguṇa — who is the duḥkha-experiencer? Doesn't this come known from the start? — do (it) at night, closing eyes. Walking on the side-track — thorns broken at the foot. Tuka says: to whom does the wise place blame?
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| सुखें न मनी अवगुण | "with sukha — doesn't recognize — avaguṇa" |
| दुःख भोगी त्याचें कोण | "the duḥkha-experiencer — who" |
| हें कां ठायींचें न कळे | "does this — of the start — not be known" |
| राती करा झांकुनि डोळे | "at night — do (it) — closing eyes" |
| चालोनि आड वाटे | "walking — on side-track" |
| पायीं मोडविले कांटे | "at foot — thorns broken" |
| तुका म्हणे कोणा | "Tuka says — to whom" |
| बोल ठेवितो शाहाणा | "places blame — the wise" |
What it means
No-blaming-others-for-self-caused-suffering abhang.
The opening: sukhē na manī avaguṇa — duḥkha bhōgī tyācēm kōṇa — with sukha doesn't recognize avaguṇa — who is the duḥkha-experiencer? (= while in the pleasure-of-the-act, doesn't acknowledge its fault; (then later) who is the experiencer of the consequent-suffering?)
The eyes-closed-at-night: hēm kām ṭhāyīñcēm na kaḷē — rātī karā jhānkuni ḍōḷē — doesn't this come known from the start? — do (it) at night, closing eyes. (= one knows from the very-start that walking-at-night with eyes-closed is foolish.)
The thorn-image: cālōni āḍa vāṭē — pāyīm mōḍavilē kāṇṭē — walking on side-track — thorns broken at the foot. Āḍa vāṭa = side-path, off the main-road; thorns piercing/breaking-into the foot.
The closing: Tukā mhaṇē kōṇā — bōla ṭhēvitō śāhāṇā — Tuka says: to whom does the wise place blame? (= the wise person blames no-one but himself for self-caused-suffering.)
[T]
For someone today
For today: while in pleasure, you don't recognize the fault — but who is the experiencer of the suffering then?; doesn't this come known from the start — like doing things at night with eyes closed?; walking on the side-track, thorns pierce and break at the foot; Tuka says — to whom does the wise person place blame? (= no-one but himself).
Where this applies
- Sukha-doesn't-recognize-fault-who-suffers.* Sukhē-avaguṇa-na-mani-duḥkha-bhōgī.
- Eyes-closed-at-night-known-from-start.* Rātī-jhānkuni-ḍōḷē-ṭhāyīñcēm.
- Side-track-thorns-pierce-foot.* Āḍa-vāṭa-pāyīm-kāṇṭē.
- Wise-blames-no-one.* Śāhāṇā-bōla-na.