Abhanga 1701
For today: theft is happening in the next house — yet you make uproar only for your body; what use is shouting "habā habā" — running around in vain?; abandoning your awareness, you slept — and your discrimination is gone; the thieves have taken your inner-gem — placed your bhāva separately, far; if you give space to anyone, that's all the space you gain for yourself; Tuka says — at the very least, now — preserve what is left.
The verse
पैल घरीं जाली चोरी । देहा करीं बोंब ॥१॥ हाबा हाबा करिसी काये । फिराऊनि नेट्यां वायें ॥ध्रु.॥ सांडुनियां शुद्धी । निजलासी गेली बुद्धी ॥२॥ चोरीं तुझा काढला बुर । वेगळें भावा घातलें दूर ॥३॥ भलतियासी देसी वाव । लाहेसि तूं एवढा ठाव ॥४॥ तुका म्हणे अझुनि तरी । उरलें तें जतन करीं ॥५॥
Literal translation
English: At the next house theft happened — for the body, you make uproar. Shouting "habā habā" — what to do? — running around in vain. Abandoning awareness, you slept — buddhi gone. Thieves took your bura — bhāva placed separately, far. You give space to anyone — only that-much place you gain. Tuka says: at-least-now — preserve what's left.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| पैल घरीं जाली चोरी | "at the next house — theft happened" |
| देहा करीं बोंब | "for the body — (you) make uproar" |
| हाबा हाबा करिसी काये | "shouting habā habā — what to do" |
| फिराऊनि नेट्यां वायें | "running around — netty (effort) — in vain" |
| सांडुनियां शुद्धी | "abandoning awareness" |
| निजलासी गेली बुद्धी | "slept — buddhi gone" |
| चोरीं तुझा काढला बुर | "thieves — of-yours — took — bura (gem)" |
| वेगळें भावा घातलें दूर | "separately — placed bhāva — far" |
| भलतियासी देसी वाव | "to anyone — (you) give space" |
| लाहेसि तूं एवढा ठाव | "gain — you — that-much place" |
| तुका म्हणे अझुनि तरी | "Tuka says — at-least-now" |
| उरलें तें जतन करीं | "what's left — preserve" |
What it means
Theft-of-self-by-letting-down-guard abhang. Opens a 3-abhang anti-self-deception cluster (1701, 1702, 1703).
The opening: paila gharīm jālī cōrī — dēhā karīm bōmba — at the next-house theft happened — you make uproar for your body. The misdirection-of-attention: while real-theft (= soul-being-stolen) is happening at the next-house, you are making noise about your body (= worrying about superficial bodily-concerns).
The vain-running: hābā hābā karisī kāyē — phirā'uni nēṭyām vāyē — shouting "habā habā" — what to do? — running around in vain. Hābā hābā (folk-shout-of-distress); vain-running without effect.
The slept-buddhi: sāṇḍuniyām śuddhī — nijalāsī gēlī buddhī — abandoning awareness, slept — buddhi gone. You let-down your watchfulness, slept — and buddhi (discrimination) was gone.
The bura-stolen: cōrīm tujhā kāḍhalā bura — vēgaḷēm bhāvā ghātalēm dūra — thieves took your bura — separately placed bhāva far. Bura = the precious-gem (= the inner-self); the thieves removed the gem and placed (your) bhāva separately, far.
The space-given-to-anyone: bhalatiyāsī dēsī vāva — lāhēsi tūm ēvaḍhā ṭhāva — you give space to anyone — only that-much place you gain. Vāva = space, opening; ṭhāva = place. (= if you give entry to any-stranger, you only-acquire that-much-place yourself; the open-door-policy is self-defeating.)
The closing: Tukā mhaṇē ajhuni tarī — uralēm tēm jatana karīm — Tuka says: at-least-now — preserve what's left. (= however much has been stolen, preserve what's left from now on.)
[T]
For someone today
For today: theft is happening in the next house — yet you make uproar only for your body; what use is shouting "habā habā" — running around in vain?; abandoning your awareness, you slept — and your discrimination is gone; the thieves have taken your inner-gem — placed your bhāva separately, far; if you give space to anyone, that's all the space you gain for yourself; Tuka says — at the very least, now — preserve what is left.
Where this applies
- Theft-in-next-house-uproar-for-body.* Cōrī-paila-gharī-bōmba-dēhā.
- Vain-shouting-running-around.* Hābā-hābā-phirā-vāyē.
- Slept-buddhi-gone-bura-stolen.* Nijalā-buddhī-gēlī-bura-cōra.
- Give-space-to-anyone-only-that-much-gained.* Bhalatiyāsī-vāva-ṭhāva-ēvaḍhā.
- At-least-now-preserve-what's-left.* Ajhuni-uralēm-jatana.