Abhanga 1714
For today: weapons suit the brave, but on the weak even children will laugh at them. What mockery is it to wear a nose-jewel when you have no nose to put it on? Beauty suits a faithful wife, but when a loose woman puts on the same makeup, it only shows up her shame. A maidservant, a wife, and a daughter aren't the same, even if they share one father — and real honor goes to those of good character, not simply to whoever is called great. So Tuka says: be pure within, and stand straight and upright on the outside.
The verse
शूरां साजती हतियारें । गांढव्या हासतील पोरें ॥१॥ काय केली विटंबण । मोतीं नासिकावांचून ॥ध्रु.॥ पतिव्रते रूप साजे । सिंदळ काजळ लेतां लाजे ॥२॥ दासी पत्नी सुता । नव्हे सरी एक पिता ॥३॥ मान बुद्धीवंतां । थोर न मनिती पिता ॥४॥ तुका म्हणे तरी । आंत शुद्ध दंडे वरी ॥५॥
Literal translation
To the brave, weapons fit — at the weak, children will laugh. What mockery has been done — pearl without nose. To pati-vratā, beauty fits — the cindaḷa applying kājaḷa is shamed. Maidservant, wife, daughter — not the same — one father. Honor to the buddhi-rich — the great don't count as father. Tuka says: therefore — inside pure, outside straight-as-rod.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| शूरां साजती हतियारें | "to brave — fit weapons" |
| गांढव्या हासतील पोरें | "to gāṇḍhavyā (weak) — children laugh" |
| काय केली विटंबण | "what mockery — has been done" |
| मोतीं नासिकावांचून | "pearl — without nose" |
| पतिव्रते रूप साजे | "to pati-vratā — fits beauty" |
| सिंदळ काजळ लेतां लाजे | "the cindaḷa — applying kājaḷa — is shamed" |
| दासी पत्नी सुता | "maidservant, wife, daughter" |
| नव्हे सरी एक पिता | "not the same — one father" |
| मान बुद्धीवंतां | "honor — to buddhi-rich" |
| थोर न मनिती पिता | "the great — don't count — as father" |
| तुका म्हणे तरी | "Tuka says — therefore" |
| आंत शुद्ध दंडे वरी | "inside pure — outside straight-as-rod" |
What it means
Fittingness-by-real-quality + inside-pure-outside-straight abhang.
A cluster of fittingness-images:
Image 1: śūrām sājatī hatiyārē — gāṇḍhavyā hāsatīla pōrē — weapons fit the brave; at the weak, children laugh. Gāṇḍhavyā = the weak / impotent. Weapons-on-weak-look-ridiculous; children-laugh.
Image 2: kāya kēlī viṭambaṇa — mōtīm nāsikā-vāñcūn — what mockery — pearl without nose. Mōtīm = pearl (= the nose-pearl-jewel worn by women); no-nose-no-place-for-pearl. (= the right-thing in the wrong-place is mockery.)
Image 3: pati-vratē rūpa sājē — sindaḷa kājaḷa lētām lājē — to pati-vratā, beauty fits — the cindaḷa applying kājaḷa is shamed. Cindaḷa = loose-woman, sexually-promiscuous-woman. The faithful-wife's-beauty is fitting; the loose-woman applying kājala only highlights her shame.
Image 4: dāsī patnī sutā — navhē sarī ēka pitā — maidservant, wife, daughter — not the same — one father. Even with one common-progenitor (father), the relations differ-by-role.
Image 5: māna buddhīvantām — thōra na manitī pitā — honor to the buddhi-rich — the great don't count (mere) father. Real-honor goes by-buddhi, not by-genealogy.
Closing principle: Tukā mhaṇē tarī — āmta śuddha daṇḍē varī — Tuka says: therefore — inside pure, outside straight-as-rod. Daṇḍa = rod, staff; daṇḍē varī = like-a-rod-on-top (= upright, straight). The bhakta's identity-formula: inside-pure + outside-straight.
[T]
For someone today
For today: weapons suit the brave, but on the weak even children will laugh at them. What mockery is it to wear a nose-jewel when you have no nose to put it on? Beauty suits a faithful wife, but when a loose woman puts on the same makeup, it only shows up her shame. A maidservant, a wife, and a daughter aren't the same, even if they share one father — and real honor goes to those of good character, not simply to whoever is called great. So Tuka says: be pure within, and stand straight and upright on the outside.
मराठी: आजसाठी: शूरांना शस्त्रे शोभतात, पण दुर्बळाच्या हातात तीच शस्त्रे पाहून लहान मुलेही हसतील. नाकच नसताना नथ घालणे हा किती उपहास आहे? पतिव्रतेला सौंदर्य शोभते, पण एखादी भ्रष्ट स्त्री तेच काजळ घालते तेव्हा तिची लाजच अधिक उघड होते. दासी, पत्नी आणि कन्या एकाच पित्याच्या असल्या तरी सारख्या नसतात — खरा मान चारित्र्यवानांना मिळतो, केवळ मोठेपणाच्या नावाला नाही. म्हणून तुका म्हणतो: आतून शुद्ध राहा आणि बाहेरून काठीसारखे सरळ उभे राहा.
Where this applies
- When someone puts on an act of virtue or status that doesn't match who they really are
- When you notice a role or title looks hollow because the person behind it hasn't earned it
- When you're tempted to judge someone's worth by birth, appearance, or rank instead of their character
- When you're deciding how to carry yourself and need a simple standard to live by