Abhanga 1714
English: To the brave, weapons fit — at the weak, children will laugh.
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
English: 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: to the brave, weapons fit — but at the weak, even children will laugh; what mockery is a pearl-(jewel) without a nose to put it on?; to the faithful-wife, beauty fits — but the loose-woman applying kājala only highlights her shame; maidservant, wife, and daughter aren't the same — even though one father; honor goes to the buddhi-rich, the great don't count merely as father; Tuka says — therefore — inside-pure, outside-straight-as-rod.
Where this applies
- Weapons-fit-brave-weak-laughed-at.* Śūra-hatiyārē-gāṇḍhavyā-hāsa.
- Pearl-without-nose-mockery.* Mōtī-nāsikā-vāñcūn-viṭamba.
- Pativratā-vs-cindaḷa-kājaḷa.* Pati-vratā-rūpa-sājē-cindaḷa-kājaḷa-lāja.
- Roles-differ-even-with-one-father.* Dāsī-patnī-sutā-ēka-pitā-na-sarī.
- Honor-to-buddhi-not-genealogy.* Māna-buddhī-thōra-na-pitā.
- Inside-pure-outside-straight-rod.* Āmta-śuddha-daṇḍē-varī.