Abhanga 1741
For today: we have set up the shop — the price of the bhakti-goods is as one likes; we are Deva's storekeepers — we give-and-take with speech as the measure; we know how to unravel the tangled-knots — though his yoking with us is open, not formal; Tuka says — the small packet contains the true-value as it is — whether you bring genuine vessel or false.
The verse
घातला दुकान । पढीये तैसा आहे वान ॥१॥ आम्ही भांडारी देवाचे । द्यावें घ्यावें माप वाचे ॥ध्रु.॥ उगवूं जाणों मोडी । जाली नव्हे त्याची जोडी ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे पुडी । मोल तैसी खरी कुडी ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: Set up the shop — the price (vāna) is as one likes. We are Deva's bhāṇḍārī — give-and-take, measure by speech. We know how to unravel the bent-up — not yoked, his pair. Tuka says: the packet — true value as it is — real or false vessel.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| घातला दुकान | "set up the shop" |
| पढीये तैसा आहे वान | "as one likes — the price (vāna)" |
| आम्ही भांडारी देवाचे | "we — Deva's storekeepers (bhāṇḍārī)" |
| द्यावें घ्यावें माप वाचे | "give-and-take — measure by speech" |
| उगवूं जाणों मोडी | "we know how to unravel — the bent" |
| जाली नव्हे त्याची जोडी | "not yoked — his pair" |
| तुका म्हणे पुडी | "Tuka says — the packet" |
| मोल तैसी खरी कुडी | "true value — as it is — real / false vessel" |
What it means
Bhakta-as-Lord's-shopkeeper abhang.
The opening: ghātalā dukāna — paḍhīyē taisā āhē vāna — set up the shop — price as one likes. Vāna = price, rate. We've set up the bhakti-shop; the price is whatever-the-customer-likes-to-pay (because the bhakti-goods don't have fixed-market-rates).
The bhāṇḍārī: āmhī bhāṇḍārī Devācē — dyāvēm ghyāvēm māpa vācē — we are Deva's bhāṇḍārī — give-take, measure by speech. Bhāṇḍārī = storekeeper, treasury-official; māpa vācē = the speech-itself is the measure. Give-and-take is done by speech (= the nāma is the unit-and-currency).
The unravel-knowing: ugavūm jāṇōm mōḍī — jālī navhē tyācī jōḍī — we know how to unravel the bent-up — not yoked, his pair. Mōḍī = the broken-and-bent-and-tangled (yarn-thread-or-knot); jōḍī = pair, yoking. We can unravel-the-tangle; (yet) the yoking is not (his) made (= the bhakta's-yoking-with-Lord is open-and-loose).
The closing: Tukā mhaṇē puḍī — mōla taisī kharī kuḍī — Tuka says: the packet — true-value-as-it-is — kharī kuḍī. Puḍī = the small-paper-packet (in which goods are sold by weight); kharī = real, genuine; kuḍī = the body / vessel (Marathi-pejorative-sense: false-claim). The packet contains the genuine-value-as-it-is — real-or-false (depending on what you bring).
[T]
For someone today
For today: we have set up the shop — the price of the bhakti-goods is as one likes; we are Deva's storekeepers — we give-and-take with speech as the measure; we know how to unravel the tangled-knots — though his yoking with us is open, not formal; Tuka says — the small packet contains the true-value as it is — whether you bring genuine vessel or false.
Where this applies
- Bhakti-shop-price-as-likes.* Dukāna-paḍhīyē-vāna.
- Deva's-bhāṇḍārī-speech-as-measure.* Bhāṇḍārī-Devā-vācē-māpa.
- Know-to-unravel-yoking-open.* Mōḍī-jāṇōm-jōḍī-jālī-navhē.
- Packet-true-value-real-or-false-vessel.* Puḍī-mōla-kharī-kuḍī.