Abhanga 1748
English: You make my mouth speak — but to these people sorrow appears.
The verse
बोलविसी माझें मुख । परी या जना वाटे दुःख ॥१॥ जया जयाची आवडी । तया लागीं तें चरफडी ॥ध्रु.॥ कठीण देतां काढा । जल्पे रोगी मेळवी दाढा ॥२॥ खाऊं नये तें चि मागे । निवारितां रडों लागे ॥३॥ वैद्या भीड काय । अतित्याईं जीवें जाय ॥४॥ नये भिडा सांगों आन । पथ्य औषधाकारण ॥५॥ धन माया पुत्र दारा । हे तों आवडी नरका थारा ॥६॥ तुका म्हणे यांत । आवडे ते करा मात ॥७॥
Literal translation
English: You make my mouth speak — but to these people sorrow appears. Whatever one loves — for that they throb. Giving bitter cure — the sick babbles, joins jaw. Asks for what-shouldn't-be-eaten — cries when prevented. What shame to vaidya — extreme illness can take life. Don't tell otherwise out-of-shame — for pathya-and-medicine's sake. Dhana, māyā, putra, dārā — these longings (are) narka-bound place. Tuka says: among these, what pleases (you) — make speech.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| बोलविसी माझें मुख | "you make my mouth speak" |
| परी या जना वाटे दुःख | "but to these people sorrow appears" |
| जया जयाची आवडी | "whatever (one) loves" |
| तया लागीं तें चरफडी | "for that — they throb (caraphaḍa)" |
| कठीण देतां काढा | "giving bitter cure" |
| जल्पे रोगी मेळवी दाढा | "sick babbles, joins jaw" |
| खाऊं नये तें चि मागे | "asks for what-shouldn't-be-eaten" |
| निवारितां रडों लागे | "cries when prevented" |
| वैद्या भीड काय | "what shame to vaidya" |
| अतित्याईं जीवें जाय | "extreme-illness can take life" |
| नये भिडा सांगों आन | "don't tell different-thing out-of-shame" |
| पथ्य औषधाकारण | "for-pathya-and-medicine's sake" |
| धन माया पुत्र दारा | "dhana, māyā, putra, dārā" |
| हे तों आवडी नरका थारा | "these longings — narka-bound place" |
| तुका म्हणे यांत | "Tuka says — among these" |
| आवडे ते करा मात | "what pleases (you) — (of that) make speech" |
What it means
Vaidya-pathya-bitter-cure-analogy + dhana-māyā-putra-dāra-narka-bound abhang. A 7-verse defense of bitter-spiritual-truth using the vaidya-pathya analogy.
The opening: bōlavisī mājhēm mukha — parī yā janā vāṭē duḥkha — you make my mouth speak — but to these people sorrow appears. The Lord makes Tukaram speak truth; people resent it.
The throb-for-what-loved: jayā jayācī āvaḍī — tayā lāgī tēm caraphaḍī — whatever one loves, they throb for that. People don't want to hear truth-against-their-attachments.
The vaidya-pathya analogy:
- kaṭhīṇa dētām kāḍhā — jalpē rōgī mēḷavī dāḍhā — giving bitter cure (kāḍhā = decoction) — the sick babbles, joins jaw (= scowls).
- khā'ūm nayē tēm chi māgē — nivāritām raḍōm lāgē — asks for what shouldn't be eaten — cries when prevented.
- vaidyā bhīḍa kāya — atityā'īm jīvē jāya — what shame to vaidya — extreme-illness can take life.
- na yē bhiḍā sāngōm āna — pathya auṣadhā-kāraṇa — don't tell otherwise out of shame — for pathya-medicine's sake. (= the doctor must tell-the-bitter-truth even at cost-of-pleasing-the-patient.)
The closing: dhana māyā putra dārā — hē tōm āvaḍī narakā thārā / Tukā mhaṇē yāmta — āvaḍē tē karā māta — dhana, māyā, putra, dārā — these longings, narka-bound place; Tuka says — among these, what pleases (you), say of that. The standard four-narka-bound-attachments: wealth, illusion-attachment, son, wife. Choose among these to listen-to / love — they all lead to narka.
[T]
For someone today
For today: you make my mouth speak — but to these people, sorrow appears at it; whatever one loves, they throb for that (and resist hearing-truth-against-it); giving bitter medicine, the sick babbles and scowls; asks for what shouldn't be eaten, cries when prevented; what shame should the vaidya feel? — extreme illness can take life; don't tell different-things out of shame — for the sake of pathya and medicine; wealth, illusion, son, wife — these longings are the narka-bound place; Tuka says — among these, say of-whatever-pleases-(you).
Where this applies
- Mouth-speaks-truth-people-resent.* Mukha-bōlavisī-janā-duḥkha.
- Throb-for-what-one-loves.* Jayā-āvaḍī-caraphaḍa.
- Bitter-cure-sick-babbles-scowls.* Kaṭhīṇa-kāḍhā-jalpē-dāḍhā.
- Asks-wrong-food-cries-when-prevented.* Khā'ūm-nayē-māgē-raḍa.
- Vaidya-no-shame-extreme-illness.* Vaidyā-bhīḍa-na-atityā'ī.
- Don't-lie-out-of-shame-for-pathya.* Bhiḍā-sāngōm-āna-na-pathya.
- Dhana-māyā-putra-dāra-narka-bound.* Dhana-māyā-putra-dāra-narakā-thārā.