Abhanga 1801
For today: holding the rope in hand, you frightened the unknowing — when known to chitta, the rope is the same to both; between you and me, Hari, the same was — in the mirage-flood, looking for a place to cross; necklace, citāka, bhōmvarī — as ornaments — names have distanced them, but one gold when melted; making cob-web-ripples, you show pomp — Tuka says: like that, don't toy with me.
The verse
रज्जु धरूनियां हातीं । भेडसाविलीं नेणतीं । कळों येतां चित्ती । दोरी दोघां सारिखी ॥१॥ तुम्हांआम्हांमध्यें हरी । जाली होती तैसी परी । मृगजळाच्या पुरीं । ठाव पाहों तरावय ॥ध्रु.॥ सरी चिताक भोंवरी । अळंकाराचिया परी । नामें जालीं दुरी । एक सोनें आटितां ॥२॥ पिसांचीं पारवीं । करोनि बाजागिरी दावी । तुका म्हणे तेवीं । मज नको चाळवूं ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: Holding the rope in hand, you frightened the unknowing — when known to chitta, the rope is the same to both. Between you and me, Hari, the same was — in the mirage-water flood, looking for a place to cross. Necklace, citāka, bhōmvarī — as alankāras — names have distanced them — but one gold, when melted. Making pisa-ripples, you show pomp — Tuka says: like that, don't toy with me.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| रज्जु धरूनियां हातीं | "holding rope — in hand" |
| भेडसाविलीं नेणतीं | "frightened — the unknowing" |
| कळों येतां चित्ती | "when known — to the chitta" |
| दोरी दोघां सारिखी | "the rope — the same to both (= rope is just rope, not snake)" |
| तुम्हांआम्हांमध्यें हरी | "between you-and-me — Hari" |
| जाली होती तैसी परी | "the same — was — as that" |
| मृगजळाच्या पुरीं | "in the mirage-water flood" |
| ठाव पाहों तरावय | "looking-for-a-place — to cross" |
| सरी चिताक भोंवरी | "necklace, citāka (pendant), bhōmvarī (= eye-pendant)" |
| अळंकाराचिया परी | "as alankāras (= ornament-types)" |
| नामें जालीं दुरी | "by names — (they have) become distanced" |
| एक सोनें आटितां | "one gold — when melted" |
| पिसांचीं पारवीं | "ripples-of-pisa (= mad-cha-tta-perturbation / cob-web-illusion)" |
| करोनि बाजागिरी दावी | "making — (you) show pomp (bāja-girī)" |
| तुका म्हणे तेवीं | "Tuka says — like that" |
| मज नको चाळवूं | "don't — toy with me" |
What it means
Advaita-Vedānta-images-but-bhakta-protest abhang. Three classical advaita-illusion images in three verses — and a closing protest from the bhakta who refuses to be toyed-with.
Image 1 — Rajju-sarpa (rope-snake): rajju dharūnīyām hātīm — bhēḍasāvilīm nēṇatīm — kaḷōm yētām chittī — dōrī dōghām sārikhī — holding the rope in hand, you frightened the unknowing — when known to chitta, the rope is the same to both. Rajju = rope; the classical-Vedānta-illusion = the rope mistaken-for-a-snake; once the chitta knows-it-is-rope, the snake-illusion vanishes. Dōrī dōghām sārikhī = the rope is the same to both (= rope-and-rope, no-different; = for the knowing-one, both samsāra and brahman are seen-as-rope; no different).
Image 2 — Mṛga-jaḷa (mirage-water): tumhām-āmhā-madhyē Hari — jālī hōtī taisī parī — mṛga-jaḷācyā purī — ṭhāva pāhōm tarāvayā — between you-and-me, Hari, the same was — in the mirage-flood, looking for a place to cross. Mṛga-jaḷa = the deer-water (= the mirage that thirsty-deer chase). Between you-and-me, Hari, the same illusion was — we were-looking-for-a-place-to-cross-the-flood that-was-only-mirage. (= the very-distance between you-and-me was an illusion — like trying-to-cross a mirage.)
Image 3 — Suvarṇa-alankāra (gold-ornaments): sarī citāka bhōmvarī — alankārācīyā parī — nāmē jālīm durī — ēka sōnē āṭitām — necklace, citāka, bhōmvarī — as alankāras — names have distanced them — but one gold when melted. Sarī = necklace; citāka = small pendant; bhōmvarī = eye-pendant. These-different-named ornaments are-distanced-by-their-names; but melt them down, all-one-gold. (= all-the-different-named-things are-one-substance.)
The closing protest: pisāñcīm pāravīm — karōni bāja-girī dāvī — Tukā mhaṇē tēvīm — maja nakō cāḷavūm — making pisa-ripples, you show pomp — Tuka says: like that, don't toy with me. Pisa = cob-web-fluff / mad-flutter; pāravīm = ripples / waves; bāja-girī = pomp, fanfare; cāḷavūm = to toy-with, play-with. Striking turn: after-three-classical-advaita-images, Tuka pivots — "you show pomp like making cob-web-ripples; don't toy with me". (= the-bhakta-acknowledges-advaita-imagery but refuses-to-be-cheated of the bhakti-relationship by it. Yes, the rope-snake, mirage, gold-ornaments are all true — but I want my Hari, not your-pisa-pomp.)
This is one of Tuka's most-philosophically-rich abhangs — displaying full-mastery of classical-advaita-imagery and yet closing with the bhakta-personalist-refusal of being-toyed-with by Hari's-illusion-display. The Vārkarī bhēdābheda position-paper in compressed form.
[T]
For someone today
For today: holding the rope in hand, you frightened the unknowing — when known to chitta, the rope is the same to both; between you and me, Hari, the same was — in the mirage-flood, looking for a place to cross; necklace, citāka, bhōmvarī — as ornaments — names have distanced them, but one gold when melted; making cob-web-ripples, you show pomp — Tuka says: like that, don't toy with me.
Where this applies
- Rope-snake-illusion-rope-is-same.* Rajju-dōrī-sārikhī.
- Mirage-flood-looking-for-place-to-cross.* Mṛga-jaḷa-tarāvayā.
- Necklace-pendant-brooch-one-gold.* Sarī-citāka-bhōmvarī-ēka-sōnē.
- Don't-toy-with-me-with-pisa-pomp.* Pisa-pāravī-cāḷavūm-na.