Abhanga 1803
For today: the dealing is crooked — now I won't go on your route; even one Nāma has no rhythm — (you've) made an offhand-king-string of it; when I go to look in haste, you play hide-and-seek; Tuka says — trickery, you do too much of it.
The verse
व्यवहार तो खोटा । आतां न वजों तुझ्या वाटा ॥१॥ एका नामा नाहीं ताळ । केली सहजरांची माळ ॥ध्रु.॥ पाहों जातां घाईं । खेळसी लपंडाईं ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे चार । बहु करितोसी फार ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: The dealing is crooked — now I won't go on your route. Even one Nāma has no rhythm — (you've) made a sahaja-rāñcī māḷa. When I go to look, in haste, you play hide-and-seek. Tuka says: trickery — you do too much of it.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| व्यवहार तो खोटा | "the dealing — is crooked" |
| आतां न वजों तुझ्या वाटा | "now — I won't go — to your route" |
| एका नामा नाहीं ताळ | "even one Nāma — no rhythm (tāḷa)" |
| केली सहजरांची माळ | "made — a sahaja-rāñcī māḷa (= a casual-king-string / offhand-chain)" |
| पाहों जातां घाईं | "when I go to look — in haste" |
| खेळसी लपंडाईं | "you play — hide-and-seek (lapaṇḍāīm)" |
| तुका म्हणे चार | "Tuka says — trickery / cleverness (cāra)" |
| बहु करितोसी फार | "(you) do — too much of it" |
What it means
Lord-as-trickster-hide-and-seek abhang. Part of the 1801-1807 mocking-cluster.
The opening: vyavahāra tō khōṭā — ātām na vajōm tujhyā vāṭā — the dealing is crooked — now I won't go on your route. Vyavahāra = the transactional-dealing; khōṭā = crooked, false; vāṭā = route, way. Your-business-with-me is crooked; I refuse-to-walk-your-path. (Mock-strike, like 1802.)
The Nāma-rhythm-line: ēkā nāmā nāhīm tāḷa — kēlī sahaja-rāñcī māḷa — even one Nāma has no rhythm — (you've) made a sahaja-rāñcī māḷa. Tāḷa = rhythm, beat; sahaja-rāñcī māḷa = an offhand-king-string (= a casual-haphazard-chain of names, with no rhythm-or-order). Even-the-Name has-become a casual-rambling — you've not-given-it the proper-rhythm. (= the bhakti-recitation has lost its taste because the Lord has-not-aligned with it.)
The hide-and-seek line: pāhōm jātām ghāīm — khēḷasī lapaṇḍāīm — when I go to look in haste, you play hide-and-seek. Lapaṇḍāīm = the children's hide-and-seek game. Brilliant complaint: when-the-bhakta-rushes-to-find-the-Lord, the-Lord-hides like a child playing-the-game. (= darśana-elusion treated as childish-trickery.)
The closing: Tukā mhaṇē cāra — bahu karitōsī phāra — Tuka says: trickery — you do too much of it. Cāra = trickery, cleverness, machinations; bahu phāra = very much. The summary-charge: too much trickery from your side.
This abhang continues the 1801-1807 mocking-cluster's register — Lord-as-rascal who plays hide-and-seek and does crooked-dealing; bhakta announces strike but with-affection.
[T]
For someone today
For today: the dealing is crooked — now I won't go on your route; even one Nāma has no rhythm — (you've) made an offhand-king-string of it; when I go to look in haste, you play hide-and-seek; Tuka says — trickery, you do too much of it.
Where this applies
- Crooked-dealing-won't-go-your-route.* Vyavahāra-khōṭā-vāṭā-na.
- Even-one-Nāma-no-rhythm-offhand-string.* Ēkā-Nāmā-tāḷa-na-sahaja-māḷa.
- I-rush-to-look-you-play-hide-and-seek.* Pāhōm-ghāīm-lapaṇḍāī.
- Too-much-trickery.* Cāra-bahu-phāra.