Abhanga 1822
For today: tying and untying — in the master's hand — foolish-rebels bind themselves with their own force; the deluded have no body-remembrance — dhōtarā has changed the bhāva; should enter the house by the door — (but he) takes head to the wall and breaks it; Tuka says — they have gone, forgetting deva — now who will show the secret-truth to them?.
The verse
बांधे सोडी हें तों धन्याचिये हातीं । हेंकडें गोविती आपणां बळें ॥१॥ भुललियासी नाहीं देहाचा आठव । धोतर्यानें भाव पालटिला ॥ध्रु.॥ घरांत रिघावें दाराचिये सोईं । भिंतीसवें डोईं घेऊनि फोडी ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे देवा गेलीं विसरोन । आतां वर्म कोण दावी यांसी ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: Tying and untying — that is in the master's hand. Foolish-rebels bind themselves with their own force. To the deluded — no remembrance of the body — by dhōtarā, the bhāva has been changed. Should enter the house by the door's convenience — (but) takes head to the wall and breaks it. Tuka says: they have gone, forgetting deva — now who will show the secret-truth to them?.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| बांधे सोडी हें तों धन्याचिये हातीं | "tying and untying — that is in — the master's hand" |
| हेंकडें गोविती आपणां बळें | "foolish-rebels (hēnkaḍē) — bind themselves — with their own force" |
| भुललियासी नाहीं देहाचा आठव | "to the deluded — no remembrance — of the body" |
| धोतर्यानें भाव पालटिला | "by dhōtarā (jimsonweed = dhatura, intoxicant) — the bhāva — has been changed" |
| घरांत रिघावें दाराचिये सोईं | "should enter the house — by the door's convenience" |
| भिंतीसवें डोईं घेऊनि फोडी | "(but) takes (his) head — to the wall — and breaks it" |
| तुका म्हणे देवा गेलीं विसरोन | "Tuka says — (they have) gone — forgetting deva" |
| आतां वर्म कोण दावी यांसी | "now — who will show — the secret-truth — to them" |
What it means
Deluded-self-binders + dhōtarā-changed-bhāva abhang.
The opening: bāndhē sōḍī hē tōm dhanyāciyē hātīm — hēnkaḍē gōvitī āpaṇām baḷē — tying and untying — in the master's hand — foolish-rebels bind themselves with their own force. Hēnkaḍē = fools / rebels who insist on doing it their own way; gōvitī = bind, tie. The Lord controls binding-and-loosing; foolish-self-willed-people bind-themselves-by-their-own-force.
The dhōtarā-line: bhulaliyāsī nāhīm dēhācā āṭhava — dhōtaryānē bhāva pālaṭilā — to the deluded, no remembrance of body — by dhōtarā, the bhāva has been changed. Dhōtarā = jimsonweed / dhatura — a powerful intoxicant-and-hallucinogen used in folk-tradition; eating-it changes-perception completely. The deluded have ingested-dhōtarā: their bhāva is altered, they-don't-even-remember-they-have-a-body. (= delusion-as-dhōtarā-intoxication.)
The door-vs-wall image: gharāmta righāvē dārāciyē sōīm — bhintīsavē ḍōīm ghē'ūni phōḍī — should enter the house by the door's convenience — (but) takes head to the wall and breaks it. Stark folk-image: the door-is-right-there; the deluded-instead bangs-his-head-on-the-wall. (= the simple-way is open, but-delusion-takes-the-violent-and-painful-way.)
The closing: Tukā mhaṇē dēvā gēlīm visarōna — ātām varma kōṇa dāvī yānsī — Tuka says: they have gone, forgetting deva — now, who will show the secret-truth to them?. Varma = the secret-truth / inner-essence / vital-point. The deluded have-forgotten-deva; they cannot-be-shown-the-varma-anymore.
This abhang's door-vs-wall image is one of Tuka's most-graphic folk-illustrations of self-defeating delusion. The bhakti-path is the door; the alternative-paths are walls one bangs the head into.
[T]
For someone today
For today: tying and untying — in the master's hand — foolish-rebels bind themselves with their own force; the deluded have no body-remembrance — dhōtarā has changed the bhāva; should enter the house by the door — (but he) takes head to the wall and breaks it; Tuka says — they have gone, forgetting deva — now who will show the secret-truth to them?.
Where this applies
- Master-binds-and-looses-fools-bind-selves.* Dhanya-hātī-hēnkaḍē-gōvitī.
- Deluded-have-no-body-remembrance-dhōtarā-changed.* Bhulalī-deha-āṭhava-na-dhōtarā.
- Door-vs-wall-bangs-head.* Ghara-dāra-bhinta-ḍōīm-phōḍī.
- Forgotten-deva-no-one-can-show-secret.* Deva-gēlīm-visarōna-varma-kōṇa.