Abhanga 1857
For today: deva is a laborer, deva is a laborer — no objection before service; deva is a fool, deva is a fool — seeing strength, (he) hides; deva, well — deva, well — Tuka says — yet (a) great mountain.
The verse
देव मजुर देव मजुर । नाहीं उजुर सेवेपुढें ॥१॥ देव गांढ्याळ देव गांढ्याळ । देखोनियां बळ लपतसे ॥२॥ देव तर काईं देव तर काईं । तुका म्हणे राईं तरी मोटी ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: Deva is a laborer, deva is a laborer — no objection before service. Deva is a fool, deva is a fool — seeing strength, (he) hides. Deva, well — deva, well — Tuka says — yet (a) great mountain.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| देव मजुर देव मजुर | "deva (is) a laborer — (repeated)" |
| नाहीं उजुर सेवेपुढें | "no objection (ujura) — before service" |
| देव गांढ्याळ देव गांढ्याळ | "deva (is) a fool (gāṇḍhyāḷa) — (repeated)" |
| देखोनियां बळ लपतसे | "seeing strength — (he) hides" |
| देव तर काईं देव तर काईं | "deva, well — (repeated)" |
| तुका म्हणे राईं तरी मोटी | "Tuka says — (yet a) great mountain (rāī tarī mōṭī)" |
What it means
Comic-deva-as-laborer-and-fool-but-still-mountain abhang. One of the gatha's shortest and sharpest abhangs — closes the 1848-1857 cluster.
The laborer-line: deva majura deva majura — nāhīm ujura sēvēpuḍhē — deva is a laborer, deva is a laborer — no objection before service. Majura = laborer / wage-worker; ujura = objection, refusal. Deva is a laborer who-can't-refuse-service. (= the bhakta-has-no-leverage if-deva-just-walks-away as-a-day-laborer.)
The fool-line: deva gāṇḍhyāḷa deva gāṇḍhyāḷa — dēkhōniyām baḷa lapatasē — deva is a fool, deva is a fool — seeing strength, hides. Gāṇḍhyāḷa = fool, dim-witted. Deva is a fool who-hides-when-he-sees-strong-(adversaries). (= the cosmic-coward-deva.)
The pivot: deva tara kāīm deva tara kāīm — Tukā mhaṇē rāī tarī mōṭī — deva, well — Tuka says — yet (a) great mountain. Rāī = mountain / a great-one; mōṭī = great, big. Despite all-the-comic-deflations, the deva is still a great-mountain.
The implicit-message: I can call-deva a laborer and a fool, but he-still-remains the great-mountain. (= the bhakta's comic-jests don't-actually-diminish the cosmic-stature; the mountain-stays.)
This abhang is the perfect comic-conclusion to-the-1848-1857 confrontation-cluster — all-the-bhakta's-attacks have-deflated-deva-comically, but-the-final-line restores-his-mountain-stature.
[T]
For someone today
For today: deva is a laborer, deva is a laborer — no objection before service; deva is a fool, deva is a fool — seeing strength, (he) hides; deva, well — deva, well — Tuka says — yet (a) great mountain.
Where this applies
- Deva-laborer-no-objection-before-service.* Deva-majura-ujura-na-sēvā.
- Deva-fool-seeing-strength-hides.* Deva-gāṇḍhyāḷa-baḷa-lapa.
- Deva-yet-a-great-mountain.* Deva-tara-kāīm-rāī-mōṭī.