Abhanga 1870
For today: tell me, who like me has been uplifted? — you proclaim titles, Pāṇḍuranga; for the bracelet on the hand, what mirror? — I remain just as I am; physician Hari for the diseased's pain — I see none of that here; Tuka says — no anubhava in body — who accepts useless words?.
The verse
मज ऐसें कोण उद्धरिलें सांगा । ब्रीदें पांडुरंगा बोलतसां ॥१॥ हातींच्या कांकणां कायसा आरिसा । उरलों मी जैसा तैसा आहें ॥ध्रु.॥ धनमंत्री हरी रोग्याचिये वेथे । तें तों कांहीं येथें न देखिजे ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे नाहीं अनुभव अंगें । वचन वाउगें कोण मानी ॥३॥
Literal translation
Tell me, who like me has been uplifted? — you proclaim titles, Pāṇḍuranga. For the bracelet on the hand, what mirror? — I remain just as I am. Physician Hari for the diseased's pain — I see none of that here. Tuka says: no anubhava in body — who accepts useless words?.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| मज ऐसें कोण उद्धरिलें सांगा | "tell me — who like me — has been uplifted" |
| ब्रीदें पांडुरंगा बोलतसां | "(you proclaim) brides (= titles) — Pāṇḍuranga" |
| हातींच्या कांकणां कायसा आरिसा | "for the bracelet on the hand — what (need of) mirror" |
| उरलों मी जैसा तैसा आहें | "I remain — just as I am" |
| धनमंत्री हरी रोग्याचिये वेथे | "physician (dhana-mantrī) Hari — for the diseased's pain" |
| तें तों कांहीं येथें न देखिजे | "I see none of that here" |
| तुका म्हणे नाहीं अनुभव अंगें | "Tuka says — no anubhava in body" |
| वचन वाउगें कोण मानी | "useless words — who accepts" |
What it means
Demand-actual-uplift-not-titles abhang.
The opening: maja aisē kōṇa uddharilē sāngā — bridēm Pāṇḍurangā bōlatasām — tell me, who like me has been uplifted? — you proclaim titles, Pāṇḍuranga. Bridēm = titles, epithets (= the brides of Pāṇḍuranga, like patita-pāvana, etc.). You-proclaim grand-titles; show me the actual-uplift of someone-like-me.
The bracelet-mirror line: hātīñcyā kānkaṇām kāyasā ārisā — uralōm mī jaisā taisā āhē — for the bracelet on the hand, what mirror? — I remain just as I am. Folk-saying: for the bracelet-on-your-own-hand, you-don't-need-a-mirror (= it's-self-evident). I-remain-as-I-am — there's no-evidence-of-change. (= the proof-of-uplift should-be-as-self-evident as the bracelet-on-the-hand; there's no-such-evidence.)
The physician-line: dhana-mantrī Hari rōgyāciyē vēthē — tē tōm kāhīm yēthē na dēkhijē — physician Hari for the diseased's pain — I see none of that here. Dhana-mantrī = physician (= the wealth-counselor / doctor); vēthē = pain. I-don't-see-the-Hari-physician-treating-the-diseased's-pain here. (= the Lord's-claimed-physician-role is not-evident in-my-case.)
The closing: Tukā mhaṇē nāhīm anubhava angē — vacana vā'ugē kōṇa mānī — Tuka says: no anubhava in body — who accepts useless words?. Vā'ugē = useless, vain. Without anubhava-in-body, who-accepts-the-(claimed)-words-as-true?.
The implicit-message: the Lord proclaims-titles (patita-pāvana, etc.) but-the-actual-uplift isn't-evident; the bracelet-on-the-hand is missing; the physician hasn't-treated; without-anubhava, the-claims are-vain-words.
[T]
For someone today
For today: tell me, who like me has been uplifted? — you proclaim titles, Pāṇḍuranga; for the bracelet on the hand, what mirror? — I remain just as I am; physician Hari for the diseased's pain — I see none of that here; Tuka says — no anubhava in body — who accepts useless words?.
Where this applies
- When you're told you've been changed or blessed, but you don't actually feel any different
- When someone's reputation for helping people doesn't match what you've personally experienced from them
- When you're tempted to accept comforting words about your progress instead of honestly checking whether anything real has shifted
- When you want proof of a claimed transformation instead of just another promise