Abhanga 1914
For today: with the obsession of gain — the madness for wealth attaches; then even children don't please the lobha-stricken; (he) looks at the rupee — then everything else falls empty; Tuka says — deva — you have much-attachment.
The verse
जोडीच्या हव्यासें । लागे धनांचें चि पिसें ॥१॥ मग आणीक दुसरें । लोभ्या नावडती पोरें ॥ध्रु.॥ पाहे रुक्याकडे । मग अवघें ओस पडे ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे देवा । तुला बहुत चि हेवा ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: With the obsession of gain — the madness for wealth attaches. Then others — even children don't please the lobha-stricken. (He) looks at the rupee — then everything (else) falls-empty. Tuka says: deva — you have much-attachment.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| जोडीच्या हव्यासें | "with the obsession of gain (jōḍī-havyāsa)" |
| लागे धनांचें चि पिसें | "the madness for wealth attaches" |
| मग आणीक दुसरें | "then others" |
| लोभ्या नावडती पोरें | "(even) children don't please the lobha-stricken" |
| पाहे रुक्याकडे | "(he) looks at the rukyā (= rupee/coin)" |
| मग अवघें ओस पडे | "then everything (else) falls empty" |
| तुका म्हणे देवा | "Tuka says — deva" |
| तुला बहुत चि हेवा | "you have much-attachment (hēvā)" |
What it means
Anti-wealth-obsession + Lord-also-attached abhang. Letter-sent-with-saints cluster.
The opening: jōḍīcyā havyāsē — lāgē dhanāñcē chi pisē — with obsession of gain — the madness for wealth attaches. Wealth-obsession leads-to-madness.
The children-line: maga āṇīka dusarē — lōbhyā nāvaḍatī pōrē — then others — even children don't please the lobha-stricken. Wealth-obsession poisons-even-affection: the lobha-stricken doesn't-even-love-his-own-children.
The rupee-stare: pāhē rukyākaḍē — maga avaghē ōsa paḍē — (he) looks at the rupee — then everything else falls-empty. Rukyā = rupee, coin. Once-the-eye-fixates-on-the-coin, the-rest-of-life empties-out.
The accusation-twist: Tukā mhaṇē devā — tulā bahuta chi hēvā — Tuka says: deva — you have much-attachment. Hēvā = attachment, jealous-clinging. Striking turn: the bhakta-accuses-the-Lord-himself of having-much-attachment (= attachment to-some-thing-that-keeps-the-Lord-from-attending-to-the-bhakta; or, the Lord has hēvā for the bhakta's-bhakti-and-keeps-it for-himself). Either-way, the Lord-too-suffers-from-attachment.
This is a comic-letter-fragment — the bhakta accuses-the-Lord-of-being-just-as-attached-as-the-lobha-stricken-householder.
[T]
For someone today
For today: with the obsession of gain — the madness for wealth attaches; then even children don't please the lobha-stricken; (he) looks at the rupee — then everything else falls empty; Tuka says — deva — you have much-attachment.
Where this applies
- Wealth-obsession-leads-to-madness.* Jōḍī-havyāsa-dhana-pisē.
- Lobha-poisons-affection-for-children.* Lōbhyā-pōrē-na.
- Rupee-stare-empties-everything-else.* Rukyākaḍē-ōsa-paḍē.
- Even-deva-has-much-attachment.* Devā-bahuta-hēvā.