Abhanga 2028
For today: kāḷa stands right next — you don't know — hood on ears; how alert, stay watchful; kāḷa stands right next — won't let me give anything; kāḷa on the back — years have become sixty; kāḷa whirls around — won't let Rāma come to tongue; Tuka says — kāḷa — the dirt-rubbing karma — burn it.
The verse
काळ जवळि च उभा नेणां । घाली झांपडी खुंटी कानां ॥१॥ कैसा हुशार सावध राहीं । आपुला तूं अपुलेठायीं ॥ध्रु.॥ काळ जवळिच उभा पाहीं । नेदी कोणासि देऊं कांहीं ॥२॥ काळें पुरविली पाठी । वरुषें जालीं तरी साठी ॥३॥ काळ भोंवताला भोंवे । राम येऊं नेदी जिव्हे ॥४॥ तुका म्हणे काळा । कर्म मळितें तें जाळा ॥५॥
Literal translation
English: Kāḷa stands right next to you — you don't know — puts a hood on your ears, pegs them. How alert, stay watchful — be yours in your own place. Kāḷa stands right next — won't let me give anything to anyone. Kāḷa is on the back — years have become sixty. Kāḷa whirls around — won't let Rāma come to the tongue. Tuka says: kāḷa — the dirt-rubbing karma — burn it.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| काळ जवळि च उभा नेणां | "kāḷa stands right next — you don't know" |
| घाली झांपडी खुंटी कानां | "puts a hood on your ears — pegs them" |
| कैसा हुशार सावध राहीं | "how alert, stay watchful" |
| आपुला तूं अपुलेठायीं | "be yours in your own place" |
| काळ जवळिच उभा पाहीं | "kāḷa stands right next — see" |
| नेदी कोणासि देऊं कांहीं | "won't let me give anything to anyone" |
| काळें पुरविली पाठी | "kāḷa is on the back" |
| वरुषें जालीं तरी साठी | "years have become sixty" |
| काळ भोंवताला भोंवे | "kāḷa whirls around" |
| राम येऊं नेदी जिव्हे | "won't let Rāma come to the tongue" |
| तुका म्हणे काळा | "Tuka says — kāḷa" |
| कर्म मळितें तें जाळा | "the dirt-rubbing karma — burn it" |
What it means
Kāḷa-stands-right-next-to-you-wake-up abhang. 1-ABHANG SUB-CLUSTER (confirmed by ॥१॥ at 2029).
The opening — death-already-here: kāḷa javaḷi cha ubhā nēṇām — ghālī jhāmpaḍī khuṇṭī kānām — kāḷa stands right next — you don't know — puts a hood on your ears, pegs them. Jhāmpaḍī = blindfolding-hood. Khuṇṭī = pegs/stakes. Death stands-right-next, but-you-can't-see (the hood is-on-your-eyes), can't-hear (pegs-in-the-ears) — like a bullock-being-led-to-slaughter.
The watchfulness: kaisā huśāra sāvadha rāhīm — āpulā tūm apulēṭhāyīm — how alert, stay watchful — be yours in your own place. Be-alert; be-yours in-your-own-place.
The autobiographical: kāḷē puravilī pāṭhī — varuṣē jālīm tarī sāṭhī — kāḷa is on the back — years have become sixty. Sixty-years-old now; kāḷa already-pursuing. This dates the abhang to-Tukārām's-late-life (Tukārām is traditionally-said-to-have-departed-around-the-age-of-41; "sixty" here is rhetorical / a-typical-householder figure).
The whirling: kāḷa bhōmvatālā bhōmvē — Rāma yēūm nēdī jivhē — kāḷa whirls around — won't let Rāma come to the tongue. Kāḷa surrounds-you, blocking-Rāma from-coming-to-the-tongue.
The closing: Tukā mhaṇē kāḷā — karma maḷitē tē jāḷā — Tuka says: kāḷa — the dirt-rubbing karma — burn it. Burn the karma-that-rubs-on-dirt (= the soiling-actions).
[T]
For someone today
For today: kāḷa stands right next — you don't know — hood on ears; how alert, stay watchful; kāḷa stands right next — won't let me give anything; kāḷa on the back — years have become sixty; kāḷa whirls around — won't let Rāma come to tongue; Tuka says — kāḷa — the dirt-rubbing karma — burn it.
Where this applies
- Kāḷa-right-next-blindfolded.* Kāḷa-javaḷi-nēṇām-jhāmpaḍī.
- Stay-watchful-be-yours.* Huśāra-sāvadha-āpulā-apulēṭhāyīm.
- Kāḷa-on-back-sixty-years.* Pāṭhī-varuṣē-sāṭhī.
- Kāḷa-whirls-blocks-Rāma-on-tongue.* Bhōmvatālā-Rāma-jivhē.
- Burn-the-dirt-rubbing-karma.* Karma-maḷitē-jāḷā.