संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 2035 of 4582

Abhanga 2035

For today: by fearing — what did one see? — rolls without being struck; entangled like śuka-naḷikā — see freely; knowing — pretends not to know — no place is empty; bursts at running — no satisfaction — Tuka says — know — receives pain.

When you'd expose śuka-naḷikā-pretending + know-no-place-is-empty — bhē'ūniyām-mārē-ghāyē-viṇa; śuka-naḷikē-guntalāsī-vichārūni-mōkaḷiyā; jāṇōniyām-nēṇatā-śūnyā-ṭhāva-ritā-na; dhāmvatām-phuṭē-samādhāna-na-pīḍā

The verse

भेऊनियां काय देखिलें येणें । मारें घायेंविण लोळतसे ॥१॥ शुकनळिकेन्यायें गुंतलासी काय । विचारूनि पाहें मोकळिया ॥ध्रु॥ जाणोनियां काय होतोसी नेणता । शून्या ठाव रिता नाहीं नाहीं ॥२॥ धांवतां चि फुटे नव्हे समाधान । तुका म्हणे जाण पावे पीडा ॥३॥ ॥२॥

Literal translation

English: By fearing — what did one see? — rolls without being struck. Entangled like śuka-naḷikā — what for? — see freely, with consideration. Knowing — what — you pretend not to know — no place is empty/vacant. Bursts at running — no satisfaction comes — Tuka says — know — he receives pain. ॥2॥

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
भेऊनियां काय देखिलें येणें "by fearing — what did one see"
मारें घायेंविण लोळतसे "rolls without being struck"
शुकनळिकेन्यायें गुंतलासी काय "entangled like śuka-naḷikā — what for"
विचारूनि पाहें मोकळिया "see freely, with consideration"
जाणोनियां काय होतोसी नेणता "knowing — what — you pretend not to know"
शून्या ठाव रिता नाहीं नाहीं "no place is empty/vacant"
धांवतां चि फुटे नव्हे समाधान "bursts at running — no satisfaction comes"
तुका म्हणे जाण पावे पीडा "Tuka says — know — he receives pain"
॥२॥ "colophon-2 — closes 2-abhang sub-cluster (2034-2035)"

What it means

Śuka-naḷikā-pretending + know-no-empty-place abhang. CLOSES 2-ABHANG SUB-CLUSTER (2034-2035).

The opening: bhē'ūniyām kāya dēkhilē yēṇē — mārē ghāyē-viṇa lōḷatasēby fearing — what did one see — rolls without being struck. The fearful-fool rolls-without-being-struck (= imagined-blows make-him-collapse without-actual-cause).

THE ŚUKA-NAḶIKĀ IMAGE: śuka-naḷikē-nyāyē guntalāsī kāya — vichārūni pāhē mōkaḷiyāentangled like śuka-naḷikā — what for? — see freely. Śuka-naḷikā = parrot-in-tube (the proverbial-image: a parrot-clinging to a-hollow-rotating-bamboo-tube thinks-itself-bound, but-could-fly-away anytime). The bhakta is-self-trapped like-the-parrot in-the-tube — could-be-free if-he-just-looked-around.

The pretense-of-ignorance: jāṇōniyām kāya hōtōsī nēṇatā — śūnyā ṭhāva ritā nāhīm nāhīmknowing — what — you pretend not to know — no place is empty/vacant. You-know-but-pretend-not; no-place is-empty-of-the-Lord (he's-everywhere).

The closing: dhāmvatām chi phuṭē navhē samādhāna — Tukā mhaṇē jāṇa pāvē pīḍābursts at running — no satisfaction — Tuka says — know — he receives pain. The runner bursts; gets-no-satisfaction; only-pain.

Colophon ॥२॥ confirms 2-abhang sub-cluster (2034-2035) on kathā-distractions and self-trapping.

[T]

For someone today

For today: by fearing — what did one see? — rolls without being struck; entangled like śuka-naḷikā — see freely; knowing — pretends not to know — no place is empty; bursts at running — no satisfaction — Tuka says — know — receives pain.

Where this applies

Related verses