Abhanga 2081
Refusing to see the truth does not erase it, so seek the essential thing directly or ignorance will quietly take it from your hand.
The verse
जाणावें तें सार । नाहीं तरी दगा फार ॥१॥ डोळे झांकिलिया रवि । नाहीं ऐसा होय जेवीं ॥ध्रु.॥ बहुथोड्या आड । निवारितां लाभें जाड ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे खरें । नेलें हातींचे अंधारें ॥३॥
Literal translation
Know that essence — otherwise, much deception. Eyes closed, the sun — becomes as-if-not-there. Between much-and-little — warding off, the gain becomes thick. Tuka says: true — darkness took (it) from the hand.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| जाणावें तें सार | "know that essence" |
| नाहीं तरी दगा फार | "otherwise — much deception" |
| डोळे झांकिलिया रवि | "eyes closed, the sun" |
| नाहीं ऐसा होय जेवीं | "becomes as-if-not-there" |
| बहुथोड्या आड | "between much-and-little" |
| निवारितां लाभें जाड | "warding off, the gain becomes thick" |
| तुका म्हणे खरें | "Tuka says — true" |
| नेलें हातींचे अंधारें | "darkness took (it) from the hand" |
What it means
Know-essence-or-be-deceived + darkness-takes-from-hand abhang.
The opening: jāṇāvē tē sāra — nāhīm tarī dagā phāra — know that essence — otherwise, much deception. Know-the-essence; otherwise much-deception (dagā = cheating).
The eyes-closed image: ḍōḷē jhānkiliyā ravi — nāhīm aisā hōya jēvīm — eyes closed, the sun — becomes as-if-not-there. Closing-eyes makes-the-sun seem-not-there (= perception-is-not-reality; refusing-to-see doesn't-erase-truth). Classic perceptual-image.
The much-and-little: bahu-thōḍyā āḍa — nivāritām lābhē jāḍa — between much-and-little — warding off, the gain becomes thick. Between-too-much-and-too-little (extremes), warding-them-off, the gain-becomes-thick (substantial).
The closing: Tukā mhaṇē kharē — nēlē hātīñchē andhārē — Tuka says: true — darkness took (it) from the hand. Truly — darkness (ignorance) took-it from-the-hand (= we-lost-it). Ignorance steals-the-truth-from-our-very-grasp.
[T]
For someone today
Know what truly matters, or you will deceive yourself badly. Close your eyes to the sun, and it doesn't stop existing, it only seems as if it weren't there. Real gain comes from steering a middle course between too much and too little, not from swinging between extremes. As Tuka says, this is true: darkness quietly stole it right out of our hands.
मराठी: जे खरं सार आहे ते जाणून घ्यावं, नाहीतर मोठी फसवणूक होते. डोळे मिटले की सूर्य नाहीसा होत नाही, फक्त नसल्यासारखा भासतो. फार जास्त आणि फार कमी या दोन्ही टोकांपासून दूर राहिलं की खरा फायदा मोठा होतो. तुका म्हणतो, हे खरं आहे, अज्ञानाने ते आपल्या हातातूनच हिरावून नेलं.
Where this applies
- When you refuse to face a hard truth and convince yourself it simply is not there
- When you swing between doing too much and doing too little and never find balance
- When you assume you already understand something without checking the essence of it
- When you realize, too late, that ignorance quietly cost you something you thought was secure