Abhanga 2154
For today: belly-pain but sandalwood-paste on body — what fondness for sukha; why did you do this to me, Paṇḍharī-rāyā — uselessly grew the laukika; sweets to fever-patient — no taste; Tuka says — corpse decorated on top — that's what's happened to me, Lord.
The verse
पोटीं शूळ अंगीं उटी चंदनाची । आवडी सुखाची कोण तया ॥१॥ तैसें मज कां गा केलें पंढरिराया । लौकिक हा वांयां वाढविला ॥ध्रु.॥ ज्वरिलियापुढें वाढिलीं मिष्टान्नें । काय चवी तेणें घ्यावी त्याची ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे मढें शृंगारिलें वरी । ते चि जाली परी मज देवा ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: Belly-pain — but sandalwood-paste on body — what fondness for sukha would such a one have? Why did you do this to me, Paṇḍharī-rāyā — uselessly grew the laukika (worldly-fame). Sweets served to a fever-patient — what taste would he take of them? Tuka says: corpse decorated on top — that is what's happened to me, Lord.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| पोटीं शूळ अंगीं उटी चंदनाची | "belly-pain, but sandalwood-paste on body" |
| आवडी सुखाची कोण तया | "what fondness for sukha would such a one have" |
| तैसें मज कां गा केलें पंढरिराया | "why did you do this to me, Paṇḍharī-rāyā" |
| लौकिक हा वांयां वाढविला | "uselessly grew the laukika" |
| ज्वरिलियापुढें वाढिलीं मिष्टान्नें | "sweets served to a fever-patient" |
| काय चवी तेणें घ्यावी त्याची | "what taste would he take of them" |
| तुका म्हणे मढें शृंगारिलें वरी | "Tuka says — corpse decorated on top" |
| ते चि जाली परी मज देवा | "that is what's happened to me, Lord" |
What it means
Outward-bhakti-ornament + inner-disease + corpse-decorated abhang.
The opening — the body-image: pōṭīm śūḷa angīm uṭī chandanāchī — āvaḍī sukhāchī kōṇa tayā — belly-pain, but sandalwood-paste on body — what fondness for sukha. Inside-pain, outside-ornament: the fever-patient cannot-enjoy-sukha despite outward-decoration.
The lament-to-Paṇḍharī-rāyā: taisē maja kām gā kēlē Paṇḍharī-rāyā — laukika hā vāñyā vāḍhavilā — why did you do this to me, Paṇḍharī-rāyā — uselessly grew the laukika. Laukika = worldly-fame, public-reputation. Tukārām's distinctive lament: the laukika (= the fame of being-a-saint) grew uselessly while-the-inside is-disease.
The fever-and-sweets: jvariliyāpuḍhē vāḍhilīm miṣṭānnē — kāya chavī tēṇē ghyāvī tyāchī — sweets served to a fever-patient — what taste would he take. The fever-patient cannot-relish-sweets; similarly the inwardly-diseased cannot-relish bhakti-sukha despite-being-served.
The closing — corpse-decorated: Tukā mhaṇē maḍhē śṛngārilē varī — tē chi jālī parī maja Dēvā — Tuka says: corpse decorated on top — that is what's happened to me, Lord. Maḍhē = corpse. Śṛngārilē varī = decorated on top. Like a corpse decorated-outwardly — that's-what's-happened to me. Devastating self-image: outward-saintliness, inward-deadness.
[T]
For someone today
For today: belly-pain but sandalwood-paste on body — what fondness for sukha; why did you do this to me, Paṇḍharī-rāyā — uselessly grew the laukika; sweets to fever-patient — no taste; Tuka says — corpse decorated on top — that's what's happened to me, Lord.
Where this applies
- Belly-pain-but-sandalwood-paste-no-sukha.* Pōṭīm-śūḷa-uṭī-chandanāchī.
- Paṇḍharī-rāyā-uselessly-grew-laukika.* Paṇḍharī-rāyā-laukika-vāñyā.
- Sweets-to-fever-patient-no-taste.* Jvarilī-miṣṭānnē-chavī-ghyāvī.
- Corpse-decorated-on-top.* Maḍhē-śṛngārilē-varī.