Abhanga 2157
For today: Sāvitrī's disgrace — widowhood she undergoes; what to burn — that name — all empty; one named kubēra hauls faggots — see disgrace; Tuka says — sees trinket-jingle — empty — the fool sniffles.
The verse
सावित्रीची विटंबण । रांडपण करीतसे ॥१॥ काय जाळावें तें नांव । अवघें वाव असे तें ॥ध्रु.॥ कुबिर नांव मोळी वाहे । कैसी पाहें फजिती ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे ठुणगुण देखें । उगीं मूर्ख फुंदता ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: Sāvitrī's disgrace — widowhood she undergoes. What to burn — that name — all empty. One named kubēra hauls faggots — see what disgrace. Tuka says: sees trinket-jingle — empty — the fool sniffles.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| सावित्रीची विटंबण | "Sāvitrī's disgrace" |
| रांडपण करीतसे | "widowhood she undergoes" |
| काय जाळावें तें नांव | "what to burn — that name" |
| अवघें वाव असे तें | "all empty — that" |
| कुबिर नांव मोळी वाहे | "one named kubēra hauls faggots" |
| कैसी पाहें फजिती | "see what disgrace" |
| तुका म्हणे ठुणगुण देखें | "Tuka says — sees trinket-jingle" |
| उगीं मूर्ख फुंदता | "empty — the fool sniffles" |
What it means
Sāvitrī-rāṇḍa-paṇa + kubēra-hauls-faggots — name-mismatch abhang.
The Sāvitrī-image: Sāvitrīchī viṭambaṇa — rāṇḍa-paṇa karītasē — Sāvitrī's disgrace — widowhood she undergoes. Sāvitrī (in the Mahābhārata) is the-paradigm-woman-who-won-back-her-husband from-Yama. For-someone-named-Sāvitrī to-be-undergoing-widowhood (rāṇḍa-paṇa) is the-supreme-disgrace (= the-name-promises-husband-saved, the-reality-is-husband-lost).
The empty-name: kāya jāḷāvē tē nāmva — avaghē vāva asē tē — what to burn — that name — all empty. The mismatched-name is-good-only-to-burn; it's-all-empty (vāva).
The kubēra-image: kubira nāmva mōḷī vāhē — kaisī pāhē phajitī — one named kubēra hauls faggots — see what disgrace. Kubēra is the-paradigm-rich-one (lord-of-wealth). For-someone-named-kubēra to-be-hauling-faggots (mōḷī) is the-paradigm-name-mismatch-disgrace (= the-name-promises-wealth, the-reality-is-faggot-hauling). Mōḷī = bundle-of-firewood. Phajitī = disgrace, public-exposure.
The closing — trinket-jingle: Tukā mhaṇē ṭhuṇaguṇa dēkhē — ugīm mūrkha phundatā — Tuka says: sees trinket-jingle — empty — the fool sniffles. Ṭhuṇaguṇa = trinket-jingle, hollow-rattle. Phundatā = sniffles, weeps weakly. Seeing-the-hollow-rattle, the-fool-sniffles uselessly.
The deep critique: just-as Sāvitrī-the-widow and kubēra-the-faggot-hauler are name-reality-mismatches, so-too the bhakta-who-bears-the-name-of-bhakti-but-lives-the-life-of-kāma-krōdha (= cf. abhang 2156) is a name-mismatch-disgrace.
[T]
For someone today
For today: Sāvitrī's disgrace — widowhood she undergoes; what to burn — that name — all empty; one named kubēra hauls faggots — see disgrace; Tuka says — sees trinket-jingle — empty — the fool sniffles.
Where this applies
- Sāvitrī-rāṇḍa-paṇa-name-mismatch.* Sāvitrīchī-viṭambaṇa-rāṇḍa-paṇa.
- Burn-the-empty-name.* Jāḷāvē-nāmva-vāva.
- Kubēra-hauls-faggots-disgrace.* Kubira-mōḷī-vāhē-phajitī.
- Sees-trinket-jingle-fool-sniffles.* Ṭhuṇaguṇa-mūrkha-phundatā.