Abhanga 2188
For today: durjana's body wholly straight — store-bag of naraka; eats and speaks amangaḷa — raises forehead by friction; serpent yields to mantra — khaḷa's caste doesn't detach; Tuka says — no upamā suffices — for the adhama, the wicked one.
The verse
दुर्जनाचें अंग अवघें चि सरळ । नर्काचा कोथळ सांटवण ॥१॥ खाय अमंगळ बोले अमंगळ । उठवी कपाळ संघष्टणें ॥ध्रु.॥ सर्पा मंत्र चाले धरावया हातीं । खळाची ते जाती निखळे चि ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे कांहीं न साहे उपमा । आणीक अधमा वोखट्याची ॥३॥
Literal translation
The durjana's body is wholly straight — a store-bag of naraka. Eats amangaḷa, speaks amangaḷa — raises the forehead by friction. A serpent yields to mantra for hand-holding — but the khaḷa's caste does not detach. Tuka says: no upamā suffices — for the adhama, the wicked one.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| दुर्जनाचें अंग अवघें चि सरळ | "the durjana's body is wholly straight" |
| नर्काचा कोथळ सांटवण | "a store-bag of naraka" |
| खाय अमंगळ बोले अमंगळ | "eats amangaḷa — speaks amangaḷa" |
| उठवी कपाळ संघष्टणें | "raises the forehead by friction" |
| सर्पा मंत्र चाले धरावया हातीं | "a serpent yields to mantra for hand-holding" |
| खळाची ते जाती निखळे चि | "but the khaḷa's caste does not detach" |
| तुका म्हणे कांहीं न साहे उपमा | "Tuka says — no upamā suffices" |
| आणीक अधमा वोखट्याची | "for the adhama, the wicked one" |
What it means
Durjana-as-store-bag-of-naraka + serpent-yields-but-khaḷa-doesn't abhang. Durjana-critique.
The opening — naraka-store-bag: durjanāchē anga avaghē chi saraḷa — narakāchā kōthaḷa sāṭavaṇa — the durjana's body is wholly straight — a store-bag of naraka. Durjana = the-wicked-one. Kōthaḷa = cloth-bag, store-bag. Sāṭavaṇa = storage, depository. The durjana's body, though-outwardly-straight, is wholly a-store-bag of-naraka inside. (= outward-form intact, inward-content is naraka.)
The amangaḷa-amangaḷa: khāya amangaḷa bōlē amangaḷa — uṭhavī kapāḷa sanghaṣṭaṇē — eats amangaḷa, speaks amangaḷa — raises the forehead by friction. He-eats inauspicious-things, speaks inauspicious-things; he-raises (mere) friction-on the forehead (= an empty-show-of-tilak/devotion-mark).
The serpent-vs-khaḷa contrast: sarpā mantra chālē dharāvayā hātīm — khaḷāchī tē jātī nikhaḷē chi — a serpent yields to mantra for hand-holding — but the khaḷa's caste does not detach. Khaḷa = wicked-person. Nikhaḷē = detach, fall-off. A-serpent (sarpa) can-be-controlled by-mantra so-that-it-can-be-held-by-hand; but-the-khaḷa's-jāti (= his very-nature-as-wicked) does-not-fall-off (by-any-mantra). Sharp inversion: the venomous-serpent is more-tractable than the wicked-person.
The closing — no-upamā-suffices: Tukā mhaṇē kāmhīm na sāhē upamā — āṇīka adhamā vōkhaṭyāchī — Tuka says: no upamā suffices — for the adhama, the wicked one. No-comparison is-adequate for-the-adhama, the-vōkhaṭā (= the foul-one). (= the wicked-one is-beyond-comparison.)
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For someone today
For today: durjana's body wholly straight — store-bag of naraka; eats and speaks amangaḷa — raises forehead by friction; serpent yields to mantra — khaḷa's caste doesn't detach; Tuka says — no upamā suffices — for the adhama, the wicked one.
Where this applies
- When someone acts pious in public but says or does cruel, unclean things in private.
- When you keep hoping a manipulative or malicious person will change if you just find the right approach.
- When you're tempted to judge someone's character by their appearance or ritual observance alone.
- When you need honest language to describe a person whose wickedness feels beyond ordinary comparison.