संत साहित्य
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संत साहित्य · Tukārām · Abhanga 2205 of 4582

Abhanga 2205

For today: dharma not known — eyes can't cover; jīvas deluded by kāma — secrets not known; viṣaya's intoxication — no shame held; Tuka says — lāmsī — how māyā makes one dance.

When you'd lament dharma-not-known-by-kāma-deluded + māyā-makes-one-dance — dharma-na-kaḷē-jhānkitīla-ḍōḷē; jīva-bhramalē-kāmē-kaḷōm-varmē; viṣayāñchā-māja-dharūm-nēdī-lāja; lāmsī-māyā-nāchavitē-kaisī

The verse

धर्म तो न कळे । काय झांकितील डोळे ॥१॥ जीव भ्रमले या कामें । कैसीं कळों येती वर्में ॥ध्रु.॥ विषयांचा माज । कांहीं धरूं नेदी लाज ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे लांसी । माया नाचविते कैसी ॥३॥ ॥२॥

Literal translation

English: Dharma is not known — what will the eyes cover up? Jīvas are deluded by this kāma — how would secrets come to be known? Viṣaya's intoxication — won't let any shame be held. Tuka says: the lāmsī — how māyā makes [one] dance. ॥2॥

Word-by-word gloss
Marathi Meaning
धर्म तो न कळे "dharma is not known"
काय झांकितील डोळे "what will the eyes cover up"
जीव भ्रमले या कामें "jīvas are deluded by this kāma"
कैसीं कळों येती वर्में "how would secrets come to be known"
विषयांचा माज "viṣaya's intoxication"
कांहीं धरूं नेदी लाज "won't let any shame be held"
तुका म्हणे लांसी "Tuka says — the lāmsī (māyā-spectre)"
माया नाचविते कैसी "how māyā makes [one] dance"
॥२॥ colophon — closes 2-abhang sub-cluster (2204-2205)

What it means

Dharma-not-known-by-kāma-deluded + māyā-makes-one-dance abhang. Ends with ॥२॥ — closes 2-abhang sub-cluster (2204-2205).

The opening — dharma-unknown: dharma tō na kaḷē — kāya jhānkitīla ḍōḷēdharma is not known — what will the eyes cover up. Dharma isn't-known; what-will-the-eyes-cover-up? (= if dharma-isn't-known, what's-there-to-conceal? — there's-nothing-to-protect.)

The kāma-delusion: jīva bhramalē yā kāmē — kaisīm kaḷōm yēta varmējīvas are deluded by this kāma — how would secrets come to be known. Jīvas are-deluded by-this-kāma; how-would the-secrets (varma = essential-truths) come-to-be-known?

The viṣaya-intoxication: viṣayāñchā māja — kāmhīm dharūm nēdī lājaviṣaya's intoxication — won't let any shame be held. Māja = intoxication, frenzy. Viṣaya's-intoxication won't-let any-shame-be-held.

The closing — lāmsī, māyā-dances-one: Tukā mhaṇē lāmsī — māyā nāchavitē kaisīTuka says: the lāmsī (= the māyā-spectre) — how māyā makes [one] dance. Lāmsī = the clinging-female-imp (cf. 2199 where the same word was-applied-to icchā). Echoes 2199 — lāmsī was-icchā there; here-lāmsī-is-māyā. How-māyā makes-one-dance — the puppet-image.

The ॥२॥ colophon closes a 2-abhang sub-cluster (2204-2205): 2204 (monkey-up-and-down, don't-know-what-mistake) → 2205 (dharma-unknown, māyā-makes-dance). The pair: unidentified-mistake + māyā-as-the-answer.

[T]

For someone today

For today: dharma not known — eyes can't cover; jīvas deluded by kāma — secrets not known; viṣaya's intoxication — no shame held; Tuka says — lāmsī — how māyā makes one dance.

Where this applies

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