Abhanga 2207
Dressing up as something you are not only makes the mismatch more obvious, and a false show of virtue earns contempt instead of the respect it was chasing.
The verse
शादीचें तें सोंग । संपादितां जरा वेंग ॥१॥ पाहा कैसी विटंबना । मूर्खा अभाग्याची जना ॥ध्रु.॥ दिसतें तें लोपी । झिंज्या बोडुनियां पापी ॥२॥ सिंदळी त्या सती । तुका म्हणे थुंका घेती ॥३॥ ॥२॥
Literal translation
The bridal disguise — putting it on — old-age is a-curse. See what disgrace — of the foolish, the unlucky people. They suppress what's visible — the sinners — shaving the locks. The unchaste ones [pretend to be] satīs — Tuka says: they receive spittle. ॥2॥
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| शादीचें तें सोंग | "the bridal disguise" |
| संपादितां जरा वेंग | "putting it on — old-age is a-curse" |
| पाहा कैसी विटंबना | "see what disgrace" |
| मूर्खा अभाग्याची जना | "of the foolish, the unlucky people" |
| दिसतें तें लोपी | "they suppress what's visible" |
| झिंज्या बोडुनियां पापी | "the sinners — shaving the locks" |
| सिंदळी त्या सती | "the unchaste ones [pretend to be] satīs" |
| तुका म्हणे थुंका घेती | "Tuka says — they receive spittle" |
| ॥२॥ | colophon — closes 2-abhang sub-cluster (2206-2207) |
What it means
Bridal-disguise-in-old-age + unchaste-pretending-to-be-satī abhang. Ends with ॥२॥ — closes 2-abhang sub-cluster (2206-2207).
The bridal-disguise image: śādīchē tē sōnga — sampāditām jarā vēnga — the bridal disguise — putting it on, old-age is a-curse. Śādī = bridal (from Persian). Sōnga = disguise, costume. Jarā = old-age. Vēnga = curse, hex. Putting-on the bridal-disguise (in old-age), old-age becomes-a-curse. (= the old-woman dressing-as-a-bride is-disgraceful; the disguise highlights-the-old-age it-tries-to-hide.)
The disgrace-of-fools: pāhā kaisī viṭambanā — mūrkhā abhāgyāchī janā — see what disgrace — of the foolish, the unlucky people. See the-disgrace of-the-fools and-the-unlucky.
The shaved-locks image: disatē tē lōpī — jhinjyā bōḍuniyām pāpī — they suppress what's visible — the sinners — shaving the locks. Jhinjyā = locks, tresses. Bōḍaṇē = to shave. The sinners suppress what's-visible (= their identity) by-shaving-their-locks (= taking-on-sannyāsī-form to-hide-their-sin).
The unchaste-as-satī: sinḍaḷī tyā satī — Tukā mhaṇē thunkā ghētī — the unchaste ones [pretend to be] satīs — Tuka says: they receive spittle. Sinḍaḷī = unchaste-woman (cf. 2171 where the same word appeared for a-different-image). Satī = a-faithful-(virtuous)-wife. Thunkā = spittle. The unchaste-ones pretend-to-be satīs; Tukā says: they-receive spittle (= the contempt-of-people). Echoes 2193's vēśyā-claiming-savāsiṇa-status.
The ॥२॥ colophon closes a 2-abhang sub-cluster (2206-2207): 2206 (durjana-snaps-sajjana's-slipper, nindā-from-behind) → 2207 (old-bride, sinner-as-sannyāsī, unchaste-as-satī). The pair: durjana's-attack + false-respectability-of-pretenders.
The pretenders-of-false-respectability run as a Tukārām signature-theme across this section: 2184 (man-wearing-women's-bangles, bard-self-praise), 2193 (vēśyā claiming savāsiṇa), 2207 (unchaste pretending satī, sinner shaving-as-sannyāsī, old-bride).
[T]
For someone today
For today: bridal disguise in old age — curse; disgrace of fools, unlucky people; suppress what's visible — sinners shaving locks; unchaste pretending satī — Tuka says — receive spittle.
Where this applies
- When someone puts on an appearance or role that clearly does not match who they actually are
- When you notice a person trying to look respectable while hiding a very different reality underneath
- When someone claims a virtue or status they have not actually lived up to
- When you are tempted to fake an image just to win approval you have not really earned