Abhanga 2208
Devotion performed with a cheating, fickle heart is a humiliating fraud that cannot last, because a restless mind always gives itself away.
The verse
भक्ता म्हणऊनि वंचावें जीवें । तेणें शेण खावें काशासाटीं ॥१॥ नासिले अडबंद कौपीन ते माळा । अडचण राउळामाजी केली ॥ध्रु.॥ अंगीकारिले सेवे अंतराय । तया जाला न्याय खापराचा ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे कोठें तगों येती घाणीं । आहाच ही मनीं अधीरता ॥३॥ ॥१॥ २२०९
Literal translation
Calling oneself bhakta yet cheating with jīva — for what should that one eat dung? Spoiled the under-cloth, the kaupīna, the mālā — caused obstruction in the temple. Took up sēvā but [made] antarāya — his case is that of the potsherd. Tuka says: where can such stink last — fickleness in the mind. ॥1॥ 2209
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| भक्ता म्हणऊनि वंचावें जीवें | "calling oneself bhakta yet cheating with jīva" |
| तेणें शेण खावें काशासाटीं | "for what should that one eat dung" |
| नासिले अडबंद कौपीन ते माळा | "spoiled the under-cloth, the kaupīna, the mālā" |
| अडचण राउळामाजी केली | "caused obstruction in the temple" |
| अंगीकारिले सेवे अंतराय | "took up sēvā but [made] antarāya" |
| तया जाला न्याय खापराचा | "his case is that of the potsherd" |
| तुका म्हणे कोठें तगों येती घाणीं | "Tuka says — where can such stink last" |
| आहाच ही मनीं अधीरता | "fickleness in the mind" |
| ॥१॥ २२०९ | colophon — verse-1 marker; pointer to next abhang 2209 |
What it means
Bhakta-cheating-with-jīva-stink-doesn't-last + spoiled-kaupīna-māḷā-temple-obstruction abhang.
The opening — bhakta-eating-dung: bhaktā mhaṇa'ūni vañchāvē jīvē — tēṇē śēṇa khāvē kāśāsāṭīm — calling oneself bhakta yet cheating with jīva — for what should that one eat dung. Calling-oneself-bhakta-while-cheating-with-the-jīva (= half-heartedly, dishonestly) — for-what-is-such-a-one-eating-dung? (= the fake-bhakta swallows-the-disgrace-of-eating-dung for-nothing.)
The spoiled-bhakta-garb image: nāsilē aḍa-banda kaupīna tē māḷā — aḍa-chaṇa rāuḷā-mājhī kēlī — spoiled the under-cloth, the kaupīna, the mālā — caused obstruction in the temple. Aḍa-banda = under-cloth. Kaupīna = loin-cloth of-the-renunciate. Māḷā = the rosary. Rāuḷā = temple. Spoiled the kaupīna, the māḷā (= polluted-the-bhakta-symbols by-being-unworthy); created-obstruction in-the-temple.
The potsherd-case (echoing 2186): angīkārilē sēvē antarāya — tayā jālā nyāya khaparāchā — took up sēvā but [made] antarāya — his case is that of the potsherd. Antarāya = obstruction, interruption. Khapara = potsherd, broken-shard. Took-up-sēvā but-then-broke-it; his-case is-that-of-the-potsherd (= unusable, unfixable). Echoes 2186's khapara-khuṇṭī before-the-parisa.
The closing — stink-and-fickleness: Tukā mhaṇē kōṭhē tagōm yētī ghāṇīm — āhācha hī manīm adhīratā — Tuka says: where can such stink last — fickleness in the mind. Where-can-the-stink-(of-such-fake-bhakti)-tolerate (= persist)? The fickleness-in-the-mind makes-it-not-last.
Editorial note: the source-line ending in ॥१॥ २२०९ is unusual — ॥१॥ marks the verse-1-completion-(or-single-abhang-completion), and २२०९ points to the next abhang.
[T]
For someone today
For today: calling oneself bhakta yet cheating with jīva — for what eat dung; spoiled kaupīna and mālā — obstruction in temple; took up sēvā but antarāya — case is the potsherd's; Tuka says — where can stink last — fickleness in mind.
Where this applies
- When someone performs religious rituals publicly but is dishonest or half-hearted in their heart
- When a person wears the outward marks of a spiritual life while their actual conduct undermines what those marks stand for
- When you start a commitment to serve or help and then quit or corrupt it partway through
- When you notice your own mind is restless and fickle, unable to sustain any sincere effort