Abhanga 2209
Stay away from careless, shameless people who show no inner watchfulness, because closeness to them only brings unexpected trouble and pain.
The verse
गयाळाचें काम हिताचा आवारा । लाज फजितखोरा असत नाहीं ॥१॥ चित्ती न मिळे तें डोळां सलों येतें । असावें परतें जवळूनि ॥ध्रु.॥ न करावा संग न बोलावी मात । सावधान चित्ती नाहीं त्यासी ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे दुःख देतील माकडें । घालिती सांकडें उफराटें ॥३॥
Literal translation
The lazy one's work is obstruction-of-good — no shame, no public-disgrace [for him]. What doesn't match the chitta becomes a thorn to the eye — better be far from such. Don't make sanga, don't speak — there is no watchfulness in them. Tuka says: monkeys will give pain — they create difficulties backwards.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| गयाळाचें काम हिताचा आवारा | "the lazy one's work is obstruction-of-good" |
| लाज फजितखोरा असत नाहीं | "no shame, no public-disgrace [for him]" |
| चित्ती न मिळे तें डोळां सलों येतें | "what doesn't match the chitta becomes a thorn to the eye" |
| असावें परतें जवळूनि | "better be far from such" |
| न करावा संग न बोलावी मात | "don't make sanga, don't speak" |
| सावधान चित्ती नाहीं त्यासी | "there is no watchfulness in them" |
| तुका म्हणे दुःख देतील माकडें | "Tuka says — monkeys will give pain" |
| घालिती सांकडें उफराटें | "they create difficulties — backwards" |
What it means
Lazy-one-no-shame + monkeys-give-pain-backwards abhang.
The opening — lazy-and-shameless: gayāḷāchē kāma hitāchā āvārā — lāja phajita-khōrā asata nāhīm — the lazy one's work is obstruction-of-good — no shame, no public-disgrace [for him]. Gayāḷa = lazy, sluggard. Āvārā = obstruction, enclosure. Phajita-khōrā = of public-disgrace. The lazy-one's-work obstructs-the-good; he-has-no-shame, no public-disgrace-shakes-him.
The eye-thorn: chittī na miḷē tē ḍōḷām salōm yētē — asāvē paratē javaḷūni — what doesn't match the chitta becomes a thorn to the eye — better be far from such. What-doesn't-match-the-chitta becomes a-thorn-in-the-eye; best to-be-far-(from-them).
The no-sanga rule: na karāvā sanga na bōlāvī māta — sāvadhāna chittī nāhīm tyāsī — don't make sanga, don't speak — there is no watchfulness in them. Don't-keep-company, don't-talk; they-have-no sāvadhāna (watchfulness) in-chitta.
The closing — monkeys-give-pain-backwards: Tukā mhaṇē duḥkha dētīla mākaḍē — ghālitī sānkaḍē uphurāṭē — Tuka says: monkeys give pain — they create difficulties backwards. Mākaḍa = monkey. Uphurāṭē = backwards, upside-down. Monkeys-give-pain; they create-difficulties backwards (= in inverted-form). Echoes 2204's monkey-up-and-down image — there it was Tukārām's own mind; here it's the troublesome-others.
[T]
For someone today
For today: lazy one's work is obstruction — no shame, no phajiti; what doesn't match chitta — thorn to eye, stay far; no sanga, no speech — no watchfulness in them; Tuka says — monkeys give pain backwards.
Where this applies
- When you keep company with someone careless and lazy who seems immune to embarrassment about the harm they cause
- When something a person says or does clashes so badly with your own conscience that it feels like a thorn in your eye
- When you are tempted to keep talking with or staying close to someone who shows no self-awareness or watchfulness
- When a troublemaker in your life seems to create chaos in unpredictable, backwards ways no matter what you do