Abhanga 2223
For today: when asked, extend the hand — running away, fill by following back; do we not know the secret — toil done without knowing; speaking well — coming into anger — hard, follow after; Tuka says — here the walk is backwards.
The verse
मागितल्यास कर पसरी । पळतां भरी वाखती ॥१॥ काय आम्ही नेणों वर्म । केला श्रम नेणतां ॥ध्रु.॥ बोलतां बरें येतां रागा । कठीण लागा मागेंमागें ॥२॥ तुका म्हणे येथें बोली । असे चाली उफराटी ॥३॥
Literal translation
English: When asked, extend the hand — running away, fill the gap by following back. Do we not know the secret — the toil was done without knowing. Speaking well — coming into anger — hard, follow after-after. Tuka says: here, the speech — the walk is backwards.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| मागितल्यास कर पसरी | "when asked, extend the hand" |
| पळतां भरी वाखती | "running away, fill the gap by following back" |
| काय आम्ही नेणों वर्म | "do we not know the secret" |
| केला श्रम नेणतां | "the toil was done without knowing" |
| बोलतां बरें येतां रागा | "speaking well — coming into anger" |
| कठीण लागा मागेंमागें | "hard, follow after-after" |
| तुका म्हणे येथें बोली | "Tuka says — here the speech" |
| असे चाली उफराटी | "the walk is backwards" |
What it means
Running-away-but-following + the-walk-is-backwards abhang. Thirteenth abhang of the niḍrā-cluster.
The opening — paradox-of-conduct: māgitalyāsa kara pasarī — paḷatām bharī vākhatī — when asked, extend the hand — running away, fill the gap by following back. When-asked, extend-the-hand (= give); running-away, fill-the-gap by-following-back (= paradoxical-behavior: act normally when-requested but-pursue when-fleeing).
The secret-known: kāya āmhī nēṇōm varma — kēlā śrama nēṇatām — do we not know the secret — the toil was done without knowing. Do-we-not-know the-secret? The-toil was-done without-(my)-knowing.
The anger-and-following: bōlatām barē yētām rāgā — kaṭhīṇa lāgā māgēm-māgēm — speaking well — coming into anger — hard, follow after-after. Speaking-well — yet anger-comes; hard-following after-after.
The closing — backwards-walk: Tukā mhaṇē yēthē bōlī — asē chālī uphurāṭī — Tuka says: here, the speech — the walk is backwards. Uphurāṭī = backwards, inverted. Here the-speech (= the language-of-this-relationship), the walk is-backwards (= what's-said and-what's-done are-inverted). The bhakta describing the upside-down nature of-the-divine-relationship during-the-niḍrā.
[T]
For someone today
For today: when asked, extend the hand — running away, fill by following back; do we not know the secret — toil done without knowing; speaking well — coming into anger — hard, follow after; Tuka says — here the walk is backwards.
Where this applies
- When-asked-extend-running-fill-following.* Māgitalyāsa-kara-pasarī-paḷatām-bharī-vākhatī.
- Don't-we-know-the-secret-toil-without-knowing.* Āmhī-nēṇōm-varma-śrama-nēṇatām.
- Speak-well-anger-hard-follow.* Bōlatām-rāgā-kaṭhīṇa-māgēm-māgēm.
- Here-walk-is-backwards.* Bōlī-chālī-uphurāṭī.